Adult Learning:

As teachers we strive to facilitate learning, develop leaders, and foster

organizational development and change in ways that potentially
transform individuals, teams, and organizations.
Laura Bierema, Ed.D. UGA
 The team
Answer the question, Characteristics of and issues facing adult learners.

Kenan Kurspahic Roger Jerez Laura Kelley Alan Killingsworth

BA- History BA- History BS - Family and Consumer BA- Political Science
Sciences MEd-Higher Education
M.Ed.- Higher Education MEd- Higher Education MEd - Higher Education Administration
Administration Administration Administration
Characteristics of Adult Learners:
entry to college delayed by at least one year following high
school,
having dependents,
being a single parent,
being employed full time,
being financially independent,
attending part time, and
not having a high school diploma.
Dr. Ross-Gordon,
https://www.aacu.org/publications-research/periodicals/research-adult-learners-supporting-needs-student-
population-no
 The National Student Clearinghouse Research
Center data of 4.5 million non-first-time
students:

As much as 75% of U.S. college students

are nontraditional or adult learners. -IPEDS
Data Collection System

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/10/07/two-thirds-non-first-time-
students-do-not-graduate
 The increasing dropout
The Focus rates of non-traditional
Problem students.
 People will say, How come these kids cant get their act together?
Melinda Karp, assistant director of the Community College Research
Center at Columbia Universitys Teachers College, told me. And part of
it is structural, obviously, the result of growing up in chaotic
environments.
-Ginia Bellafante, Community College Students Face a Very Long Road to
Graduation
Adult Learner Dropouts: Factors
Adult Learner Dropout Contributing Factor
Data
Potential Ways to Retain Adult Learners
Additional Ways to Retain Adult Learners:
Accelerate:
Courses, certificates, and degrees designed to be
completed in a shorter time frame and in which either
course duration or contact hours may be modified are
learning formats that tend to be more responsive to
adult learners lives (Wlodkowski, 2003).
Lara Couturier (author of Policy Meets Pathways) suggests
creating state policy conditions that support colleges
efforts to undertake comprehensive, integrated redesign.
What do we need to do?
A New Trajectory for College Completion:
Creating a visionary policy environment that
encourages and supports colleges to implement
integrated, evidence-based student success
reforms at scale (Couturier, 2014, p. 1).
Why do we need to retain Adult Learners?
According to Jovita M. Ross-Gordon appear to be a student
population that is here to stay.
Adult Learning has a positive impact in several areas of an
individual's life and well being.
Health
Employment
Social Relationships
Volunteering
Why do we to retain Adult Learners

(Fujiwara, 2012, p. 21)

Why do we to retain Adult Learners
Health
The World Health Organization
has shown the low education is
linked to poor health.
There is also a correlation
between Adult Learning and a
drop in substance abuse and
heart and blood pressure
issues.
Employment
Adult Learners show a
higher probability of being
employed.
Adult Learning also has a
significant positive effect
on peoples job
expectations (Fujiwara,
2012, p. 12)
Why do we to retain Adult Learners
Social Relationships
Being an adult learner forces
people to be social
Satisfaction with one's social
life is increased
Adult learners have an
increased chance of meeting
new people
Volunteering
Adult learners more willing to
volunteer than others in their
own demographic.
Undertaking a course leads
to a statistically significant 3.9
percentage-point increase in
the likelihood of volunteering
regularly (Fujiwara, 2012, p.
13)
An Adult Learner's Perspective
References:

Berger, K., (2016). Invitation to the Life Span. (3rd ed.). Page, A., Rostek, M., Comerford, R.

(Ed.). New York, NY. Worth.

Fujiwara, D. (2012). Valuing the Impact of Adult Learning An analysis of the effect of adult learning on different domains in life. Leicester: National

Institute of Adult Continuing Education. Retrieved from http://shop.niace.org.uk/media/catalog/product/v/a/valuing_the_impact_web_final.pdf

Jobs for the Future. (2014). Policy Meets Pathways: A State Policy Agenda for Transformational

Change. Washington, DC: Couturier, L. K.

Park, Hye-Ji. (2007). Factors Related to Learner Dropout in Online Learning. Retrieved from

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED504556.pdf

Ross-Gordon, J. M. (2011). Research on Adult Learners: Supporting the Needs of a Student Population that Is No Longer Nontraditional. Peer

Review, 13(1), 26. Retrieved from

https://www.aacu.org/publications-research/periodicals/research-adult-learners-supporting-needs-student-population-no

In Wlodkowski, R. J. and Kasworm, C. E. (eds.). Accelerated Learning for Adults: The Promise and

Practice of Intensive Educational Formats. New Directions for Adult and Continuing

Education, no. 97. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003.