Part-time learner in higher education

Part-time adult learner also part-time learner (PTL) refers to a subset of non-traditional learner who pursues higher education, typically after reaching physical maturity, while living off-campus, and possessing responsibilities related to family and/or employment. Many are from a minority or disadvantaged group (disability, immigrant status, etc.).

PTLs have access to numerous programs and fields of study to pursue. They can be enrolled in certificate, diploma, undergraduate (including after-degree) or graduate degrees, in credit or non-degree credit courses, all in a plethora of fields. The multiplicity of characteristics reflected by PTLs makes this segment of the student population challenging to study. Caution must be practiced when defining PTLs, since there are many variations amongst them.

Caution must be practiced when defining PTLs, since there are many variations amongst them. As one researcher described, a PTL is:

"...the 29 year-old man with a wife and a new baby, who, at last perceiving that accounting is his niche, plods on over as many as eight years toward accreditation in that field... an ambitious senior school teacher who has set his mind on a school superintendency and seeks to advance his credentials. ...a member of a farmers’ union with a vision of what might be in agriculture who undertakes to grapple with economics in preparation for a leadership role... a restless 43 year-old wife and mother who gains relief from household demands through the study of ceramics or comparative literature or who takes refresher courses in nursing techniques in anticipation of her re-entry into nursing... an engineering graduate, success having placed him in managerial ranks, who is confronted with human problems for which his earlier professional training has not prepared him...a new Canadian for whom more rewarding employment or access to formal post-secondary education requires that he upgrade his skill in English as a second language."

One method of separating the PTLs from the NTLs can be found by applying institutional criteria. Institutional criteria can be used to separate the NTL from the PTL however caution must be practised as criteria can vary between and within institutions. Part-Time status in Canadian Universities is dictated by the enrollment in a maximum and, occasionally minimum number of credit hours or courses. The University of British Columbia defines a part-time undergraduate student as one enrolled in less than 80% of the standard 30 credit-hour course load. The University of Manitoba defines the part-time undergraduate student as an individual enrolled in less than 60% of the standard full 30 credit hour course load. The Government of Canada National Student loans program defines a Part-Time Student as one who is enrolled in 20-59% of a full course load.

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