This document discusses the challenges and advantages of working with working adult students (WASs) in higher education. Some key challenges include WASs lacking a theoretical background related to their work and not having an organized structure of knowledge. However, WASs also bring valuable experience and expertise from the workplace. The document also discusses challenges relating to WASs' self-concept after a long break from education, their expectations for adaptability and applicability of learning to their jobs, and their needs for professional competencies and faculty support. Despite these challenges, WASs are also highly motivated, participatory, and can enrich classroom discussions with real-world experience.

1. WAS’s Attitudes Challenges Advantages
Knowledge and
Abilities
Two challenges are stated by
Laureate Education (2016a)
that can become burdensome
for the faculty member with a
group of WASs:
- Lack of a theoretical
background of the knowledge
and abilities required through
practice at work.
- The lack of an organized
structure of knowledge and
abilities to perform work
tasks.
However, this is the fun part
of the course in which we
instructors have to guide
them to validate what they
already know with the
theoretical knowledge they
are missing.
Working with WASs can also
bring lots of advantages if
compared to higher education
learners who have no prior
experience.
Working adults bring into the
classroom:
- Specific knowledge rooted in
their work practice, and
- Abilities based on previous
experience.
Their empirical expertise can
spice up the course especially
while confronting the validity of
theoretical knowledge and the
suggested practices by the
experts. They can enrich
classroom discussion by
bringing their experience to the
frontline.
Self-Concept
If “Self‐concept, as implied by
the word itself, is the concept
we have about ourselves,
taking into account a set of
characteristics and dimensions
of the self” (Laureate
Education, 2016b) it presents
a challenge in itself with
WASs, especially when they
come back to study after a
long interruption in their
studies. They may find them
“misfits” in a context where
they coexist with young adult
learners.
Since most of these learners
are already self-motivated and
decision-making-oriented, they
come into our classrooms with
a purpose in mind they are
pursuing for various reasons.
Though they may lack the time
that full time young adult
learners have, they are willing
to try to cope with the
demands of academic life in
their search for their academic
validation of the knowledge
acquired in their workplaces.

2. Expectations
WASs do have lots of
expectations, as any other
learners. The most
challenging one is “an
expectation of adaptation to
the modality of study or to the
suggested methodology,
especially in cases where the
new technologies are needed”
(Laureate Education, 2016c).
Facing online, hybrid, blended
education can be a real issue
for many of them.
For WASs, there is a “hope that
the study syllabus chosen
really provides them with
content or learning that is
useful and easily transferable
to the work or daily life
context” (Laureate Education,
2016c). And since they come
into the classroom with lots of
prior knowledge and empirical
expertise, their expectations
can become really reflected by
the course learning outcomes.
Needs
What can turn into challenges
for the instructor is the WAS’
needs “for specific
professional competences that
can be applied to the work
practice” and their need “to
count on faculty support or
guidance” (Laureate
Education, 2016d).
As an instructor dealing with
WASs, it is crucial to have a
disposition to listen and to try
to find ways to help them to
advance in their course
material understanding and
course completion. All these
information that can be
provided to them will help
them comprehend better their
responsibilities at work and
the ones that can come ahead
of time if a promotion takes
place since they are in search
for it.
Intrinsic motivation is
important in learning, but with
many WASs, extrinsic
motivation is the one that
prevails. Since their needs for
higher income and/or a job
promotion is part of their
encouragement to come back
to college, these motivations
can be used to trigger deep
learning in many of them and
to have them focused on what
is really relevant for the
course. Using this motivation
can help the instructor to
constantly re-focus learners to
what is relevant for their
learning especially when they
have been heard and their
needs have been incorporated
into the class material to be
covered and its continuum.

3. Attitudes
As we can face advantages in
WAS’ higher education
learning, we are bound to
encounter very concrete
challenges.
As Laureate Education
(2016e) posits, WASs may
have:
- low disposition to “un-
learning,”
- the prejudice of learning
from a younger person,
- the resistance to change,
fear of new dynamics and
methodologies,
- the physical tiredness as a
product of many
commitments,
- and a focus on grading.
WASs are very highly
motivated, and the instructor is
bound to find:
- high level of participation and
communication,
- clarity in study objectives,
- experience acquired in the
work area,
- expressivity and spontaneity,
- and practical use purpose.
All these can have a very
positive impact on one’s course
in spite of the challenges that
were highlighted. Attitude
needs to be used to really work
in the consolidation of what
WASs have been learning
empirically.
Chart created by Prof. Jonathan Acuña based on the information provided by Laureate Faculty Development
References
Laureate Education. (2016a). Knowledge and abilities of the Working Adult Student.
Laureate Education. (2016b). Self Concept of the Working Adult Student.
Laureate Education. (2016c). Expectations of the Working Adult Student.
Laureate Education. (2016d). Needs of the Working Adult Student.
Laureate Education. (2016e). Attitudes of the Working Adult Student.