A Holistic Approach to Resources for Adult Learners and Nontraditional Students

A Holistic Approach to Resources for Adult Learners and Nontraditional Students: A Strategic Research Project. Andrea R. Nicholson, 2025: Strategic Research Project, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Keywords: adult learner, nontraditional students, promise programs, pilot program, degree completion, fundraising This mixed-method strategic research project was designed to determine what area of my organization can benefit from improvement. A strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats (SWOT) analysis was conducted that led to identifying 40 internal and external factors affecting the organization. Out of the 10 weaknesses, a lack of funding and resources for adult learners/nontraditional students has been found to be a deterrent to the progression of the college. However, the rise in the number of adult learners and nontraditional students returning to college has been seen as an opportunity in the SWOT analysis. The solution that was detected was to increase financial funding and resources for adult learners/nontraditional students. The factors identified in the SWOT analysis were used in conjunction with three quantitative measures. The internal and external factor evaluations were conducted to give weighted scores to all the factors from the SWOT analysis. These weighted scores were then measured individually against the two possible strategies to determine their attractiveness score. Once each factor had an attractiveness score, the total attractiveness score was tallied by adding all the attractiveness scores together. The strategy with the highest total attractiveness score would be seen as the best plan for the college. However, it was decided that both strategies would be beneficial to implement. The qualitative portion of this study comes from the literature review that provided validity to the strategies that were to be used for the strategies that were implemented. The strategies selected were using fundraising and professional development as the first strategy. The second strategy was to implement a pilot program to softly launch the new program. To implement the strategies, an action plan was created. The plan spanned the length of an academic year as it allows the college to know if the plan was successful and if it should be implemented across the college. The action plan allows multiple departments within the college to come together and serve as a success team for students categorized as adult learners/ non-traditional. This program will allow students to get the financial funding and resources needed to complete their degrees. Upon completion of this strategic research project, it is recommended that this action plan be expanded across the college and evaluated every 2 years. Evaluation every 2 years ensures the plan remains current with educational policies and to also evaluate its effectiveness. Using qualitative processes such as questionnaires allows the college to hear the suggestions of the students, the staff, and the administration to make changes that they deem necessary. The use of data from the institutional research department regarding total enrollment, retention, and completion will allow the college to determine if the program is sustainable using a quantitative measure.