The fastest growing population in Colleges and Universities across the nation is adult learners. Institutions are continuously working to adapt to the unique needs of these mature students that are significantly different than those of recent high school graduates. The Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges (LVAIC) is working to help local institutions better serve the adult learner at the Seventh Annual LVAIC Conference on Serving Adult Learners that will take place on Thursday, May 30 from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at Cedar Crest College.
The conference will explore and address a variety of issues related to adult students. Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Sloan Consortium, Inc., Dr. Bruce Chaloux, will present "The Adult Learning Conundrum: Perils and Prospects," focusing on the United State’s
decrease in degree completion among adults and the implications this has for the country’s competitiveness in the global market.
“With over 40 million working-age adults with some college, but no degree, the adult degree completion 'market' has become a very competitive one,” said Dr. Chaloux. “The way institutions need to structure programs to serve adults has changed. Online and flexible options, with services designed to meet their needs, is now the standard. The movement towards competency-based, including prior learning, assessment is a driver and a differentiator in the market.”
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Dr. Chaloux added that with the number of institutions offering online courses, the competition for attracting adult learners expands far beyond Pennsylvania and therefore institutions need to provide a strong value proposition.
The National Center for Education Statistics recorded a 42 percent increase in students over the age of 25 between 2000 and 2010. They project that the number of college students over the age of 25 will continue to rise, with a 20 percent increase between 2010 and 2020. There are several potential factors that contribute to this gradual increase—one being demographic.
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“The millennial generation, one of the biggest swathes of our population, will be in the adult learner age range,” said Gaetan Giannini, Dean of Cedar Crest’s School of Adult and Graduate Education. “Accompany this with professions pressuring practitioners to attain higher levels of education and you've got a spike in demand.” For example, The National League of Nursing is pushing for a law that will require students graduating as an R.N. to earn their B.S.N. within 10 years.
“On top of that, a weak economy allows employers to be picky. It's rough getting a job without a degree,” he said.
Giannini added that while adult learners may not be interested in the traditional college experience, they are looking to connect to a campus, while expanding their intellectual and career potential.
“Colleges need to be sensitive to the demands on the adult learner's life,” he said. “I'm not saying classes need to be easy, but they have to be manageable. The program design and support system at a successful college will be set up to help adults cope with and balance these stressors.”
Previous attendees of the annual conference have represented many institutions of higher education including community colleges, two-year colleges, and private and public colleges and universities.
To register for the conference, visit sage.cedarcrest.edu/lvaic-adult-learners.