An increasing percentage of students entering postsecondary institutions are working at least part-time and balancing multiple identities, responsibilities, and demands on their time and resources. As student demographics change, postsecondary institutions must rise to meet these students where they are. Two effective ways to do that include…

This article presents emancipatory feminist teaching methods to empower adult women who are survivors of sexual assault in higher education settings. It delves into the work of leading scholars such as Paulo Freire, Henry Giroux, and Ira Shor, as well as feminist pedagogy and relevant literature on sexual assault survivorship in higher education.…

The veteran military-to-civilian transition (MCT) process continues to be complex and unwielding. Higher education has an opportunity to ease this transition, but, unfortunately many institutions still miss the mark. One mechanism higher education institutes can incorporate to help with the transition is the use of prior learning assessments or…

This chapter will define and illustrate the sustainable cycle of Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) benefits for both employees and employers in the U.S. workforce. Employer and student benefits of PLA will be reviewed, and program completion outcomes will be examined.

This chapter evaluates Dewey's thinking in relation to the theorization of Prior Learning Assessment (PLA). It compares Dewey's concepts with ideas from social realism, Vygotsky, and cultural historical activity theory, illustrated by PLA research in South Africa.

This chapter is an update and expansion of previous work and explores how professionals construct knowledge in the context of their practice by connecting concepts from their experiences and continuing professional education activities.

Central to many of the current developments in higher education is prior learning assessment (PLA). In the past several years, with new and ambitious degree completion goals for adults, the United States is witnessing what can only be called a surge of interest in PLA.

Possible selves and education are oriented toward future goals. This chapter surveys the literature that links possible selves achievement with motivation toward academic achievement.

Provides descriptions and analyses of the learning patterns exhibited by older adult learners, giving evidence that older adults have considerable potential for structuring meaning. (JOW)

Portfolio-based assessment of prior learning typically follows Western assumptions about universal, value-based knowledge. It can be strengthened by recognizing that knowledge is embedded in specific social, cultural, and historical contexts. (SK)

When assessment of prior learning is used to teach self-reflection, it encourages developmental growth. Techniques that support development include goals statements, autobiographies, and experiential learning essays. (SK)

Current applications of experiential learning in higher education include field-based experiences, credit for prior learning, and classroom-based programs. In the workplace, action learning, future search, and outdoor education are among the forms of experiential learning being used. (SK)

The Program on Noncollegiate Sponsored Instruction and the American Council on Education College Credit Recommendation Service are national methods of evaluating programs and granting credit for learning acquired through noncollegiate organizations. (SK)

This chapter highlights the central role of experience in learning and consciousness; it also outlines experience-based instructional processes that adult educators can use. (Contains 1 figure.)

Recent discoveries about brain function explain how best practices in adult learning may lead to adult learners' developmental growth.