Part-Time Learners Perceptions of Success During ERT

The Faculty of Lifelong Learning at South East Technological University’s Carlow
campus, is one of the largest providers of part-time learning in the Irish Higher
Education sector. A large majority of our lifelong learners, 88%, are adult learners over the age of 23, therefore the perspectives of our part-time learners offer us valuable insights into adult learner experiences in the Irish Higher Education sector.
The outbreak of COVID-19 saw us pivot our provision to an emergency
remote teaching (ERT) model in the first wave of the pandemic. The faculty
undertook an extensive study of its learners in 2021 to examine the impacts of
ERT on learners, and this article takes a qualitative approach to the findings of this study, looking specifically at learners’ comments about success, and the barriers to success which ERT posed. Our study provided an opportunity to learn about our learners’ conceptions of student identity, and how they interpret success as part-time learners.