Twenty-fifth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

Nontraditional adult learners are attending online college programs today, and the expectation is for increasing numbers in future years, primarily because more jobs are requiring post-secondary degrees. For example, worker projections for the upcoming decade expect at least 106 million Americans to have degrees for employment (Sherman & Klein-Collins, 2015). As this need for better-educated workers increases so does the need for more universities to open their doors to this population (Chen, 2017). The online environment seems the most viable solution for this group of students, as most find that traditional campuses do not allow for the flexibility needed for a student who must divide his or her time between employment, family, and coursework. Therefore, the need for schools that can focus their attention on the technology needs and concerns of this unique learner is significant. What can be done to help ease the student into the online learning experience and help prepare students for coursework that might involve a more sophisticated mastery of web tools? This presentation will offer ideas and advice for approaching these concerns, with examples of current technology tools and how to introduce nontraditional students to this less than traditional learning environment.