At AACRAO's Transfer Conference, presenter Julio Vargas-Essex of Metropolitan State University prompted the audience to discuss how they recruit, retain, and categorize adult learners on their respective campuses. His session, Adult Learner Recruitment and Retention Best Practices,┬" presented an overview of the strategies the university has taken to reach its enrollment goals.
According to Vargas-Essex, from 2000-2010, the number of students 25 years and older increased by 20%. This roughly translates into one million adult students per year. He also pointed out that there is no standard definition of an adult learner.┬" Metropolitan State, which is comprised of 97% transfer students and adult learners, classifies adult learners under at least one of the following criteria:
û║ Commuter
û║ Veteran
û║ Working full time
û║ Part-time/returning student
û║ Immigrant
û║ Not immediately out of high school
û║ Has a high school certificate/GED
û║ Not a first-time, full-time student
Where to Start?
Vargas-Essex stressed the importance of defining what an adult learner means on your campus. By defining parameters and criteria, your institution can determine best practices, be more strategic about institutional goals, and determine resource allocation. In addition, he suggested the need for a campus evaluation. Is your campus environment sensitive and ready to accept and accommodate the special needs of adult learners?
Adult learners are looking for convenience, access, and certainty. They want to know how long it will take, how much it will cost, and if their transferred credits will count towards degree attainment. Adult learners have unique needs and look carefully at how institutions can fit within their current family, work, and economic structure (through programs offered, scheduling convenience, services such as childcare, flexibility, ease of enrollment, etc.).
Institutions that want to attract this demographic should be ready to address and meet these needs. During the question and answer period, numerous participants talked about a shift in culture┬" by faculty, staff, and administration. Once this was achieved (which for many was over a period of years, not months), the institutions saw success in recruitment and retention of these students.