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What are the 3 most important adult learner/non-traditional related issues across campuses today?
First, I will define the adult learner/non-traditional learner:
Fostering
- Delayed enrollment in postsecondary education
- Financially independent
- Working at least part time while enrolled
- Is a single parent
- Not obtained a standard high school diploma
- Has dependents other than a spouse
As a result of the unique characteristics of these learners there are three issues I will address here in Institutional Culture and Support.
Institutional Culture and Support
Academic Practice
Best practices from those working directly with non-traditional
students typically set the stage for engagement and success. According
to Rendon, Jalomo and Nora, “non-traditional students do not perceive
involvement as them taking the initiative. They perceive it when someone
takes an active role in assisting them.” I advised each of my new students individually and led the academic New Student Orientations. I advised students toward multiple Quarter enrollment that focused on the best fit of their major and helps students to
clarify their educational goals. My advising came with a great deal of
effort and that initial relationship building between the adviser and
student led to career success, or continuing on to graduate school.
Continued engagement throughout one’s academic career is where many
institutions try and often fail for non-traditional students. The multi-Quarter enrollment strategy employed above meant that I encouraged a formal investment in an academic community. In a 2012 study surrounding
non-traditional approaches to non-traditional students, Buglione
revealed that the classroom is the only higher education connection for
non-traditional students. This creates and mandates enormous
opportunity and responsibility for faculty.
Tinto stated, “Retention requires that a student see him or herself
as belonging to at least one significant community and find meaning in
the involvements that occur within that community. A significant
community was created and for instance two of my students bought a lap top (pink) for a female student to help her in the classroom. I hired faculty with the goal of helping non-traditional students
understand the value of proactive behavior in their academic pursuits.
Learning Support Services
Non-traditional students require many different kinds of support and
assistance from family, friends and institutions of higher education.
This can include library resources, evening lectures, pod study,
tutoring, writing resources, career counseling services, online forums,
non-traditional student organizations, etc. My learning
support services consisted of a librarian who would engage students by walking the halls soliciting for mini-workshops, gave out relevant hand-outs, and staffed hours in the Learning Resource Center on a drop-in basis. I employed these retention strategies
to incorporate career assessments on campus, establish study groups,
assign faculty mentors and initiate on-campus activities.
Socialization Opportunities
Individuals have an innate tendency to scan their environments,
looking for others with whom they identify. Online forums, networking
opportunities, community events and formal/informal organizations all
provide great opportunities for non-traditional students to socialize
and develop a sense of belonging within colleges and universities.
Research by Gilardi and Guglielmetti indicates that non-traditional
students put more energy into informal contact outside formal teaching
situations than traditional students. For example, at my campus, with faculty advisers, and recruiting students, I formed clubs based on student interests: business, veteran's, etc., to socialize students. According to Kasworm,
relational engagement through informal contact can help students develop
their own student identity even in non-residential contexts such as
online programs. This plays a crucial role in retention through a
stronger sense of integration for non-traditional students.
What are the 3 biggest challenges facing the delivery of education to adult/non-traditional learners today?
Environments
In light of these challenges I instituted:
Prior Learning Assessment
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is the process of rigorous
evaluation measuring student learning that has occurred outside the
college classroom to determine whether it is appropriate for college
credit. It then applies an equivalent number of college credits to the
learning. Credits earned through PLA are connected to learning outcomes,
not measures of seat-time (Center for American Progress 2011). The main
sources of PLA credit are learning acquired through work, volunteerism,
military training, and industry certifications.
Surveys administered by the College Board found that students
receiving passing scores (50 or above) on CLEP exams were positively
affected in their ability to pay for college and positively assisted in
degree completion (College Board 2004). An assessment conducted by the
American Council on Education in 2012 found that 83 percent of colleges
and universities that have services for veteran and military students
award PLA credit for military training (American Council on Education
2012).
In particular, these students excelled in the classroom and/or went on to graduate study.
Student Academic Services: Success Coach
Success coaching is another innovative approach to serving adult
learners. In the region, I appointed a Senior Success Coach and trained regional Success Coaches. Increased retention and
enrollment are achieved through face-to-face meetings, phone calls, and
e-mail to discuss academics, financial aid, personal issues,
course/faculty concerns, and study strategies and to connect students
directly to university and community resources. In addition, copious notes were maintained in the University 360 database for all interested parties to observe and consult in order to assist students.
Success Coaches provide one-on-one communication and support and
remain a resource throughout the student’s entire academic journey.
Coaches proactively deliver key university messages by way of phone,
notes, e-mail, and social media and are a single point of contact to
assist students with any questions, problems, or concerns related to
their university experience and to connect students to the appropriate
person for resolution. The Campus Dean is the next step in appeal or assistance to address student needs.
Degree Completion Programs
The Universities that I consulted for or worked for had various degree completion programs geared toward
adult and transfer students. The content and delivery methods are
flexible to fit into a busy, working adult’s schedule. The purpose is to remain flexible and nimble in responding to opportunities in a
timely manner as well as having flexibility to employ faculty members
who understand the needs of adult learners. I hired faculty with the skills to
deliver courses using adult-friendly pedagogy and advanced technology.
With the fluidity, transformation, and increasing accountability for
learner outcomes in higher education, I created or sought out new and innovative approaches to serving all students
that provide quality academics, career preparation, affordability, and
accessibility.
What are your thoughts and experience with online and hybrid learning in today’s educational market?
