I still remember the first class of students I taught at a local community college. As I opened the class and started to review the syllabus, I scanned the room. I had such a diverse array of learners. How would I meet all of their learning needs? I especially noticed a disparity in age; I would later find out that the ages of my students ranged from 14 to 65. The majority were 25 and over, which classified them as "non-traditional students," or "adult learners." This student demographic is not unusual in today's college classroom. Instructors are aware of the challenges inherent in preparing class content that will adequately engage and reach a classroom of diverse learners.

That's where Aplia can help. It is an online, interactive homework solution for instructors who want to ensure that their students are adequately learning class content while remaining motivated. Non-traditional students tend to gain a sense of self-esteem from their learning experiences, and therefore need to be consistently motivated and encouraged. Adequate and timely feedback from an instructor helps maintain a stu'ent's motivation; however, with little time available, instructors struggle to provide such feedback. With its "Grade It Now" feature, Aplia provides instant feedback without the instructor having to pick up a red pen. This feature allows students to see their grades as soon as they complete a set of questions. According to Aplia founder Paul Romer, Aplia acts as an "incentive system that has little pats on the back and little wagging fingers." In other words, Grade It Now helps students to quickly identify which topics they know well and which they need to review further. Freed from the burden of grading, instructors can spend time developing course material that will better address their students' needs. Instructors will also find that they don't have to spend a lot of class time reviewing material, because they already know who read and understood it. With this knowledge, instructors can plan their classes with specific students' needs in mind.

Non-traditional students require a classroom environment that is physically and psychologically comfortable. Thus, it is important for instructors to avoid long periods of lecturing while students sit passive. Aplia can help instructors vary their classroom instruction and environment to make it more engaging to the non-traditional student. Instructors can assign Aplia as homework, but they can also have students work on their assignments during class in a computer lab. Additionally, an instructor can check students' homework grades and assign specialized small-group review sessions or discussions based on which areas specific students need to review. By adding a variety of instructional tools, instructors can address various learning styles. Most importantly, non-traditional students do better when using more than one medium to review and understand new skills. Aplia provides another medium for non-traditional students, thus increasing their comprehension of the material.

Non-traditional learners tend to be self-directed and prefer to work at a controlled pace with specific start and stop times. Aplia allows students to work independently and at their own pace. The assignments are designed to take 15 to 30 minutes to complete, so students can gauge their progress and understanding with this recommended time in mind. Non-traditional students often struggle with managing their busy lives and schedules. Many students balance full-time jobs, family responsibilities, and college. Aplia's brief but thorough homework assignments, combined with the immediate feedback provided by Grade It Now, can help these students use their limited time more effectively.

I wish I'd had Aplia years ago as I faced the challenge of teaching my first class. I'm glad, however, that as technology advances, there are more tools instructors can use to ease the demands on their time while increasing all their students' learning potential.