```yaml
website:
  metadata:
    title: How can colleges redesign student support for the New Majority Learner? | Genio
    url: https://genio.co/blog/how-can-colleges-redesign-student-support-for-the-new-majority-learner
    published_time: 2026-05-01T15:52:20.000Z
    core_info:
      key_takeaways:
        - The shift in learner demographics: Higher education is now shaped by non-traditional students who are older, working, first-generation, and managing multiple responsibilities while studying.
        - Redefining student success: Student success departments are expanding their view beyond retention metrics to include thriving, wellbeing, belonging, and long-term career readiness.
        - Proactive intervention: Early, data-informed support models are essential for identifying risk and addressing student challenges before they escalate.
        - Inclusive technology: Accessible design and responsibly used educational technology are key to enabling independent, equitable, and effective learning experiences.
  header:
    primary_elements:
      - logo: Genio
      - navigation_links:
          - text: Blog
            url: https://genio.co/blog
    navigation:
      - main_menu:
          - label: Resources
            url: https://genio.co/resources
          - label: Research and Insights
            url: https://genio.co/resources/research-and-insights
    actions:
      - type: link
        text: New Majority Learner Report 2025
        url: https://genio.co/resources/research-and-insights/new-majority-learner-report-2025
  content:
    - section:
        title: "The Shift in Learner Demographics"
        description: "The traditional image of a college student... is no longer the reality. Today’s New Majority Learners are returning to education later in life, navigating financial pressures, or entering higher education without prior exposure to independent learning environments."
        elements:
          - type: text
            content: "To ensure these students don't just enroll but actually thrive, higher education must shift from reactive crisis management to proactive, prevention-first support."
          - type: link
            text: "New Majority Learner Report 2025"
            url: https://genio.co/resources/research-and-insights/new-majority-learner-report-2025
          - type: media_reference
            text: "Recent webinar hosted by Times Higher Education and Genio"
            url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=709Lbeee3ic
          - type: panelists
            - name: Dave Tucker
              title: CEO, Genio
            - name: Michelle Shaw
              title: Director for Student Accessibility Services, Florida Atlantic University
            - name: Tammy Wyatt
              title: Senior Vice Provost for Student Success, University of Texas at San Antonio
            - name: Glenn Davis
              title: Vice President for Student Engagement and Success, Bowling Green State University
        actions:
          - type: watch_webinar
            text: Watch the Webinar
            url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=709Lbeee3ic
    - section:
        title: "What are the key barriers to student success today?"
        description: "New Majority Learners often face multiple issues including financial hardship, work-life balance and language barriers. New challenges like digital fatigue and a post-pandemic decline in academic confidence have emerged."
        elements:
          - type: link_list
            items:
              - text: financial hardship
                url: https://genio.co/blog/new-majority-learner-core-challenges
              - text: work-life balance
                url: https://genio.co/blog/new-majority-learner-core-challenges
              - text: language barriers
                url: https://genio.co/blog/new-majority-learner-core-challenges
              - text: digital fatigue
              - text: post-pandemic decline in academic confidence
                url: https://crpe.org/the-state-of-the-american-student-2024/
          - type: image
            alt: "Screenshot 2026-05-01 at 16.23.35"
            url: https://genio.co/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202026-05-01%20at%2016.23.35.png?width=1906&height=1068&name=Screenshot%202026-05-01%20at%2016.23.35.png
          - type: quote
            text: "\"Sometimes life comes along and throws them a curveball... Catching those students early... is really important.\""
            author: Michelle Shaw
          - type: call_to_action
            text: "Read more about the three core challenges faced by New Majority Learners by clicking here."
            url: https://genio.co/blog/new-majority-learner-core-challenges
    - section:
        title: "How has student engagement evolved in the digital era?"
        description: "Engagement today is no longer tied to physical presence or scheduled activities. Students operate in a digital-first environment... engagement is increasingly defined by a connection to learning, relationships, and a sense of purpose."
