title: Teachers' views of using e-learning for non-traditional students in higher education across three disciplines [nursing, chemistry and management] at a time of massification and increased diversity in higher education.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The expansion of the higher educational sector in the United Kingdom over the last two decades to meet political aspirations of the successive governments and popular demand for participation in the sector (the Widening Participation Agenda) has overlapped with the introduction of e-learning.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This paper describes teachers' views of using e-learning for non-traditional students in higher education across three disciplines [nursing, chemistry and management] at a time of massification and increased diversity in higher education.
  
  
  METHODS
  A three phase, mixed methods study; this paper reports findings from phase two of the study.
  
  
  METHODS
  One university in England.
  
  
  METHODS
  Higher education teachers teaching on the nursing, chemistry and management programmes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Focus groups with these teachers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Findings from these data show that teachers across the programmes have limited knowledge of whether students are non-traditional or what category of non-traditional status they might be in. Such knowledge as they have does not seem to influence the tailoring of teaching and learning for non-traditional students. Teachers in chemistry and nursing want more support from the university to improve their use of e-learning, as did teachers in management but to a lesser extent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our conclusions confirm other studies in the field outside nursing which suggest that non-traditional students' learning needs have not been considered meaningfully in the development of e-learning strategies in universities. We suggest that this may be because teachers have been required to develop e-learning at the same time as they cope with the massification of, and widening participation in, higher education. The findings are of particular importance to nurse educators given the high number of non-traditional students on nursing programmes.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Nursing & Midwifery Education, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 5TE, UK. h.allan@surrey.ac.uk
authors.forename: Helen T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Allan
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Driscoll
authors.forename: Vikki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shawe
mesh_terms: D001292:Attitude to Computers; D002621:Chemistry / Q000193:education; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D020375:Education, Distance; D004506:Education, Nursing; D005178:Faculty; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D011361:Professional Competence; D013334:Students; D006113:United Kingdom; D014495:Universities