Older Students and Technology Skills: Challenges and Promising Practices at Ohio Community Colleges

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: Examining the Possibiliites of Community Colleges

Abstract

In the context of new and rapidly evolving demands for advanced technological skills in the workplace, a growing number of adults age 40 and older are attending community colleges to improve their skills. The term “digital immigrants” has been used to describe older students, who did not grow up with advanced digital technologies, but this term masks the complex ways older students engage with technology in higher education. Based on analysis of interview and focus group data from Ohio community colleges, this paper argues that technology represents both a potential barrier to success for older learners and a tool that students, faculty, and institutions can utilize to achieve flexible access and improve outcomes.

Authors

• Phyllis A. Cummins, Miami University

• Annabelle Arbogast, Miami University - Oxford

• Kathryn McGrew, Miami University - Oxford

• Peter Riley Bahr, University of Michigan