Access and retention: experiences of non-traditional learners in higher education: final report: public part

This final report will primarily be of interest to those working in the higher education (HE) sector across Europe and beyond. Within higher education institutions it will be of especial interest to senior management and policy makers, middle managers responsible for programmes, lecturers, researchers, those working in student support services, admissions and widening participation initiatives as well as students themselves and the Students’ Unions. It is also aimed at policy organisations and bodies working in higher education, such as the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in England, Government departments and EU policy makers. The project focused on access, retention and drop-out in higher education institutions in relation to non-traditional students (younger and adults) on undergraduate degree programmes and the factors which promote or inhibit this. With the growth of mass higher education systems retention has become an important and rising concern for policy-makers at national and European levels. It is considered a measure of efficiency of higher education with implications in terms of the needs of the economy and as a return on investment to individuals, society and the whole EU. It is also a key factor in promoting a growing diversification and equity across the higher education sector. By ‘non-traditional’ we mean students who are under-represented in higher education and whose participation in HE is constrained by structural factors. This includes, for example, first generation entrants, students from low-income families, students from (particular) minority ethnic groups, mature age students, and students with disabilities. (This definition takes into account issues of class and gender). We were particularly interested in looking at and understanding why some students from under-represented and disadvantaged backgrounds learn effectively, assume an undergraduate learner identity and complete their degree successfully while others from similar backgrounds do not. We were also interested in identifying the learning, teaching and support processes which help non-traditional students to become effective and successful learners. Institutional cultures and structures also impact on a learners’ identity so these aspects were also explored and examined

Widening participation and English language proficiency : a convergence with implications for assessment practices in higher education

The widening participation agenda has important implications for those in Englishmedium higher education institutions responsible for the provision of English language support. Importantly, given the diverse nature of the ‘non-traditional’ student cohort that is the focus of this agenda, that section of the student population potentially requiring English language development extends beyond those students of non-English speaking backgrounds – traditionally the focus of such provision – to include native speakers of English whose language exhibits forms (dialectal characteristics) not necessarily in keeping with the expectations of the academy, or indeed the workplace post-graduation. In order to ensure that these students have access to language support resources that are squeezed by ever-present funding pressures, there needs to be a mechanism for identifying those most at risk due to weak language. This article considers some of the issues around the implementation of a post-enrolment English language assessment regime

Same same but different? Non-traditional students and alumni in Germany

The article gives an overview about current research of non-traditional students and alumni in Germany. Its aim is to highlight similarities and differences with their traditional counterparts. The paper concentrates on the motivation to study, the study performance, and labor market success (status and income) of those who do not hold a traditional higher education entry certificate but entered university via their occupational qualification. We show a widespread divergence in findings from no statistical difference at all to clear differences between non-traditionals and traditionals. This holds true, with regard to student motivation, study performance, and labor market success after graduation. We conclude that biggest challenge are the non-completion rates of non-traditionals, which pose a development task for institutions of higher education. (DIPF/Orig.

Impact Of Graduate Program Delivery Models On Teacher Candidates Success And Perception

In recent years the demographics of individuals pursuing teacher certification has changed. Many individuals with a bachelors degree who are interested in a change of career pursue teaching after receiving a college degree in areas other than teacher certification. Institutions of higher education have made a distinction between their traditional 18 to 22 year old college students and those career changers seeking teacher certification with a completed degree, life experience, and sometimes even experience in the classroom as a substitute teacher or teachers aid, or even a teacher. There are graduate programs designed for these post baccalaureate candidates leading to a degree and certification. In an effort to increase the retention of these non-traditional students and to ensure their success in achieving their goal of becoming a teacher, institutions of higher education have adopted different models of program delivery for non-traditional post-baccalaureate students. One such option of is cohort models in higher education. On some campuses candidates have the option of pursuing their education in a cohort model or traditional model. Does the model of program delivery make a difference in candidates success in achieving their goal of becoming a teacher? Does the model of delivery impact candidates perception about their educational experience? The questions investigated in the research are whether or not there is a difference in performance of students who complete the program in cohort model with those completing the program in traditional model and whether there is a difference of perception of the program between the two groups completing the program

Brain Drain from Turkey: The Case of Professionals Abroad

The paper presents research findings on the return intentions of Turkish professionals residing abroad. The study uses a descriptive framework to establish the validity of several proposed models of non-return. The results are based on an internet survey of Turkish professionals abroad. Correspondence analysis is used to examine the relationship between return intentions and various factors that may affect this intention. The results emphasize the importance of student non-return versus traditional brain and appear to complement the various theories of student non-return. The respondents appear to come from relatively well-to-do families with highly educated parents. Many have earned their degrees from universities that have foreign language instruction. The recent economic crises in Turkey have negatively affected return intentions. We verify that return intentions are indeed linked closely with initial return plans, and that this relationship weakens with stay duration. Specialized study and work experience in the host country also all appear to contribute to explaining the incidence of non-return. Return intentions are weaker for those working in an academic environment. These results lead to important policy implications, some of which include the training of individuals for academic positions at domestic institutions, supporting study abroad for shorter periods and improving academic facilities in Turkey’s newly established universities. The government may support public and private R&D centers to increase the employability of returnees, but also to improve the quality of the higher education system in order to both reduce the need for education abroad and to increase the attractiveness of universities as prospective employment places for those acquiring education and experience abroad.skilled migration, brain drain, return migration, return intentions, higher education, Turkey

