(Dis)connected in Today's College Classroom? What Faculty Say and Do About Mixed-Age Classes

Thinking About Your Thinking: Metacognition and the Adolescentizing of Online Higher Education

“…Faculty own the responsibility to embrace this accountability through appropriate teaching and engagement strategies, but many fall short because they define themselves primarily in relation to a content area rather than as educational practitioners (Merriam & Brockett, 2007), admittedly adhering to the only type of education they understand: a didactic approach that ignores differences in metacognition and learning strategies, and ultimately devalues demographic variables within mixed-aged classes (Donavant et al, 2013). Simply put, most faculty do not fully understand basic tenets of educational methodology or the SDL construct of online delivery.…”

“…Beyond student affairs offices and institutional support resources, the bulk of responsibility for developing effective student success strategies rests with faculty and the instructional methods they employ (Donavant et al, 2013;Mager, 1997;Rachal, 2002), yet two in three faculty also report feeling disoriented to this "new normal" of higher education (Lucas, 2020). Increased blending of older and younger students into mixed-age classes bring significant challenges in terms of what learners want, expect, and need from faculty and the educational experience.…”

“…Increased blending of older and younger students into mixed-age classes bring significant challenges in terms of what learners want, expect, and need from faculty and the educational experience. Understanding the unique characteristics of adults compared to traditional-age college students can shed light on how different generations respond and which methodologies enhance the experiences of all learners (Donavant et al;Sitren & Smith, 2017). The Self-Directed Learning (SDL) construct (Brockett & Hiemstra, 1991;Tough, 1971) offers an ideal pedagogical lens for examining metacognition among the current student demographic and informs faculty regarding the types of educational experiences necessary for online student success.…”

“…Even among studies based upon learner surveys and other forms of direct assessment, participants merely assessed those aspects of the experience already determined by program developers and providers as appropriate for evaluation, usually resulting in little more than "I-like-it" measures of success and contributing to the widening gap between scholarship and practice (Caffarella & Daffron, 2013;Finckenauer, 2005;Howell, 2002;Merriam & Simpson, 2000;Nadler & Nadler, 1994). Previous studies indicate that myriad circumstances and demographic considerations affect learning success, particularly within the online environment, including educational level, familiarity with and previous exposure to the educational methodology employed, gender, race, age of the learner, and metacognitive capacity (Anderson et al, 2001;Donavant, 2009aDonavant, , 2009b Donavant et al, 2013;Giedd, 2008;Hattie, 2009;Justice & Dornan, 2001;Ruohoniemi & Lindblom-Ylanne, 2009;Sitren & Smith, 2017).…”

Metacognitive Knowledge, Regulation, and Study Habits

“…Justice & Dornan (2001) also found that non-traditional students, between the ages of 24 -64, reported greater use of higher-level study strategies compared to their younger traditional student counterparts. Other studies indicate higher education faculty acknowledge that adult students differ from their traditional-age counterparts, but often perceive no need to adapt instructional approaches to accommodate the needs or learning styles of the growing postsecondary demographic shift (Day, Lavato et al, 2011;Donavant et al, 2013).…”