Faculty Support Ideas :

Nontraditional students are a resource to be cultivated that will result in a more enriched and diversified college environment (Kasworm and Pike, 1994). It must be acknowledged that the two primary factors affecting nontraditional students are their experience and their self-concept (deBlois, 1993). I have found that "a little extra time" initially during advising and in teaching eases the transition for many nontraditional students.

Encouraging nontraditional students to turn to one another is also helpful. Sometimes a nontraditional student believes she/he is the only 40 something year old student attending college and classes. Linking with other nontraditional students also provides an informal social context for nontraditional students to share their experiences in the process of acquiring the additional knowledge that higher education has to offer.