Students come to our campuses from many backgrounds and with many different experiences. Some groups, including veterans, may have challenges in classroom environments, and, as teachers, we need to understand theses in order to promote success for all NMC students.
Vets return with a variety of experiences many positive, many much less so. On the whole, these impact each returning vet in different ways, but there are trends. It is common knowledge that veterans have been trained to understand the value of teamwork, dependability, leadership, working in diverse settings, and having a goal orientation. These will surely be the strengths upon which vets will rely to find success in higher education. Teachers should find ways to value and utilize these skills in activities and assignments to support veterans as learners.
According to the RAND Center for Military Research Policy, vets are more likely to suffer from a variety of problems as well. 20% of vets returning from Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from major depressive disorder or PTSD, and 20% of those vets have also suffered a traumatic brain injury (RAND, 2016). The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that, among vets with PTSD, there is a higher rate of substance use disorder, which can further impact personal and educational success.
It's important for us to get to our know our students as well as possible. Ahead of the semester, teachers can check curricular records, including vets', to begin to understand the educational journeys of their students. What is the student's GPA? What courses have they taken? How long did it take? How well did they do in related courses to the one you teach? This allows us to "tailor make" outreach messages to students as necessary, supporting their success with early alerts and office hours visits.
In courses where controversial topics are discussed, including those of war and peace and international policy, psychological safety will be paramount to promote an equitable and inclusive environment suited for learning. This will especially impact veterans' experiences of these kinds of courses.
It's also important to value students' previous knowledge and experience wherever possible. Is there teamwork in your course? Is leadership important? How might you engage these students differently? Vets already have a lot to offer in this way that is different than many college-going students.
In the end, we have to accept and understand students "where they are". If we live by this basic approach, we can benefit all of our students.