This paper explores the professional development literature in the educational setting. The different literature pieces are aligned to a framework that requires effective professional development to focus on three concepts: content, context, and process. The content focuses on the "what" question in the programs while the context aims to…

Universities are inundated with detailed applicant and enrolment data from a variety of sources. However, for these data to be useful there is a need to convert them into strategic knowledge and information for decision-making processes. This study uses predictive modelling to identify at-risk adult learners in their first semester at SIM…

This article provides questionnaire items and a theoretical model of factors predictive of customer loyalty for use by administrators to determine ways to increase repeat purchasing in their continuing education programs. Prior studies in the literature are discussed followed by results of applying the model at one institution and a discussion of…

Adult students have become the new majority in online distance education. Research in online distance education, however, is still predominantly based on the historical perspective of the traditional student profile. This study examines adult students' learning engagement in online courses and explores the impact of online course design models and…

The 11th International Conference on Educational Data Mining (EDM 2018) is held under the auspices of the International Educational Data Mining Society at the Templeton Landing in Buffalo, New York. This year's EDM conference was highly competitive, with 145 long and short paper submissions. Of these, 23 were accepted as full papers and 37…

This document contains four symposium papers on learning organization issues. "How Action Learning Builds the Learning Organization: A Conceptual Analysis" (Michael Marquardt, Ty Alexander) is a systematic examination of four subsystems of learning organizations (learning dynamics, organization renewal, people empowerment, knowledge…

This document contains three symposium papers on learning and working in groups. "Collaborating in Public with the Opposition: A Study of the Complex Meaning of Learning in a Cross Boundary Work Group" (Marjorie H. Carkhuff) reports on a study demonstrating that great personal, professional, and team member learning is foundational to the work…

The following papers are presented in this book: "Self-Directed Learning: Consensus and Conflict" (Long); "Challenges in the Study and Practice of Self-Directed Learning" (Long); "A Conceptual Model of Autodidactism" (Tremblay, Theil); "Functional and Dysfunctional Uses of Self-Directedness in Adult…

Part of a larger project designed to produce a causal model of variables that impinge upon training interventions and influence adult learning, this research is concerned with learner attitudes toward the way employee training is delivered and the roles these convictions play in learning. Two research models served as a guide for comprehensive…

The effects of selected variables on the academic persistence of adult students were examined in a study of a random sample of 469 adult students aged 24 years or older enrolled in a four-year college. The survey questionnaire, the Adult Student Experiences Survey, collected data regarding 12 endogenous variables and 13 exogenous variables…

This document contains three papers from a symposium on using technology for learning that was conducted as part of a conference on human resource development (HRD). "Openness to Technology in Virtual Teams: Implications for International Human Resource Development" (Mary R. Watson, Leigh Anne Liu) reports on a study that examined the attitudes of…

This document contains three papers from a symposium on emotion and behavior in the workplace that was conducted as part of a conference on human resource development (HRD). "Emotion Work, and Perceptions of Affective Culture in a Military Nonprofit Organization" (Jamie L. Callahan, David R. Schwandt) reports on a study of the emotion…

An ecological framework for predicting citizen participation in grassroots community organizations and predicting community disorder problems (such as crime and fear) was developed and tested. The framework, which is called an ecological framework for sustainable community learning and development, delineates the relevant economic, political,…

This document contains three papers on managerial performance issues. "Managerial Skill Requirements: Evidence from the Scottish Visitor Attraction Industry" (Sandra Watson, Martin McCracken) presents the findings from an exploratory study of those skills that managers in the Scottish visitor attraction sector considered most important…

This document contains four papers on organization development and human resources. "Identification of Key Predictors of Rapid Change Adaptation in a Service Organization" (Constantine Kontoghiorghes, Carol Hansen) reports on the results of an exploratory study, which suggests that rapid change adaptation will be more likely to occur in…