ERIC Number: ED409444
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1997
Pages: 4
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
A New Look at Older Adults. Trends and Issues Alerts.
Imel, Susan
Current trends related to older adults have the potential of influencing programs and services in adult, career, and vocational education. The amount and kind of learning in which older adults engage is one trend of interest to educators. A 1997 study reveals that older people are learning in numbers and amounts of time expended at a rate far exceeding expectations. Studies of participation in formal or organized adult education programs reveal that the percentage of older adult participants is modest but expected to grow. A second trend that appears in recent literature is advocacy of age-integrated, instead of age-segregated, programs and policies. Educators should integrate the perspectives of older adults and what is known about their learning styles and preferences into ongoing programming. The plethora of information available over the Internet both about and for older adults is a third trend related to older adults with implications for educators. Many older adults are actively using the Internet as both consumers and producers of information. Information about many aspects of aging can be found on the Internet. The use of the Internet by older adults is consistent with the kind of education in which they tend to engage--informal and noncredit, and educators need to consider how they can use it to support and deliver educational programming for older adults. (An annotated list of 16 print resources and a list of 5 resource organizations are provided.) (YLB)
Publication Type: ERIC Publications; Reference Materials - Bibliographies
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education, Columbus, OH.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A