How can academic administrators better serve non-traditional students?

One of the most important things we can do to support "non-traditional" students is to understand they are no longer non-traditional. Gone are the days where the "typical" student is white, upper middle class, between 18-24 and living in a dorm. It is incumbent on higher education leaders to understand the heterogeneity of our student body. And second, we must ask them what they need -- too often we assume, based upon our own collegiate experience. To serve them, ask them.

Start by dropping the term "non-traditional"! Then getting input into their goals, expectations, and experiences is a great idea. So is avoiding generalizations. When you segment different student populations, avoid the trap of focusing too much on demographics (remember how many characteristics Prince Charles and Ozzy Osbourne have in common!). Pay attention to matters of degree. Often adult learners, student parents, first gen students, and others have the same challenges as "traditional" ones but experience them more deeply. No student wants to go to an office 9-5 to sign a paper form, but for a student working full time or taking care of kids this might be impossible.

Neurodiverse students are a growing demographic often overlooked and undersupported in higher education. To effectively serve this group, administrators should implement tailored support services, such as specialized academic advising, flexible learning environments, and accessible mental health resources. Training faculty and staff to understand and accommodate neurodiversity is also crucial. By creating a campus culture that values and respects neurodiverse perspectives, institutions can foster a more inclusive and supportive learning environment. This approach not only benefits neurodiverse students but also enriches the educational experience for all students.

In my experience, academic administrators can make a big difference for non-traditional students by creating a flexible and supportive learning environment. Offering online courses, evening and weekend classes, and targeted support services like career counseling and financial aid advice can really help. It’s also vital to build a sense of community through mentorship and peer networks. These steps can help non-traditional students not just enroll but excel in their studies.

Well, I can here talk from experience - I came to academic studies after working few years (two decades), and the administration were wonderful in understanding my needs and the flexibility that I needed. Also, understanding that they needed to deal with me in a slightly different way. They dealt with me as a colleague considering my expertise and previous work. Unfortunately, I cannot see this now from other administration staff, who seem to be robots to the top management, and do not use their common sense to evaluate what is needed or not needed by individuals of different backgrounds. They only go by the checklist this have - without thinking - which is I feel is a deteriorating trend.

I agree with Dr. Glowiak, listening is key. Non-traditional students have shared with us they have different needs than traditionally-aged & life-experienced students. Facilitating flexibility benefits all students, particularly non-traditional students. Building flexible containers allow students to better manage all their responsibilities. Two examples I offer are flexible due dates & group advising. For my late policy, if a student thinks they might submit an assignment more than 1 week late, they complete a form communicating that to me & offer their own. For advising, all my students join my weekly advising. Submiting questions in advance allows me to prepare, respond, and post the recording so all can benefit from hearing the Qs&As.

In a word, I think the simplest answer is “listen.” From there, everything else may come together constructively and collaboratively. The only way to know the needs of and adapt to the non-traditional student is to listen. While not every need can be readily accommodated, even those may be negotiated in some form. As someone well experienced in higher education, it is easy to think one knows best, and in many ways, one might. At the same time, there are need variations—among other variables—that even those with experience may have never considered. Also, this is one’s reality. Listening, being open to adjustments, and collaborating through the follow-through is the best means of ensuring needs are met while maintaining academic integrity.

Les administrateurs académiques peuvent améliorer le service aux étudiants non traditionnels en offrant des options flexibles et un soutien adapté à leurs besoins uniques. Cela comprend la mise en place de cours en ligne, de programmes à temps partiel et de modalités d'apprentissage hybrides qui permettent aux étudiants de concilier études, travail et obligations familiales. De plus, un soutien ciblé sous forme de tutorat, de conseil et d'assistance financière peut grandement contribuer à atténuer les obstacles à l'éducation. En adoptant une approche centrée sur l'étudiant et en reconnaissant la diversité de leurs parcours, les administrateurs peuvent créer un environnement académique inclusif où chaque étudiant a l'opportunité de réussir.

Colleges should feel like communities. Indeed, they should feel like refuges from the hurly burly of the world outside of the gates of the quad. Much like "Cheers", college should be a place where "everyone knows your name." It should be a humanizing space where students are elevated above where they can clearly see what they will potentially become.

Hiring non-traditional employees expands inclusion and promotes visualization of the various possibilities for non-traditional students. Mirror education is a proven teaching methodology.

Engagement and a sense of belonging all starts with the connections that the students have with both the staff and their peers within the classroom or school. Relationship building is the key to supporting students and helping them feel valued. As someone who struggled in school academically and behaviorally, I can tell you that I had the most success in classrooms where the teachers connected with me and helped me to feel like I was valued and important. This can drive motivation and engagement. Students generally will perform at a higher level, both in engagement and achievement if they feel like they are being supported.

