Having accumulated more than 30 years of best practices in the field of adult higher education, IPD offers the following assistance:

• Consulting partner institutions and training their staff in the most efficient and effective methods of adult student advising and orientation processes.
• Adult-friendly and nationally endorsed transfer credit practices to maximize the adult learner's likelihood to enroll and complete degree requirements at the partner institution. This training includes a full explanation of reasons for using the American Council on Education's credit recommendations for awarding college credit for military training and evaluating transcripts from nonregionally accredited institutions.
• Prior learning assessment consultation related to establishing a credit-for-prior-learning process that meets regional accrediting standards and follows the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning guidelines for best practices.
• An annual Student Services Conference offers additional training in best practices and introduces the partner institutions to cutting-edge ideas for increased success.
• An online student orientation and a manual on best practices in the delivery of online student services that can assist program deans, student services directors, and contract directors.

IPD has also developed a series of online, self-paced courses for the professional development of adult program personnel. The courses offered include the following:

• Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) — This course introduces the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Act guarantees students with disabilities equal access to educational opportunities. It is critical that all adult program employees understand their role in the institution's compliance with this act.
  
  
• Undergraduate Admissions and Class Start Process — This tutorial introduces the policies and processes for undergraduate student admission, academic advisement, and class starts. Topics covered include degree completion planning, the composition of the admission committee, class rosters, class registration, and formal file transfer.
  
  
• Introduction to Learning Teams — This course is designed to introduce the terms, concepts, and requirements of learning teams and collaborative learning.
  
  
• Introduction to FERPA — This tutorial is designed to introduce FERPA and discuss its impact on student services, academic records, and faculty. Emphasis is placed on the confidentiality of student records and students' rights to access their records.
  
  
• Transfer Credit — This tutorial covers the various sources of credit an incoming student may have earned. Topics include transfer credit policies and categories, types of accreditation, course waivers, and general education. It is imperative that personnel learn and follow their institution's policies when evaluating students' transcripts.
  
  
• Transcript Evaluation — This tutorial introduces participants to generally accepted transcript evaluation policies and procedures. Topics include steps in assessing transferable and nontransferable credits, general education, course waivers, completing appropriate forms, and calculating grade point average (GPA).
  
  
• Military Credentials Evaluation — This course introduces the American Council on Education's program to evaluate military training. Topics include evaluation criteria and documentation requirements, including the Army/American Council on Education Registry Transcript System, the Sailor/Marines ACE Registry Transcript, and major military documents-DD214 and DD295.
  
  
• Learning Teams in Action — This is a facilitated course designed to build on the knowledge students acquired in the Introduction to Learning Teams tutorial by focusing on the essential elements of learning teams and providing a forum for discussion about issues and challenges.

An additional consultative service is provided through the Student Services Commission of the Consortium for the Advancement of Adult Higher Education (CAAHE). The role of the commission is to serve CAAHE members in an advisory capacity for issues related to student services, including financial aid, student retention, staffing, and admissions. The commission serves as a forum to identify and discuss common issues; to facilitate sharing of innovative ideas, information, techniques, practices, and resources; and to provide networking and professional growth opportunities. To register for any of the tutorials mentioned above, please visit http://ipd.org/login/request_training.asp.