African American men have among the worst high school completion rates of any population in the United States. The consequences of dropping out of school are serious and include high levels of unemployment and incarceration. Attempts at recruiting these men to return to complete a high school credential have not been broadly successful, and the…

Given changes in the 21st century workplace and expectations of employers, the notion that a bachelor's degree is the sole pathway to sustainable employment and a middle-class life in the United States has become obsolete. Many (e.g., Fleming, 2016) have argued that employers are now seeking employees with technical skills, digital literacy, and…

This study explored the use of critical reflection blogs to integrate civic-mindedness into an executive education program at a large public university in the south Atlantic region of the United States. Although there is a robust literature on the use of blogs for critical reflection in degree programs, far less attention has been given to…

This mixed-methods study illustrates the implementation of Malcolm Knowles's 1986 model of learning contracts in a current Italian University context. The study attempted to improve and adapt the tool to a master's degree course at the University of Padua. Three professors conducted the integrated course, making extensive efforts to share the aims…

This article investigates the effectiveness of a film-based assignment given to adult learners in a graduate-level group counseling class. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four students; data analysis suggested film-based assignments may promote deep approaches to learning (DALs). Participants indicated the assignment helped them…

In 2009, President Obama and his administration sought to overhaul the existing educational reform program and launched their initiative titled Race to the Top (RTTT). RTTT, a competitive grant program, comprised six priorities designed to help states reform their current educational systems. Priority five calls for states to evaluate their…

Throughout the 1970's and 80's, rapidly advancing technologies, mergers and acquisitions, industry deregulation, emergence of new capital markets, and the shift to an increasingly competitive, global marketplace sparked new training needs for workers. In aerospace, auto, health care, steel, telecommunications and transportation industries, unions…

The purpose of this article is to identify an issue that impacts individuals and institutions on a seemingly individual basis but collectively affects numerous program participants and their communities. Specifically, this article is about the tension between the need to provide student support service programming with the need to advocate for the…

Although women make up over half of the U.S. workforce, they continue to encounter difficulties, including male domination as well as inequities in pay, benefits, and other rewards (Bierema, 2001). Billett (2002) suggests opportunities to advance are "subject to workplace practices that reproduce inequities through contested workplace relations."…

Anticipating and supporting the needs of users of technologies, programs, and services are critical to the success of distance education programs. Principal stakeholders are instructors who teach at a distance, learners pursuing distance education courses, site facilitators, and administrators. (JOW)

Recent reports examining the federal Adult Education for the Homeless and Job Opportunities and Basic Skills programs conclude that adult education must consider the purposes for which participants will use basic skills and the barriers they face. A comprehensive human resource development system would include case management, use of formerly…

The importance of numeracy for professional practice in nursing is increasingly recognized in the USA, UK and elsewhere, but there is no consensus on what is meant by numeracy for nursing, nor on how it should be taught, learned and assessed. Meanwhile, studies in various countries indicate a lack of proficiency in numeracy of some students and…

Context-rich learning can be promoted by integrating mentoring relationships into continuing professional education. Mentors promote learning in and from the workplace, assist learners in receiving help, and provide developmental and psychological support. (JOW)

Identifies mistakes--with suggested solutions--often made in promoting adult education programs: discounts for early registration; cancellation penalties; inconvenient registration procedures; inconvenient payment options; failure to list program benefits; lack of advertising of other offerings; insufficient lead time; lack of registration…

By following an accreditation model used in a college or university, funding agencies can be sure that adult basic education programs are following good practices rather than structuring their services to satisfy student assessment and outcome goals. (Author/JOW)