This guide was developed in Great Britain to help colleges develop programs for assessment of prior learning (APL) for adult students. (APL involves careers and educational guidance, access to particular courses despite possible lack of traditional certification, accreditation, formal credit toward a particular qualification, and exemption from…

The University of Glamorgan (Wales) conducted a research project to determine the counseling and guidance needs of its mature students. The project's long-term objective was to develop a new institutional policy for a coordinated guidance and counseling system reflecting the different needs, perceptions, and situations of students and staff, and…

A 353 demonstration project was conducted in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, area to provide adult literacy students with information concerning voting in local, state, and national elections. The project had two components: (1) development and presentation of a series of three learner voting workshops; and (2) creation and presentation of a hands-on…

A project was conducted to instruct adult education teachers on communications and counseling issues. A series of four workshops were held to provide instructional and support personnel with practical skills that will make them work more effectively with their students. Attendance at all four workshops was excellent, with 20-30 practitioners at…

The Further Education Unit's (FEU's) current quality projects in Great Britain include Trialling TQM [total quality management], Maintaining Quality During Curriculum Change, and value-added work. The FEU value-added project consisted of a survey of 125 technical colleges to discover the extent of value-added activity and a short-term working…

This document is a summary and evaluation of the methodological procedures and results of the full-scale implementation of the Beginning Postsecondary Student Longitudinal Study, 1990-92 (BPS). The BPS starts with a cohort of students beginning postsecondary education regardless of when they completed high school. As a result, information will be…

This document examines political questions that surround the issue of literacy. "City Literacy Cuts" outlines effects of the most recent budget cuts in New York City. "Families, Inequality, and Power: The Cultural Politics of Literacy" (Deborah D'Amico-Samuels) focuses on the importance of understanding the different models…

A study described and analyzed the uses of literacy at school, home, and work of two working adults labeled functionally illiterate, as measured by a score of 5.0 or less on a standardized reading test. Data were collected over an 18-month period by observation at five sites, which included the classroom, work sites, and homes of the participants.…

This ERIC/RCS Special Collection contains two ERIC Digests (brief syntheses of the research on a specific topic in contemporary education) and nine FAST Bibs (Focused Access to Selected Topics--annotated bibliographies with selected entries from the ERIC database), providing up-to-date information in an accessible format. The collection focuses on…

A comprehensive profile of the adult learner and his or her literacy performance was educed by examining factors that are manifestations of both the formal school experience and the environment. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the tenability of 10 research hypotheses that each included one of the 10 literacy subtests of the…

The Off-Campus Degree Program at Linfield College (Oregon) provides quality coursework to a group of part-time adult students who would not otherwise have access to a four-year degree program. In 1980, Linfield joined six other institutions to form the National University Consortium (NUC), the first national organization of colleges and…

Resulting from a project designed to demonstrate that entrepreneurship can be a realistic choice for persons aged 55 years and older, this instructor handbook offers assistance in preparing and teaching courses for older adults on starting a small business. Introductory remarks provide background on the project and explain the use of the guide.…

The results of the study of 217 persons enrolled in 16 noncredit courses tend to indicate that the primary reasons persons enroll in a noncredit course are to accomplish goals which relate to the acquisition of knowledge. (Author)

This narrative report provides descriptive information on the Louisiana adult education program. The report compares accomplishments to goals established for fiscal year 1986; defines reasons for slippage in areas in which goals have not been met; and determines on a statewide basis the average cost per student. Some of the highlights of the…

An examination of the probability of enrolling in postsecondary education, the likelihood of completing various types of credentials, and the effects of these credentials on wage rates, earnings, and other adult outcomes was conducted using data derived from the National Longitudinal Study of the Class of 1972. The followup survey in 1986…