Adult Learners: Heralds of Change? Historically, the American system of higher education has

focused on young students; however; major demographic changes occurring in this country may well cause that focus to change. Consider the following statistics. It is estimated that by the end of this decade, 75% of the individuals who compose the American work force will need retraining as a result of the rapidly changing needs of our society. This situation does not necessarily derive from a poor initial training but, as discussed nearly two decades ago by Alvin Toeffler in Future Shock, rather from the fact that much of what these individuals learned has either become outdated or supplanted. We are also told that the average person must be prepared for five or six career changes in his or her life- time. Even if this estimate is wrong by a factor of 2 or 3, increased demands will inevitably be placed on the educa- tional system as people try to prepare to meet the changing needs of the workplace.

Another statistic: Twenty percent of the persons hired todav bv American industrv are both functionally illiterate and k k e r a t e , a legacy from the past. tinfortunately, the profiles of students currently in the educational pipeline do not suggest that this situation will significantly improve in the immediate future. Yet, the changes occurring in the workplace are requiring workers with higher skill levels.

Coupled with these facm is the president's recent econom- ic report to the Congress, which concludes that improve- ments in education since 1945 have added as much as 15% to the gross national product. The message is clear: The post- secondary educational system will be faced with an increas- ing challenge-a demand-to provide for lifelong learning for older, part-time students. Indeed, enrollments in adult education classes are increasing three times as fast as the US. population. Serving the needs of these adult students is an obvious challenge to the American system of higher edu- cation. Some institutions may not be-able to address the issues of adult education immediately, but every institution can, and should, take steps to ensure that their students- our future adults-learn how to learn. Increasingly we have come to realize that graduation should be viewed as marking the end of student's formal education and signaling the

beginning of lifelong learning. Current educational patterns must change if adult learn-

ersare to be served effectively. For example, current practice in most colleges or universities favors theory, mastery of facts, and establishment of credentials over practice, acqui- sition of skills. and demonstrated performance, which leads toa certain narrowness in currently accepted academic style. In a classroom full of 35-year-old learners, or even in one with only a few, the need for devising new methods of teach- ing quickly becomes apparent. The sophistication of older students makes them more willing to question teachers and to assess the knowledge presented in the light of their own experiences, which are often considerable.

The need to balance part-time study with full-time work tends to make older students more demandine and imoa- tient consumers in the education marketplace than are 18- vear-olds iust out of high school. L'nlike many young college students preoccupied &th grades, adult stubdnts &e more apt to focus on course content. Frivolous attitudes towards education are often replaced by fierce determination. Such changes in student characteristics may well force traditional lectures requiringrote memorization to be replaced by tech- niques that emphasize self-directed learning, open discus- sion, interdisciplinary perspectives, and problem solving.

Adult learners also bring into question the defined time frames in which courses are now typically taught. The se- mester or quarter system may he logical for full-time youn- ger studenis, but it is not necissarily well-suited to theneeds of thestudent whois trying to balance the multipledemands of school, a family, and a job.

Demographers and futurists tell us that these changing characteristics of the student population are not only a reali- ty, they can be expected to continue into the foreseeable future. To the extent that these sueeestions are correct. -" post-secondary education must come to grips with the need to create and institute educational innovations that effec- tively address the time and place constraints of a growing and critically important population, the adult learner. A challenge, to be certain. But also an unprecedented opportu- nity! JJL

Volume 67 Number 8 August 1990 631