The Needs of the Adult Learner

Recruitment and Retention in Higher Education states that "location and schedule" are the two most important factors when it comes to adult learners coming back to college (2005, p. 2). With this be stated, higher education institutions are now marketing to those items, but those are not the only factors that need to be accounted for in adult-learner development.  The adult learner has unique wants and needs in order to accomplish their goals.

  

The main reason behind going back to college is to have a change. The ability to transform their lives is motivation enough to push through many obstacles. The question arises about what student affairs personnel are doing to make sure this transition is done in the smoothest of manners.  Both Coyahoga Community College and Pima Community College seem to grasp the concept of the "location and schedule" need for adult learners.  The class length for one is eight weeks long and utilizes locations in the surrounding areas to facilitate classroom such as recreation centers, churches and hospitals (Luckie, 1999).  The programming to accommodate individuals can get costly and many institutions find that funding and staff shortages prevent these programs from flourishing (Luckie, 1999).  

There can be significant stress and conflicts placed on the adult learner naturally, due to their multiple roles in the community.  In Noor's case, she must be a mother, spouse, religious leader and student.  One of her fears was how she can have a support group in college when her friends and spouse, may not in the present in order to help.  These stressors may result in "burnout, premature withdrawal from school, and/or absenteeism at work" (Gary, Kling, Dodd, 2004. p. 18)  

One of these stessors would be finances. Since she is going into education, federal funding may reveal the tuition, book money, and other financial burdens at the beginning.  For a public university in New Jersey, they used counselors to help with the stressors of being an adult learner.  Two professional counselors were assigned to a cohort of 41 minority adult students. The contacts were kept brief, due to the scheduling need and they offered a wide variety of referral programs such as "child care, tutoring, academic/personal issues, medical treatment, and long term counseling" (Gary, Kling, Dodd, 2004 p. 20). These were merely referrals to other programs but counselors in higher education settings need to be conscious of adult needs in order to find resources for them to turn to when needed.  

Another aspect of this program was group counseling.  This program helped tackle issues that the learners may need to express or vocalize and in turn the counseling seminars became a support group.  This reduced the sense of isolation and created motivation when they saw adults who were struggling with similar issues.  These sessions were themed, monthly and mandatory.  The topics ranged from setting realistic goals, feeling guilty about missing family activities, and handling crises .  They met prior to the start of class and worked around work schedules (Gary, Kling, Dodd, 2004 p. 21).  A unique area of counseling was the cultural support services.  This involved collaborating with members of an adult learner's natural environment.  This connection may be spouses, church members, or friends but the counseling provided literature to help the support group understand the adult learner and even included personal contacts.

How great would it be if every institution had a similar program?  With my voice of Noor in mind, these programs, especially the cultural support services would put her mind at ease and have an educated support group to being around outside of academia.  Unfortunately, this is not the case in every institution but the important thing that I learned about was the concept of timing and being personable.  With adult learners making up a large majority of the landscape in higher education settings, working in smaller groups, if possible, helps make the educational experience feel more wanted.  In turn, this personalize work creates a better learning environment that is supportive and resourceful.  If a large endeavor is not manageable, having a faculty advisor facilitate a cohort of adult learners can be an effective technique in the development and easing the stress of students.

Resources

Luckie, J.C., (1999) Case studies on success variables in older adult learner programs. Educational Gerontology. Vol. 25. 253-268. Retrieved July 6, 2008, from EBSCO Host.

(2005) 10 predictions for adult student market. Recruitment & Retention. Vol 19.  1-6. Retrieved July 6, 2008,  from EBSCO Host.

Gary, J.M., Kling, B., Dodd, B.N., (2004) A program for counseling and campus support services for African American and Latino adult learners. Journal of College Counseling. Vol 7. 18-23. Retrieved July 6, 2008, from EBSCO Host.