About this resource
Supported by the North Forum, this website aims to prepare front-line non-academic staff in the “gatekeepers to community learning” (colleges and learning centres, job centres, community and voluntary organisations within the North of Scotland) to develop the necessary skills to raise awareness about post-compulsory education within the community and deal with adult learners returning to formal education, possibly after a long break, who may be feeling anxious and unsure of what to expect.
It is vital to ensure that when potential students seek information and advice about further and higher education, they feel comfortable and respected, in the knowledge that your organisation understands their needs and can help accomplish their goals. The delivery of informal guidance and information on further learning opportunities to the community are one of the main roles for non-teaching staff. Adult returners in particular may require information on points other than just courses available, including information that is relevant to their personal circumstances, such as funding or childcare available.
Ultimately, the skills developed with this resource could mean the difference between potential students trying to enter formal education and leaving with a poor impression of your organisation or students crossing the threshold and entering formal education fully committed and fully informed of what to expect and what’s expected of them. This, in turn, will reduce the number of students dropping-out due to being poorly informed about formal education, with visible long term benefits to your organisation and the community it serves.
General Information
Supported by the North Forum, this website aims to prepare front-line non-academic staff in the “gatekeepers to community learning” (colleges and learning centres, job centres, community and voluntary organisations within the North of Scotland) to develop the necessary skills to raise awareness about post-compulsory education within the community and deal with adult learners returning to formal education, possibly after a long break, who may be feeling anxious and unsure of what to expect.
It is vital to ensure that when potential students seek information and advice about further and higher education, they feel comfortable and respected, in the knowledge that your organisation understands their needs and can help accomplish their goals. The delivery of informal guidance and information on further learning opportunities to the community are probably one of your main roles. Adult returners in particular may require information on points other than just courses available, including information that is relevant to their personal circumstances, such as funding or childcare available.
Ultimately, the skills developed with this resource could mean the difference between potential students trying to enter formal education and leaving with a poor impression of your organisation or students crossing the threshold and entering formal education fully committed and fully informed of what to expect and what’s expected of them.
Objectives
This training resource aims to support you todevelop skills to be able to:
* Be flexible, friendly and welcoming
* Offer appropriate advice for each age expectation
* Talk thorugh different options
* Build better relationships with potential students
* Recognise and deal with barriers to progression
* Ascertain the level of the potential student
* Respond to students' needs
* Raise students' aspirations and build their self-confidence
* Support students through enrolment, retention and progression
* Explain information in a simple and straightfoward way
* Deal with a varietu of students and situations
Benefits
There are a variety of benefits that you and your organisation can experience as a consequence of developing and establishing this resource pack. The most important one is to increase the community's understanding and acceptance of formal education, thus leading to increased participation. Advantages include:
* Increase participation in post-compulsory education
* Increased understanding of post-compulsory education within the community
* Dissemination of best practices between partners
* Allow you to obtain information and advice all from one single site
* Eliminate the need to check various sources of information
* Allow you to offer continuity of advice to students
* Students receive consistent and reliable advice
* Strengthen links between North Forum members
* Development of further collaborations with organisations outside the North Forum
* Can be tailored to each partner specific needs
* Can be used as a training tool and a as source of information
* Better informed students
* Reduce number of student dropping-out before completing the course
The Adult Learner
Characteristics of adult learners
When we think of adult learners and how to best approach and engage with them, several aspects of their adult status usually come to mind. Among these are the fact that adults play multiple roles in their lives, that they often have anxiety about returning to education and that many times they are experiencing some sort of life transition at the time they decide to return to school1,2,3.
Adults are often affected by factors beyond their control, such as job, health, financial, legal, personal or family problems1. Likewise, personal factors such as expectations, self-esteem, level of family support and past educational experience2,3, as well as "institutional" factors such as red tape or tuition fees4 can be barriers to participation. In addition, adult students expect that universities and colleges have all of the resources, staff and latest technology at their fingertips to provide instant answers and processing of requests and may get easily frustrated when that's not the case.
Adult learners have different psychological needs and perspectives than traditional-aged learners. They have a greater need for motivation, inspiration and guidance since they have more responsibilitiesthan younger students whose primary responsibility is school. Trust is very important in their relationship with advisory staff. They research their decisions more and often consider their time to be a more important investment than their money. The following list identifies what each institution should do to attract adult learners2:
* Overcome barriers of time, place, and tradition to create lifelong access
* Address the career and life goals of adult learners
* Provide an array of payment options
* Assess skills acquired through the curriculum and experience
* Provide multiple methods of instruction
* Enhance student capabilities to be self-directed learners
* Provide information technology to enhance the learning experience
* Engage in strategic relationships and collaborations with employers and other organisations
But, what exactly are universities and colleges "selling"? It's not a product, it's an opportunity. But how do you convince a person so reluctant to change that they really will enjoy the process, that they will experience a great deal of pride and accomplishment and that their view of the world will be enlarged and enriched? How do you explain that the benefits of a formal qualification go way beyond the tangible aspects of time and money? How do you engage with them, inspiring trust and motivation? For those people who do not enter your organisation believing these things, it can be a hard sell!
