Non-Traditional Students and Inclusive Course Design

Non-traditional students are a growing demographic that is increasing.  Traditionally we considered college students to be between 18 and 24 years old and matriculating fresh directly from high school.  However, today's college students include:

• Parents
• Caregivers
• Full-time employees
• Retirees

With at least 40% of the current undergraduate population being non-traditional (CLASP, 2015), students in the classroom now face challenges that were not considered before such as:

• Social Isolation: The age difference or life experience difference makes non-traditional students struggle. That has significant impact on their success (Wyatt, 2011)
• Interrole Conflict: with multiple roles, non-traditional students have to balance the roles with that of being a student (Markle, 2015)
• Lack of Flexibility: Class times and course work schedules often do not afford flexibility non-traditional students require (Gonclaves & Trunk, 2014)

These general concerns do not even address many other factors, such as economic or race issues, that also may impede student success when not accounted for in higher education. For these reasons inclusive class designs and practices are needed to improve our teaching success.

A fun reminder that helps is that as a college academic, if you are taking the training, you are probably feeling the same pressures as your non-traditional students. Chances are that 40% of your students are feeling the same way you are, however, many may not have the flexibility or finances you have. 

While using Universal Design for Learning will not solve all the challenges non-traditional students face, it does offer a tool to help create learning environments that afford students the flexibility that can contribute to their success. In many ways Universal Design for Learning encourages accommodating environments to coincide with preferences of adult learners, such as allowing students to direct their learning (Wlodkowski, 1993).  By offering flexible learning environments, we are helping develop a more inclusive atmosphere that will contribute to the non-traditional students’ success. This is at least a step in the right direction.

References

CLASP (2015). [Table depiction of ‘Yesterday’s Non-Traditional Student is Today’s Traditional Student’]. Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success. Retrieved from: http://www.clasp.org/resources-and-publications/publication-1/CPES-Nontraditional-students-pdf.pdf

Gonclaves, S. A., & Trunk, D. (2014). Obstacles to Success for the Nontraditional Student in Higher Education. Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research, 19, 164-172.

Markle, G. (2015). Factors Influencing Persistence Among Nontraditional University Students. Adult Education Quarterly, 65(3), 267-285.

Wlodkowski, R. J. (1993). Enhancing adult motivation to learn: A guide to improving instruction and increasing learner achievement. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Wyatt, L. G. (2011). Nontraditional Student Engagement: Increasing Adult Student Success and Retention. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 59, 10-20.