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The Mentor: An Academic Advising Journal The Adult Road Atlas: A Plan for Adult Learners Andrew J. Stafford, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis
A group sometimes overlooked by academic advisers is that of adult students age 40 and older entering college for the first time. Adults that are going back to school later in life will often be experiencing an early retirement, layoff, career advancement, or midlife career change (Kinsella, 1998). Some of these students need help deciding how to pursue a second career or to change from one that is not fulfilling. Advisers need to take into account these many variables and must show the adult student that advisers are knowledgeable in the field and can be trusted to help make sound decisions concerning the adult's education and future. Using a travel metaphor for the adult student's educational journey, this paper describes a process that can be used to greatly ease the impact that can be associated with the hectic and convoluted route to obtaining a higher education—an adult road atlas. The academic adviser needs to start by getting a baseline understanding of the student's personal life. The first step is for the adult learner to make a list of everything being brought on this trip so that the student will know what else will be needed along the way. In order to make the situation for the learner as positive as possible, the adviser should begin by getting information about the student's current life situation and what that student plans to do after attending classes. According to Reisinger (1999), “Fitting college into pre-existing roles can be a rather monumental challenge, one that needs help, guidance and support.” The adult should feel that the adviser honestly cares about that student's individual situation and that he or she can trust that the adviser will offer help throughout this transition. This initial stage can be described as a way to fully understand the point of departure of the student's life at the moment he or she walks into the office for a preliminary appointment. This point of departure is a starting point upon which the adviser can base things such as course load and program style. Through this process, the student can also identify possible roadblocks that may pop up along the way, giving both the student and the adviser proper time to avoid any breakdowns or detours from the intended path. Academic advisers can make the process of coming back to education easy by using a trip planning guide like a TripTik (AAA, 2005), which outlines everything the learner will need to be successful in an ever-changing higher education setting. The trip guide consists of a workbook that the adult can fill out as the college journey progresses. The workbook, which will be referred to as the adult atlas, could also be viewed as a “one-stop shop” for adults students who have children and transitional jobs and who do not have time to consult several different offices in order to get the initial information needed. During the initial advising session, the adviser will give out the workbook, set up the next meeting time, and assess the departure point for the learner. The atlas distributed to the adult learners would contain information for financial aid, parking services, disability services, counseling services, any available child care options, a list of majors and certificates offered, directions to additional information on the institution's Web site, and lists of useful e-mail addresses and phone numbers. Each of the departmental information sheets will have pictorial and step-by-step instructions of how the student will be able to get from the parking lot into the front door of that office. Being lost on campus is frustrating and wasteful of valuable time, so this one simple action may cut down on stress levels when going to different offices. For the initial meeting between the student and the adviser, it is important to carefully review the information that will be available in the adult atlas distributed to the students. The atlas should be organized into various sections for quick and easy reference. The financial aid section of the packet should contain the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), loan information, and scholarship opportunities that adult learners may need to help fund an education. A section should be dedicated to the counseling services on campus with materials specifically for adults in transition, offering information on topics such as methods to help cope with the challenges of balancing college course loads with outside life. As stated by Landsberger (2006), “adult learners, as they return to, and progress through their education, often question and reevaluate their original assumptions and motivation as they use education to re-create their lives.” The atlas should also include step-by-step instructions for registering online for classes. It should also give information for adult learners looking to enter certain fields after obtaining their degree or certification. The parking service section should guide them through confusing issues such as where to park and how to purchase a permit. Child care centers might be a resource that adult students did not expect would be available on a college campus, so this service may be one that allows them to be more flexible in their daily schedules. “The needs of nontraditional, commuting students are difficult to identify since many such students have multiple life roles, including that of a parent and full-time employee” (Rhatigan, 1986, as cited in Schuh, 1996). This planned approach to their journey will allow adults to feel that they are being integrated into the college landscape. It can also give them an early confidence boost so they feel that they will be able to reach their destinations and not feel that they are wasting money and time. The adult atlas is not only a packet of papers and forms, but also the beginning of a relationship between the adviser and the student. The adviser becomes a person that the adult students can trust to help them make decisions that will affect the outcome of their education. The adults are using the adviser like a Global Positioning System (GPS) that is helping them to navigate the “highway” of higher education. This highway consists of three lanes, with each lane representing a different type of advising and learning plan. Adults may merge between lanes of the highway during their travel as circumstances change over time. The left lane is a self-directed approach to education in which the student feels that he or she knows enough about the program to warrant minimal support. The adviser will have contact with the students, help them choose classes to make the students successful, and be available for any other concerns that may arise. The students in the middle lane tend to have a life that will allow for schedule changes without creating too much upset. The middle lane is where most students will align because of their varied backgrounds and skill levels. The right lane is where educational decisions are made as a student-adviser team during office visits. This lane gives a little more stability and slower pace than the other lanes. Students will need to share concerns and issues with the adviser so that they can be given good directions and will not feel lost on the crowded highway of college. The success of the adult atlas hinges on the ability of the academic adviser to direct the student to the correct destination and then to afford