Prior learning assessment (PLA) is the process of evaluating learning, regardless of when or where the learning occurred, and, if the learning is at the college level, awarding college credit to the possessor of that learning. This article provides an overview of the PLA program at a large public U.S. institution and presents the findings of the…

Graduate nursing programs play a central role in graduate higher education in the 21st century (Walker et al., 2008). The growing nursing shortage in the United States has influenced many colleges and universities to seize the opportunity to educate the rising number of graduate students interested in pursuing a nursing career. As a result, the…

In the past few years there has been an increase in the number of adult students in higher education courses, many of whom have returned to school after a break. Most of these students do not intend to continue their studies from the point where they stopped; rather, they want to prepare for specific tests in order to have direct access to higher…

Past research has indicated that different students learn differently. If we could identify into which group(s) students were more closely aligned, then we could help students learn more effectively. One such classification has been whether students were considered to be traditional or nontraditional, where traditional students were frequently…

The two purposes of this study were to: (1) determine whether there had been an increase in the enrollment of returning women students (twenty-five years of age or older) between the fall of 1975 and the fall of 1976 at the Quad-Cities Campus, Black Hawk College. A second problem was to compare the mean grade point average achieved by these…

A study compared the effects of retesting (with and without the benefit of short term instruction) on the scores of subjects in an upper-division university who had failed a writing test. Subjects who did not receive a passing score in their first attempt at the essay test were given the opportunity of attending a 4-hour workshop designed to…

The relationships among demands, coping resources, experienced stress, and well-being were studied in a cross-sectional survey of 210 reentry and 102 traditional women at the University of California, Irvine. The analysis was based on psychosocial stress theory and contextual analysis. Reentry women ranged in age from 26 to 66, with a mean age of…

College attendance by Italian and American women over age 30 is compared, and attention is directed to whether mature Italian and U.S. women who continue their education do so for similar reasons and whether they experience similar problems. The analysis is based on two studies of women over 30 in post-compulsory degree programs: (1) a study on…

The article presents a comparative analysis of educational policy and provision in Sweden and Australia, with particular emphasis on the relative investment in continuing and further education in both countries. The authors investigate the extent to which further education opportunities provide a "second chance" at learning for adults…

In fall 1988, 509 of the 9,533 students attending Catonsville Community College (CCC) indicated on their admissions applications that they had obtained a bachelor's degree (BA) or higher. A study of the characteristics of these students, in contrast with the other students attending CCC, revealed the following: (1) the BA students were older than…

Women who reenter college after years of work or family responsibilities were compared to women with similar backgrounds who do not reenter school on measures of fear of success and achievement anxiety. A questionnaire designed to determine reentry status, age, socioeconomic standing, facilitating and debilitating anxiety, and fear of success was…

A needs assessment questionnaire was designed to assess the practical and psychological needs of mature women returning to college, and to compare these needs with those of returning men and traditional-age students. Demographic characteristics of the different groups were also examined. It is shown that the average returning woman is an…

The equivalency of the students of three kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) exit programs in Saskatchewan (Canada) was investigated. The programs were: (1) the Adult Basic Education Program (ABE); (2) the Division IV program; and (3) the General Educational Development (GED) tests. Participants were 134 Division IV students, 67 ABE students, and…

Trends and issues concerning college attendance by adult students are reviewed. Trends seem to suggest that the rising educational attainment of the general population will result in increased demand for learning activities by older students. Data are provided on: estimated college enrollments for 1990 and projected population and enrollments in…

At Miami-Dade Community College's South Campus (SC), the Transition Center (TC) provides special advisement services for older students returning to school. In fall 1987, a study was conducted to develop a profile of the students served by the center and compare them with other South Campus students. Study findings, based on academic and…