This paper considers several trends in professional development programmes found internationally. The use of multiple learning approaches and of different modes and types of learning in PD is described. Various theories and models of evaluation are discussed in the light of common professional development activities. Several recommendations are…

Innovative methods in teaching should be used in every college classroom to enhance student engagement, support any teaching environment and encourage inquiry among learners. Adults learn best by participation in relevant experiences and utilization of practical information. When adult students are active in their learning they are able to develop…

Rapid advancements in technology and the proliferation of mobile communication devices available in the marketplace require that community college administrators and teachers better understand levels of digital communication technology adoption and how adult learners currently use them. Such an understanding is necessary to developing the…

Engagement has evolved from concerns of "access," "diversity," and "public service" between the academy and communities. Land-grant institutions (LGI), considered the "public's universities," have represented a unique population in American higher education with their historic 150-year tradition of teaching, research, and service. Carnegie…

More than half of adults in the USA have quantitative literacy ratings at or below a basic level. This lack of literacy often becomes a barrier to employability. To overcome this barrier, adults are returning to college to improve their quantitative skills and complete an undergraduate education, often through an accelerated degree program. A…

From 2008 to 2011, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) worked with six states (Arkansas, Colorado, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, and South Dakota) to improve policies and practices to increase adult degree completion as a way to raise overall state educational attainment levels. With funding from Lumina Foundation,…

This paper describes and conceptualizes the meaning of lifelong learning from two cultural perspectives--East and West. It examines the different principles underpinning lifelong learning that explain why and how elders in the two cultures engage differently in continued learning. Finally, it discusses the cultural impact on elder learning by…

This article begins with a scenario that reflects a growing concern for both teacher and adult learner in today's college history classroom. A student in his sixties remembers his experience as a young man growing up during this time period in American history, while the professor knows only what others have told him plus the scholarly works he…

Significant stigma exists to marginalize persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Research has demonstrated it is possible to reduce stigma and prejudice through the development of meaningful and innovative education. The purpose of this article is to explore the ways in which the creative and purposeful use of AIDS Artwork as an educational tool may…

The author became aware that there are hundreds of retired teachers in the community who want to continue to learn, or at least to have their intellect stimulated. Some join clubs or read books or do crosswords or even surf the net when they retire, but these folks wanted to be stimulated with some mathematics. The author was initially surprised…

For each of the past 19 years, the American Montessori Society has chosen to recognize one Montessorian as an AMS Living Legacy. Recipients are honored at the AMS annual conference for their salient work or volunteerism in the Montessori field and their dedication and leadership that has made an impact on the AMS community. It seems fitting that…

In this moment of tremendous change, investing in old ways of doing education is not the best way forward. In offering a Charter for Change we recognise that knowledge and learning will be pivotal to the social and personal transformations necessary to address the idiosyncratic challenges of our times. The transformed economic system emerging from…

This paper utilises the theories of Archer to explore the impact of student "internal conversations" upon the development of reflexive approaches employed by work-based students (WBS). The study informing this paper draws on the voices of a range of WBS on a Foundation Degree in Educational Support within a new university. A range of reflexivities…

Perhaps now more than ever before the U.S. military is called on to perform tasks that are outside its normal/traditional purview. Recent wars--Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq, for example--have demonstrated the need for the U.S. military to do more than find and defeat a clearly defined enemy. At all levels of the war theater (conflict area), the…

All over the world, international development organizations try to increase professional capacity of local staff. These attempts are thought to fail because of financial constraints, but this is just part of the story. Professional development and adult learning theories approach learning from a western perspective, while many developing societies…