Faculty

The core of an educational institution is to provide education to students. Providing active and collaborative learning as part of instruction is paramount.  Without faculty we lack individual experts to impart their knowledge to generations of individuals.  Without students, faculty lack the means to continue their legacy in sharing expert knowledge.  Without higher education we lose the framework by which to positively impact the world.  Faculty, instructors and assistants should understand and provide appropriate accommodations, facilitate the ongoing dialog about obstacles to a fully inclusive learning environment, and support innovative approaches to overcoming them.

Faculty, as part of academic and service departments, are critical to a nontraditional student's time to degree completion and minimizing their debt after graduation. An efficient, well-designed degree completion program, at any student's point of entry to Rutgers, can help them plan their attendance throughout a full year to ensure they register for courses sequentially. "Students are more likely to be engaged when they understand that the content prepares them for the next courses in their sequence of study, and is relevant to their lives outside of the classroom^7,13,17,23."

 

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER FOR SERVING ADULT STUDENTS

Do the courses in your program offer sufficient breadth and depth, and have proper sequences established among courses? Are the courses offered with adequate frequency? Are there sufficient numbers of evening, weekend, hydrid and online courses and seats offered to meet the needs of adults for majors, other programs for which the unit provides service, and general education? Is there an environment that fosters collaboration, learning, and community morale for adults? Are there opportunities and established study abroad, honors and independent study projects for adults? Is there an alternative policy, course or delivery format to a capstone course or other senior experience designated to guarantee degree completion for adults? What is the availability of financial assistance, honors programs, experiential learning programs, and assistance in developing an adults potential? Is there and what is the nature of the contact with faculty, especially mentoring, other than in the classroom and during formal daytime office and advising hours? What kind of in-and out-of-class contact with adult students is there, particularly those from diverse racial, economic, and cultural backgrounds? Are faculty aware of undergraduate and referral programs for adult students?