Academic skills in higher education: Does age matter?

Abstract

Recent changes in higher education have meant that universities have had to re-evaluate teaching practices to cater for a diverse student body including an increase in mature students. This research compares the views of mature and traditional-aged students about their academic skills in a diverse school in a north-western UK ‘new’ university. It found that mature students were more confident and rated the skills as more important than the younger students and sought less support however, overall both groups required more training in academic skills especially for writing skills. It concludes that mature students are no longer the weaker students as both groups of students have experienced similar problems with confidence and academic skills, as the requirements at university are very different from those at college and are important for the graduate workforce