Whether academic advisors teach or advise students--and some would say advisors are teaching--they have a responsibility to enhance students' collegiate learning experiences by understanding who they are and what needs they have. The adult learner is not an exception to this assumption. While much variation exists in defining and categorizing the…

During the past decade, the author has conducted research about the learning journeys of contemporary Jewish adults enriched by insights of adult education scholars and practitioners. While the author has benefited from the perspectives of colleagues, it is the burgeoning population of adult students that has most profoundly influenced her…

Adults looking to gain a foothold in the changing economy are seeking a college degree in greater numbers. Yet, their "non-traditional" characteristics--part-time enrollment, full-time employment, financial independence, and/or parental responsibilities--create needs and priorities that differ from those of traditional students and make it…

This study reviewed dropout research in online learning, particularly focusing on nontraditional students and examined what progress has been made since Garrison's 1987 review. This study categorized factors identified from literature into student characteristics, student prior skills, external factors, and internal factors, all of which are based…

The strategy of the Department for Education and Skills'(DfES) 2002 strategy document, "Languages for All: Languages for Life" called for improving the quality of language teaching and learning; enhancing qualifications and credit recognition arrangements; and increasing demand for language learning. This principle was to extends to…

This article focuses on the Lawrence Adult Learning Center, the only program in Kansas offering Adult Basic Education. The LALC has been a program on wheels, always moving to another location. Its mission is to enable adult students to: acquire appropriate skills and knowledge necessary to become informed decision makers and effective…

The idea that popular culture and entertainment media influence us in both conscious and unconscious ways is not new. The use of alternative spaces, such as internet sites, for creating entertainment will continue to influence society and challenge educators. The importance of the internet was reflected in Time magazine's choosing YOU (meaning the…

There is an urgent need for fresh approaches to HIV & AIDS education for adults and youth in South Africa, particularly for those marginalised by society, such as rural black women. In this article we explore the factors which affect awareness, condom use and HIV & AIDS risk among a group of women who attend classes in a rural Adult…

Blended learning is a pedagogy that is sometimes heralded as the answer to some of the problems which part time students face. Creating a module for part-time students with some e-learning elements is time consuming and resource intensive. Therefore it must be demonstrated that the investment in such innovations will benefit the students and…

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative research project, part of a doctoral thesis, which examines the impact of university study on a group of 20 female and male mature-age students at the University of Newcastle, Australia, who have entered university via a non-traditional pathway. These students are in the second to final years of…

There are 11,000 or so people in Kentucky who came within a course or two of earning a college degree, but never did. Almost half a million more took a few college courses but then dropped out. Now educators are trying to lure back those erstwhile students to finish what they started. Over the next 12 years, Kentucky wants to double the number of…

The recent Sloan report found that online course enrollments are increasing 13% annually. This study investigated how the vision and philosophy of the academic leadership in small private universities influence the development of online learning. Investigations regarding online learning leadership have noted four core issues: (1) a clear…

As President Obama said in advance remarks about the American Graduation Initiative: "[T]he hard truth is that some of the jobs that have been lost in the auto industry and elsewhere won't be coming back. And that only underscores the importance of generating new businesses and industries to replace the ones we've lost, and of preparing our…

Asynchronous text based discussion boards are included in many online courses, however strategies to compare their use within and between courses, from a disciplinary standpoint, have not been well documented in the literature. The goal of this project was to develop a multi-factor metric which could be used to characterize discussion board use in…

In 1997 the British Columbia Open University (BCOU) adopted a virtualization strategy based primarily on twinning off-line independent study distance education courses (textbook-based with study guide and telephone and e-mail tutor support) with alternate online versions (textbook-based with integrated conferencing and communications provided…