Age

Definition

A person belonging to a particular age (for example 32 year olds) or range of ages (for example 18 to 30 year olds).

How this pertains to Higher Education

Age discrimination can affect anyone; it can be anything from treating younger people as untrustworthy or older people as ‘not technically savvy’. The key issue, as ever, is different treatment based on stereotypes. Often with age-related considerations, it is the things that tend to go with being a certain age rather than age directly. Broadly speaking, older students are more likely to be:

  • commuter students
  • mature students
  • parents
  • part-time students.

As such, accessibility for older students will generally centre around practical considerations (eg family commitments) or difficulty with a sense of belonging, where students do not feel naturally part of a cohort.

Common Issues

All students may face hardship as autumn 2022 illustrates: this short guide may be a useful primer for putting that into perspective.

For older students

When thinking about discrimination against people for being ‘older’, the likeliest scenario is that they have more family commitments, are more embedded in a life and community outside university which they want and need to continue. Thus they do not have the ‘typical student (undergraduate)’ experience of leaving home and creating a new life elsewhere, relatively free of existing commitments.

Equally, they might be looking for exactly that! They might have come to university for a new start but then find that they struggle to fit in.

Stereotypes about older students

When thinking about inclusion, the following assumptions are some of those likely to trip you up:

  • that they are not as fluent as younger students with technology;
  • that they can reliably attend teaching, without distractions, at the same times as full-time students.

Issues facing older students

  • The likeliest issue is that of having a sense of belonging. They may not have the same concerns, perspective or resources as younger students.
  • They may indeed not be able to attend as much as they would like, particularly for out-of-hours events.
  • Mature students often feel (frequently incorrectly) that younger students understand better what is expected of them.
  • Many such students, by virtue of leaving promptly or not attending social events, do not have the same opportunities to easily ask questions about how the course works, who is the appropriate person to talk to about something, where a particular building is and so on.
  • Other commitments may make attendance more erratic or them less flexible.

Suggested responses

  • Consider ways of including their expertise, knowledge and experience, for instance in roles within groups;
  • Ensure that all relevant information is easy to access, eg in the student handbook, and tell them (more than once) that it is there;
  • Provide materials in advance and, if possible, recordings afterwards.

For younger students

In the UK, the assumptions made when we hear the word ‘student’ is usually recent school-leavers who have left home and come to university, leaving their former day-to-day life behind. This profound displacement is not the universal model but it dominates UK Higher Education.

Stereotypes about younger students

The first one is that they all come from similar backgrounds. They might be first-generation students who have no idea how to navigate the complex world of universities – they don’t even know who to ask or what they can ask about.

Another common assumption is that of being ‘digital natives’. Though many are accustomed to formats like short videos, blogs and so on, that does not necessarily mean they are proficient at these.

Issues facing younger students

Mental health is a far bigger issue than it was when most middle-aged academics were at university. A UCAS report in 2021 documents a 450% rise over about a decade in self-reporting of a mental health condition.

In addition, the financial situation for students and graduates has also worsened, along with a shrinking of prospects such as stable employment, home ownership. Climate change is also a huge concern for many.

Younger people are juggling an array of concerns without the safety nets of the past; their everyday cognitive load is substantially more than in previous years.

Suggested responses

  • Flexible provision (recordings, buddy systems to catch up, resources available in advance).
  • Making assessment activities relevant to everyday life, and spreading out deadlines for different modules.
  • Good signposting of the many support systems offered at UCL.
  • Avoid stereotypes like ‘millennials all…’, and be mindful that their prospects (eg home ownership, being free of debt) are very different from what you will have experienced.

Further resources