A rapid increase of nontraditional learners enrolling in online education has resulted in the need for further research on the persistence of highly nontraditional students in online settings. As the enrollment of nontraditional students in online courses continues to grow, instructors face challenges with implementing effective course content and…

This paper explores the role played by part-time Women's/Gender Studies (WGS) courses in women's lives in the UK through interviews with 35 women who were among 8000 students who studied one of the UK Open University's undergraduate interdisciplinary WGS courses between 1983 and 1999. A thematic analysis of these interviews shows how these mainly…

A qualitative, hermeneutic phenomenological study conducted through interviews with 20 non-traditional (NT) Hispanic/Latino female part-time community college students and located at an urban community college in southern New Jersey explored for factors of persistence and discontinuation. Six themes emerged. Theme 1: Institutional persistence…

Inherent in the reluctance of higher education institutions to make their community accessible to nontraditional students is the assumption that academic quality and rigor and a sense of community can be maintained only by traditional students and traditional campus life. (MLW)

Nontraditional styles of postsecondary enrollment were assessed: delaying postsecondary enrollment for a year or more beyond high school graduation, enrolling part-time, or entering non-degree-granting programs. Part-time attendance was defined as pursuing a courseload below half-time. The sample consisted of 8,464 recent U.S. high school…

Part-time day legal education--the need, purposes, drawbacks, and how it has been and is being utilized--is discussed. Part-time day legal education is seen as being available to a group of people who have been restricted from attending law school, i.e., parents, usually women. A survey is reported. (MLW)

Twenty-one women who were full- or part-time returning students of higher education in England, most at the Dorset Institute, were interviewed about their secondary schooling, age of leaving school, reason for disappointing examination results, career guidance given at school, parental influence, career aspirations, first job after leaving school,…

The state of knowledge about adult part-time learners and the programs designed to serve them are reviewed. The primary sources of information were recent data collection projects sponsored by state and national agencies to determine the characteristics and needs of adult learners and potential learners. Selected program descriptions were also…

A survey of 7,500 older women living within commuting distance of Northwestern University was conducted to find possible candidates for a baccalaureate degree who had thought about returning to school. Women who belonged to volunteer organizations were sent a questionnaire asking about their educational achievements, future plans, and perceptions…

Financial barriers to college attendance that affect women, minorities, low-income, and other nontraditional students are identified, along with alternative sources of student financial aid. Research has suggested that financially-independent students are most vulnerable to fluctuations in aid, and tend to have low incomes, be minority members or…

At Miami-Dade Community College's South Campus (SC), the Transition Center (TC) provides special advisement services for older students returning to school. In fall 1987, a study was conducted to develop a profile of the students served by the center and compare them with other South Campus students. Study findings, based on academic and…

Information is presented on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of students attending community colleges and four-year institutions in the United States, based on data from the Current Population Survey. It was found that the community college student, on the average, is older than the average student attending a four-year institution.…

Trends toward part-time enrollment in postsecondary education and implications for states in the Southern Regional Education Board are discussed. It is noted that total enrollment is slowing and may be expected to begin a decline through the mid-80s, and the decline will deepen as full-time students tend to be replaced by students who study…

National trends and relevant data concerning re-entry women and other nontraditional student populations are examined. Current and projected enrollment are assessed, and other groups of women who are already employed or seeking work and who are likely candidates for educational re-entry are described. Among the findings are these: The Carnegie…

Problems and barriers women often face when re-entering the educational system at the graduate level are identified, and ways in which institutions can be more responsive to the needs of re-entry students are suggested. A wide range of possible actions is included so that institutions can pursue those most appropriate to their individual…