“From the Pink Slip to the Admissions Slip”
Kevin O’Rorke
M.Ed.
Irma Arboleda M.S.
Arizona State University
With the recent struggles that have surfaced in the Arizona and national economy, Colleges and Universities are being challenged to develop new and innovative strategies to accommodate adult learners facing transition. This challenge is producing new and exciting programs within the Phoenix metro area. While the job market is stalled in the majority of Phoenix businesses, one area is still in very high need - the need to prepare teachers for the classroom.
Currently, the rate of unemployment nation wide is 5.7%. The Phoenix area alone has lost 19,000 manufacturing jobs in the past 16 months (US Department of Labor, 2002). All evidence seems to indicate that there is little job growth and recovery is slow. Furthermore, the economy remains vulnerable to shock and remission. Corporate scandal, terrorism, and global political uncertainty are all potential elements that may derail current progress to get our economy back on track.
Although the State of Arizona may be suffering economic hardship, the area of teacher education is definitely in demand. Arizona is now experiencing a teacher shortage. Arizona currently has 42,000 teachers, half of whom will be eligible to retire to within the next 10 years (Teacher Education Partnership Program, 2001). This shortage is not only within Arizona; nationwide, 2.2 million new teachers will be needed over the next 10 years (National Center for Education Statistics, 2001).
One interesting aspect of economic hardship is that when the economy goes down, enrollment at higher education institutions traditionally goes up. This has led to innovative recruitment strategies for adult learners. Gone are the days where a university would wait for students to come to them. Many universities including ASU have taken a pro-active approach to the recruitment of adult learners. In the past, college information sessions were held on-campus and may have been held during the day. To successfully recruit adult learners, the focus has shifted to reach out to and to conduct visits with major businesses and corporations. Informational brochures, pamphlets and contact information which serve as effective recruiting tools are now circulated and posted in key areas or locations where employees who have lost their jobs can obtain helpful information for those individuals contemplating a new career field in education. Many information sessions are now available in local communities and conducted at night to facilitate work schedules.
Before designing a program for an adult student, one first must consider the characteristics of adult learners. Working adults trend to be well educated and possess experience in the market place. Because of this previous education and experience, they seek validation and recognition of their past achievements. Adult learners also tend to be focused, to be demanding and to have preferences for programs that fit their individual needs. Another aspect of adult learners is that they could be experiencing financial hardship. The antidotal evidence at Arizona State University suggests that many post-baccalaureate students are experiencing the prospect of losing their employment or have lost their jobs and which creates a serious sense of urgency for the prospective student. Combining life and family obligations while facing financial hardship also generates students who are seeking trust with the programs and universities they select. Dean Julian, the University of Pittsburgh, when describing adult learners cites, “Adult students have a greater need for motivation, inspiration and guidance since they have more responsibilities than younger students whose primary responsibility is school.” (National Academic Advisor Association, 2002).
This special adult population has caused universities to modify their programs to meet the need for the working adult. One major change has resulted in more programs being moved off campus into local school districts. This partnership is advantageous to the schools and students. Schools get a first hand look at the potential teachers to fill their vacancies and the students are able to immediately develop personal connections that may lead to future employment. Also, this move off campus allows adult learners to stay within their respective neighborhoods and eliminates the frustrations of commuting to campus every week. Off campus courses may also ease the transition for a working adult back into higher education. Reentering college after an extended period of time can be stressful and the thought of returning to a campus with a large population can be unsettling. Another major modification is that the courses are offered exclusively at night. This allows the adult student to keep their full time employment (if employed) during the day and can ease the family schedule that may be in demanding while adults are juggling work and school. This site based, evening program also has advantages for the college, the local schools are closed at night, therefore, there are no student capacity issues. Typically, universities are able to schedule a select number of classes each semester based on the availability of rooms and instructors. These evening, off campus courses will not limit the number of classes that can be scheduled. Simply stated, the more students who are accepted in the programs, the more rooms they can reserve at night.
Offering off campus programs can create some challenges with dissemination of information to students. Because the availability of students is limited during the day, more emphasis is placed on the use of technology to dispense academic advisement and program information. In the College of Education at ASU we created a website specifically for this program. Students are encouraged to check weekly for latest news and program updates. There is also a shift from the traditional one-on-one in person advisement to more e-mail and phone appointments. Adult students may have a difficult time coming to campus during the day so the academic advisors and program coordinators must adjust their communication style to fit the need of the working adult. Other alternative avenues when helping post-baccalaureate students are adjusting regular office hours to offer evening and lunch-time appointments. These times are typically not available to undergraduate students but would definitely be beneficial to the adult population.
These educational programs that focused on the adult learner expanded about two years ago. The enrollment numbers have steadily increased since their inception. There are three general commonalities between successful post-baccalaureate programs. 1) The curriculum needs to be adjusted to satisfy the needs of the adult students. 2) Faculty and staff must not be resistant to change. 3) Clear and consistent policies and procedures must be developed before the implementation of these programs.
These unique programs serve as the models of how education is evolving to meet the demands of specific untapped populations. The overall expansion and development of education programs is a positive contribution to aid during these difficult economic times that the nation and State of Arizona are facing. Although these programs are considered unique now, they may serve as the basis for an educational revolution that may come in the near future to meet the ultimate goal of providing quality education with convenience and institutional commitment.
References
United States Department of Labor. (September, 2002). Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved September, 15, 2002, from General Reports Online via Access: http://www.bls.gov.
Julian, D. (September, 2002). Adult Learners, National Academic Advisor Association. Retrieved September, 17, 2002, from http://www.ksu.edu/nacada.
National Center for Education Statistics, (1998). The Baby Boom Echo Report. Retrieved September, 17, 2002, from http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe.
Maricopa Community Colleges, (2001). Where have all the teachers gone? Teacher Education Partnership Commission. Retrieved September, 7, 2002, from http://www.teacherpartner.org.