This paper reports the results of an initial exploration into the attitudes and practices of some selected Canadian distance educators regarding a learner-centered view of education. Twenty-nine Canadian distance education teachers and administrators responded to questionnaires concerning attitudes toward distance education, student autonomy in…

This booklet is part of the "Getting to Grips with..." series, which is intended for the general reader who wants to understand important trends in vocational education and training. It is designed to provide the reader with an understanding of the main practical aspects of on-the-job training. The booklet is in two parts. The first…

Research by Darkenwald and by James and Day supports the contention that instructor behavior is a critical factor in shaping the kind of classroom environment desired by adult learners. Darkenwald developed the Actual and Ideal Adult Classroom Environmental Scale (ACES), which measures seven dimensions: involvement, affiliation, teacher support,…

College and university students in English as a second language classes need to acquire an active and fairly extensive vocabulary rather quickly. Methods of learning such as analysis and memorization of word lists, word building, and dictionary use can be combined with methods of gaining vocabulary by becoming familiar with it and using it in…

Resulting from a project designed to demonstrate that entrepreneurship can be a realistic choice for persons aged 55 years and older, this instructor handbook offers assistance in preparing and teaching courses for older adults on starting a small business. Introductory remarks provide background on the project and explain the use of the guide.…

Education from infancy to old age is a necessity and a responsibility as society looks to the future; and educational institutions could become the sites of cooperation of science and society in the service of the human family in realization of the goals of lifelong learning. Paper presented at 27th Annual Meeting of Gerontological Society,…

The paper reviews briefly the process and modes of communication, explores some problems of cross-cultural communication between the dominant society and the multitude of Indian cultures that exist in Canada, and draws some implications for adult educators. (Author/MW)

An investigation reviewed current literature in the field of physiological factors affecting the adult learning environment. These findings were compared to the academic learning environment at the Phoenix Air National Guard. The end product was a set of recommendations for management to implement in order to improve the learning climate for the…

This paper briefly reviews the first large-scale use of computer mediated communication (CMC) at the Open University (OU) in Milton Keynes, England, including computer conferencing and electronic mail, in an adjunct mode on a multimedia distance education course with 1,500 students. The first part of the paper outlines the rationale for…

The issue of assessing adult learning prior to formal college level study is examined and presented in this handbook. The handbook offers guidelines for setting standards, provides a review of some of the proven techniques and practices that have been used to evaluate previous learning, addresses a series of issues relevant to particular subject…

Three types of lay theories about the social world form a developmental sequence. Earlier developing theories are reorganized at the next level into a more inclusive, encompassing view of the world in order to make better predictions. The absolute thinker sees the world as fixed and unchanging, reasons with absolute rules, and has a narrow world…

A study of active group learning that occurred during 61 state humanities programs in 35 states is discussed, and 11 recommendations to state humanities councils are offered. Information was obtained from a mail survey and review of state council proposals and narrative reports. Definitions of learning and information on the following learning…

Teaching adults in the higher education context can be frustrating because higher education is often not flexible enough to provide an environment conducive to self-directed learning. Also, both faculty and students must adjust their learning and teaching preferences to an experiential, problem-exploring style that has often been contradicted by…

The masking of experience as the basis of learning and development is a major limitation of the school-based approach to inservice education. Neither case studies nor the teacher development literature supports the association of professional learning with a specific site, such as the school. On the contrary, locating the study and practice of…

A study was conducted to (1) identify obstacles to self-directed learning, (2) develop strategies to overcome them, and (3) identify the self-directed learning readiness level of two groups of employees for possible clues in improving self-directed learning in the Phoenix Air Guard. The study used two group processes (the Delphi technique with a…