http://ifajs.org/jomcjournal/?p=1358
NONTRADITIONAL STUDENT
Jessie Falls-Nontraditional Student
By India Holland
May 2011 is a time that Jessie M. Falls will always remember. Falls worked for American Express for 15 years. On Jan. 18, 2011 American Express announced it would close the Greensboro Service Center. American Express offered employees future options, including leaving the company with a package that included paying for two years of education.
The news from American Express failed to discourage Falls. Falls took the package and decided returned to NC A&T to obtain a degree in Psychology. She has the laptop, the backpack, the iPhone, and the glasses to complete her look. However, at age 57, she is about 35 years older than most students. Falls is among a growing number of adults who after being laid off, have returned to school. Attending college is becoming more and more popular among older adults.
“I decided I wanted to begin a new chapter in my life,” said Falls “Enhancing my education was a great place to start and as a result I am perusing my bachelor’s degree in Psychology." Falls helps women who have been incarcerated or who are recovering substance abusers get re-acclimated into society.
“Understanding an individual’s behavior would be beneficial in the ministry in which I am currently involved," Falls said. “I decided Psychology was a great place to start."
When asked about the challenges she has faced since returning to NC A&T, Falls said, "I am glad to say I haven’t had very many challenges and if any, they were minimal. I am blessed not to have to work and go to school full time. I am able to focus completely on school."
Falls, who left A&T in 1977, returned to discover the university’s technology advances.
"Because of the setting I came from at American Express, it was easy for me to become acclimated to the technology,” Falls said. “I have worked in the corporate world for so long the transition wasn’t a problem.”
Another challenge that many students in Fall’s position face, regardless of age, is finding a job in today's economy once completing her degree.
"Many jobs in my field today require a master’s degree," Falls said. “Right now I have an internship working with children with behavior problems. I work in Reidsville at the Booker T. Washington Learning Center. It allows me to apply what I have learned through my class curriculum directly to the children in a true setting."
Falls considers returning to A&T an “amazing experience.” One big highlight is all the support she has received from her academic advisor and chairperson in the Psychology department.
In the future, Falls plans to open a facility to help more women.
“I want to assist women that have been incarcerated, or involved in substance abuse, with their re-entry back into society to develop a strong sense of self identification that goes beyond who they represent in the criminal justice system. It is vital to their recovery,” she added. Falls believes they want a new life style and the there is a need for recovery programs that will provide a safe environment for them to develop and grow.
“I’ve had the desire to assist others for some time,” Falls said. “By what I believe to have been a divine intervention, I was led to commit to this in early 2011.”
The non-traditional graduate is a great asset to any company, according to Tasha Ewell, director of operations and human resource manager of Innovative Marketing Solutions in Thomasville. She handles day-to-day HR operations for companies in Tennessee, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Ewell routinely sees the type of individuals who apply for jobs. She believes that people under 30 face more challenges.
“They don’t stay long at a job, they move from job to job,” said Ewell. “They do not see the earning potential; it is hard to get them to get them committed or dedicated to the job. They tend to have an entitlement attitude as if they are owed something.”
“Older employees are more responsible and have a great work ethic,” Ewell added based off of her experience. “They come to work, don’t socialize too much. They see work as more than just a job; they see a career. They do not want to keep moving around. They see that they can make it and provide for their family so they tend to stay where they are.”
The faculty also witnesses the nontraditional experience. Aaron West, who teaches liberal studies at NCA&T, says the nontraditional student is a different kind of student.
“The nontraditional student tends to be more prepared for class, more focused on the school work, overall more serious about their education,” West said. “They have better attendance than a traditional student. They have their books typically first day of class, they read the class material, turn assignments in on time; ultimately in most cases based on my personal experience they make better grades than the traditional students and they are in a different place mentally.”
Some of the challenges of teaching a nontraditional student can be subtle, says West. “They sometimes less able to deal with the newest technology in the classroom especially if they have been out of school for a while such as blackboard,” he added, “ Nontraditional students will ask more questions during and after class. They also tend to have difficulty relating to the younger classmates. They are in different emotional and mental places. The nontraditional students tends to be left out of the before and after classroom discussions because the activities are usually things the nontraditional student doesn’t relate to.”
For a nontraditional student the use of learning tools such as Blackboard has lessened the need for the old traditional student study groups. Such class technology has made studying and access to class information easier. On the other hand it does lessen the need for student to student interaction. The newest classroom technology can be an asset and a challenge for the nontraditional student.
A study conducted by Joe Donaldson and Steve Graham of the University of Missouri titled, “A Model of College Outcomes for Adults,” the nontraditional student can thrive in the college environment. The study speaks to the college-life experience of the nontraditional student in several different areas: prior life experience, motivation, confidence and values, the adult thinking and reasoning process, classroom setting and socialization, school and family balance and different learning experiences the nontraditional student has encountered.
A big boost for adult learner enrollment into college is the Internet and other distance learning options. Based on the study by Donaldson and Graham, “ The adult learner makes up over 40 percent of the undergraduate population in colleges. Based on part-time and distance learning the nontraditional student can be creative and work at their own pace and on a schedule that works for them. They do not have to be on campus to earn their degree. “
The study also found that the prior life experience helps the adult learner grasp the content more effectively and can apply learning easily to real life experiences. The study also found some similarities to West in theory that the nontraditional learner maybe a little nervous and apprehensive about returning to college; but they tend compensate for the fear and lack of confidence in their performance.
“The nontraditional student is an asset to any university,” West said. “They are in a different place in life and have a determined focus. I suggest to any that if given the opportunity every adult should attempt to challenge themselves to the next level in life starting with their education and being an adult learner is a great place to start.”
