A qualitative study of an accelerated, cohort-based degree program identified four elements supporting adult learning: program structure, relationships, student identity, and beliefs about learning. A model of adult engagement in accelerated programs was developed with these components: adult competence, commitment to action, and work identity.…

A study of the impact of a self-directed contract learning course on participants' pre- and post-course scores on the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale, course evaluations, and student attitudes as reflected in diaries is reported, along with a discussion of the findings' significance for understanding self-directed learning. (MSE)

Three years of helping faculty members at a state university learn computing technology yielded the following lessons: (1) for faculty members, the ownership of a computer is an emotional event during which computers are viewed successively as glorified typewriters, status symbols, and tools; (2) even to highly knowledgeable individuals, learning…

This study examined the influence of past life experiences and current life biography on the learning of adult students in the undergraduate classroom. A total of 90 undergraduates at least 30 years old who had completed at least 15 hours of academic course work at community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and public universities participated.…

Intended as a handbook for higher and adult education practitioners serving adult students, this book brings together a variety of information on the diverse characteristics of adult students, explaining how their maturity, complex life experiences, and heterogeneity shape institutional responses. Recruitment, admission, and retention strategies…