        elements:
          - type: quote
            text: "\"Engagement really is no longer bound by time, place, or even a single modality anymore... If students don't see the 'why' behind their experience, engagement becomes transactional.\""
            author: Tammy Wyatt
    - section:
        title: "How can colleges provide proactive rather than reactive guidance?"
        description: "Reactive support relies on students recognizing their own challenges and seeking help. Proactive support addresses this gap by identifying risks early and intervening before problems deepen."
        elements:
          - type: image
            alt: "Image showing the disengagement cycle in learning starting from a poor learning experience to eventually dropping out"
            url: https://genio.co/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202026-05-01%20at%2016.28.02.png?width=1906&height=1068&name=Screenshot%202026-05-01%20at%2016.28.02.png
          - type: list
            items:
              - Early intervention: Calling students who haven't logged into the LMS by week three.
              - Belonging as a metric: Ensuring students feel they matter through personal outreach.
              - Career integration: Connecting coursework to future employment immediately.
          - type: quote
            text: "\"Poor learning experiences and low grades affect a learner’s self-confidence... After a few spins on the disengagement cycle, the learner can find themselves considering dropping out.\""
            author: Dave Tucker
    - section:
        title: "Can technology improve study skills and student confidence?"
        description: "When designed with learning science at the core, digital tools serve as equalizers that provide students with independence. Tools like Genio Notes help students move from passive consumers to active creators."
        elements:
          - type: link
            text: "Genio Notes"
            url: https://genio.co/resources/research-and-insights/support-new-majority-learners-genio-notes
          - type: quote
            text: "\"Technology empowers... turning a 'D' student into an 'A' student simply by providing the right scaffold for their learning style.\""
            author: Dave Tucker
          - type: call_to_action
            text: "Read more about how technology can be used as a tool for productive friction in learning, click here"
            url: https://genio.co/blog/productive-friction-future-learning-ai-driven-approach
    - section:
        title: "How should institutions approach AI and emerging learning tools?"
        description: "AI should be viewed as a learning partner rather than a shortcut to be feared. Universities are moving from banning AI to teaching AI literacy."
        elements:
          - type: list
            items:
              - Critique exercises: Having students compare their own writing to AI-generated text.
              - Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Implementing tools like dictation, screen readers, and automated note taking.
              - The fast food warning: Educating students that bypassing the learning process is unhealthy for long-term skill development.
          - type: call_to_action
            text: "Download our free AI policy template"
            url: https://genio.co/resources/research-and-insights/ai-policy-template
    - section:
        title: "How can institutions use data to better support students?"
        description: "Data is a powerful enabler of proactive support... colleges should focus on integration and action."
        elements:
          - type: quote
            text: "\"We want to get students connected to the resources that are going to help them be successful... having more of those students take advantage of the resources...\""
            author: Glenn Davis
          - type: list
            items:
              - Systems must speak to one another (API-first approach).
              - Look at leading indicators such as LMS engagement, midterm progress, and digital footprint instead of lagging indicators like final grades.
    - section:
        title: "Conclusion"
        description: "Higher education is moving toward a more learner-centred model. This shift requires colleges to design systems that are flexible, inclusive, and responsive to diverse needs."
        actions:
          - type: call_to_action
            text: "Want to learn more about the New Majority Learners in your campus? Click below to get a full breakdown of your institution's data, and how it compares to your state and the whole country."
            url: https://genio.co/
  footer:
    links:
      - text: Resources
        url: https://genio.co/resources
      - text: Research and Insights
        url: https://genio.co/resources/research-and-insights
      - text: AI Policy Template
        url: https://genio.co/resources/research-and-insights/ai-policy-template
      - text: Blog
        url: https://genio.co/blog
    info:
      - name: Genio
        description: Educational technology company focused on student success.
    social:
      - platform: YouTube
        url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=709Lbeee3ic
```