Issues
And Challenges
The most
obvious challenge these students typically face is the issues
they are called on to handle outside of the classroom. Non-trads
have more demands on their time and are pulled in multiple directions.
Parents,
especially single-parents, may be strained when having to choose
between going to class and needing to care for a sick child,
for example. Finding daycare for younger children is often difficult
and meeting all of the needs of being a parent, or a spouse,
is not always easy given the multiple roles and time constraints
students must adjust to in the university setting. Furthermore,
financial demands and trying to find stable employment while
working around class schedules and requirements is often difficult.
Probably
the most notable challenge that non-traditional students face
is their own questions of whether they can succeed in the classroom
given the constraints they face. Students who are over the age
of 25 who are attempting to come back to school often face fears
and doubts about their ability to “keep up” with
the rest of the student population who has been going to school
consistently since early childhood. Adults with disabilities
often face medical issues that prohibit them from giving their
best in the classroom.
Inside
the classroom, the biggest challenge non-traditional students
face is getting back into the mode of learning again in an academic
environment. Many of them have switched from a learning mode
to a “surviving” mode and are working to stay afloat
while caring for themselves and/or others. Sometimes knowing
how to study, take notes, complete homework assignments, prepare
for tests, and manage their time are skills they have lost over
the intervening years. Also, considering that the academy is
steeped in its own culture, knowing how to navigate that culture,
identify and find resources, and understand what is expected
of them may be problems they face.
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