R02: Noncredit learners at two colleges

E-020. Douglas, Hughes and Van Noy, Rutgers EERC, August 2023. Original report.

Method: 2022 online surveys: Mt. SAC, 182 usable responses (18% response); Northern Virginia, 159 (5%). Program records and staff interviews provided context. [Printed p. 4; PDF p. 10.]

Learning: Respondents reported several work goals and differing cost, care and attendance barriers. Some selected “not sure” for credential type. A response of “no credential” may be accurate and is not proof of misunderstanding. [Tables 3–5, printed pp. 11–13; PDF pp. 17–19.]

Limits: Low response and many missing answers prevent reliable estimates for all learners. The colleges also appear in R01, so the studies share institutional contexts. They are not two independent national samples.

Confidence: Strong for the reported survey results; tentative for wider generalization.

Coverage: Executive context, methods, program-experience tables and limitations: PDF pp. 7, 10–11, 17–22. Other report sections were screened, not fully reviewed. Retrieved October 26, 2026.