Pellissippi State Classroom Case Study

In the last several years, colleges, administrators, faculty, and staff have observed the growing number of adult students enrolling in classes. In Pellissippi State Community College’s case, this is largely due to programs such as Tennessee Reconnect, which allows adult students to return for a higher education to gain skills to complete their degree programs. Contemporary education research has observed numerous obstacles that adult learners encounter when returning to school. Consequently, since these nontraditional scholars have recently come back, they are struggling more with technology-dominant classrooms compared to their traditional counterparts. The other unique issue these learners are facing is time management. Furthermore, since learning technology takes time alongside

While returning students use technology in the workplace and at home today, when it comes to how it is implemented in school, it is a whole different ball game. At Pellissippi, programs such as D2L, MyPellissippi, and even the newest version of PowerPoint may be completely foreign to adult learners. According to research published by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, “many adult students may be less computer-savvy...and less comfortable in online or hybrid classes” (Worth). Therefore Worth suggests that these people “must upgrade their knowledge and skills, either informally or in a classroom setting, in order to reach their long-term educational goals.” Training through computer labs, tutoring, and library staff would make transitioning to college more straightforward for adult learners, preparing them for the technology they are going to encounter. Returning adult students will face a lack of knowledge with the new technology being used in the classroom today. By engaging with such resources, scholars can work towards a better understanding of how to overcome these