adult learners
Grown-up pupils returning
Adult learners are students who return to formal education after entering adulthood, typically beyond traditional college age.
The term usually implies people balancing education with work, family, or other adult responsibilities: The community college offers evening classes for adult learners.
Adult learners often bring life experience but may need different support than younger students.
Controlled by the learner
- flexible schedulingAdjustable time arrangements
- evening classesInstruction after sundown
- weekend coursesClasses held on rest days
- hybrid coursesClasses mixing online and in-person
workshops · seminars · webinars · boot camps · asynchronous · synchronous · part-time study · accelerated programs
Ongoing professional coursework after graduation
- professional developmentOngoing workplace learning activities
- upskillingLearning new work abilities
- reskillingLearning new work capabilities
- online coursesInternet-based instruction programs
MOOCs · GED · certifications · accreditation · vocational training · night school · community college · career advancement
Full growth achieved
- life experienceAccumulated personal history
- wisdomGood judgment from experience
- perspectiveAttitude or spatial rendering
- mid-careerProfessional middle stage
retraining · prior knowledge · transferable skills · work-life balance · family obligations · time management · motivation · self-direction
self-paced
Controlled by the learner
- flexible schedulingAdjustable time arrangements
- evening classesInstruction after sundown
- weekend coursesClasses held on rest days
hybrid courses · workshops · seminars · webinars · boot camps · asynchronous · synchronous · part-time study · accelerated programs · competency-based
continuing education
Ongoing professional coursework after graduation
- professional developmentOngoing workplace learning activities
- upskillingLearning new work abilities
- reskillingLearning new work capabilities
online courses · MOOCs · GED · certifications · accreditation · vocational training · night school · community college · career advancement · self-improvement
maturity
Full growth achieved
- life experienceAccumulated personal history
- wisdomGood judgment from experience
- perspectiveAttitude or spatial rendering
mid-career · retraining · prior knowledge · transferable skills · work-life balance · family obligations · time management · motivation · self-direction · goal-oriented
- nontraditional studentsmature students
- higher educationuniversity, college, degree, diploma, graduate school
- adult educationGED prep, night classes, evening classes, night school, community education
- language learnersbeginner, beginners, intermediate, advanced learner, study abroad student
- campus populationfreshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, undergraduates
- graded readersbeginner readers, advanced readers, easy readers, reading levels
adult learnerschildren
Young human beings
young learners · minors · preschoolers · youth · adolescents
adult learnersinstructors
People who teach others
teachers · educators · professors · trainers · mentors
adult, learning, adolescent, adults, adolescence, adulthood, learners, adolescents, adult education