Leveraging Online Learning: Flexibility for the Working Adult Student

Key Infor­ma­tion:

• Online learn­ing offers sig­nif­i­cant flex­i­bil­i­ty for work­ing adults, allow­ing them to bal­ance work, fam­i­ly, and school with fea­tures like 24/7 access to course materials.
• The rise in online learn­ing for adults is dri­ven by increased access to edu­ca­tion, allow­ing stu­dents to attend top col­leges with­out relocating.
• Finan­cial sav­ings are a key ben­e­fit, with reduced trans­porta­tion, low­er text­book costs, and poten­tial in-state tuition for online learners.
• Time man­age­ment and self-dis­ci­pline are cru­cial for suc­cess in online learn­ing, as flex­i­ble sched­ules require strong orga­ni­za­tion and moti­va­tion to avoid burnout.

Online learn­ing exist­ed before 2020. The Uni­ver­si­ty of Illi­nois cre­at­ed PLATO in the 1960s and the 1990s saw its more wide­spread use. But it was the COVID-19 lock­downs that put the spot­light on it. Instead of being an odd­i­ty before, online learn­ing is now a neces­si­ty, even a part of mod­ern life.

Stud­ies show that online learn­ing is also becom­ing more pop­u­lar among work­ing adults. These stu­dents have part-time or full-time jobs, are mar­ried, and have chil­dren under 18. But jug­gling work and fam­i­ly oblig­a­tions isn’t a walk in the park.

In comes online learn­ing which offers unpar­al­leled flex­i­bil­i­ty for work­ing adult stu­dents. Indeed, the increased enroll­ment among work­ing adults isn’t about increased inter­est in edu­ca­tion. Instead, it’s about increased access to a col­lege edu­ca­tion through online programs.

Here, we’ll dis­cuss the ways online learn­ing offers flex­i­bil­i­ty for work­ing adults. We’ll also talk about its ben­e­fits and chal­lenges, as well as tips for success.

Relat­ed:

• Nav­i­gat­ing Dig­i­tal Plat­forms: Essen­tial Tech Skills for Online Learners
• Best Self-Paced Online Colleges
• Online Two-Year Bachelor’s Degrees
• Top Afford­able Online Bachelor’s Degrees with High Salaries
• E‑Learning Bachelor’s Degrees: Tips for Nav­i­gat­ing Online Education
• Fastest Online Bachelor’s Degrees

Why Online Learning is Ideal for Working Adults

The suit­abil­i­ty of online learn­ing for work­ing adults lies in its flex­i­ble sched­ules. In turn, it allows work­ing adult stu­dents to enjoy a good work-life balance.

Flexibility with Schedules

As a work­ing adult, you have fixed work­ing hours. If you have errat­ic work­ing hours, return­ing to col­lege seems almost impos­si­ble. Either way, work takes pri­or­i­ty because mouths must be fed and the bills paid.

Your dai­ly life is also filled with per­son­al oblig­a­tions and social calls. House­hold chores, kids’ activ­i­ties, and errands make for a busy life. Being a col­lege stu­dent does­n’t seem pos­si­ble with every­thing going on.

Flex­i­bil­i­ty for work­ing adult stu­dents is then a must if you want to suc­ceed in your stud­ies. When we say flex­i­bil­i­ty in online learn­ing, we mean these things.

• Being able to access your course mate­ri­als any­time, any­where, with an Inter­net-con­nect­ed device. You can check and sub­mit your assign­ments and watch record­ed lec­tures 24/7. Asyn­chro­nous cours­es mean no set log-in times, a boon if you have unpre­dictable work hours.

• Get­ting qual­i­ty edu­ca­tion at your own pace. Week­ly dead­lines are com­mon. But there’s no fixed time when you can work on assign­ments and study. Do these learn­ing activ­i­ties based on your cur­rent calendar.

Bet­ter yet, check out com­pe­ten­cy-based pro­grams. You can progress through your cours­es by prov­ing your mas­tery of the content.

