Date Approved

8-3-2026

Graduate Degree Type

Project

Degree Name

Education (M.Ed.)

Degree Program

Education Leadership & Counseling

First Advisor

Paul Bylsma

Academic Year

2025/2026

Abstract

Research shows that higher education institutions provide a wide range of resources to their students. However, limitations in availability, accessibility, and navigation create a fragmented experience for adult learners. This fragmented experience often exacerbates barriers experienced by adult learners, such as difficulty navigating decentralized services and lack of availability outside standard business hours, that negatively impact the learner experience and outcomes, resulting in reduced persistence and retention. This project proposes a solution to this fragmentation and shows how the digital transformation in higher education can be utilized as an enabling approach to improve availability, accessibility, and navigation of services for adult learners. To better serve adult learners, institutions must provide resources and services that are available outside of the traditional 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours and they need to be tailored to the unique needs adult learners have. A centralized Adult Learning Center, which utilizes a multi-pronged approach, consisting of learning and collaboration spaces, centralized support that is technology-assisted, and dedicated advising and cross-campus networking and partnerships, can address these concerns. This project offers a proposal that includes implementation strategies, staffing recommendations, and evaluation measures. The Adult Learning Center provides a comprehensive way for institutions to address the barriers adult learners experience and improve their outcomes by delivering a sense of belonging and creating community for adult learners, connecting them with the services they need, and providing a seamless experience for interacting with campus resources.

Download

Share

COinS