Publication Type: Invited Paper
Abstract: Our final panelist continues the theme of unconventional teaching methodologies by addressing how faculty sometimes act as “mavericks” in managing adult learners in contemporary distance education classrooms. Today, concepts of “adult learning” and the “academic needs of non-traditional students” are, perhaps, the most difficult challenges facing the American higher education system. A recent study examining the characteristics of this group reported that non-traditional students tend to be 25 years of age or older, full time employed, attending school full time, and having school-aged children themselves (Coppack, 1997). Moreover, several studies have also generally concluded that adult students report to experience more academic difficulties due to these many other priorities and responsibilities. To complicate the matter, more and more universities are offering distance education courses (interactive television, internet, and etc.,) to meet the needs of these “busy” nontraditional students. However, as communication professionals, we know that the use of instructional technology may facilitate, or detract from students' own satisfaction, motivation, cognitive and affective learning and students' evaluations of the teacher. This paper and presentation will confront some of the ineffective conventional distance education teacher behaviors by offering some unconventional teacher behaviors to enhance the overall college course experience. In this regard, teachers must be willing to serve as “mavericks” as they blaze a trail of deliberate communication strategies to enhance distance education experiences.

Publication Type: Roundtable Presentation
Abstract: At this session explore the challenges and benefits of providing a rigorous, nontraditional secondary general/special education certification program collaboratively developed by urban districts, colleges, and a state department of education.

Publication Type: Abstract
Abstract: Objective: Students in online Nontraditional Doctor of Pharmacy (NTPD) Degree Programs oftentimes are interested in pursuing a career in academia. Many of these students reside in rural areas and are unable to visit academic settings to receive instruction during their advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE). An online Educational Project rotation was developed for the University of Colorado (CU) NTPD program to provide an opportunity for students to experience academia under the guidance of a faculty preceptor.

Methods: The online Educational Project rotation is available to students in the NTPD program having completed four required ADSM courses and Instructional Methods. Students are accepted on a full-time (200 hours completed over 5 weeks) or part-time (200 hours completed over a semester) basis. Initially, the student writes goals and learning objectives for the rotation. This is the beginning of the teaching portfolio showcasing the student’s accomplishments during the rotation. Relevant CAPE outcomes are identified by the student to develop the assessment tool. Literature and Internet evaluation of educationally related publications and websites is an integral component. The student participates in didactic online courses by grading, mentoring, and facilitating threaded discussions. Development of an educational module is the rotation’s capstone project. It includes an outline, learning objectives, readings, PowerPoint slides with audio, a threaded discussion, and assessment and instructor evaluation tools.

Implications: Schools/Colleges of Pharmacy struggle to recruit qualified faculty. The NTPD online educational rotation offers students the opportunity to explore a potential academic career at a distance.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This paper investigates immigrants' five-year residential mobility patterns across different types of labor market areas, paying particular attention to three types of nontraditional destinations: nonmetropolitan labor market areas, suburban, and areas of low coethnic population. Informed by social-psychological, economic, and sociological theoretical frameworks of race relations, social capital, and spatial assimilation, I examine how immigrants' decisions to move to classical versus nontraditional geographic areas are affected by local ethnic and immigrant composition, and how these effects vary by immigrant group and by duration of time in the U.S. Thus, this study shows whether classical spatial assimilation models fit the case of contemporary immigrants, as well as the extent to which contemporary immigrants exhibit new patterns of geographic settlement.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This study investigated whether there are differences between traditional and nontraditional students’ expectations of classroom communication. A discriminant analysis was employed to assess these two groups on linear combinations of six predictor variables, with the results showing that nontraditional students had stronger preference for lectures and computer-mediated communication (CMC) and higher learning motivation than did traditional students. A qualitative analysis of the students’ expectations of exemplary instruction showed that nontraditional students described exemplary teaching as providing outlines and examples when lecturing, caring about students’ understanding of the material, and being open to student questioning, whereas traditional students viewed exemplary teaching as making learning interesting and giving thorough explanations.