This research project examined three cases of successful independent educationally oriented podcasters. As the numbers of podcasts and podcast listeners grow in the United States, the stories of people who create content in this new educational space are an under-explored and important research area. This research profiles three successful…

In the past decade, computer programming has been called the new literacy necessary for everyday life. However, discussion on democratizing coding literacy can too often center the experiences of K-12 learners and undergraduates, leaving adult learners' experiences with coding literacy unexamined. If employers come to value computer programming as…

Learners who enrol in massive open online courses (MOOCs) have different backgrounds and tend to have different motivations than learners in traditional courses. Based on value-expectancy theory, an instrument was developed to measure motivation for enrolling in a programming MOOC. A study with 1229 adult participants in Estonian-language…

In this article, the author outlines an analysis of the American show "Grey's Anatomy" as an example of how popular culture represents identity and the process of professional identity construction in a medical workplace, particularly the surgical service of a large urban hospital. In discussing identity, she connects professional identity to…

This article discusses initial findings from a study exploring the pedagogical functions of popular culture. The study was framed by a neo-Gramscian theoretical framework which connects adult education and cultural studies, and asserts that culture underpins important informal adult learning. We used two television shows, "Grey's…

Schools often administer brief intelligence tests as the first step in the identification of students who are cognitively gifted. However, brief measures are often used without consideration of underlying constructs or the psychometric properties of the measures and without regard to the links between screening decisions and educational…

Adult learning is not a tidy business: adults fit learning into the spaces left by the other demands on complex lives, and into the spaces left in administrative structures overwhelmingly designed for other people. No simple metric can capture adults' diverse purposes and achievements, and no single programme can capture the full range of things…

Purpose: The elderly are often unfamiliar with computer technology and can encounter great difficulties. Moreover, the terms used in such systems may prove to be a challenge for these users. The aim of this research is to tutor the elderly on using an adaptive e-shop system in order to buy products easily. Design/methodology/approach: In view of…

The main requisite for a functional computerized adaptive testing system is the need of a calibrated item bank. This text presents the tasks carried out during the calibration of an item bank for assessing knowledge of Basque language. It has been done in terms of the 3-parameter logistic model provided by the item response theory. Besides, this…

Radio broadcasting is used in Botswana to inform, teach, and persuade adults about issues in agriculture, health, wildlife, conservation, and other areas. However, open broadcasting is not an effective nonformal education tool. Active and guided group listening to radio enables discussion and feedback. (SK)

Offers steps for selecting and creating Web-based learning materials: (1) assess in-house development capabilities, (2) assess learning needs, (3) assess audience's equipment, and (4) test. Includes a list of online course development and delivery systems. (JOW)

Knowing how to use authoring software does not guarantee effective multimedia instruction. Developers should focus on good product definition, design, and content and on skill building. (SK)

Pacific Bell changed the process for producing computer-based training. The use of models and authoring-shell templates gives course developers greater responsibility and flexibility in designing their training products. (JOW)

Workshops for teachers engaged in practitioner-based inquiry centered on the controversial issues raised by a television documentary on the Summerhill School. Learners normally engaged in distance education were motivated by the processes of dissent, argument, and disputation. (SK)

Technology has potential for teaching soft skills--typically those that are culture, gender, and model based. Authoring software for training is still being refined and interactivity is not where it needs to be for many applications.(JOW)