Adult learners, including those who are employed at least part-time, have children or other family responsibilities, and are older than 25 years can benefit from the flexibility and convenience of online courses. In community colleges, adult learners enroll in online courses at a higher rate than in-person courses, but their success rates are low,…

Online coursework is dramatically changing the higher education landscape, particularly for adult learners. And while research notes the way these courses increase college opportunity for post-traditional students, they have poor learning and completion out-comes at many of the institutions to which older students frequently enroll. The author…

This mixed methods study examined the role that teaching style plays in influencing instructors' perceptions of satisfaction with online teaching at the postsecondary level. Two questions guided the study: (1) To what extent does preferred teaching style influence satisfaction with online teaching for instructors who teach fully online courses?…

This article reports two studies undertaken at The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand, a vocational distance education (DE) provider, where course completion rates have risen to match those of face-to-face technical institutions. A simple model of student engagement is presented, which reflects the triality between the student, institution, and…

Researchers have indicated that the number of online courses will continue to grow in the coming years, resulting in an increased need for online course facilitators. Often these facilitators have transitioned without receiving adequate training. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the training requirements and future faculty…

This study investigated a sample of community college faculty who participated in an online professional development program. The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between participating in an online professional development program and changes in participants' self-assessed knowledge about tasks associated with effective…

The purpose of this participatory action research study was to develop a plan to improve a professional development program to change faculty members' andragogical instructional practices when teaching students enrolled in online courses at a community college. A quantitative and qualitative mixed method approach to data analysis was used in…

Online learning in higher education has increased substantially over the past five years with community colleges in the forefront of most of this growth. The California Community Colleges System, the nation's largest higher education system, has increased its online offerings among its 110 colleges. But student success rates for online learning…

With unemployment still high in many areas of the country, many job seekers are returning to school for additional training. The increase in numbers of students puts additional strain on community colleges, which is where many adult learners choose to further their education. Nevertheless, even among this population, only about half earn degrees.…

Online learning, according to a recent Department of Education meta-analysis (Means et al. 2009), is equal to and sometimes better than traditional face-to-face instruction, while hybrid education is best of all. Students seem eager to reap those online benefits; the March 2009 "Digest of Education Statistics" reports that the U.S. college with…

Many education reporters are drawn to the beat because of its complexity and rich variety. Few topics provide such a wealth of political, business, human interest, breaking news, feature, and investigative stories. A reporter's day can start in a classroom with 4-year-olds struggling to learn to read, and end at a school board meeting with…

A growing number of demographically diverse, globally-conscious students demand instant access and flexibility when it comes to formal learning. Institutions of higher education are hard pressed to respond, and often cling to old delivery methods and pedagogy. Learner-directed use of Web 2.0 applications to locate, organize, and evidence…

This paper examines research on learning styles as related to online learning for adult learners. There is much disagreement regarding the definition of learning style. This paper defines it as an individual's preferred way of learning. The focus is on the extent to which learning styles are able to predict student success (e.g., grades,…