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Article Type

Professional Proficiency

Article Abstract

Related Issue:

Nontraditional students, or adult learners, are the new majority in the classroom in any sector of higher education according to the National Center for Education Statistics. These students are considered nontraditional if they identify with at least one of the following criteria: be at least 25 years old, attend school part-time, work full-time, be a veteran, have children, wait at least one year after high school before entering college, have a GED instead of a high school diploma, being a first-generation student (FGS), are enrolled in nondegree programs, or have reentered a college program. This population also tends to be predominantly female. As this population trend grows exponentially in higher education, it is imperative for administrators and instructors to learn how to work with these students, as they deal with far different struggles to stay in school than their traditional counterparts. This review of the current literature will explore the best practices for what nontraditional students need based on the varied issues they face in reentering a classroom. A lack of knowledge about this population has led to low enrollment rates and high attrition rates, leaving some schools especially in the for-profit sector, struggling to stay afloat. It is imperative that as populations shift, so do pedagogical and supportive approaches within postsecondary institutions in order to retain these students and ensure their academic success.

Author(s)

Kris MacDonald, Ph.D., earned her B.A. in communications/journalism from Shippensburg University in 2005, her M.Sed. in secondary education from the University of Scranton in 2011, and her doctorate in educational leadership and management in higher education from Drexel University in 2017. She has Pennsylvania teaching certification in English for grades seven through 12 plus CITI and QM certifications. Since 2011, she has worked in secondary and higher education with a variety of learners both face-to-face and online, teaching synchronously and asynchronously. While completing her doctorate, she created curriculum for PERC to calibrate instructional design for EL students in Philadelphia’s charter schools. During her three years at Drexel University, she presented her research through PASA in 2015 and 2017; and the Drexel University Doctoral Colloquium, CARE Conference, and INTED Conference in 2017; she has additionally worked as the PASA 2017 Conference Assistance and the 2017 MARAAS annual conference graphic designer, and designed Padlets and programs for two GTC workshops in 2017. She was also the 2017 PASA Research Fellows recipient. Her dissertation is titled “Factors Positively Influencing Persistence and Graduation for Nontraditional Students Enrolled at a For-Profit Postsecondary Institution.”

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