Kentucky Convergence Conference

Adapting Course Design and Delivery to Improve Military Veteran Student Success

For the returning military veteran, many classroom strategies prove problematic—freedom of time management, flexible instruction, and self-guided learning among others. Through training in highly structured environments, military veterans learn when and not to not ask questions, to do as instructed, and to successfully complete assigned tasks. In an incredible culture shock, and in direct contrast with their previous superiors, many college instructors encourage students to determine their own strategies based on personal preferences, actively avoiding prescriptive or rigid instruction. Therefore, what can instructors do to better assist military veteran students as they transition from military to academic training? This presentation will help instructional designers and faculty develop institutional best practices in course design and faculty professional development to build a welcoming learning environment for military veteran students. This presentation will share course design strategies, assessments tool options, course activity design, and terminology that can help faculty build courses within the framework of a military veteran student’s prior knowledge. Courses adapted to the military veteran students frame of reference encourages an inviting learning environment for success.