The landscape of higher education is changing. The traditional image of a full time student fresh out of high school is becoming less and less accurate as our campuses are dominated by the New Majority Learner.
There are 3 core groups within the New Majority Learner:
- The underprepared learner
- The learners with innate barriers
- The time poor learner
Today, a significant portion of students juggle their studies with other major life responsibilities. These are the time poor learners, and here we’ll explore who they are, their challenges and what can be done by institutions that want to support their success.
Who are time poor students?
Time poor learners encompass a diverse group of individuals united by a common thread: significant time constraints due to commitments beyond their education. This group commonly includes:
Working students: A significant 69.3% of students are working while studying. Many students need to work to finance their education and living expenses.
Parents: Students who are also raising children face the demands of childcare, school events, and other family related responsibilities. 19.2% of students have children, adding a layer of complexity to their academic pursuits.
Carers: Some students have responsibilities for the care of family members or others.
Apprentices: Students in apprenticeship programs combine both work and study.
Athletes: Student athletes balance rigorous training and competition schedules with their academic work.
Explore the map below to see how many students across the United States are time poor.
What challenges do time poor students face?
Time poor students face a unique set of challenges that can significantly impact their academic journey, creating extra hurdles and pressures on top of their studies.
Limited Study Time
A significant obstacle for time poor learners is the finite amount of time available for study. The constant juggling of work schedules, family responsibilities, and various other commitments often leaves these students with minimal time dedicated to coursework, reading assignments, and preparation for exams.
This scarcity of time can lead to a sense of being constantly behind, struggling to keep up with the demands of their studies. The constant awareness of time constraints can also diminish the opportunity for deeper learning, critical thinking, and reflection, as students may prioritize task completion over genuine comprehension.
Furthermore, this chronic time pressure can negatively impact students' well-being, contributing to stress, anxiety, and burnout, ultimately hindering their academic performance and overall university experience.
Distractions and interruptions
When time poor learners find time to study, they often face distractions. Unlike other students who may have more control over their study environment, time poor learners often find themselves attempting to study amidst the demands of childcare, work related emergencies, or the constant need to address urgent household tasks.
This fragmented attention can hinder concentration and diminish the effectiveness of study sessions. The constant mental switching between tasks, whether it's work deadlines, family obligations, or academic requirements, depletes cognitive resources and reduces the capacity for deep engagement with learning materials.
Financial worries
Financial strain is a common concern among time poor learners. They may worry about tuition costs, living expenses, and supporting their families, which can lead to stress and make it difficult to focus on their studies.
Having these extra worries can undoubtedly lead to a pervasive sense of anxiety that detracts from academic focus and may even force students to reduce their course load or withdraw from their studies altogether.
Balancing multiple roles
Time poor learners are constantly balancing multiple roles. They are students, employees, parents, and more. The cognitive load of switching between roles can make it difficult to engage, as well as bringing a mental and emotional burden, making it hard to prioritize and manage everything effectively.
How can colleges support time poor learners?
Colleges play a vital role in supporting these learners. Offering flexible scheduling, online courses, and accelerated programs can help time poor learners fit their education into their busy lives.
Providing access to course materials and support services online can be beneficial for students who cannot always come to campus, ensuring time poor students don’t struggle with access to materials they need.
Creating a supportive and understanding environment is essential. It’s clear that the majority of students are balancing multiple other roles alongside their studies, faculty and staff should be aware of the challenges time poor learners face and offer flexibility and encouragement.
How can Glean help time poor learners to overcome challenges?
Technology can be a powerful tool for improving access to courses and learning material. Assistive technologies and platforms that allow for flexible access to learning materials can make a significant difference.
Using Glean alongside both in person and online classes can help time poor students to streamline their learning, allowing them to study more efficiently and effectively, while creating a more inclusive campus.
For those studying online, Glean's chrome extension is a powerful tool to help students stay organized and engaged on learning material by keeping notes and online lectures on the same page, side by side.
We understand that time poor students often have to prioritize their external lives over lectures. Encouraging the use of Glean’s mobile app allows for studying anywhere, capitalizing on small pockets of time that would otherwise be lost, and enabling students to seamlessly integrate study into their varied daily routines.
"It allows for me to technically be in two places at once - I can be in person for my work meeting while also being able to continue recording the information from the lecture to go over later."
Abby, University of Maryland
By recording and transcribing lectures, students are able to revisit lectures at any time. A crucial benefit for students who cannot always attend live sessions or need to review material around work or family commitments. Notes can be directly linked to specific points in the transcript, facilitating efficient review of key information.
