Institutions have experienced an increase in enrollment of Black male veteran students, while also encountering a decline of this population throughout the academic year. There is a gap in the literature regarding the experiences of Black male veterans and their levels of engagement in higher education, which could assist with retention. This…

In recent years, an increasing drumbeat around emotion research in ELT has brought to the fore an appreciation of teacher psychology and the emotional underpinnings of the teacher-student relationship. This study explores how students report their teacher's classroom behavior and how those observations lead learners to make broader impressions…

This paper explores the phenomenon of premature learner exit from Adult Literacy (Learning) Service (ALS) courses from the perspective of seven ALS tutors working in three Education and Training Boards (ETBs) in Ireland. The findings highlight ALS tutors' insights into the situational, institutional, and dispositional barriers facing ALS students…

Researchers and practitioners have long been interested in the role of learner agency in the emergence of learning opportunities. However, despite the growing number of studies, few of them have empirically been able to demonstrate how such moments can create learning opportunities. Based on 12 hours of videotaped data, this study describes the…

Online education has increased in popularity over the last few decades due to the enrollment of adult learners. Adult learners have challenges with returning to school. It is not known what resources and support faculty need to support adult learners taking online first-year experience courses (FYE). The purpose of this general descriptive…

The aim of this mixed-methods study was to explore the engagement experiences of undergraduate adult students (n = 77) in fully online courses. Results of the study revealed participants spent approximately half of their educational time per week on engagement activities. Participants in this study frequently interacted with peers in activities…

The growing prevalence of online higher education courses has attracted millions of students, many of whom fall outside the traditional student demographic. This investigative study aims to close the existing knowledge gap about the experiences and preferences of adult asynchronous learners. The study was conducted as a series of semi-structured…

In the 22nd Century of the United States, student veterans' enrollment numbers have been increasing among higher education institutions. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore student veterans' experiences with the support services they have used and to identify which characteristics of support services student veterans find…

Being a subject matter expert does not make someone a good ins­tru­ctor. Most institutions do little to prepare first-time instructors. The Marine Corps puts new instructors of graduate-level programs through a rigorous 4-week program to prepare them as first-time instructors. They are exposed to adult learning theory, assessment processes, and…

Against a backdrop of rising student complaints in higher education (HE) and debate about students as consumers, increasing attention is turning to institutional processes for dealing with complaints and appeals. This paper draws on a nationwide survey across UK HE to explore the unique experiences of Complaints and Appeals staff. The research…

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected teaching and learning globally. An increase in distance learning through online digital platforms and electronic devices has created a drastic change in education. The implication of online learning continuing post pandemic is prominent. An exploratory study of the educational experience of online learning…

Given the increasing popularity of online learning, the study of the user experience in online courses is relevant for the design of meaningful online learning. While there exist many checklists for online course evaluation, they focus on different items and lack consensus of common usability factors. Traditional usability studies focus on…

Teaching presence is critical to online student success. While progress has been made in conceptualising and researching teaching presence, little is known about how it is experienced by older adult online learners. This article explores teaching presence indicators for older adult learners (55+ years old) in online courses, using the conceptual…

Adult learners often encounter obstacles that hinder their academic progress and subsequently withdraw from a course or drop out of school. There has been significant research conducted on the differences of how to teach children versus adults. However, not enough research has been conducted on the relationship between programmatic persistence and…

Since 2008, the Taiwanese government has been establishing Active Aging Learning Centers (AALCs) throughout Taiwan. As of 2021, AALCs had been established in Taiwan's 368 townships and cities, representing a milestone in the development of senior education in Taiwan. This study investigated the experiences of AALC lecturers with various teaching…