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Special Interview: The Starrs and Serving Adult Learners

When you hear the phrase “a college student,” what comes to mind? Someone in their early 20's?

Would you be surprised to hear that assumption would mischaracterize two out of every five college students?

Read on to hear what Dr. Ervin and Dr. Carrie Starr have to say about adult learners.

According to EdSurge, adults over the age of 25 represent roughly 40 percent of enrollment in U.S. higher education- nearly 8 million learners.

Dr. Ervin Starr, the College’s Professor of Management and Strategy, shares his experience: “Even though I’ve been here for twenty years, I still think some people almost forget our work with adult students. Forty-five percent of our students are adults!”

Meeting the Starrs

Dr. Ervin Starr has served adult learners for the last 20 years in both Graduate and Degree Completion programs.

He’s joined by his wife Dr. Carrie Starr. She is a former Roberts Wesleyan University professor for 14 years and has spent the last two semesters teaching adult students at Northeastern Seminary.

Over the past year, she has worked exclusively with adult students through the Community Institutes’ online classes.

Together, the Starrs share their thoughts on how colleges can meet the needs of adult learners.

In a perfect world, what would change about higher education in order to better serve adult students?

Ervin shares, “One of the biggest challenges for adult students is the constant balancing act of working full-time, having a family life, and being a full-time student.

Carrie adds, “I think the most important thing to realize with adult students is the complexity of their lives. Many of them are married, many have children, and most of them are working full-time jobs.

“They are juggling a lot, so having options to accommodate them allows them to be successful, even in the midst of a difficult situation. Online learning fits around their lives.”

Adult students may not always have hours of undivided time, so the Starrs encourage adult students to think in terms of minutes.

Their students often pursue their dreams and finish their homework in the spare minutes between carpools, laundry, their lunch break, and more.

Explore Roberts’ eighteen online programs spanning five different majors.

Accelerated Course Formats

Ervin shares, “As I know from personal experience, pursuing school while working full time takes a toll on family and relationships. That’s why we have accelerated options.”

Carrie explains, “I learned the value of online learning personally as a doctoral student. I found the flexibility freeing. I accelerated the pace of my program by taking multiple classes at a time, while other classmates slowed down to meet the demands of work or family.”

Thank you, Ervin and Carrie, for sharing your perspective.

Interested in learning more about the couple? Learn what brought Ervin to Roberts, and read about Carrie’s recent promotion.

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