Utilizing this information and comparing it to the programming in place, educators will be able to better meet the needs of adult students and hold their interest. Engaging an adult learner with programming modifications isn’t the only challenge faced.
The time involved in acquiring a degree plays heavily on how long an adult stays engaged. Multiple demands on an adult learner make it difficult to juggle everything and stay motivated. Jovita Ross-Gordon states that “courses, certificates & degrees should be designed to be completed in a time frame [which are] more responsive to adult learners lives “(Ross-Gordon). Utilizing courses designed to be completed in less time would be a motivating factor for adults to seek out degrees and finish
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In the article, “Multiple Roles Of Adult Learners”, Ellen Fairchild states, “finances play a significant role in the ability of adults to complete their academic goals”(Fairchild). She also states that, in addition to tuition and related fees, adult learners, who are more often single parents with dependents, need their degree to be affordable so they are still able to pay for child care while at work and in class (Fairchild). They may be forced to acquire degrees to move into more lucrative jobs, but the cost of ongoing tuition is a burden they soon choose to forgo. So how can universities address this issue? The competency-based degree program at Western Governors University “charges a flat-rate tuition for every six months of enrollment, and students’ advancement is based on what they can prove they know. Because the students are paying for the time to prove their competence… it’s an incentive to work faster to complete their degree and save money” (Button). This is a great incentive for adult students to stay focused and achieve that degree, especially if it allows them to learn as much as they can for a set fee. Universities should consider mimicking this program as an enticement for reentry adults to enroll as well as using this as a tool for retention. But what about the Universities financial needs if they start making changes in how they charge for degrees? Reentry adults aren’t the only ones who have financial …show more content…
According to the “Fact Sheet on the President’s Plan to Make College More Affordable”, a rating system to be developed by the 2015 school year, would be based on “access”, “affordability”, and “outcomes” (White House). According to this White House report, “President Obama’s plan will connect student aid to outcomes, which will in turn drive a better, more affordable education for all students” (White House). The President’s report shows that retention rates will continue to play a factor in weighing how much funding is given to schools so it’s vital to address the retention issue. Educating society so they can in turn better support themselves is a large part of the President’s initiative. The US Department of Education will give its blessing and grant “federal aid” eligibility with innovative programs using “competency-based education and prior learning assessment”, which will also address the time related issue for adult learners (White House). The President obviously sees the importance of bringing reform to adult education and has started an initiative to bring change. The President is paying attention to retention rates, but why aren’t the Universities looking at this as well? Universities are in the business of education and haven’t paid attention to the largest
Earning an education could cost you for your entire life, especially if you do not apply for the various types of financial aid. After earning their degree, several students do not earn enough money with the field they have chosen to pay off their debt, making the degree seem pointless. Families that pay for their children’s tuition often wonder, like Linda Lee, if their child is getting what they pay for. Parents pay for the tuition because they do not want their children to miss out on the “college experience.” However, when their child fails to make the right decisions or simply acts their age, it leaves the family wondering if they have made a
Adult learning is having a clear picture of how adults learn and how this in turn affects the program planning process. Many adults are not sure about what they want to do with their lives after high school. There are many programs that will help you to decided, what you want to do with your life. This is where adult education programs can help you decided on the importance of education. There are three content areas that connects with adult learning and planning education within the adult. Knowles state that the adult learner, learns from their experiences. Experiences is how adults live their everyday lives and make concise
In recent years, many adults have found themselves underemployed, jobless or without the necessary tools to compete in today's job market. Therefore, deciding to return to school (or start) has become almost a necessity. Enrolling in school as an adult can be stressful. Other factors such as having a family to take care of and a house to manage, further complicate the decision. As some of today's adult students are finding out, it is doable if that person has the right mindset, strategy and support.
Ever since I started to seriously think about my future, I had aspirations of getting a degree and becoming a professional. Specific careers have changed constantly, ranging from becoming a teacher to an engineer. As I got older, I began to assess my strengths and weaknesses as well as my likes and dislikes. I know a college education is essential in today’s economy and society. Doors are opened to those with college degrees and a better lifestyle is guaranteed. A college education is not only economically beneficial but intellectually as well, for it provides a unique learning experience as it caters to an individual’s interests
When I first decided to continue my education, I needed more than a normal academic training. I was looking for something with a more meaningful reason to existence, a higher purpose, and to fulfill the prodding determination to finish what I have started years past. A huge part of it may also be the unimaginable maturity level I had reached which withholds the unforgettable lessons learned, especially the losses of love ones.
