1. “The Diverse Classroom: Baby Boomers to Generation Y” Mark Branson

2. The composition of the college classroom today is vastly different than ten or twenty years ago.

3. Adult students are returning to college in record numbers and for a variety of personal and professional reasons.

4. Adult learners make up a large segment of the student population and working with adult learners is often different than working with younger students.

5. This situation can be problematic for instructors who are unprepared to deal with such differences in the classroom.

6. When most of us think of a college classroom, the “traditional” student comes to mind. It is a natural connection to make, however it is no longer a valid assumption.

7. As a matter of fact, “only 17% of students enrolled in college today are in the eighteen to twenty-two group we generally think of as traditional college students”.

8. “In place of the young, male student who lived in the dorm and carried a full-time load, college campuses often have a student population that is predominately female with an average age in the late 20s).

9. Adult learners, whoever they may be, make up the large majority of our student population and working with adult learners is often different than working with younger students.

10. This change in the makeup of the adult leaner has resulted in the changes in the student population, differences in students’ learning styles, students’ view of technology, and students’ expectations of educational customer service.

11. These issues are real challenges for today’s higher education administrators, faculty and staff. Higher education has had to accommodate to address the needs and expectations of today’s new and diverse learner.