Recruiting the adult learner
How to attract and engage with adult learners is an enduring question for all providers of adult education. Recruitment should be viewed as a multistep process of drawing people into long-term programs rather than trying to motivate them just to signup for a single course. Providing adult learners with an overall goal for their education is viewed by many as the first step toward enrolment, and adult students with a specific purpose show increased motivation compared to those without one. Providing guidance and advice allows adult students to make informed decisions, establish realistic goals and assess their own circumstances4,5,6.
Above all, potential learners need to understand the reason for acquiring knowledge and skills they may see as academic and possibly not relevant to their own lives. All this should become clear in their discussions with advisory staff. All in all, you must ensure you provide whatever information adult students need to form clear, realistic expectations, settargets and monitor their progress. Even before enrolment, the potential learner should be seen as an active partner in a learning process, and not as apassive "silent" partner.
Bibliography
1 Davies P, osborne M & William J (2002). For me or not for me? That is the question. A study of mature students' decision making and Higher Education. London, DfES.
2 Skorupa, K (2002). Adult learners as consumers. The Academic Advising News, 25 (3). NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources.
3 Whittaker, S & Mayes JT (2001) Learner identity, motivation and relationships: A theoretical framework for the design of effective learning environments. Researching Widening Access, Proceedings of CRLL conference, Glasgow, pp. 422-427.
4 Wonacott, ME (2001) Adult students: recruitment and retention. Practice Application Brief no. 18.
5 Merrill B, Gallacher J & Crossan B (2001) Learning careers: developing a framework for understanding engagement with learning for adult student. Proceedings of the 31st Annual Conference of SCUTREA, University of East London, pp. 265-268.
6 Davies, P & Osborne, M (2001) Mature students recruitment to higher education - a comparison of Scotland in relation to the UK as a whole. Researching Widening Access, Proceedings of CRLL conference, pp 331-339.
How to use this resource
How to use this resource
Step-by-step guide
1. Registration
2. Download
3. Search for a training activity
4. Site structure
5. Forum & Blog
6. Feedback
7. Propose a document
8. Contact us
If you want to contribute to the forum and blog on this site, please register. Registration is completely free and only takes a couple of minutes - Just fill in the form and press submit. After you've registered, you'll receive an email to confirm your details and you can then activate your account. Once you're a registered user, you'll be asked to log in every time you contribute to the forum and blog.
(Please note that you do not need to register to use the rest of the site or to download files.)
Register nowLog in 2. Download
To download a file, just click the download button on the desired training activities page. Files can be either PDF or PowerPoint and you have to ensure that you can open and read these files before downloading.
3. Search for a Training ActivityYou can search for a specific subject or training activity via our Search facility. Simply enter your search terms into the search box and press the search button. When search results are displayed, click on the desired training activity to view more.
4. Site structureAlternatively you can browse the website through the full descriptions of the training resources.
5. Forum and blogYou can also participate in our forum or blog to find out the latest news about the site and share your comments with other users. You need to to be a registered used and login before you're able to post your comments.
6. FeedbackIf you download one or more documents from this resource, we would like to ask you to fill in a feedback form. It only takes a couple of minutes, but your comments will give us the necessary information to improve the service we provide, by helping us to develop this resource according to your needs. If you don't download any documents, we would appreciate your general comments about this resource and how it can be improved.
7. Propose a new documentIf you feel this resource would benefit from information that is not already included or is incomplete, or you'd like to share procedures developed in your organisation that you think may be of benefit to others, you can propose a new document to be included in the website. You can do this by sending us your contact details and information you want to include.
You can contact us if you'd like more information about this resource or are experiencing any problems when downloading material.
Site Structure
Site structure
Information centre
The starting point to use this resource, this section includes general background information and a brief explanation about how to use it.
Know your area
This section is devoted to raising staff awareness of local and regional issues specific to each organisation that might influence the potential students' decision as whether or not initiate an academic career. Providers of adult education can only be successful in engaging with students if they understand the communities and the people. Organisations can only be effective if they go to the people they want to engage, learn from them, understand their conditions and offer changes at a pace they can accept.
Local History, Culture and Heritage
Local sources of information and support
Courses, progression routes and articulation
This section contains all the necessary information from community learning to Further and Higher Education, including available courses and possible entry and exit points and route progressions. The aim is not only to answer specific questions, but also to guide unsure students to their most appropriate level. Also, this information allows articulation to be built between different universities, colleges, learning centres and referral agencies, resulting in a better link between the various education levels.
Higher and Further Education courses
Courses and application process
Student support
This section looks primarily at funding resources, including funding agencies and their specific requirements. Also, it contains information about various student support services offered across Universities and Colleges. Returning to study after a break may seem rather dauting. However, all colleges and universities offere some form of guidance and student support services, offering help, information and advice on any matter which may be interfering with studies, including assistance with difficulty with course material, finances, health and welfare, personal issues or support with additional needs associated with disabilities or medical conditions.
