Discusses how Florida community colleges are responding to the need to preserve the quality of the associate degree while maintaining flexible entry and exit points for entry, departure, and reentry into the workplace. Asserts that the concept of terminal education, wherein a person finishes formal instructional programs, has been supplanted by…

A study of the Wimmera (Victoria, Australia) Adult Literacy and Basic Education Group (WALBEG) surveyed 30 participants to identify reasons people undertook courses, assess the impact of WALBEG programs on the individual and on the community, and investigate possible use of new learning technologies in future delivery of adult programs. (CDS)

Describes the use of an autobiographical writing assignment to orient older, non-traditional students, and students in social work-related fields, to the library and its resources based on experiences in a graduate gerontology course at Wayne State University. Appendices include skill and values objectives and advanced research skills that were…

A brief review of what is known about teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to adults focuses on four areas: characteristics and needs of adult English language learners; program design and instructional practices; ESL teacher preparation and staff development; and learner assessment and outcomes. Teachers are urged to let colleagues,…

Advocates using the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) curriculum to deal with issues of employment in order to prepare immigrants to advocate on their own behalf. The article argues that educational personnel can advocate on behalf of immigrants for the implementation of appropriate ESL programming that will increase their access to employment.…

Outlines an initiative to assess preparatory learning needs of displaced workers, on an individual basis, and provide preparatory education to meet these needs. The article presents an account of one counselor's work with an ESL (English-as-a-Second-Language) client using the Individualized Retraining Process proposed by the Literacy Branch of the…

The role of Australian graduate research supervisors in the context of a changing graduate student population is examined. Issues include addressing part-time, mature, and off-campus students' diverse needs, interests, and backgrounds, keeping students on track while accommodating work and family commitments, and acknowledging learners' autonomy.…

Reports a study of Masters students in records management distance learning course. The 28 students shared a common experience of being a distance learner, though not a common experience of use of information technology (IT). Students benefited from the opportunity to combine employment with study. Drawbacks centered on distance from university…

In Western countries, women and men, young and old, enroll in adult education for different reasons. This is even more the case in China. This study helps Shanghai program planners better appreciate learners by understanding how motivational orientations vary as a function of gender and age. The Chinese version of the Education Participation Scale…

Distance education programmes warrant the use of innovative intervention practices to enhance student learning experiences. Academic and social empathy by faculty has been shown to enhance student retention in programmes along with their critical thinking abilities. Using Holmberg's theory of teaching-learning conversations as the guiding…

As online education escalates, it is important for instructors to explore teaching techniques that engage students and enhance learning at a profound level. To achieve this goal, instructors must look at the primarily text-based environment of the online class not as a limitation, but as an opportunity. Attentive and highly personal teaching that…

This article presents perspectives of tutors that reflect the current experiences and thoughts from Dun Laoghaire VEC's Adult Education Service's literacy, second chance and community education provision as the adult education service moves towards more accreditation of programmes. This move has been prompted by a number of significant changes and…

Distance learning is any type of instruction in which the student and instructor are separated by physical distance (not in the same room) (Wahlstrom, Williams & Shea, 2003). It is a medium of teaching and learning using modern technology so that teachers or students do not have to be together in the classroom. With the growth of distance learning…

This study investigated the learning styles of adult English as a second language (ESL) students in Northwest Arkansas. Learning style differences by age, gender, and country of origin were explored. A total of 69 northwest Arkansas adult ESL students attending 7 adult-education centers were administered the VARK Learning Styles Questionnaire.…

The purpose of this article is to explore the effects of an alternative, transformative andragogy, i.e., the art and science of helping others to learn, designed to be responsive to the challenges of preparing educational leaders committed to social justice and equity. Three aspects of Mezirow's (1990) Transformative Learning Theory, which in…