MI-RAISE Design Lab Resources

MI-RAISE Design Lab Resources offer postsecondary institutions a living toolkit to spark and support innovation for adult learner success. These resources compile best practices, tools, and inspiration shared during MI-RAISE meetings—and beyond.

First, these resources highlight partnerships with four-year colleges and universities to strengthen transfer pathways. They also provide guidance on course offerings designed to help adults complete credits more quickly. Additionally, the toolkit includes models for stackable credentials, enabling learners to build qualifications over time.

Moreover, the MI-RAISE Design Lab Resources cover how to award credit for prior learning, so adult students’ experience and knowledge are valued from day one. There are also suggestions for integrating work-based learning opportunities, helping learners gain practical skills while they study.

Equally important, the guide addresses holistic student support—focusing on helping adults succeed academically and personally. It further outlines guided pathways, a clear roadmap that helps students chart and stay on their educational journey. Finally, the collection includes discussions around corequisite learning, an evidence-based model that accelerates course completion by combining support with instruction.

Together, these elements form a cohesive approach to designing system-wide support for adult learners. The resources align with both MCACS’s Innovation Investment Awards and the Sixty by 30 Student Success Grants. They help institutions build stronger, more flexible systems that meet learners where they are.

Ultimately, the MI-RAISE Design Lab Resources equip colleges and universities with the ideas and strategies needed to translate vision into action. It encourages institutions to reimagine how they support adult students—and to do so with clarity, purpose, and equity.