This book examines the proposal of individuals in England's university extension movement in the final 2 decades of the 19th century to create a part-time teaching university that shared the following similarities with present-day open universities: a policy of admitting all individuals likely to benefit from the university irrespective of their…

In response to large numbers of returning adult students, Wisconsin's technical college system has placed an increased emphasis on school-to-work transition and innovative forms of distance education (DE). DE began in Europe at least 150 years ago through correspondence programs, expanded to include radio programs in the 1920s and 1930s, and moved…

Although attrition is repeatedly described as the number one problem in adult basic education (ABE), the raw numbers of attrition rates do not tell the whole story. Studies show noncompleters in both ABE and higher education sometimes leave when they feel their goals have been realized. Counting adults who "stop out" as dropouts is also…

This packet of materials for the adult literacy volunteer contains a booklet of information and accompanying reading selections meant to help a tutor get started with a new learner. The booklet covers these topics: initial assessment of learners with sample student interview form; informal assessment with assessment questions; observing the…

The aim of this collection is to present "state of the art" papers in language curriculum studies by writers who have been actively involved in shaping theory in the field and who, between them, have applied that theory in almost every part of the world and in a variety of contexts. Papers include the following: "A Decision-Making Framework for…

Gathered from practitioners in Washington state, this resource book contains samples of actual program materials used by teachers of literacy and English as a Second Language. The program materials were gathered from 28 programs in the state and are organized around the three major sections of the Washington state standards for high quality…

The following addresses or abstracts of addresses are included: "Partnerships: Definitions, Key Ingredients, and Behaviors" (Sujansky); "A Different Mirror: Multicultural Partnerships in Continuing Higher Education" (Takaki); "Mediating Multicultural Crisis in Continuing Higher Education: Partnerships for the Department of Justice and the Academy"…

This paper is designed to help education and training providers in the United Kingdom understand what accreditation options are available and choose solutions that match their particular needs. It aims to help them appreciate the importance of accreditation to adult learners, understand some terminology, know what choices there are in offering…

Two studies are reported in this paper. The first investigated whether computer-assisted instruction with cloze exercises would be more effective in teaching English to nonnative speakers than traditional paper-and-pencil methods. Subjects were 38 community college students of varying language backgrounds enrolled in several levels of…

The relationship between literacy and unemployment was examined through two research activities: a review of changing patterns of unemployment, changing directions in adult literacy and basic education in Australia, and literacy programs for unemployed people and interviews with a sample of 27 Commonwealth Employment Service (CES) clients who had…

This paper examines Weekend College Programs at 11 public and private institutions of higher education in southern California during Academic Year 1990-91 from the following perspectives: student development and services; curriculum; faculty and instruction; administration; and marketing. From these perspectives the paper outlines what…

This book presents a comprehensive examination of the nature and scope of the literature on adult education. It includes the historical perspective and interpretation necessary to understand links between the diverse and seemingly separate aspects of the field. The volume describes over 1,200 books, tracing the development of basic theories and…

A survey of 335 students (33.5% response) enrolled in the National Extension College (NEC) revealed that the proportion of women students increased significantly; two-thirds of NEC students were women. The mean age of NEC students stayed relatively constant. The proportion of employed women was relatively high; the proportion of employed men was…

This paper provides a brief implementation guide to assist programs that wish to replicate the project (a literacy tutoring program that sought to determine student needs and encourage student input), as well as an abstract of the project that created it and summaries of the results and participants' responses at two sites. The guide presents…

A case study approach was used to investigate what helped adults cope in science, mathematics, or engineering courses in higher education (HE) and further education (FE). The study involved semistructured interviews with 107 adult students and 20 staff in 4 HE and 4 FE institutions in Scotland. Science, engineering, and mathematics students…