Three relatively simple conceptual frameworks are suggested to help trainers diagnose optimum learning situations. At their present stage of development, the models are theories that have not been empirically tested. The models are titled the Integral Learner, Understanding versus Application, and the Diagnostic Cube. (CT)

Author states that learning is behavior modification and discusses several principles of adult education and training which he has found useful in adult training programs. These include planning, organizing, a variety of activities and methods, involvement of the learner, and followup. (MF)

Through the use of two propositions, the author presents his perceptions of how effective teaching/learning transactions in the adult learning process can be effected. Discussion also covers the job of the developer and trainer, and certainties about the learning process. (SH)

The 15 chapters in this book include commentaries on 12 seminal works on self-directed learning (SDL) by Houle, Knowles, Tough, Spear and Mocker, Brookfield, Caffarella and O'Donnell, and Long et al. These works were identified by a Delphi panel of 49 experts. Chapter titles and authors are as follows: "An Introduction to the Study of…

Successful adult students employ strategies to learn, and effective adult education programs attend to the development of learning by enabling students to study learning processes in addition to content. Good learners have the ability to identify goals and the steps required to achieve them, identify the strengths of their own learning, actively…

Reviews second-language learning literature concerning factors which may affect adult students. Focuses on cognitive mechanisms, cerebral dominance theories, formal operations, motivation, and second-language teaching and learning. Offers suggestions for community college teaching and programs. (DMM)

A unit on adult learning with an exercise based on the theories of Malcolm Knowles and Allen Tough is described. After students in the class see that they actually planned and directed much of their significant adult learning, they are eager to join in the process of modifying course objectives. (MLW)

Reviews criticisms and benefits of telecourses. Considers the instructional intent of telecourses and the assumptions held by telecourse producers and designers about telecourse students. Examines the role of various media in telecourse instruction, and the effects of television technology on the teaching and learning processes. (AYC)

Considers the powerful influence of the motivational factors of attitude, need, stimulation, affect, competence, and reinforcement on adult behavior and learning. Their integration into the Time Continuum Model of Motivation to guide instructor selection and implementation of motivational strategies is also discussed. (MBR)

The Self-Knowledge Inventory of Lifelong Learning Strategies (SKILLS) was developed to measure adult learning strategies in real-life learning situations. SKILLS consists of a series of 12 scenarios from real-world situations that reflect Shirk's (1990) nine general categories of learning for real-life situations and that necessitate various types…

The issue of assessing adult learning prior to formal college level study is examined and presented in this handbook. The handbook offers guidelines for setting standards, provides a review of some of the proven techniques and practices that have been used to evaluate previous learning, addresses a series of issues relevant to particular subject…

This paper provides a brief overview of some of the current thought on teaching problem-solving and decision-making skills and presents selected exercises that have been used successfully in a graduate course in problem-solving and decision-making strategies. In addition to learning theories that are presented in order to help learners understand…

Discusses research on understanding the learning process involved in acquiring basic computer skills for nontraditional adult students. A survey is described that compares learning patterns of part-time adult students with traditional college students in introductory computer courses, and teaching recommendations for nontraditional learners are…

An interview study examined the assumptions about adult learning held by 28 educational policy-makers, researchers, and staff developers. Fifteen assumptions were inferred from the interview data, each forming a dimension that describes learning as experienced by the participants: (1) Adult learning experiences are envisioned as similar for all…

This book, which is designed for use by adult educators, details a comprehensive, systematic approach to designing instruction for adult learners that is based on a process of identifying learning goals and objectives, developing learning activities to meet those goals and objectives, and designing evaluation procedures to ensure that the goals…