Non-traditional adult students at the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria (PIL): challenges for the Student Support Service (SSS)

Seco, Graça Maria dos Santos Batista; Filipe, Luís Pereira; Pereira, Ana Patrícia; Alves, Sandra

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/882

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Authors

Seco, Graça Maria dos Santos Batista

Filipe, Luís Pereira

Pereira, Ana Patrícia

Alves, Sandra

Abstract(s)

In the last few years, the expansion and diversification of the higher education system has been noticeable. Since 2006, the Non-traditional Adult Students (NTAS) have been increasing in Portuguese higher education institutions. These are students that due to the most diverse reasons had to leave the formal education system and present certain socioeconomic, motivational academic, familiar and professional characteristics that reflect different difficulties from those students who have come straight from Secondary Education. Due to being away from the system for some time, the NTAS show, amongst the most felt difficulties, lack of routines and certain study competencies that were not kept or sufficiently trained, which frequently makes them feel less competent or able to deal efficiently with the challenges that they face. They also show difficulties when it comes to time management and the suitability of study techniques to be used when facing the normal demands of higher education. The promotion of these competencies constitutes one of the ways of helping the student to deal with new academic, personal and social challenges; so the student will be more able to answer, in an adequate manner, to the demands of higher education. Having said that, with this presentation our goal is to show some of the challenges that have been part of our daily experience with the NTAS in the Student Support Service (SSS) from the PIL, both in psychological consultations and in the transversal competences development. We will also present a recent project which aims to build an online education program directed at this target audience. Aware of the characteristics and difficulties of NTAS, the SSS has been developing intervention procedures that help these students to overcome the initial obstacles and to develop the necessary competences to ensure academic success and overall well-being.

Description

Comunicação apresentada na Conferência "Non-traditional students in Higher Education: Looking beyond (in) success and dropout", que decorreu de 31 de janeiro a 1 de fevereiro de 2013 na Universidade do Algarve.