Why Did I Ever Think Going Back to School Was A Good Idea?

It is almost time for the evening news and I am surrounded by library books marked with little stickers, a few journals, a couple notebooks, and no ideas. I have a presentation tomorrow about a project that seems to be an unsolvable problem: how do I reach out and engage adult learners in an online discussion? What would make them access a Blackboard site on campus that might actually help them? How do I get their attention, and worse yet, how do I keep it if I ever manage to get it in the first place?

Problem 1: Who is my audience? Adult learners are a diverse group. Maybe non-traditional students is a better definition because the audience for this site is students who live off-campus, who may have responsibility for caring for others (parents, children, spouses, even pets), who may be self-supporting, who might range in age from 18 to 80, and who may be from either gender or any ethnic/racial group.

Problem 2: The original site is hard to access. Students have to go out of their way to find it and add themselves to the roster. What can I do to make it easier to find?

Problem 3: If they manage to find the site, what will make them use it? What kind of information will they need? What info do they already have available from other sources?

Problem 4: Once they find the site, how do I transform them from passive viewers to collaborative participants? In other words, how do I engage them and get them to take some ownership of the site so it can serve them better?

In a way, I'm my own audience. I'm an older adult learner. I've got a couple of 20 something kids living with me and another one away at college. I've got pets. I live in an old house that costs too much money. I have car payments and property taxes. I work and I volunteer. There's never enough money or time.

So what do I need that a site could provide? Resources and information that could save me time and money would be a start. Advocacy would be another because a lot of the time I feel marginalized in a university where I am one of the older students. Finally, I need a social network because I moved here to return to school, so it would be nice to have some local contacts.

I need an online one stop shop that will help me feel like my decision to return to school was not such a bad idea. It might be easier just to be a discount store greeter. At least I wouldn't have had to take out school loans again, but I'm probably too grumpy to be a greeter, so I guess I'd better come up with some ideas for this presentation. I'm too old to run away from home!
http://www.antshe.org/

Back To School & Older Than My Teacher

Last summer I started graduate school after being on the other side of the desk for 15 years. I had to completely change my life in order to do this. I quit my part time teaching job at a state university, sold my house, packed up my pets and possessions, and moved to another state!

I rented a little farm house and spent a month painting and cleaning it during a 90 degree plus heatwave. At the same time I started summer school (two theory classes) and a new job as an academic advisor at a nearby community college. I was hot, lonely, and exhausted.

Over the next six months, my dog was killed, two of my cats died, my house was buglarized, my daughter's car was stolen and used in a driveby shooting, and I had to go to court over some problems with my out-of-state property. I ran out of money, time, and patience. Two of my children moved in with me after being in their own place for five years. I gained back the 15 pounds it had taken me two years to lose, ripped my hamstring in a fall, and developed colitis.

I made new friends, started a campus organization for graduate students, began working at the university women's center, wrote a book chapter, and survived the winter and my first two school terms. So one way or another, returning to school has been an "interesting" experience, if I use the word "interesting" as it is used in the old Oriental curse, "May you live in interesting times."

I have another year and a half ahead of me before I can claim my second master's degree. Will I make it--I hope so, Was it worth it--I'll find out when I'm done. One way or another, I've learned a lot about myself, not all of it good. I've also had a chance to start again, sort of, because you always have to bring your baggage with you and I have a couple of steamer trunks!