Hilda R. Glazer

Mentoring the Adult Learner in Academic Midlife at a Distance Education University

In this case study the authors investigated how doctoral students in a private distance education institution maintained a high level of persistence with a distant academic community and developed academic support during their second year of study. The construct developed by the authors to characterize this period is academic midlife, which describes those students who are between the completion of first-year tasks and the acceptance of a dissertation proposal. During the academic midlife stage, doctoral students are typically more isolated from faculty, the institution, and the virtual learning community. Three themes of mentor actions emerged, as perceived by the learners, that were related to learner persistence: (1) being responsive to learner needs and feelings, (2) offering reassurance that the academic program can be completed, and (3) showing respect for adult learner life situations and constraints.

Parenting after the death of a spouse.

The death of a spouse is a complicated experience in a family. Understanding the circumstances of the loss is part of the family’s healing process. The current qualitative phenomenological study builds on the existing studies by focusing on the lived experience of parents as they transition to single parenthood. Six individuals participated in this study. Data analysis revealed 5 themes related to the change to single parenting after the loss of the spouse including the need to revision the parenting role and the role of support. The study has implications for the design of interventions and groups following the death of a spouse.

Optimizing Success: A Model for Persistence in Online Education

The first-year experience for students enrolled in an online degree program, particularly the orientation and the first course experience, is critical to success and completion. The experience of one online university in improving persistence through enhancing orientation and the first academic course is presented. Factors impacting persistence are identified and the development of a university orientation seminar and the foundations for graduate study course are explored. The positive results of this first-year effort are presented along with implications for continued improvement and for distance education.