Baby Boomers and Online Learning

Abstract

There continues to be a significant increase in the number of post retirement employees (i.e., baby boomers/older workers) in the workforce, either having remained in the organization after retirement or having returned to the workforce in different capacities for varying reasons after their initial separation. A resulting accompaniment to this labor force increase is the increase in the number of boomers who will seek higher education to equip themselves with the skills needed to remain competitive in the workplace. With the advent of online learning, however, the higher education landscape is different from when baby boomers first attended college. This chapter explores the experiences of baby boomers who are pursing graduate studies in an online environment and will discuss appropriate learning strategies for baby boomers to facilitate academic success for this group of learners.