ERIC Number: ED590440
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Nov-9
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-
EISSN: N/A
Heterogeneity of Older Learners in Higher Education
Cummins, Phyllis A.; Brown, J. Scott; Bahr, Peter Riley; Mehri, Nader
Grantee Submission
Recent years have seen growing recognition of the importance of a college-educated workforce to meet the needs of employers and ensure economic growth. Lifelong learning, including completing a postsecondary credential, increasingly is necessary to improve employment outcomes among workers, both old and young, who face rising demands for new and improved skills. To satisfy these needs, many states have established postsecondary completion goals pertaining to the segments of their population ages 25 to 64 years. Although it is not always clear how completion goals will be attained for older students, it is widely recognized that community colleges will play an important role. Here, we use data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) to examine enrollment trends by part-time and full-time status for students enrolled in Ohio's public postsecondary institutions from 2006 to 2014. Unlike previous research that considers all students 25 and older as a homogenous group, we divide older learners into two groups: ages 25 to 39 and ages 40 to 64. We find that adults in these age groups who attend a public college are more likely to attend a community college than they are a four-year institution and are more likely to attend on a part-time basis. We discuss the implications of these trends and their relevance to college administrators. [This paper will be published in "Adult Learning."]
Descriptors: Nontraditional Students, Older Adults, Adults, Enrollment Trends, Part Time Students, Full Time Students, Public Colleges, Age Differences, Community Colleges, Student Characteristics, Employment Level, Academic Degrees, Certification, Employment Qualifications, Two Year College Students, Higher Education
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ohio
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A160156