Teaching the Non-Traditional Student

Robert J. Hofinger
Franklin R. Lehman
Purdue University Statewide Technology Program
Columbus, Indiana

Abstract:

Introduction

What is Teaching? Have you ever thought of it? Let me give you a definition of teaching and how it eventually applies to the non-traditional student.

``Teaching is the art of being concerned with the transfer of habits, knowledge, and attitudes. It is therefore the process by which behavior is changed, shaped, or controlled.'' [1]

This can be thought of in terms of intellectual growth, development of competencies and/or fulfillment of potential. It therefore enables one individual to change the personal, social, and industrial habits of another individual.

To apply this definition to the non-traditional student, one must be aware of, or recognize, the differences between the traditional and the non-traditional student.

The non-traditional students that we have been involved with typically have more experience, both personal and work related. This injection of experience and enthusiasm adds immensely to the flavor and authenticity of the teaching environment.

The non-traditional students, also have more incentive to learn. They understand the importance and the necessity of the educational background, both from a work related benefit and from a personal improvement benefit. These issues have yet to be fully grasped by their younger or traditional peers.

Therefore let us look into the various techniques that a teacher of non-traditional students needs to practice.

Approach

In the role of teacher, the instructor of the non-traditional student has to:

1. Determine the climate or make-up of the group in the classroom.

   During discussions with the evening non-traditional students at the Columbus campus, facts as to why older students return to the classroom were discovered. From these, three types of students were recognized:

   1. The goal-oriented student. They use the educational process for accomplishing fairly clear-cut objectives. These individuals usually did not make any real start on their higher education until their middle twenties and after, sometimes later. Perhaps they have once been passed over for a promotion or they wish to better themselves within the corporate structure. They choose their curriculum, in terms of the potential growth which a better job can offer.

   2. The learning-oriented student. They seek knowledge for it's own sake. Most learning-oriented students have been engrossed in learning for as long as they can remember. For the most part, they are avid readers and have been since childhood. They join groups and classes and organizations for educational reasons; they select the serious programs on television and radio; when they do something, they always make a production out of it.

   3. The activity-oriented student. Unlike the other types, they take part in the educational system, not because they have a purpose or goal in the learning system, but because they have a need to be active and to be part of a group. Their meaning has no necessary direction and often no connection at all with the content or the announced purpose of the subject at hand. These individuals typically also begin their participation in higher education at their point in life when their personal problems or their needs are decreasing. The activity-oriented students were course takers, and group joiners. They might stay within a single institution or they might go to a number of different places in order to obtain a variety of subjects, and the amount and kind of human relationship it would yield.

2. Clarify the purposes of the individuals in the classroom.

   The non-traditional student proceeds through several steps in this learning process and that helping them gain increased competence in dealing with each step might be one of the most effective ways of improving their learning effectiveness.

   Use your experience to identify the possible actions the student might take, assessing his or her interests, setting a goal, seeking information on those goals, choosing the most appropriate knowledge base and skill, estimating the cost of success or failure and computing the future benefits.

3. Strengthen the desire of each student to implement his/her specific purpose.

   The second step is similar to that of the traditional student, that is to choose a planner, which may be the student himself, an object (e.g. a programmed text, a workshop, tape recordings, etc.) or an individual learning consultant (instructor). Competence in choosing a planner and using him, or her, pro-actively rather than re-actively, collaboratively rather than dependently, has been found to be crucial in this step.

4. Point out the wide range of resources available.

   The non-traditional student who is working, usually has a wider range of resources available to him/her. At work, it might be the company library or a co-worker. Encourage the student to use them often. The critical element here is the variety and richness of the resources, their availability, and the student's skill in making use of them.

5. Be a flexible source or resource to be utilized by the students.

   That is, take the initiative in sharing yourself with the students-your feelings as well as your thoughts-in ways which do not demand or impose but simply represent the personal sharing which students may take or leave.

6. Respond to the needs of the non-traditional student.

   Here is where we can observe several rather obvious differences between the traditional and the non-traditional student. Where traditional students are primarily students, the non-traditional students are not. They are first and foremost a business person, a professional person, a community volunteer, or a host of other roles that are a part of the lives of adults in our society. Although the traditional student faces demands on his/her time, the non-traditional student's demands are multiplied by a multitude of outside forces.

   As an example, the non-tradition student usually has a home to maintain, not just a dorm room in which to sleep and study. Perhaps, within that home environment lies a family. Depending on whether that student is playing the dual parent role or the single parent role, time must be allocated to the family in order to maintain a balanced relationship. This juggling of time between the classroom, study time, family time, and the outside forces, must be done in a very efficient and judicious manner if that student is to succeed in the educational process.