Balancing Work, Life, and School

With such flex­i­bil­i­ty and con­ve­nience, bal­anc­ing work and online edu­ca­tion is eas­i­er. You can accom­plish your per­son­al and pro­fes­sion­al respon­si­bil­i­ties. Then, you can also be a col­lege stu­dent meet­ing your aca­d­e­m­ic requirements. 

But doing so means care­ful plan­ning. Yes, online learn­ing offers excel­lent flex­i­bil­i­ty for work­ing adult stu­dents. How­ev­er, dis­ci­pline and deter­mi­na­tion are essen­tial to achieve a good work-life balance.

Benefits of Online Learning for Adult Students

Besides flex­i­ble sched­ules, flex­i­ble degree pro­grams for adults pro­vide many oth­er impor­tant benefits.

Accessibility of Education

Online pro­grams increase acces­si­bil­i­ty to col­lege edu­ca­tion in many ways.

• Elim­i­nate geo­graph­i­cal bar­ri­ers.

You can attend the best col­leges even when you live far away from their cam­pus­es. There’s no need to com­mute or relo­cate because every­thing’s done online.

• Get easy access to cours­es not avail­able in local schools.

You may want to learn about spe­cial­ized cours­es but these aren’t offered in your local col­leges. Check out online pro­grams for your pre­ferred cours­es. Online learn­ing makes inclu­siv­i­ty in edu­ca­tion a reality.

Financial Savings

Online degree pro­grams for work­ing pro­fes­sion­als enable sig­nif­i­cant sav­ings in many ways, too.

• Lit­tle to no trans­porta­tion expens­es to and from campus
• In-state tuition, regard­less of res­i­den­cy, is avail­able in many online programs
• Oppor­tu­ni­ty for reduced costs on books and sup­plies (e.g., ebooks and OERs)
• Finan­cial aid oppor­tu­ni­ties are also available
• Oppor­tu­ni­ty for part-time work means more mon­ey for edu­ca­tion and less oppor­tu­ni­ty costs

Since you’re also liv­ing at home, there’s no need for room and board expenses.

Wide Range of Program Options

Online edu­ca­tion for adult learn­ers isn’t like online learn­ing for tra­di­tion­al stu­dents. You may have spe­cial­ized edu­ca­tion­al needs, such as a pro­fes­sion­al cer­ti­fi­ca­tion. Adult learn­ers also con­sid­er online pro­grams for upskilling, learn­ing new skills, and explor­ing new fields.

Many online pro­grams meet these spe­cif­ic needs among work­ing adults. Besides degree com­ple­tion pro­grams, there are cer­ti­fi­ca­tion, tech-voca­tion­al, and dig­i­tal badge pro­grams. There’s also a wide range of dis­ci­plines to choose from. Busi­ness, health­care, and engi­neer­ing are a few examples.

Indeed, the flex­i­bil­i­ty, afford­abil­i­ty, and vari­ety of pro­grams make online learn­ing an excel­lent choice for work­ing adults.

Overcoming Challenges as a Working Adult Student

Even the best and bright­est will face chal­lenges as a work­ing adult stu­dent. Here are ways to over­come them.

Time Management

Main­tain­ing a good work-life bal­ance requires effec­tive time man­age­ment for online students.

• Orga­nize your study area, includ­ing your com­put­er, books, and supplies.
• Cre­ate dai­ly and week­ly sched­ules to keep track of live class­es, assign­ments, and dead­lines. Be sure to include your work sched­ule and house­hold duties.
• Use dig­i­tal tools, such as sched­ul­ing apps.

Motivation and Self-Discipline

Online class­es for work­ing adults aren’t as struc­tured as in-per­son class­es. You must be more moti­vat­ed and dis­ci­plined to stay on track.

• Set SMART goals for the day and week. Spe­cif­ic, mea­sur­able, achiev­able, rel­e­vant, and time-bound are the way to go.
• Cel­e­brate the achieve­ment of your goals, regard­less of its scope. Small wins can be big in stay­ing motivated.

Keep your eyes on the prize, whether it’s earn­ing a degree or com­plet­ing CPE units. Place a poster of your goals in your study area, if necessary.

