Researching nontraditional students allowed me to capture the thoughts and feelings of these students in regards to involvement outside of the classroom. This research will give the campus an opportunity to reach out to this student population when planning events and take into consideration some of the challenges faced by non-traditional students. Student organizations on campus can also learn how to increase participation and membership in the organization from the non-traditional student. The overall goal is to give the nontraditional students a voice and allow administrators the opportunity to further support this student group.
In this section, I will first review the purpose of the study, re-introduce the themes, and summarize my …show more content…
Findings from this study suggest an urgent need to redefine student involvement for the non-traditional student. There needs to be a separate definition of involvement for non-traditional students who do not have the time or capacity to engage in co-curricular activities but are persisting to graduation. Educators must be strategic in engaging non-traditional students in the classroom as that is where most involvement occurs. Interactions with peers and faculty are how non-traditional students stay involved and bring a wealth of life and work experience with them when they enter higher education (Compton et al., 206). Moreover, administrators must also review additional ways to support non-traditional student involvement. Involvement will not be the same as a traditional college student, nor should it be. Non-traditional students have more responsibilities such as employment and familial commitments as well as lots of experiential knowledge that must be factored in to determine what involvement looks like for the non-traditional …show more content…
I did not get as many survey respondents as I was seeking. One main limitation of the study was not obtaining enough face-to-face interviews. I believe that more face-to-face interviews would give more examples of adult learner’s thoughts to involvement outside of the classroom. Although I received better answers when interviewing, I could have used more interviews. More interviews would have given more depth to my findings, and assist on gauging various suggestions on how to accommodate the adult learner. Looking at just the aspect of student involvement in campus activities is limiting the scope of the project. For future study, I would include other aspects of the college experience such as interaction with faculty as well as campus resources. This topic can be studies on a very board level and can encompass more aspects of the total college experience, as a more complete project/study.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) projects the rate of increase for adult learners will be about 20%% over the next 10 years. According to IPEDS data, only 46% of all undergraduate students at CSUN graduate within 6 years. Due to obstacles/barriers of adult learners, the rate of persistence and completion are even lower. The adult learners needs an opportunity to connect with their peers and engage in the campus community. They also need services that will accommodate their unique life
In this section, I will first review the purpose of the study, re-introduce the themes, and summarize my …show more content…
Findings from this study suggest an urgent need to redefine student involvement for the non-traditional student. There needs to be a separate definition of involvement for non-traditional students who do not have the time or capacity to engage in co-curricular activities but are persisting to graduation. Educators must be strategic in engaging non-traditional students in the classroom as that is where most involvement occurs. Interactions with peers and faculty are how non-traditional students stay involved and bring a wealth of life and work experience with them when they enter higher education (Compton et al., 206). Moreover, administrators must also review additional ways to support non-traditional student involvement. Involvement will not be the same as a traditional college student, nor should it be. Non-traditional students have more responsibilities such as employment and familial commitments as well as lots of experiential knowledge that must be factored in to determine what involvement looks like for the non-traditional …show more content…
I did not get as many survey respondents as I was seeking. One main limitation of the study was not obtaining enough face-to-face interviews. I believe that more face-to-face interviews would give more examples of adult learner’s thoughts to involvement outside of the classroom. Although I received better answers when interviewing, I could have used more interviews. More interviews would have given more depth to my findings, and assist on gauging various suggestions on how to accommodate the adult learner. Looking at just the aspect of student involvement in campus activities is limiting the scope of the project. For future study, I would include other aspects of the college experience such as interaction with faculty as well as campus resources. This topic can be studies on a very board level and can encompass more aspects of the total college experience, as a more complete project/study.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) projects the rate of increase for adult learners will be about 20%% over the next 10 years. According to IPEDS data, only 46% of all undergraduate students at CSUN graduate within 6 years. Due to obstacles/barriers of adult learners, the rate of persistence and completion are even lower. The adult learners needs an opportunity to connect with their peers and engage in the campus community. They also need services that will accommodate their unique life