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…

Many postsecondary institutions already recognize that adults comprise a significant portion of their student body -- or they may be starting to recognize the potential for serving more adults as they face declining enrollments from their traditional student pipelines. These institutions realize that they should have programs and services in place…

In order to build an inclusive economy State leaders have recognized the critical importance of postsecondary attainment in meeting economic and equity goals. Nearly every state has, or is considering a postsecondary education attainment goal, which sets a threshold for the number of people within that state who hold some type of postsecondary…

The Covid-19 pandemic has vividly illustrated the centrality of frontline workers to the everyday functioning of the American economy and daily life. But while some articles have mentioned the high proportion of immigrant workers in these roles, there has been much less attention paid to the high number of English learners in particular. The…

In the winter of 2007, a small group of faculty and administrators at East Carolina University (ECU) began discussions with personnel at the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) at Fort Monroe, Virginia, regarding the education and continuing professional development of U.S. Army civilian interns and careerists (two types of…

Given the challenges of time and economics in education today, what are practical models for creating adult learning communities that improve teaching and learning in today's diverse classrooms? How do Americans foster and nurture adult learning communities once they are established? The authors have found that carefully crafted partnerships…

Old Dominion University's distance learning program, called TELETECHNET, brings the main-campus college experience to geographically distant learners at sites across Virginia and as far away as the state of Washington, as well as to military personnel on Navy bases, carriers, and submarines. In an interesting turnabout, the Summer Institute for…

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) is a nonprofit organization that works collaboratively with Virginia and 15 other member states to improve education at every level--from pre-K to postdoctoral study--through many effective programs and initiatives. SREB's "Challenge to Lead" Goals for Education, which call for the region to…

This issue of "Exchanges" highlights a number of issues in the challenge to align appropriations, tuition and financial aid (AFTA) policy. Two distinct trends in the nature of the American student population are identified: significant demographic shifts and the emerging necessity of serving adult learners. These shifts are prompting…

Although this training manual was developed as a tool for trainers of African American and rural family caregivers of elders with dementia, it can easily be adapted for trainers of caregivers (both formal and informal) of persons other than those with dementia. The first section educates potential trainers about dementia, rural issues, ethnic…

This Replication Plan describes an Administration on Aging funded Project, "Assisting Caregivers of Black and Rural Elders with Dementia: Progressive Training through Trusted Resources." The project directly developed the capacities of trusted community leaders (n=69) who served as trainers of African American and rural family caregivers…

The Jefferson-Madison Regional Library (Charlottesville, Virginia) conducted a project that involved training, basic literacy, collection development, tutoring, and computer assisted programs. The project served a population of 100,000-200,000, and targeted the homeless, workforce/workplace learning, and adult non- and new-readers. Tutoring was…

The Virginia 1999-2000 Learning Disabilities Training and Dissemination (LDTD) project was undertaken to improve educational services to adults with learning disabilities. During the project, learners and tutors from six community-based literacy programs across Virginia volunteered to share their experiences as they participated in pilot testing…