HOW NON-TRADITIONAL MILLENNIAL LEARNERS HAVE DISRUPTED EDUCATION

Racquel Warner¹*, Evelyn Stubbs²
 (Dr.) Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, racquel.warner@mbrsg.ac.ae
 (Dr.) University of Wollongong in Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, stubbseve@yahoo.co.uk
*Corresponding author

Abstract

There is a burgeoning group of non-traditional students from the Millennial generation that are having a  significant impact on the way Higher Education (HE) institutions operate and deliver education. The “brick to click” revolution in education in 2000 resulted in the rapid proliferation of online university options, and with it, the growth of non-traditional students seeking to retool or enhance their qualification and career prospects. Many universities were unprepared for the andragogical shift that would take place and today, some are still struggling to find the right balance between traditional and non-traditional student needs (Falasca, 2011). Institutions have had to redesign syllabi so they that can be delivered using a flexible, distant learning and or blended approaches. This quantitative research paper explores the factors that Higher Education Institutions have had to consider in catering for this student demographic and measures the attitude and perceptions of non-traditional millennial students toward education provision in Dubai. Issues of accessibility of information, power balance in the class room and the shift to a more andragogical approach surfaced as focal points in this new paradigm.  In order to prepare these students for their future in 2030, the education sector should view this disruption as a golden opportunity to use innovation and partnerships to embrace the wind of change.

Keywords: Non-traditional students, millennials, andragogy