Blended
Historically, my thoughts about online degree programs is that they have never attracted large numbers of “traditional” undergraduate students. I would claim that there are new and viable alternatives emerging within “traditional” undergraduate education waiting to be explored, one of which is blended learning. Who is driving demand for blended learning? The appetite for a blended experience is driven mostly by two very unconventional and historically at-risk segments of the otherwise traditional student market: students planning to start at a two-year college and transfer to a four-year institution. These two student populations prefer blended experiences over wholly on-campus experiences for several obvious reasons. For one, most of these students work full- or part-time while in school or need to balance school with other competing priorities, which makes them more like adult learners/non-traditional students. For these students, having access to online courses adds flexibility and convenience. er completing. By adding online components to their experience, you will not only offer them a more flexible way to make progress toward their degrees, but also build a better foundation for predictive models.
My experience with online and hybrid learning is extensive stretching back to 1994 when I first started building online courses. I advanced my knowledge and planned as a University consultant by earning my first online certificate in 1997; finally, more recently, I earned two additional certificates in technology by enrolling in MITx online courses myself.
How would you work for, support and advance the mission and traditions of a Catholic higher education institution?
Educating Today Report
Toolkit
Instrumentum Laboris was prepared to assess Catholic education, reflect on its contemporary importance, and sketch out guidelines for developing the mission of Catholic educational institutions in the coming decades. There are several distinguishing features of Catholic higher education, such as the contributions
of religious congregations (as well as competent laity), efforts to serve the common good, and
the role of Catholic colleges and universities as the place where faith and culture meet. At the same time, there are challenges, including the cost of access to education, yet the value of the Catholic university is as a place for the
Church to think strategically and to listen carefully toward a fruitful dialogue between the Gospel
and culture.
U.S. Catholic colleges and universities also seek opportunities within the classroom to help their students
engage with society in a faith-filled way. I am currently at a business University and I have earned two business certificates from the Jack Welch Management Institute. Business leaders should demonstrate professional aptitude coupled with an understanding
of the true and deepest purposes of the business vocation. Along these lines, the 2012 document from
the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace titled
Vocation of the Business Leader: A Reflection, is instructive. For some time, the
John A. Ryan Institute for Catholic Social Thought at the University of Saint Thomas also has been instrumental and it has partnered with the
Pontifical Council in preparing the document.
Students are invited to view their
eventual career as part of a vocational calling in service of the common good. I would work to incorporate Catholic Social Teaching
applied across disciplines in ways both particular to the standards of those disciplines and as a means
to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and cooperation.
Finally, within this framework, education is conducted in a
service-learning style, which helps students experience solidarity with their community while developing
the intellectual capabilities to confront social issues. For example, research has shown that three of every four Catholic
institution graduates volunteers or in other ways participates in community service, compared with fewer
than six in ten public university graduates or seven in 10 graduates of non-Catholic private universities in
the United States.
I would argue that faculty at a Catholic institution of higher education, seeking
truth through teaching and research, whether in the humanities or in the sciences, is itself a religious act.
Faculty who live their vocation in the context of a Catholic college or university discover a sense of
community and purpose, a culture of freedom and support, and an opportunity to be an agent of
transformation. Through their efforts, faculty who embrace this vocational view can change the lives of
their students, contribute to contemporary culture, and be enriched from and help advance the great
tradition of Catholic thought.
One important way for faculty to hone their understanding in this area and enhance their own
spiritual lives is to be engaged in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and the congregation’s heritage in order
to deepen their beliefs and integrate faith with reason. For example, Collegium
(www.collegium.org)
, is a summer colloquy for faith and intellectual life, engages faculty from all traditions to discover how
they can contribute to their institution’s Catholic identity, while also respecting and taking advantage
of their own spiritual perspectives and talents.
What is your understanding of and/or experience with a private independent college with undergraduate and graduate programs?
Public vs. Private
My understanding and experience with private independent colleges with undergraduate and graduate programs is extensive. In fact, my first college experience, at Woodbury University, was a joyful experience while I was working on my doctorate.
The major difference between public
universities and private colleges lies in how they are funded. As a result, this difference affects students because funding is
tied to tuition prices. Most public universities and colleges were
founded by state governments, some as early as the 1800s, to give
residents the opportunity to receive public college education. Today,
state governments pay for most of the cost of operating public
universities. They also oversee these institutions through appointed
boards and trustees.This influx of public money is why tuition is lower at a public
university. The real cost of an attendance is subsidized. Money raised
from tuition doesn't need to cover all of a public college's expenses,
such as paying faculty.Meanwhile, private colleges don't receive funds from state
legislatures. They rely heavily on tuition and private contributions.
This means tuition rates are generally higher.
I understand these students because they are more dependent on working, need additional assistance taking classes, and actually, I can relate to them better since the bulk of my academic experience has been working with this type of student.
Another difference between private and public colleges is their size
and the number of degrees they typically offer. Private colleges tend to
be much smaller than public universities and may have only a few
thousand students. Public universities and colleges can be big, and some
are huge. Because of this one factor a smaller, private independent college is more intimate and build community for students. Campus leaders quickly become a known and trusted commodity if you perform well.
Class-size is another major difference. Private colleges keep classes
small, with easy access to professors. At public universities, however,
200 students may be enrolled in some classes, especially in
lower-division courses.
My experience is extensive with institutions that are similar to Holy Family and include: Woodbury, Marymount Palos Verdes College, Hahnemann University, and Strayer University.
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