Nontraditional Students

In civilian education, computers and technology have also been extremely impactful. Digital technology really took off in postsecondary education in the 1990s in the United States and Canada (Fichten et al., 2014). PowerPoint, the internet, and email were popular tools, and students were able to start turning in assignments electronically. Since then, many other technologies have come into play, and there seems to be no end in sight for the advances that continue. For this paper we are specifically addressing how computers and technology have been especially helpful in civilian education for (a) nontraditional students and (b) disabled students. Nontraditional Students. “Roughly half of all college students in the U.S. can be considered non-traditional students” (Hsu & Hamilton, 2010, p. 225). Although there is no highly definitive description of a nontraditional student, there are many commonalities found in research. The term “nontraditional students” is commonly used “to refer to those with socio-demographic characteristics that differ from traditional participants in higher education” (Chung et al., 2014, p. 1224). Very typically, nontraditional students are those over 25 years of age, have multiple life roles (e.g.,
Nontraditional students have a number of distinctive concerns, of which “financial and family concerns are two of the biggest considerations that impact on the adult student experience” (Benshoff & Lewis, 1992, p. 2). Nontraditional students also generally need flexible schedules, conveniently located classes, developmentally appropriate instruction, updating to their study skills, and technology skills training, among other various needs (Falk & Blaylock, 2010). Many of these concerns are addressed via computers and technology in