Making it work
EDUCATIONAL establishments, sensing a shift from traditional to flexible learning that is adaptive to technology, are tailoring the dynamics of their programmes to fit working individuals, with some even specialising only in part- time courses.
Institutions such as Asia e University ( AeU) have wrapped their entire pedagogy and programme delivery around learners instead of the other way around.
Assessments, assignments and examinations have become functional and practical, using real- time scenarios and results.
Adult or mature learners are typically working individuals above 25 years old and are involved in some form of learning. They are aware of the many advantages of working and studying simultaneously.
The best thing about it is that they need not forgo their jobs to further their studies, which means they can continue to earn a steady income while studying – a foreign concept not too long ago. In addition, adult learners learn invaluable intrinsic skills by juggling these two areas.
Adult learners are also aware of some of the downsides to working and studying. They know that when they decide to do it, they are signing up for a few hectic years ahead and have to mentally prepare themselves to sacrifice time, energy and savings to further their education.
However, as prepared as they thought they were during enrolment, dropout rates of adult learners are still high, according to higher learning institutions.
The myriad of issues adult learners face may be greater than initially expected, but there are ways to ameliorate these challenging circumstances.
Dr Danny Choong, principal and chief executive officer of Advance Tertiary College ( ATC), says that adult learners should be clear about what it would take to study and work at the same time, including sacrificing family and personal time.
Even though working adults are no stranger to making sacrifices, the magnitude of commitment involved in working and studying is often overlooked.
The heavy commitments that come with studying will be piled onto the sacrifices individuals are already making for work.
Chronic lack of sleep, missing out on important family milestones and giving up leisure time are some of the time issues many adult learners have to face.
Possible approach
Start by prioritising commitments – examinations, deadlines, classes, holidays and even milestones such as family birthdays or weddings. This allows you to forgo the less important things and ensures you attend what is important to you.
As you rate them one by one, you can weigh the pros and cons of each activity or event and ascertain how important certain things are to you and your family.
This helps you make better decisions calmly at the start and not have to rush into making a choice in the middle of the academic year when the pressure is on.
Plan to let go of events and elements that are not a priority. Make the necessary arrangements for them – call, RSVP and inform way beforehand.
More often than not, your closest family members and friends will understand your non- appearance provided you are honest with them and ask for patience while you complete your studies. If you have young or teenage children, letting them understand your choice to study and witness your commitment to it might help them make better decisions in their own educational journey later on. Along with planning for your absence, plan for personal commitments as well. For instance, make it known to your family or friends that Sunday afternoons will be wholly spent with them, gadgetand distraction- free.
Make plans for a short getaway or fun treat once your examinations for every semester are over.
Families should be kept in the loop as they too have to make sacrifices, but by supporting the adult learner, everybody will benefit in the future.
Using your 24 hours wisely can be another tall order. According to Dr Choong, time management is the No. 1 setback adult learners face when juggling work and study.
Many people often overestimate the amount of work they can accomplish in 24 hours. Commitments, errands, meetings and school can quickly fill up the day.
“The most common problem faced by learners at AeU is balancing work commitments. It is normal for our learners to be hardpressed juggling between attending tutorials and assignments and work commitments,” says AeU’s founder and president Prof Datuk Dr Ansary Ahmed.
“This, together with family commitment, takes time, meaning that learners must master time management, setting priorities and working smart.”
Having too much to do in one day can eat into crucial activities such as sleep and exercise, leading to lethargy and exhaustion that can cause you to miss important appointments or half- heartedly attend to your commitments, such as studying for your examinations.
Possible approach
Be precise in your scheduling – this includes writing down your study and sleep time. As long as you keep to your schedule, you do not have to worry about not having invested enough time to sleep or study.
You can take a break from your schedule during the holidays or between semesters.
Plan your annual leave as well. Prof Christina Lee, director of MBA International at Monash University Malaysia, says that most of her students use their annual leave to complete assignments and examinations.
Because they understand adult learners’ predicament, educational institutions have been actively providing as much help as possible.
Such help includes counselling sessions and seminars, round- theclock hotlines and easy- to- navigate study materials to help adult learners cope with their studies.
Monash, for example, accommodates adult learners’ needs by planning and providing a study schedule set for the entire year.
This way, adult learners need not worry about planning their own study schedule and need only to focus on scheduling their work and family commitments around it.
Knowing the entire year’s study schedule also makes it possible to plan and confirm events with family members or colleagues ahead of time, thus reducing grouses and disappointments.
Another effective way to manage time is to get technology on your side. Synchronise all your calendars into one on your phone and download apps that make managing your to- do list more accessible and convenient.
With the combination of technology, the study institution and your hard work, you can ace this juggling act.
The idea of going back to school can be daunting for many adults as they may not have been in a classroom environment for a significant number of years.
“The set of skills required to read and write lengthy articles, analyse case studies, scan hundreds of pages for information or make sense of complicated theories may not have been in use in a long while,” says Prof Lee.
This has sometimes been a direct cause of adult learners dropping out of their programmes.
Possible approach
The first step to coping with this transition is to ask for help. Educational institutions, especially those for part- time studies, are well- versed with the challenges adult learners face.
In- house comprehensive online support platforms such as the Student Assistance Support System ( SASSY) at ATC and AeU’s personalised learning platform myPLS have proved to be crucial instruments in assisting adult learners in their day- to- day educational journey.