7. Become a participant learner, a member of the group.

   Express your views as those of one individual only. Encourage a loose teacher-student interaction rather than a rigid teacher-student interaction. The non-traditional student has a great wealth of experience to bring to the classroom, that can add immensely to the flavor and authenticity of the teaching environment. The student's experience counts for as much as the teacher's knowledge. As an example, there was an instance when I was explaining a piece of electronic equipment in the laboratory, only to discover that some students had better equipment at their work places.

8. Not tell students what he thinks they ought to know.

   This deprives students of the excitement of doing their own finding and of the opportunity for increasing their power as learners. Authoritative teaching, examinations which preclude original thinking, rigid pedagogical formulae; all these have no place in the non-traditional student's education. Small groups of aspiring adults who desire to keep their minds fresh and vigorous; who begin to learn by confronting pertinent situations; who dig down into the reservoirs of their experience before resorting to texts and secondary facts; who are led in the discussion by teachers who are also searchers after wisdom and not oracles: this constitutes the setting for the non-traditional student.

9. Recognize that changes have to be made in course policies to meet the needs of the non-traditional students.
   1. Many of the non-traditional students are working full time while pursuing academic work towards a degree. Classes at the Columbus campus typically start at 4:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. with laboratories scheduled from 7:30 to 10:10 p.m. In some cases, laboratories last until after 11:00 p.m. A student who is taking two technology courses and working full time would typically have to leave work early in order to be on time for a 4:30 p.m. class and stay until 10:10 p.m. on either Monday and Wednesday or on Tuesday and Thursday.

      Considering that most such students are married and have family responsibilities, it is common to find that alertness decreases significantly during the laboratory. In some cases, this presents a safety hazard, particularly for courses that involve use of line voltage or higher voltage levels of electricity. In other cases, it simply means that the student does not think through the laboratory procedures clearly enough and is therefore unsuccessful at completion of a laboratory experiment that might otherwise be performed well. Preparation for the laboratory exercises can be a major help in alleviating these problems.

      At least 1 week prior to the laboratory exercise, the instructor needs to review the material for the laboratory with the students and provide assistance to those having difficulty in preparing for the laboratory. By doing this and requiring that lab preparation be completed before beginning a laboratory exercise, students do perform better in the laboratory and often can finish before the scheduled end of the laboratory period.

   2. Availability of faculty office hours at a time that can be utilized by the students to obtain help, is a major issue for the non-traditional student. The full time employed student is usually on campus only at the times of scheduled classes and may not be able to come for help during scheduled office hours. The instructor should be available by telephone for consultation with students.

      Some students find that it is convenient to call the instructor during their lunch period at work. Instructors should anticipate this and be available at their office at such times. If the instructor provides his/her home telephone number to students, it is reasonable to put time limits on when calls will be accepted (e.g. not earlier than 8:00 a.m. or later than 10:00 p.m.). However, the limits must not be so restrictive that students cannot contact the instructor at the times they have available.

      If accepting telephone calls at home, the instructor must have the textbook and other appropriate material at home so that the discussion with the student can be productive.

   3. Conduct a review of other course policies to determine if the needs of students are being met. The students themselves are probably the best source of information regarding modifications that need to be made. They should be brought into the process so that matters that would never occur to the instructor can be considered.

10. Be able to recognize and accept his own limitations.

    That is, if you do not know the answer right then, say that you do not, or you are not sure of the correct answer now but will find out and get back with them.

    This last guideline is perhaps one of the hardest. ``None but the humble become good teachers of adults''[2]

Conclusions

1. Adults are motivated to learn as they experience needs and interests that learning will satisfy; they understand the importance and the necessity of the educational background, both from a work related benefit and from a personal improvement benefit.

2. An adult's orientation to learning is life-centered; therefore, the appropriate units for organizing adult learning are life situations, not hypothetical cases.

3. Experience is the richest resource for the adult's learning; therefore, the core methodology of adult education is the analysis of experience.

4. Adults have a deep need to be self-directing; therefore, the role of the teacher is to engage in a process of mutual inquiry with them rather than to transmit his or her knowledge to them and then evaluate their conformity to it.

5. Individual differences among people increase with age; therefore, adult education must make optimal provision for differences in style, time, place, and pace of learning.

In summary, teaching the non-traditional student requires that the instructor recognize that the motivations of such students differ from those of the traditional student who just finished his high school career. The instructor must seek to learn how those differences affect his teaching methods and the learning experience. Then he must modify procedures both inside and outside the classroom, so that those students obtain the maximum benefit from their academic efforts.

He must also learn that authority is of the group. This is not an easy lesson to learn, but when it is, teaching the non-traditional student is a pleasant experience. Both the students and the instructors will then benefit from such actions.

References

1. Apps, J. The Adult Learner on Campus. Follett Publishing Company. 1981

2. Knowles, M. The Adult Learner. Gulf Publishing Company. 1986