Non-traditional educators are concerned with outcomes, regardless of the process. Traditional college students are 18-22 years of age and attend classes on weekdays. Traditional education involves internal students attending resident classes conducted by internal faculty members on a campus. Non-traditional education involves external students studying independently under advisement of an external mentor at a distance from the institution's homebase.
Traditional education places responsibility on the instructor.
Non-traditional education places responsibility on the student. Traditional education is taking new courses or re-taking old courses for academic credits. Non-traditional education is interpreting and evaluating a student's prior work experience for academic credits. Traditional education provides standard curricula with programs which are identical or comparable to similarly titled programs across the land. Non-traditional education provides new or unique, special purpose curricula in programs not commonly available from traditional institutions.