When it comes to education, it is never too late for a second chance. And although returning to school as an adult may be one of the most challenging ways to advance your career, it can fortunately be one of the most rewarding. Success however, is not always guaranteed. To flourish as an adult student requires the tenacity and dedication necessary to overcome the countless obstacles that block the path of success. While the severeness of each obstacle may, financial considerations are generally a momentous dilemma for most returning adults. In addition to financial woes, time consistently outflows its limited supply when prioritizing a schedule to include school, work, and family obligations. When the stress of these elements is enhanced with tight deadlines and unyielding assignments, the whole process can feel overwhelming and futile. Still, undeterred by the unending supply of stressful situations, the rewards are tremendous for those that persevere.
Higher education costs have been increasing at a rapid pace, faster than inflation for the economy as a whole, for the past fifty years. It started in the 1960’s when the federal government passed the Higher Education Act to increase the amount of people able to afford and attend college. Regardless of the Unites States Government efforts to increase the affordability of college, federal aid programs have not risen to expectations due to the ever-increasing college prices. To lower the price of college, the government needs to cut back on student financial spending to go only to the lowest income families and create tax incentives for families to start saving up on their own.
Students in America pursue post-secondary education for a diversity of motives. Most do it for economic stability and consequently tend to develop a profession for the sake of earning an income as their primary goal. Comfortable living accompanies such motive, action which leads individuals to wish to obtain a substantial life where they may enjoy financial freedom. Some students look for a broad, liberal arts education, while others become focused on a specific career. However, there are students who simply enroll to take one or two classes for the joy of learning and/or keeping up with their skills.
Chapter one of this book identifies key elements that are essential in the methodology of facilitating adult learning. Brookfield highlighted in two areas: Motives for Learning and Principles of Effective Practice aspects which impart an understanding of the potential within adult learners through the active practice of facilitations.
I have several expectations for the course. In addition to learning additional information about human development, I plan to further explore learning across various stages of adulthood. From my experience, the learning experience of people in early adulthood can be very different from the experiences of people in middle adulthood. Often people in early adulthood are using an educational program to prepare for or explore a new career. People in middle adulthood may be enrolled in an adult education course to fine-tune their skills. They may have recently lost their job
College tuition has been an increasingly intense topic of discussion over the years. The costs of higher education have been debated by many people, and it has been discussed as to whether costs are becoming too high for students to afford. College has become more and more popular, and now as many as 20 million students attend universities reported by The National Center for Education Statistics (1). The value of a college degree is immense, but college tuition is becoming too expensive for students to afford, and furthering the problem are students’ lack of knowledge on how to pay and earn money towards their college degree.
In order to be successful in life, many young adults feel as if they need to go to school and complete
Engaging adults during the learning process is an action that encompasses the use of skills to conquer their concentration and interest. The engagement is performed to ensure the adult learners will immediately identify with the information and the objective of the teaching. Once the identification and objectivity is formed learning is able to proceed. Therefore, the engagement process for adult learners must be unique and display sensitivity in an effort to achieve learning. Moreover, it is necessary for adults to know their efforts put towards lifelong learning will have meaningful value later.
As a boy growing up my parents insisted that I would be attending college after I graduate high school. Aging through the years, the common perspective was to attend college unlike the viewpoint from the 80’s and earlier where not as many high school graduates attended college. This standard view for many families, like my own, is to put their son or daughter into college so that they may graduate with a degree and seek a career in the tough world as of late. In order to make this goal happen, many families sought the help of financial aid as a lifeline to avoid debt themselves due to the increasing tuition rates nowadays. The federal government has made it easier than ever to borrow money for higher education. As a matter of fact, there is currently over $1.2 trillion in total student loan debt, eclipsing the amount of credit card debt. The reason for many families to borrow money is because tuition rates and fees for college have been raised dramatically over the past several years. An article from USA Today written by Amanda Reaume, a frequent writer for Credit.com about financial news, holds that college tuition and fees have increased by 1,120% since 1978. During that same period, the price of food has increased by 244% and medical expenses 601%. Also, tuition and fees have increased perilously at a rate four times faster than the consumer price index. It is clear that tuition rates, food, medical expenses, and other fees have yielded wild expenditures for the average
My impression of adult education has changed immensely. First and foremost, the first lesson learned that teaching adults are a separate, intensive, and long debated process. Portions of certain theories learned illustrated below. I have extended knowledge about Meizrow (Transformational Learning) and Knowles (Andragogy). The six key features of Adult Learners are: