Nontraditional Students

In civilian education, computers and technology have also been extremely impactful. Digital technology really took off in postsecondary education in the 1990s in the United States and Canada (Fichten et al., 2014). PowerPoint, the internet, and email were popular tools, and students were able to start turning in assignments electronically. Since then, many other technologies have come into play, and there seems to be no end in sight for the advances that continue. For this paper we are specifically addressing how computers and technology have been especially helpful in civilian education for (a) nontraditional students and (b) disabled students. Nontraditional Students. “Roughly half of all college students in the U.S. can be considered non-traditional students” (Hsu & Hamilton, 2010, p. 225). Although there is no highly definitive description of a nontraditional student, there are many commonalities found in research. The term “nontraditional students” is commonly used “to refer to those with socio-demographic characteristics that differ from traditional participants in higher education” (Chung et al., 2014, p. 1224). Very typically, nontraditional students are those over 25 years of age, have multiple life roles (e.g.,
spouse, employee or worker, parent or caregiver), may be part-time or full-time students, have had a gap in their studies, commute or are geographically separated enough to require distance education, or already have a previous degree (Benshoff & Lewis,1992; Chung et al., 2014; Falk & Blaylock, 2010). Sometimes students are considered nontraditional due to their sex or ethnicity, their admissions pathway, or being disadvantaged. Very often they are called adult students or learners, or returning students (Benshoff & Lewis, 1992). Nontraditional students have different characteristics and needs than traditional students.
Some characteristics of nontraditional students are that they are achievement oriented, highly motivated, relatively independent, and they tend to prefer more active approaches (Benshoff & Lewis, 1992).
Nontraditional students have a number of distinctive concerns, of which “financial and family concerns are two of the biggest considerations that impact on the adult student experience” (Benshoff & Lewis, 1992, p. 2). Nontraditional students also generally need flexible schedules, conveniently located classes, developmentally appropriate instruction, updating to their study skills, and technology skills training, among other various needs (Falk & Blaylock, 2010). Many of these concerns are addressed via computers and technology in
education.
One major way computers and technology have benefited nontraditional students is through online courses that “minimize commuting time, trips to campuses, and time to degree completion”, a factor that is important to nontraditional students (Falk & Blaylock, 2010, p. 24). Teaching and learning systems that utilize “computer-based and telecommunications technology in classes” allow for learning more conveniently in distant locations (Falk & Blaylock, 2010, p. 24). Online services such as admissions, class registration, billing, payment, and transcripts also make education more accessible to nontraditional students. “Because adults require more flexibility in scheduling, online asynchronous opportunities” make it more likely they will complete their degree (Moskal, Dziuban, & Hartman, 2010, p. 55). For nontraditional students for whom English is their second language, there has been feedback that the online class discussion blog methodology gives “them the added time to translate a posting, reflect on it, structure a response and check for proper English” (Parker, 2010, p. 7). Moskal, Dziuban, and Hartman (2010) found that “data suggest that online learning can greatly reduce the historically high probabilities that adult learners will not achieve their educational objectives”, thus resulting in more nontraditional students achieving their educational goals (p. 62).
Disabled students. Disabilities come in many different forms. A student may have physical impairments such as visual, auditory, and mobility impairments. Disabled students can also have learning disabilities (e.g., dyslexia, AD(H)D, or dyspraxia), long standing illnesses such as cancer, social/communicative impairments (e.g., Asperger’s syndrome or other autistic spectrum disorders), or mental health conditions (Henderson, Gibson, & Gibb, 2013). These disabilities can have a great impact on the ability of a student to thrive and succeed in traditional educational environments.
Specialized and general use computers and technology have facilitated education for students challenged by a vast variety of different disabilities. Specialized software and hardware have been particularly helpful.
One type of specialized hardware is a Braille printer, which allows visually impaired students to be able to access information they normally would be unable to read. Other examples of assistive hardware are head and foot mice for those with physical impairments and large screen monitors for those with visual impairments. A newer hardware technology is 3D printing, which can create tactile objects for the visually impaired to be able to study.
Assistive software such as text-to-speech screen reading and optical character recognition software are used by students with visual impairments (Fichten et al., 2014). Spell checker software is used as an assistive technology by students with learning disabilities (Fichten et al., 2014).
Some devices combine assistive hardware and software. Electronic tablets have been helpful. A study done by Henderson, Gibson, and Gibb (2013) regarding the impact of tablets on students with disabilities found that tablets were used by disabled students for a variety of academic purposes, including: reading course material, accessing the library, accessing virtual learning environments, note taking, word processing, and recording lectures. Google Glass is very new assistive technology that already has many features that could be beneficial to students with various disabilities (Fichten et al., 2014).
There are many more technologies that assist disabled students in their quest for education. When it comes to technologies, “in rank order, the top 10 for students with all types of disabilities combined was: spelling/grammar checker, scanner, portable note-taking device, dictation software, alternate format materials (e.g., books, hand-outs), specialized software for learning disabilities (e.g., word prediction), voice control software (voice commands like “file,” “open”), a large screen monitor, text-to-speech software (reads what is on the screen), and mouse adaptations” (Fichten et al., 2014). Technology and computers continue to evolve at lightning speed. Newer technologies will continue to increase accessibility of education for all students.