Views of Technology Importance for Developmental Students at the Community College Level

Views Of Technology Importance For Developmental Students At The Community College Level

This qualitative study examined the perceptions of nontraditional developmental education students in a community college setting. Students who have developmental needs, and who enroll in a community college as older adults, experience teaching and learning in unique ways. Colleges which have large numbers of developmental students also present an interesting and informative case from which to study successful student and programmatic initiatives.

In this study, students and program leaders identified the educational design elements and experiences which were most important to them. Students who present this combination of challenges relied on technologies for their own schoolwork and organization, and for learning from their professors in the classroom. With aims of social justice and opportunities for success for all, this study provides information on the perceptions of these educational structures from the viewpoint of those most intensely engaged and dependent on its success.