Avoiding Burnout

The chal­lenges can off­set the ben­e­fits of online learn­ing for adults. You’re at high risk for burnout and, thus, for drop­ping out. Here’s how you can pre­vent it.

• Take reg­u­lar breaks from study­ing and work­ing. Even small breaks can revi­tal­ize your mind and body. Take a nap if you can.
• Ask for sup­port from fam­i­ly and friends. Talk­ing it out helps in reduc­ing the men­tal pressure.
• Med­i­tate and exercise.
• Eat a bal­anced diet.
• Sleep for 6–8 hours every night.

With the right strate­gies, you can over­come com­mon chal­lenges and thrive as a work­ing adult student.

Maximizing Flexibility in Online Learning

Enjoy­ing the ben­e­fits of flex­i­ble online learn­ing starts with these steps.

Choosing the Right Program

Flex­i­bil­i­ty means flex­i­ble sched­ules, asyn­chro­nous cours­es, and part-time options. Look for these fea­tures when com­par­ing online pro­grams. Check for region­al and pro­gram­mat­ic accred­i­ta­tion, too.

Fur­ther­more, look for stu­dent sup­port ser­vices intend­ed for work­ing adult stu­dents. Admis­sion-to-grad­u­a­tion ser­vices are the best. Aca­d­e­m­ic advis­ing, finan­cial aid guid­ance, and career ser­vices must be available.

Using Learning Management Systems (LMS) Efficiently

Famil­iar­ize your­self with the LMS before class­es start. Attend the ori­en­ta­tion for new stu­dents since it usu­al­ly pro­vides infor­ma­tion about the LMS. Explore the LMS as soon as you have access to it.

Use the LMS fea­tures, too, for orga­niz­ing your assign­ments and track­ing your progress. Find­ing addi­tion­al learn­ing resources is also possible.

Communicating with Instructors and Peers

Stay in touch with your class­mates and pro­fes­sors through com­mu­ni­ca­tion tools. You’ll not only stay in the loop but you’re more engaged in your learn­ing. Ask for help, too, when you need it.

By fol­low­ing these steps, you’re mak­ing the most of your online learn­ing experiences.

Tips for Success in Online Learning for Working Adults

Being a suc­cess­ful online work­ing adult stu­dent demands inde­pen­dence and reliance on others.

Establish a study routine.

• Cre­ate a ded­i­cat­ed study space in a peace­ful and qui­et room.
• Set spe­cif­ic times, or time blocks, for study­ing. Con­sid­er your work and home commitments.
• Set a con­sis­tent dai­ly rou­tine, if pos­si­ble, and stick to it. Make study­ing an essen­tial part of your dai­ly life.

Set realistic goals.

• Break down your tasks into more man­age­able chunks. Large assign­ments, for exam­ple, become more manageable.
• Set achiev­able goals so you can cel­e­brate them lat­er on. You won’t feel over­whelmed, too, when you’re faced with chal­leng­ing courses.

Seek support from employers and family.

• Com­mu­ni­cate with your employ­er about your aca­d­e­m­ic obligations.
• Request for flex­i­ble hours and finan­cial sup­port, such as tuition reimbursement.
• Work with your fam­i­ly mem­bers to accom­mo­date your new sched­ule. Ask for their sup­port, too.

With good plan­ning and sup­port, you can achieve your goals in online learn­ing. It won’t be an easy road, but the rewards will make it worthwhile.

Conclusion

In con­clu­sion, work­ing adults who want to earn a degree while meet­ing work and fam­i­ly respon­si­bil­i­ties should con­sid­er online learn­ing. The con­ve­nient access and flex­i­ble sched­ules make it pos­si­ble. Plus, online learn­ing can be more afford­able than tra­di­tion­al learning.

Online learn­ing isn’t as easy as it seems either. You must have the right mind­set includ­ing dri­ve and deter­mi­na­tion. Being an orga­nized per­son with time man­age­ment skills is a must, too.

So, if you’re look­ing for ways to advance your career and per­son­al growth, think online learn­ing. You’re tak­ing the best step in the right direction.