As the Baby Boomer generation nears retirement, many economic experts fear the decreasing working population coupled with the increasing lack of equally educated workers. The current workforce does not hold as many post-secondary degrees as the retiring Baby Boomers which could have a significant impact on the economy as more of those Boomers retire. While many adult workers have attempted some post-secondary education, many are finding the rigors of full-time employment, family obligations, and traditional course schedules too overwhelming. According to the research of Erik C. Burns in his paper entitled The Adult Learner: A Change Agent in Post-Secondary Education, Burns cites online education as the key factor for educating the current working population and providing an alternative to the traditional post-secondary education experience.

In this article, Burns studies The College of St. Scholastica located in Duluth, Minnesota. This college has a newly emerging online education program and is trying to find its place among the for profit industry giants. According to Burns, the adult learner is the driving force behind the push for online education programs. He believes that the flexibility of online learning allows the traditional colleges to become more fiscally stable since online learning is more profitable than traditional methods. However, many adults learners are not finishing online degree programs since more students are withdrawing from these courses. This decline may be a result of poor interactions with other students or facilitators , or the student's academic focus may have shifted. Burns suggests that more research is needed in the areas of retaining adult learners in online programs.

You can read more at The Adult Learner: A Change Agent in Post-Secondary Education.