Research findings on cognitive capability of older adults, educational participation, and self-reflection emphasize the importance of contextual and environmental factors in understanding how older adults are learning to meet the challenges confronting them. (SK)

Review of the theoretical foundations and current practices of competency-based training and reflective practice suggests that they function at different levels of teaching and learning but can be complementary. Competence in professional practice is interdependent with the capacity to go beyond competent performance to reflection in action.…

Facilitation in the workplace, especially when undertaken by supervisors, can pose challenges involving hostile conditions and coercion, diminishing its effectiveness for adult learning. It requires examination of the dynamics of trust building, the roles of participants, and the use of facilitators whose interests are independent of the context.…

Studies of informal and incidental learning demonstrate that it takes place wherever people have a need, motivation, or opportunity for learning. Context is central to the process. Despite its unstructured nature, adult educators can assist learners by identifying conditions that hinder or enhance it and by fostering critical reflection. (Contains…

Discussion of the affective domain, learning, and motivation focuses on serious play as a suitable goal for situations requiring learners, both children and adults, to engage in creative higher-order thinking coupled with intense personal commitment and involvement. Suggests that interactive computer games offer opportunities to support serious…

When participants in professional development create their own practice-based case studies for use in training, the result is more accurate, realistic, and applicable material. The process aligns with constructivism and adult learning, accommodates varying levels of expertise, and enables the sharing of multiple perspectives. (SK)

Adult students (n=12) participated in a computer-based instructional (CBI) design course that integrated adult learning characteristics and preferences. Embedding these aspects empowered students to attain competence in producing CBI projects. They expressed a need for peer feedback and more planning time. (SK)

Describes the University of Hartford's All-University Curriculum, which includes 25 interdisciplinary courses, most team taught. Addresses institutional buy-in, resources, team formation, conflict resolution, institutional policies, and ongoing development. (SK)

Examined the self-perceived continuing education needs of certified athletic trainers and factors affecting those needs. Survey data indicated that trainers perceived some to moderate need for continuing education in all domains investigated, particularly in the areas of rehabilitation of athletic injuries and programs for the back and neck.…

A group of 10 women developing peer education services participated in collaborative inquiry in order to remove barriers to peer counseling. The following themes emerged: (1) adding experiential knowledge to textbook knowledge; (2) crossing cultures using difference as a creative resource; and (3) using public discourse to transfer knowledge to…

Three interviews each with five people who had articulated a life mission and analysis of their journals delineated the relationship of life mission to self-directed and transformative learning. New learning experiences refocus mission. The stronger and more focused the mission, the stronger and more focused the learner's self-direction. (SK)

The term learning covenant adds a spiritual dimension to the notion of learning contracts. The learner develops and enters into a written contractual agreement with a facilitator, who creates a space that fosters learning and spiritual growth. (SK)

Loyola University's Institute for Ministry Education uses such techniques as learning covenants and critical reflection to nourish the development of lay ministers. It demonstrates how adult education principles can contribute to spiritual growth. (SK)

Reviews themes, issues, and challenges addressed by the articles in this issue. Provides an annotated list of six recommended readings on adult education and spirituality. (SK)

Describes a new vision of adult learning that is expansive, dynamic, learnercentered, and mediated by advanced technologies. Highlights include constructed learning, contextual learning, collaborative learning, negotiated learning, personalized learning, responsive learning, and technology-mediated learning. (Contains 47 references.) (Author/LRW)