This article presents 50 year patterns of adult student participation in colleges and universities in the United States. These patterns changed dramatically in the 1970s and 1980s and then stabilized. Following these changes, adult student participation has continued to be significant and predictable in U.S. colleges and universities. In addition to reporting on these national patterns, this article includes commentary that addresses five, evidence-based, best practices for serving adult students in this higher education context. Special attention is given to place-bound, adult students in metropolitan regions.

中文翻译：

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美国高等教育中的成年学生：基于证据的评论和推荐的最佳实践

本文介绍了美国 50 年来成年学生参与学院和大学的模式。这些模式在 1970 年代和 1980 年代发生了巨大变化，然后趋于稳定。在这些变化之后，成年学生的参与在美国学院和大学中继续显着且可预测。除了报告这些国家模式之外，本文还包括评论，阐述了在高等教育背景下为成年学生服务的五个循证最佳实践。特别关注大城市地区的受地方限制的成年学生。