Lifelong Learning

Adult Learners in Higher Education

Colleges and universities have traditionally provided a formative experience for young people. But as adults began seeking additional learning opportunities in the past 30 years, the landscape of higher education has changed. Evening and weekend courses are now integrated in every college and university across the country, due to the demand for flexible course scheduling from adults who balance family and career obligations. Instructors and administrators now distinguish traditional-age students from nontraditional students and recognize their different needs, different expectations, and different ways of learning. Colleges and universities have begun accelerated degree programs for adults who began college courses earlier in life, left education to enter the workforce, and now are returning to classrooms with a rich set of life and work experiences. Accelerated degree programs often give these returning learners college credit for the acquisition of those life experiences, with the twofold purpose of validating the experiences as learning and reducing the time it takes to obtain a degree. As a result of the increased demand for adult education, higher education has changed class schedules, courses, and degree programs to accommodate the new consumer, that is, the adult learner.

As adults have demanded more flexibility and choice in their educational experiences, technology has begun to play an exceedingly important role in how education is delivered. Colleges and universities now offer courses in their entirety over the Internet, complete with online class discussions, requirements for “posting” comments (the equivalent of class participation), and submitting all assignments electronically. In this new education delivery system, in lieu of having face-to-face classroom interactions, adults and instructors communicate via e-mail or chat rooms.

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