Can we hear it for the adult learners in the house? According to the recent release of the annual National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) report, adult learners reported higher levels of learning strategy behaviors such as reviewing class notes and summarizing key information while also self-reporting higher college grades. With households and careers to manage on top of weekly school work, our adult learners continue to prove that they have what it takes and are committed to seeing success.

This study looks at 335,000 first-year and senior college students from bachelor’s degree offering institutions nationally and serves as an influential tool for college administrators, faculty and professionals across the US.

The report also gives a nod to the effectiveness of partially online coursework. According to the research, students who took courses online reported spending more time preparing for class and on reading assignments then those in strictly on-campus courses. To echo the voice of our previous blogger, Dr. Brenda Harms, – Higher Education HAS changed!

Confession time…I can remember sitting in my junior level social psychology class, bleary-eyed and barely prepared for the discussion that day, rolling my eyes at the non-traditional student in my class. She was awake, probably on her third cup of coffee for the day, engaged and ready for a riveting discussion on Cialdini’s Social Influence theories. Pretty much everything I wasn’t.

It may be a couple years too late but I would like to offer that student and all of our adult learners out there a pat on the back.