Counselling for personal difficulties
Techniques and skills
This section focusses on various techniques and skills, such as interview and listening skills, for example. There are a variety of factors relating to students and their specific personal situation, such as personal motivation and support of friends and family, which can be difficult to assess. Following appropriate training using this resource, it is expected that staff would be increasingly aware of these factors and how to respond accordingly.
Interview skills and questioning techniques
Assessing barriers to progression
Marketing and Advertising Strategies
Marketing and advertising are the main focus of this section. Larger organisaitons may have their own dedicated marketing department, and therefore do not need to include this section in their training sessions. However, in smaller establishments, the same members of staff may have to develop appropriate marketing strategies and directly deal with students and potential students. Therefore, understanding ways of identifying the target audience and marketing courses is also covered in this resource. In particular when targeting adults, collaborations with local business, job centres and various local initiatives to reach prospective students in their workplace are essential.
Marketing and advertising strategies
Staff Development
This final section is aimed at staff development officers organising training sessions using this resource. It includes detailed descriptions of structure and contents of the website as well as suggestions to develop training sessions. The aim of a staff development officer is to continously facilitate and provide training to all staff in acquiring, maitaining and enhancing skills that will result in providing effective and innovative advice and support services to students.
How to develop training sessions
FAQ's
Frequently asked questions
1. How do I use this resource?
2. What are the sections included?
3. Why do I have to register?
4. How do I register?
5. What format is the training activity in?
6. I’ve experienced download problems, what do I do?
1. How do I use this resource?
To find out more about how to use this resource visit our step-by-step tutorial.
To find out more about sections included visit our Site Structure.
You’ll be asked to register the first time you want to download a file from this site. If you download one or more documents from this resource, we would like to ask you to fill in a feedback form. It only takes a couple of minutes, but your comments will give us the necessary information to improve the service we provide, by helping us to develop this resource according to your needs. If you don't download any documents, we would appreciate your general comments about this resource and how it can be improved. In addition, being a registered user will give you acces to our forum and blog facilities.
Registration is free and it only takes a couple of minutes. After you've registered an email will be sent to you containing your username and password details to allow you to login to the service. You’ll need to register if you want to download any material from this site.
5. What format is the training activity in?
Most training activities come in a PDF format and to view these files you’ll need a version of Adobe Acrobat. Some training resources come in as a PowerPoint presentation and you’ll need to ensure you have the appropriate software to open these files.
6. I’ve experienced download problems, what do I do?
If you’re experiencing problems downloading files please contact us with the name of the activity you were attempting to download.
Links
Links
Below you can find some useful links to relevant websites. Just click on any of the headings to go to that section.
North Forum Members
Your area
Courses and qualifications
Jobs and careers
Funding
Student support
Skills
Other
North Forum members
Aberdeen Council
Aberdeen College
Aberdeenshire Council
Argyll College
ASPIRENorth
Banff and Buchan College
Careers Scotland
Highland Council
Highland Theological College
Inverness College
LEAD Scotland
Lews Castle College
Lochaber College
Moray College
Moray Council
NAFC Marine Centre
North Forum
Orkney College
Orkney Council
Sabhal Mor Ostaig
Socttish Agricultural College
Scottish Funding Council
Shetland College
Shetland Council
The North Highland College
Open University
Robert Gordon University
University of Aberdeen
University of HIghlands and Islands
WEA Scotland
Your area
Up my street
Neighbourhood statistics
Government statistics
General Register Office for Scotland
Identity and Passport Service
European Statistics
UK Data Archive
Aberdeen City and Shire
Aberdeen Heritage
Highland History and Culture
Visit Scotland
NIACE Cultural Diversity
Diversity and Integration
Couses and Qualifications
Learn Direct Scotland
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)
Continuing Education Gateway
Association of Scottish Colleges
Universities Scotland
Learning and Teaching Scotland
Lifelong Learning UK
SKILL - National Bureau for Students with disabilities
ASPIRENorth
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF)
Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)
Diverse Routes
Course You Can
Scottish Wider Access
National Recognition Information Centre (NARIC)
Jobs and Careers
Job Centre Plus
Workers Educational Association
Careers Scotland
Learn Direct - Career Advice
Funding
Students Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS)
ILA Scotland
EGAS
Scottish Funding Council (SFC)
Scottish Executive Funding
Scottish Executive - Guide to Funding
Scottish Executive - Students with dependent children
Scottish Executive - Postgraduate students
Scottish Executive - Migrant workers
Scottish Executive - Disabled students
Scottish Executive - Adult learners
Scottish Executive - Domiciled students
Scottish Executive - Guide for advisers
Scottish Executive - Part-time students
Scottish Executive - Older learners
Scottish Executive - What's new?
Learn Direct - Funding
Student support
Linking Education and Disability (LEAD)
Learn Direct - Help and advice
Skills
Learn Direct - Interpersonal skills
Learn Direct - Personal development
Learn Direct - Management
Learn Direct - Business
Other
Aberdeen Council Voluntary of Organisations
Aberdeen Foyer - Learning House Network
Scottish Wider Access Regional Forums (SWARF)
North Forum
Southeast Forum
West Forum
Fife and Tayside Forum