Addressing the New Majority: Modern Approaches for Nontraditional Students

With the advent of such modes of information sharing and communications as internet databases, instant messaging, or smartphones, the modern lifestyle has evolved at a rapid pace. To remain accessible and relevant, higher education has also had to undergo adaptation — a process that has led to the growing success of accredited online universities.

Longevity for such institutions has largely depended on listening to the needs of the nontraditional students and meeting them head on. For this reason, CSU Global hosted its first ever virtual conference, “Addressing the New Majority: Modern Approaches for Nontraditional Students.” Faculty, administrators, nontraditional students, education nonprofits and philanthropists, education technology companies, and business leaders from Colorado and beyond were in attendance.

“Our desire is to lead and create new paradigms for online education,” Dr. Becky Takeda-Tinker, CSU Global’s president, said in her keynote presentation. She noted four factors that have translated to her success and the university’s ability to stay technologically current:

• Embrace diversity beyond what has been done before.
• Treat all funds and money as a sacred resource.
• Drive organizational efficiency.
• Take calculated risks by testing ideas on a small scale before devoting extensive resources to them.

Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, discussed challenges and opportunities for online education during his presentation: “We need to tell our stories better and continue to drive the narrative about the value of online education.”

The global connectivity of online higher education provides opportunities for mutually beneficial partnerships. Panelists discussed how to find and establish relationships to better serve the needs of modern learners. Tips included ensuring partners have shared goals, as well as defining roles from the outset.

As online education becomes more commonplace, students and faculty are seeing both benefits and shortcomings. Panelists discussed how online education can continue to improve. “Teaching online made me much more conscientious about learning outcomes. I think about the courses much more holistically than in face-to-face courses,” said Dr. Penelope Moon, Director of Online Programs for the School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies at Arizona State University.

Mark Protus, Director of Modern Learning and Video, Microsoft Office, reminded attendees of many students’ biggest post-graduation consideration: “What am I going to do after I get my degree?” — a note that sparked a new discussion on how staying relevant in the workforce requires life-long learning.

It is well-known to educators that today’s nontraditional students are vastly different from those of yesterday. How should higher education models evolve to meet students’ needs?

Jonah Stillman, a recent high school graduate, shared his thoughts on millennials’ and Gen Z’s expectations for technology: “My generation learns in sound bytes. How we are entertained and how we learn is the same with our eight-second attention span.”

The last panel of the day delved into big data and using data to drive nontraditional students’ engagement. The panelists agreed higher education is coming to the big data game late. They concluded that the analysis of data is necessary to improve all aspects of higher education.

Overall, conference panelists and attendees engaged in a series of conversations, digging into topics important for addressing the new majority of nontraditional, higher education students. Presenters shared innovative ways to strengthen engagement and the future of online higher education.

View video recordings from these sessions here. You can also join the conversation on conference topics through Twitter or Facebook, using the hashtag #ATNM.