Progress over Perfection: Non-traditional Students’ Learning Journey to Confidence, Belonging, and Digital Fluency

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Speakers

Karen Caldwell, Tanya LaShombe, and Melissa Conners-Chamberlain

Brief Description

Two non-traditional learners will share their stories of transition into fully online, asynchronous digital learning experiences. Key factors for overcoming challenges in confidence, belonging, and technical & digital fluency included time, communication, and understanding expectations. The instructor will share strategies to support learner’s transition by connecting course content to authentic contexts, mastery learning, and designing and sequencing learning processes.

Full Abstract

Teaching and learning online is a collaborative, creative, and stimulating endeavour and can be highly effective. However, for older, professional, non-traditional learners, new ways of learning, novel teaching approaches, and innovative uses of digital media in online courses can be intimidating and may affect their confidence and sense of belonging. While non-traditional students bring rich and extensive lived experiences, both professional and personal, along with specialized technical skills to the university classroom, these may not be immediately applicable in unfamiliar environments such as online, asynchronous classes. Non-traditional learners may also have notions of teaching and learning based on more traditional experiences and be reluctant to seek assistance, struggle with the fear of being seen as not being able to “keep up” and the fear of failure. Leaders of Distance Education can ease the struggles and fears, aiming to build confidence within these students.

Our presentation shares the experiences of 2 highly successful, non-traditional professional students, newly enrolled in a fully online asynchronous masters of business program, who faced challenges using digital tools and completing unfamiliar learning activities and assignments in their initial semesters. Personal challenges included shaky confidence and low sense of belonging with fear of being in ‘over their head’. The instructor, who had also been a non-traditional higher education student, came to learn that when there are clear expectations, open lines of communication, opportunities for mastery learning, and an emphasis on the process of learning, online education flourishes for everyone. Over time, the students came to trust the process (based also on evidence-based adult learning principles), embrace vulnerability, strengthen their confidence and sense of belonging, and approach learning with authenticity and an emphasis on progress over perfection. Their course work is now shared with others in the form of tips & guidance as well as exemplars.

Session Objectives

By the end of the session, participants will learn

1. perspectives from highly capable learners who face confidence and belonging challenges
2. instructional strategies to support learners’ transition, including mastery learning, generative learning, and strategic communication.

Biography

Dr. Karen Caldwell, Assistant Professor in the School of Education & Professional Studies is a training, development and adult learning specialist specializing in cognitive science and digital literacy. Karen collaborates with faculty and academic staff to design and develop applied learning experiences for students that are authentic, employ digital media, and connect course content to public-facing applications. Since completing her doctorate in Mind, Brain, & Teaching 2018, Karen has placed special emphasis in her courses on student agency, applied learning, and career readiness competencies and mindsets.  Karen’s TEDx Talk, Learning out Loud, touched on several of her passions & research related to teaching & learning.

Co-Presenter Bios

Tanya LaShombe is a proud single parent to three children and involved in community service such as the Potsdam Rotary, the St. Lawrence Leadership Institute, the local PTA, and the Parishville Rescue Department. Professionally, Tanya is an Associate Vice President and Senior Sales Executive with Northern Insuring Agency in Potsdam, NY, and holds the prestigious designations of Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) and Registered Employee Benefits Consultant (REBC). She has been in the insurance industry since 2012.

In 2013, Tanya earned her Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree as a non-traditional student from SUNY Canton where she first experienced online learning in its early stages. Wanting to pursue her dream of obtaining a master’s degree, yet knowing the challenge it would be as a single mother working full-time, she set out on her journey to find a program that aligned with her needs and schedule. In Spring 2021, she enrolled in her first semester at SUNY Potsdam in the fully online, asynchronous Master’s of Business program and expects to graduate in May 2023.

Melissa Conners-Chamberlain is currently a Graduate student with SUNY Potsdam, in the Organizational Leadership & Business track. She is a college and career specialist with the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe. Over the past twenty-five years, she has worked as an advocate and volunteer in her community of Akwesasne and a recent empty nester, having successfully raised two exceptional daughters who are now living their best lives. Along with being a parent, her life experiences and career journey have given her the knowledge to become a valuable leader in her community. Melissa has decided it is time to achieve some of the goals that she has put on hold as she dedicated her life to others. During her first semester of Graduate school, she felt completely lost with the new technologies that were required to use in the courses. She really struggled and continues to face difficulties navigating the technological world that did not exist when she attended college during the years of 1993-1997.

Session Notes

Attending the presentation? Take shared notes in this Google Doc and view the final notes below.