Higher education faculty members are increasingly being asked to defend their teaching methods with research-based support. This article offers such evidence through a randomized control-group pretest-posttest study that examined whether a newly created andragogy method, Forming Optimal Classroom Environments (FOCE), increased master's students'…

In adult education, the term "interdisciplinarity" is often treated as an agent for transforming teaching, learning, and research. This appreciation of the concept proliferates despite the fact that its actualization often supports competing interpretations and practices. Many adult educators are unaware of the distinctions made among…

The 48th annual conference of the Adult and Higher Education Alliance (AHEA) was held online and in person in March 2024. This year's conference theme is "Enriching the Adult Learner's Experience in Higher Education." The proceedings are comprised of the following papers: (1) Creating a More Humanized Online Learning Experience (Janet…

This article reports on students' experiences of the lectorial approach that was implemented for health science students studying sciences at a South Australian university. A lectorial, based on active student-centered learning, is a newly-designed teaching method for a large-scale class employing interactive activities to enhance student…

The purpose of the study was to examine student satisfaction with outreach, assessment of learning outcomes (ALO), and teaching and learning services at a public liberal arts college. Learners' importance and satisfaction scores were examined to understand the levels of importance learners placed on outreach, ALO, and teaching and learning…

Adult educators in higher education settings often facilitate topics that stir difficult dialogues on race and racism. In the United States, an increased population of racially diverse individuals set against the backdrop of our current sociopolitical climate, suggests the need for authentic conversations surrounding race remain critical. By…

A rapid increase of nontraditional learners enrolling in online education has resulted in the need for further research on the persistence of highly nontraditional students in online settings. As the enrollment of nontraditional students in online courses continues to grow, instructors face challenges with implementing effective course content and…

In this article, the author discusses a study that she launched to open up conversations about age. She set out to collect and record the "opinions" of older women. She had been a returning student, and as a teacher at a community college with nontraditional-age students, she found herself perpetuating the cycle of silence about age in…

This article explores the growing importance of Teaching Philosophy Statements (TPS) as a tool to positively impact teaching styles and methods. The changing landscape of teaching at the college level is addressed with an emphasis on the growing importance of accountability. How new and senior faculty are affected by the TPS is considered as well…

The Bard College Clemente Course in the Humanities (Clemente) has little in common with the market-driven ideology that undergirds most adult learning today. Instead, it is built on the belief that liberal education can offer adult students the possibility of personal change by fostering critical reflection. Across 31 courses in the US and Puerto…

While there has been a surge in the number of adults entering accelerated academic programs at colleges and universities over the last decade, there has not been a corresponding increase in the number of adult learners in these programs who persist and achieve their degrees. This work sought to develop a detailed model for helping faculty and…

Teaching and learning research since the 1980s has established a trend in students' learning approach tendencies, characterised by decreasing surface learning and increasing deep learning with increasing age. This is an important trend in higher education, especially at a time of increasing numbers of older students: are we graduating more deep…

This article describes the findings of a qualitative study that investigated the perceptions and views of faculty teaching adult accelerated courses. The analysis of the data revealed two overarching themes relating to the incorporation of innovative practice. It was discovered that these experienced faculty members all came to see their teaching…

Management education research has provided educators with new instructional tools to improve course design and update the methods used in the classroom. In an effort to provide the typical undergraduate management student with the best possible learning experience and outcomes, it is important to recognize how and why these new activities benefit…

The 2015-16 National Adult Learners Satisfaction-Priorities Report examines key findings for adult learners, including: (1) Trends in adult learner satisfaction and their likelihood to recommend their program to others; (2) Which factors contributed to the adult learner's decision to enroll; (3) Aspects of the student experience that matter to…