Narratives of Deservingness and the Institutional Youth of Immigrant Workers

This article speaks to the special issue’s goal of disrupting the deserving/undeserving immigrant narrative by critically examining eligibility criteria available under two arenas of relief for undocumented immigrants: 1) the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides temporary deportation relief and work authorization for young adults who meet an educational requirement and other criteria, and 2) current and proposed pathways to legal status for those unauthorized immigrants who come forward to denounce workplace injustice, among other crimes. For each of these categories of “deserving migrants,” I illuminate the exclusionary nature each of these requirements, which pose challenges especially for those workers who have limited education. As such, I argue for the importance of an institutional perspective on youth. Specifically, I demonstrate how the educational criteria required by DACA privileges a select few individuals who have access to formal educational institutions as deserving, while ignoring other empowering but non-traditional models of worker education. I also examine those mechanisms that reward workers who come forward to contest employer abuse. These include the current U-Visa program, which opens a path to legal status for those select claimants who have been harmed by employer abuse and aid criminal investigations (e.g. Saucedo, 2010). In a similar vein, some advocates and legal scholars have proposed a pathway to citizenship for those workers involved in collective organizing (e.g. Gordon, 2007, 2011). I weigh the benefits and exclusivity of each pathway for addressing the precarity of the millions of undocumented immigrants currently in the United States. In doing so, I highlight how institutions have unevenly incorporated immigrant workers, creating wide categories of vulnerability that go ignored. That is, demographically young immigrants are often privileged as deserving, as are those institutionally mature workers who have been successfully incorporated by civic organizations and legal bureaucracies. Meanwhile, institutionally young immigrants—those who have been excluded from these spaces—are framed as undeserving. As a result, rather than to see legal status as a pathway to incorporation, it is extended as a reward for those who have surpassed longstanding barriers

Flexibility and access: implications of blended learning for higher education

Many institutions are developing policies aimed at widening participation and encouraging students from non-traditional backgrounds to engage in Higher Education. A number of studies have noted the potential benefits possible in this context through the use of online learning as part of overall blended approaches, to offer students flexibility in when and where they engage with study materials. Little research, however, has been undertaken in to whether students with significant levels of home commitment find such flexibility of particular use. This paper reports on a small scale exploratory study involving a group of postgraduate students which investigated how the student’s perception of the benefits of flexibility offered by online learning related to their level of home commitment. Analysis of the data gives some initial support to the idea that students with a greater level of home commitments are more likely to view flexibility of access as being of benefit. Consideration is given to the implications of the results for balancing face to face and online component in blended approaches and proposals are made for possible more in depth studies that could provide useful information for those involved in course design in the Higher Education context

Learning in higher education: strategies to overcome challenges faced by adult students – lessons drawn from two case studies in Portugal

This paper appears in International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education edited by Lawrence A. Tomei (Ed.) Copyright 2007, IGI Global, www.igi-global.com. Posted by permission of the publisher. URL:http://www.idea-group.com/journals/details.asp?id=4287.The development of a knowledge-based society needs a technological infrastructure and a workforce with the necessary knowledge and competences, supported by a well-structured initial education and a continuous learning program, available to all citizens, including those who did not have the opportunity to attend Higher Education (HE) when they were younger. We recognize that these students may be rich in experience but they also have some difficulties in adapting to the pedagogical approaches of learning and teaching. Furthermore, their attitudes and problems are not necessarily the same as those of traditional students but they are still expected to fit into educational institutions designed for younger students. The project LIHE – Learning in Higher Education aimed to improve the learning experience and environment of adults, particularly non-traditional adults as well as to promote lifelong learning in HE, within a European dimension. In this paper we will present this project together with some of the results

The impact of freshman success courses on freshman-to-sophomore persistence and academic achievement at a Wiche urban university and college

This research investigated whether or not freshman success courses have an effect on persistence and/or academic achievement of freshman attending two large, urban, less selective WICHE (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education) institutions, Metropolitan State College of Denver, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. More specifically, this study set out to analyze the participation in a freshman success course with persistence and academic achievement of nor-traditional freshmen at these WICHE Urban Universities. Finally, the study was also designed to identify the type or types of freshman success course(s) specifically offered at the WICHE Institutions participating in the study; The findings of this study indicated that there were no statistically significant differences in the persistence rates or GPAs between students who participated in a freshman success course and those students who did not. Similarly there were no statistically significant differences in the persistence rates or GPAs between nontraditional students who participated in a freshman success course and those nontraditional students who did not. However, the persistence rates of participants, including non-traditional student participants, were slightly higher, though not significant than those of non-participants. In addition, although no significant differences were found between the GPAs of participants and nor-participants, at either of the institutions in the study, the average GPA, for both sub-groups, was above 2.5 Moreover, interpretation of survey data suggested that the freshman success courses, found in the present study, were designed to foster a sense of community, encourage involvement and promote integration into the social and academic life of their campuses

‘Out of the mouths of babes’: mature students and horizontal discourse in the art and design studio

This paper is based on the narratives of students coming to art and design Higher Education (HE) with an Access to HE diploma. These students are sometime referred to as ‘second chance’ , ‘mature’ or ‘non-traditional’. The two case studies under discussion are drawn from those collected from a longitudinal study (2011-2014) that sought to investigate the experiences of ‘non-traditional students’ in art and design HE. The participants are studying on a range of creative degree programmes in various institutional contexts. Narrative inquiry is used to show the ways in which students’ stories run contrary to some metanarratives about class and education. Bernstein’s theories about horizontal and vertical discourse within educational settings are used to analyse the students’ accounts about their encounters in the art and design studio. It is argued that age can be used by educational institutions as a mythological discourse that constructs a particular horizontal solidarity within a particular cohort which in turn can marginalise some mature students. For example, within art and design ‘youth and creativity’ are closely aligned and this can be transmitted through the various pedagogic devises and practices employed by an institution. The signature pedagogies also associated with the subject area can position ‘non-traditional’ students as the ‘pedagogised other’