Nontraditional students’ perceptions of autonomous learning and factors

As the number of nontraditional students choosing to enter college increases, many of them find themselves relegated to developmental mathematics courses. These courses function as gatekeepers to other college-level courses. For many universities and colleges, supporting nontraditional students on their path to success in developmental mathematics has become a priority. Retaining nontraditional students and ensuring their success in developmental mathematics has caused many institutions to introduce an autonomous learning model which increases students’ self-efficacy, persistence, and thus, enables success in such courses.
The intrinsic case study drew on data collected from seven nontraditional students enrolled in a developmental mathematics course designed with autonomous learning. The qualitative study examined nontraditional students’ perceptions and experiences to answer the questions of what they learned, how they learned, and their perceptions of learning in an autonomous learning environment. The study found that nontraditional students enrolled in a developmental mathematics class designed with autonomous learning did as well as their peers, but the format may be more beneficial to nontraditional students by allowing them to increase their self-efficacy skills and self-confidence. The course design encouraged nontraditional students to successfully complete the course and progress to college level courses, yet students may complete the course with gaps in their learning affecting future coursework.