- Browse by Subject
2003 Conference (Columbus, Ohio : Ohio State University)
Permanent URI for this collection
Browse
Browsing 2003 Conference (Columbus, Ohio : Ohio State University) by Subject "Adult Education"
Now showing 1 - 10 of 48
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item An Academic Writing Needs Assessment Of Clinical Investigators Who Have English As Their Second Language(Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2003) Wang, Min-fen; Bakken, Lori L.The purpose of this project was to assess ESL clinical investigators’ learning needs for academic writing for English scholarly publication. We used a qualitative evaluation approach to examine the gap between the current and desired proficiency level for academic writing of seven ESL clinical investigators. We considered the perspectives of these seven ESL clinical investigators and those of three mentors’ and three writing instructors’ in this assessment. The findings suggest that ESL clinical investigators do not accurately perceive their writing deficiencies, have little knowledge of criteria for academic writing, and their prior experiences create passive attitudes toward seeking appropriate writing resources. Adequate time is especially needed to develop successful writing skills. We provide suggestions for program planners to develop academic writing services and present useful information for pedagogical practice by adult educators in higher and continuing professional education regarding ESL academic writing.Item Adult Development Matters In Adult Education(Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2003) Scheer, Scott D.All to often in adult education settings, the learning strategies and methods that we use are tailored as one size fits all. A key component of effective adult learning that can be easily overlooked is the role of adult development with adult learning. This oversight is possible among adult educators because our knowledge base is grounded in education as compared to human development or developmental psychology. The point being made that the developmental characteristics of the adult learners should influence the teaching-learning strategies that are implemented. In other words, developmental differences between a 22 and 77 year-old should be accounted for in a community-learning setting.Item Adult Literacy Programs: Producing Adult Literacy Research That Informs Policy(Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2003) Martin, Larry G.During the past decade, state and federal policy makers have made significant changes in domestic policies that significantly affect how adult literacy programs are organized, what potential students are considered eligible for classes, how long students can participate in classes and programs,who pays for classes, and other programmatic decisions. However, these policy decisions, although based on some research, are oftentimes not informed by adult education research. This paper addresses the issue of developing an adult literacy research agenda that effectively informs federal and state policy decisions particularly as these relate to adult education and the U.S. opportunity structure, the challenge to the GED diploma, welfare reform and adult literacy, family literacy programs, and adult literacy and multicultural learners.Item Adults Learning To Reflect: A Study Of The Assessment Of Private Learning(Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2003) Geerling, Falinda; Dirkx, John M.Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is a process used by many postsecondary institutions to award academic credit to adult learners for knowledge derived from life experiences. For the most part, PLA has focused on occupational or work-related experiences. A few institutions have extended this assessment process to significant life experiences not related to work, such as divorce, job loss, or drug and alcohol recovery. However, we know relatively little about adult learners’ experiences in these programs. The life events that are often the focus of this process represent powerful, emotional experiences in the learners’ lives. For this reason, we sought to develop a deeper understanding of their experiences with such a process. In-depth interviews were conducted with six learners enrolled in an accelerated, degree-completion program at Covenant College. The adults’ experiences in the assessment module reflect a preoccupation with meeting its technical and instrumental challenges. While they describe strong emotions and feelings associated with this process, there is less evidence that the process facilitates a reworking of their prior experiences or greater self-awareness as learners.Item Assessing & Improving Online Learning Using Data From Practice(Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2003) Merrill, Henry S.; DiSilvestro, Frank; Young, Raejean C.This research uses a qualitative case study approach to investigate online course instruction, and the dimensions of both learner and facilitator/instructor engagement. The research team analyzed archival data from course management software "Course Statistics," and coded indicators using word processing software to examine learner and facilitator writings in the courses.Item Assessment Of Professional Development Activities, Instructional Needs, And Methods Of Delivery For Part-Time Technical And Occupational Faculty In U.S. Community Colleges(Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2003) Sandford, Brian; McCaslin, N.L.This study describes the professional development activities and perceived instructional needs and best methods of delivering professional development opportunities for part-time occupational and technical program faculty within the community colleges in the U.S. Introduction to the policies and procedures of the college and/or department, introduction to other college faculty/staff, orientation to the course/classroom, and help in meeting administrative requirements were the professional development activities found to occur at least once a quarter or semester. The types of instructional help part-time faculty members were perceived to need most were: (a) identifying the learning characteristics of students, (b) alternating teaching methods to accommodate different learning styles, (c) participation in web-based instruction, and (d) participation in distance learning. It was discovered that professional development activities should be offered to part-time faculty at least once per semester or quarter using seminar discussions, group classroom activities, and computer assisted instruction or multi-media interaction as the preferred methods of delivery. An evening/night format and during the Fall were found to be the most suitable times to offer professional development opportunities and per diem and travel expenses should be provided to part-time faculty for participation in professional development activities.Item Calculating, Interpreting, And Reporting Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability Coefficient For Likert-Type Scales(Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2003) Gliem, Joseph A.; Gliem, Rosemary R.The purpose of this paper is to show why single-item questions pertaining to a construct are not reliable and should not be used in drawing conclusions. By comparing the reliability of a summated, multi-item scale versus a single-item question, the authors show how unreliable a single item is; and therefore it is not appropriate to make inferences based upon the analysis of single-item questions which are used in measuring a construct.Item Challenging The Lure Of The Protean Career(Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2003) Truty, DanielaIn this paper I call attention to unique perspectives among workers and reassert that “worker” does not denote a categorical monolith, but rather a unique human being who perceives the same phenomena differently from everyone else. I position my assertion within the context of the seemingly unquestioned notion of the protean career. Referring to stories by people who participated in a qualitative study I conducted in 2001, I caution that the “emancipatory” qualities of the protean career might not be universally accepted; rather, for personal reasons of one’s own, these same characteristics could be perceived as disruptive of the order that one has constructed. Conclusions suggest that there may be workers like the people in the study I conducted, who find themselves engaged in the protean environment against their will. Even though on the surface they could be said to be taking their place among the residents of “free agent nation”, they might have preferred uninterrupted citizenship in the company wherein they were employed. Implications point to the importance of problematizing the blind acceptance and generalizability of the protean career.Item A Comparison Of Faculty Evaluation Systems Between China And Canada(Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2003) Brook, Paula A.; Chen, Wei; Luo, QiThis paper discusses characteristics between two different universities in different countries in terms of the teaching evaluation systems. A brief background to the Chinese institution is offered to help set the context for comparison. The Canadian University is a typical large, urban, public research university located in Western Canada. The paper analyzes commonalities and differences in faculty evaluation and suggests that each university can learn and/or adopt some improvement from the other.Item Creating Self-Awareness Of Learning That Occurs In Community(Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2003) Imel, Susan; Stein, DavidLearning that occurs in naturally forming communities can be more effective if those who engage in such groups are aware of it. Adult education practitioners who work with groups have an opportunity to assist group participants realize that learning occurs through engagement with issues of importance to them. Adults may consider learning to be knowledge acquisition, but the concept of social capital can be used to help them realize another level of learning. The purpose of this paper is to raise awareness among adult education practitioners about a potential role in furthering learning that occurs in naturally forming groups.