The English Language Institute (ELI) at Alaska Pacific University provides an intensive academic program designed primarily to prepare foreign students for successful participation in undergraduate or graduate programs. Students from the local international community have also been admitted to the program. These students have motivations, language…

The research literature on aging was reviewed to determine findings with direct implications for educational programs for older persons and findings with no direct application but that raise further research questions. The focus was on cognition and learning in later life, predominantly on work published during the past two decades in major…

This collection of papers presents a variety of approaches used to make museums more educative in their communities. Titles and authors of papers included are: "Museums and Universities: Choices" (Janet Solinger); "The Adult Learner in the Museum" (David Carr); "Formal and Informal Education Programs in Museums" (Arnold Gussin); "Public Education:…

According to recent research findings, the average teacher age continues to rise, with middle-aged teachers now dominating school staff. Although the literature deals with teacher evaluation, managing incompetent teachers, and documenting teachers for dismissal, there is little information about teachers who are reluctant to learn and grow. This…

An extensive evaluation was conducted of a training program on industrial safety that was designed to change employee attitudes and behaviors in relation to energy control and power lockout (ECPL), i.e., closing down an assembly line while completing diagnostic or repair tasks. The research question was aimed at determining the effects of entry…

This report focuses on and suggests ways of using instructional technology to provide better education/training delivery systems, especially the use of interactive videodiscs. The first chapter discusses the need for technology-based training; describes the computer interface components, functions, and characteristics of interactive videodisc…

At each age learning is a complex interaction of motivation, cognition, and development. In older adults, motivation is often related to a lifelong personality construct or personal meaning that an older individual will seek to play out when given the opportunity in late life. The needs of the older adult learner can be discussed in terms of…

The purpose of this paper is to review the relevant evidence concerning the relationship between knowledge and its effect on learning, with an end to answering the questions: (1) How important is knowledge to learning? and (2) How does the relative importance of knowledge change with development? The paper is divided into three main sections:…

This paper contains a concise summary of the theory and practice of competency-based education, especially as it applies to adult education. The paper first defines competency-based education (CBE) and details the assumptions on which CBE is based. It then lists the critical components for effective CBE and cites the advantages of using a…

Older, nontraditional students are appearing with increasing frequency in conventional basic communication classes, and the unique learning needs of this group present a challenge to instructors, who must take into consideration the following: (1) the challenge of the learning process itself, (2) basic problems or concerns of the adult within the…

Drawing on evidence from literature on professional development of teachers in Australia, this document discusses the essential aspects of inservice education and provides a checklist, with illustrative applications, by which to design and evaluate inservice education proposals. The checklist is based on four sets of assumptions relating to…

Numerous models have been developed to analyze the relationship between adult education, adult learning, and adult development. Squires' contingency model postulates that the how of teaching is determined by the nature and characteristics of the participants (the who), the content (the what), and the setting (the where) in which teaching takes…

An interview study examined the assumptions about adult learning held by 28 educational policy-makers, researchers, and staff developers. Fifteen assumptions were inferred from the interview data, each forming a dimension that describes learning as experienced by the participants: (1) Adult learning experiences are envisioned as similar for all…

This training manual was developed as a source of information about Competency-Based Adult Basic Education (CBABE) for administrators, counselors, and teachers involved in the implementation of a CBABE program. After section I provides an introduction to Brevard Community College's development of CBABE curricula, section II explains the purposes…

Acknowledging a recent increased interest in research about self-directed learning, this report analyzes and discusses two different forms of education: self-directed learning and distance education. Here, self-directed learning is identical with autodidactic learning, a form of education that cannot be included in organized adult education; the…