Obama Urges Colleges To Focus on Adult Students
Posted by Jessie Bourneuf on Thu, Mar 31, 2011 @ 05:14 PM
The College Completion Tool Kit (released last week by the U.S. Dept. of Education) includes two charts of sobering statistics.
The first chart (at the right) shows that by 2018 only 10% of jobs in the U.S. will be open to people who do not have at least a high school diploma or equivalent and more than half of all jobs created in the next decade will require a post-secondary degree. The challenge is greater than ever for more of our students to get post-secondary degrees.
The second chart shows that 51% of students who enter 9th grade will go on to enter college. While this is a discouraging statistic, even more alarming is that over a third of college-bound students will require some form of remedial help (see chart at the left).
The twin goals of retention and persistence are mainstays of college and university mission statements. At AskOnline we hear from our clients that Academic Support Centers are challenged to increase their outreach to meet these goals, especially given the changing needs of their student populations.
There are over 7 million adults aged 25-34 with some college, but no degree, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The Obama administration is urging colleges to focus their attention on this group. Such focus not only will increase the demands for institutions to provide support, but also will change the way support is delivered. These adult students typically hold down full-time jobs, have family responsibilities, or both. For them, the traditional face-to-face tutoring center is difficult to schedule into their very busy days. Studying happens in the “off-hours.”
Online tutoring platforms, such as AskOnline’s are ideally suited to support non-traditional students. Whether needing help revising a term paper or solving an equation, online tools are available to help students work through their problems. And, the tutors are only a keyboard away, at all hours of the day.
Jessie Bourneuf, President
AskOnline, Inc.