This article investigates Brown's assertion that students today exhibit an unwillingness/inability to engage in critical thinking (CT). He describes this as a 'critical thinking deficit'. The question of whether CT can be taught or whether we can only create the conditions in which CT can thrive and develop is explored through analysis of data…

How can social media help transform a student's learning experience and promote active engagement with learning content and peers? "Social Media for Active Learning" helps instructors achieve this goal. Many people use social media in their everyday lives, seeking information and informal learning opportunities via their online networks.…

The American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) is dedicated to the belief that lifelong learning contributes to human fulfillment and positive social change. The mission of the AAACE is to provide leadership for the field of adult and continuing education by expanding opportunities for adult growth and development; unifying…

The gradual development of intelligent learning (iLearning) systems has prompted the changes of teaching and learning. This paper presents the architecture of an intelligent learning (iLearning) system built upon the recursive iLearning model and the key technologies associated with this model. Based on this model and the technical structure of a…

The American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) was founded in 1982 as the result of a merger between the National Association for Public and Continuing Adult Education (NAPCAE) and the Adult Education Association (AEA). This prestigious association is dedicated to the belief that lifelong learning contributes to human…

This paper describes a lay course on general relativity (GR) given at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Florida International University. It is presented in six hour-and-a-half weekly sessions. Other courses offered by the author include special relativity (which precedes the course described here), quantum theory, and cosmology. Students…

Lifelong learning and continuing professional development (CPD) are considered important activities for geography teachers. However, research in Slovenia shows that many lose their enthusiasm for these activities when they leave university and enter professional practice. In Slovenia, whilst geography teachers have a sound undergraduate education,…

Commentators in the profession are asking why adult continuing education students seem preoccupied over getting "a good grade" and "finishing school quickly" rather than pausing to consider how the teaching/learning process helps their personal growth and valuing learning for learning's sake. The purpose of this study was to identify, categorize,…

The independent Commission of Inquiry into the future of lifelong learning, established and supported by National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), has set itself the ambitious task of understanding both the motivation for engaging (and especially re-engaging) with learning through the life-course, and the infrastructure that is…

Cedefop's report "Learning while working: success stories on workplace learning in Europe" presents an overview of key trends in adult learning in the workplace. It takes stock of previous research carried out by Cedefop between 2003 and 2010 on key topics for adult learning: governance and the learning regions; social partner roles in…

In Mexico there is no policy of lifelong learning; however, the idea of focusing on students and learning--especially on appropriate knowledge-acquisition skills at various points in one's life--is spreading through post-secondary education. Since about ten years ago, institutions of higher learning, mostly universities, have initiated…

Many countries have recently launched massive programs to promote nation-wide adult literacy, but while these efforts have been commendable, it has been observed that neo-literates who acquire literacy through such programs have great difficulty in retaining it; hence an urgent need to develop suitable programs of post-literacy and continuing…

Describes characteristics of distance education which promote lifelong learning, and introduces criteria for promoting lifelong learning in traditional university instructional settings. Topics discussed include the role of distance learning in higher education, teaching methods and learning strategies for both types of instruction, and Faure's…

Analysis of 119 questionnaires showed that adult learners preferred an eclectic theoretical approach to teaching and learning, endorsed learning by insight, and favored instruction combining lecture and discussion. These results were similar for males and females, graduates and undergraduates, and three age groups (20-40, 41-60, and 61 and older).…

This article discusses the distance education program of the Hadley School for the Blind. The school provides correspondence courses free of charge to people with visual impairments and their families, as well as to professionals and paraprofessionals in the field of visual impairment. Programs and services are described. (Contains three…