the amount of direction appropriate for each student. Effectively designing a course schedule is another key element for the success of the adult atlas system. The adult student's course load can be guided by the adviser initially by looking at the current personal and work situations of the student. In referring to adult students, Lieb (1991) states, “Upon enrolling in a course, they usually know what goal they want to attain. They, therefore, appreciate an educational program that is organized and has clearly defined elements.” An academic adviser can help a student greatly by pointing out things that he or she might not realize, such as which prerequisites need to be taken before registering for a certain course or the time commitment needed for activities like labs or seminars that are associated with certain courses. Adult students with children will need to be sure they can find adequate child care during class meetings, and those with jobs will need to ensure that they can coordinate their work schedules with their classes. Another important role for the adviser is being a type of travel agent who coordinates aspects of the journey for the adult student. As a student who is not living on campus and with life activities that may take priority over school, the adult learner will not be as able to access many resources as easily as a traditional student who lives on campus. The adviser will act as a liaison between the student and the many resources throughout the university. The adviser will need to determine when faculty might need to be brought in for support of students in tough situations. The adviser should also maintain a dialogue with the student as the semester progresses to ensure the student's ability to remain committed and focused. This is where another component of the atlas, the passport, comes into play. The passport is a learning plan agreement in which the student outlines what he or she wants to do while in college, and the adviser goes over the courses needed and time commitments necessary for this to be completed. The adult and adviser both sign off on this passport so that both parties are obligated to fulfill the agreement. If a roadblock pops up along the journey, the adviser will be able to give the student directions to help navigate around the obstruction. This would be beneficial to the student because the adviser has dealt with many of these situations before and therefore might be able to explain things in a more current context and can anticipate outcomes. Finally, for the student who remains unsure of exactly in which direction to take this change, a discussion of some options, such as attendance at a career fair or coordination of a meeting with a career services representative, would be useful. The attitude of the adviser is going to be another key factor in accomplishing the goal of educational enrichment for the adult student. Adults have a different skill set than traditional-age students because adults are versed in the ways of the real world. Their journey to a degree or certificate is going to take a different path than that of traditional-age students because adults are coming from a different background. It would greatly benefit the adult learner if the adviser can recognize this fact and perhaps find some way to show the student ways to incorporate this knowledge into an academic role. For the adult to take the step into the academic environment is a big accomplishment in and of itself, so the adviser needs to do anything in his or her power to make a comfortable atmosphere for the adult learner. It is quite possible that an adviser might have difficulty understanding an adult in this situation, which is why having a system in place will give the adviser some sort of structure to follow. The meetings and log-in assignments coming from the adult atlas will allow for reflection by the adult and the adviser on many different issues. The last meeting that the adviser should have with the adult student should be the time when the adult student can reflect on the experiences he or she has had during the time spent at the institution. The atlas should contain a sheet at the end titled “Destination Reached,” where the adults will be able to write about what they have felt and experienced throughout the entire process and how they would improve the system. This gives feedback to the adviser to help improve the system, and the director of advising can compile the feedback and use it to support the need for more programming or other enhancements. This information becomes the voice of the student to the institution, and it expresses how the system has changed him or her during this time of gaining more education. The adult student population can present more challenges to the adviser than the traditional-age college student due to the variety of different issues presented in this article. According to Kinsella (1998), “These nontraditional students return to school for a variety of reasons: they may wish to advance in their current jobs; they may be experiencing family life transitions, . . . to pursue new interests, or they may wish to resume their education after having dropped out of school for reasons such as financial problems, competing responsibilities, or a lack of focus, maturity, or motivation.” These reasons are all what make adult students so dynamic and interesting in the college environment. They should be viewed as a valuable part of any higher education classroom because of all the experiences they bring to the table. Adults are a growing population in higher education, and they need to be given directions so they can navigate the twisting, hilly roads and highways of higher education. The adult atlas is designed specifically for adult students, and the versatility of the program is what makes it functional in the higher education system. It can be adapted to fit almost any institution of higher learning by just going to the basic principle of the model and by creating a useful packet of information that can be given to adults when they come to that first advising session. References AAA. (2005). Reliable driving directions to always help you find your way. Retrieved March 26, 2007, from http://www.aaa.com/AAA_Travel/AAAMaps/driving_direction.htm Kinsella, S. (1998). A cross-discipline study of traditional and nontraditional college students. College Student Journal, 32(4), 532–538. Landsberger, J. (2006, June 2). The study guides and strategies: Learning as an adult. Retrieved November 2, 2006, from http://www.studygs.net/adulted.htm Lieb, S. (1991, Fall). Principles of adult learning. Arizona Department of Health Services. Retrieved November 3, 2006, from http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/adults-2.htm Reisinger, W. (1999). Academic advising services for women in higher education. Washington, DC: American Council on Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED441146) Schuh, J. H. (1996). Report on service needs of evening students at Wichita State University. Washington, DC: American Council on Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED400496) About the Author A. J. Stafford is a graduate hall director at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis. He can be reached at staffoaj@indiana.edu or 317-278-9071. Published in The Mentor on March 28, 2007, by Penn State's Division of Undergraduate Studies Available online at www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/ Privacy and Legal Statements | Copyright | © The Pennsylvania State University | All rights reserved | |