Pop Quiz: You are not your students

One of the biggest “oh duh” lessons I had in working in higher ed was the realization that I am not typical. I’ve talked about this before, about how professors and instructors were probably the nerdy, top-of-the-class kids. It’s a challenge to put yourself in the mindset of a typical college student. But then again, who is the typical college student?

It depends on your institution, of course, but more and more college students are not full-time, dorm-living, 20-year-olds you might picture as “typical,” but parents, older students, and part-time students with full-time jobs. Higher education is highly prized on the job market, and many people have gone back to college to get the credentials needed for their careers. Some even love it. (My mom says “education is wasted on the young” as she became a full-on nerd in her college classes recently.)

How does higher ed need to change to accommodate the needs of this more diverse student population. How might you deal with a broader range of students in your classes?

The Pop Quiz is a question posed to you, the Scholars of Doubt. Look for it on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 3pm ET.

Featured Image CC velkr0 on Flickr.