Depending on the institution, a "non-traditional" student may very well be your normal student. The term itself is suggestive of the pathway of modern education. One of the things that non-traditional students fight in a college environment is that they might harbor the idea that they don't belong in college because they are not there when they are temporally expected to be. Learning, however, knows no bounds. We have to foster that attitude: those years of experiences in life inform many things that they will study and provide insights to younger students, while the younger students might bring fresh eyes to challenges in the world. There is a natural symbiosis between the two if it is exploited. That's community.

Pour mieux servir les étudiants non traditionnels, les administrateurs académiques doivent favoriser un sentiment d'appartenance et d'engagement au sein de la communauté universitaire. Cela peut être réalisé en créant des espaces de rencontre et des groupes de soutien spécifiques pour ces étudiants, où ils peuvent partager leurs expériences et défis uniques. Il est également essentiel d'encourager leur participation dans les clubs, les associations étudiantes et les activités parascolaires, adaptées à leurs horaires et contraintes.

In my experience, non-traditional students often require non-traditional models for education. As an industry partner, I recently implemented a program with a university partner for a fully online degree program with certifications offered on the pathway to completion. The university redesigned the program for students to take courses that were 1-month long and students took 3 courses per semester if they attended full time. The university also provided academic credit for the student work-based portfolio. The flexibility of the institution, provided the company’s employees a program they could complete in a timely fashion while working full-time.

Building partnerships and collaborations in higher education (HE) is essential for enriching the learning experience and advancing research. Foster alliances with industry partners to provide students with real-world opportunities and enhance employability. Establish collaborations with other academic institutions to facilitate knowledge exchange, joint research projects, and student exchange programs. Engage with local communities to address societal challenges through research and outreach initiatives. Cultivate partnerships with government agencies to influence policy and funding decisions. By fostering these collaborations, HE institutions can create a vibrant ecosystem that benefits students, researchers, and society as a whole.

Academic administrators can build partnerships to better serve non-traditional students by: Engaging with community organizations to understand students' needs; Collaborating with employers to offer flexible scheduling and relevant coursework; Partnering with other educational institutions for credit transfer and dual enrollment programs; Establishing relationships with support services like childcare providers or transportation agencies; Creating advisory boards with non-traditional student representation to inform decision-making; Hosting networking events and workshops tailored to non-traditional students' interests and goals; These collaborations enhance support and opportunities for non-traditional student success.

The promotion of events such as lectures and workshops facilitates the coexistence of academics with various points of the network and provides promising networking. The more they experience external and real practices, the more possible it becomes to enter the job market.

Les administrateurs académiques peuvent améliorer le soutien aux étudiants non traditionnels en établissant des partenariats et des collaborations avec des entreprises, des organisations communautaires et d'autres institutions éducatives. Ces partenariats peuvent offrir des opportunités de stages, de mentorat, de formation continue et d'apprentissage en milieu de travail, adaptées aux horaires et aux besoins des étudiants non traditionnels. En outre, ces collaborations peuvent faciliter l'accès à des ressources supplémentaires, telles que des services de garde d'enfants ou des aides financières, rendant l'éducation plus accessible et viable.

Individualized assessments with active listening will provide the verification data needed to evaluate the process for nontraditional students.

Pour mieux servir les étudiants non traditionnels, les administrateurs académiques doivent s'engager dans une évaluation continue et l'amélioration des résultats éducatifs. Cela implique de recueillir et d'analyser des données sur la réussite et la rétention de ces étudiants, en identifiant les obstacles spécifiques à leur progression et en adaptant les stratégies pédagogiques en conséquence. Des enquêtes régulières et des groupes de discussion peuvent fournir des retours précieux sur l'efficacité des programmes et des services offerts.

Academic Administrators/Professional Services staff are pivotal to institutions serving non-traditional students. There are many ways, but here I outline three core areas. Firstly, through collaborating with academic staff in providing data, and designing frameworks insights to support inclusive curriculum development. Secondly would be complimenting student's studies with support services that align to their programme of study, while being broad enough to serve students across a number of disciplines. Finally, the design of processes and governance structures for measuring, reporting and improving the impact of initiatives on non-traditional students. An additional area would be establishing communities of practice across the sector.

Some of my scholarship has been focused upon studying college choice and student success of some marginalized populations. I have found that, as with "traditional" students, nontraditional students do not come in one variety. I have seen very few campuses identify the needs of the different groups and to serve them in meaningful ways. We can take a look at the current enrollment challenges as more evidence. We see fewer participating in higher ed today and the "demographic cliff" is around the corner. We have known this for years, yet there remains significant work to be done in crafting recruitment and retention strategies to serve the future students. I believe diving into the literature, by population, will enable us to best serve.

Non-traditional adult students look at three things: 1) how long will it take me to graduate, 2) what will be the cost, and 3) what credit will I be given for prior learning. To be successful with these students, these three items must be part of the calculation.

Bringing the non-traditional population to higher education institutions reduces the imposed social distance and promotes awareness about the importance of inclusion.