Japan, like many countries, is facing problems with an aging society, and lifelong learning is becoming more and more important. To provide older adults with the opportunity to enroll in lifelong learning programs, it is essential to offer suitable programs. However, designing learning programs for older adults is not easy because they may have…

The three articles included in this dissertation are connected through theory and practice. Study one identifies the factors influencing Extension agents' participation in supplemental professional development opportunities using Ajzen's (1985) theory of planned behavior. Study two was a systematic investigation of Extension personnel's…

Leisure education is an important part of community development as well as citizen engagement, and can be offered through a wide-range of providers. Community colleges have historically played an important role in offering these programs, yet little documentation has reported how they are operated or structured. The purpose for conducting the…

Adult education instructors are as diverse as the students they teach. Their professional backgrounds, training, licenses, and modalities of teaching (online, in person, open vs. closed enrollment, etc.) vary widely, which can make the planning of meaningful, effective professional development challenging. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a…

This chapter highlights several of the significant design and facilitation considerations used to support adult working learners pursuing online learning across educational contexts. These include the integration of inclusive online learning practices, the design and facilitation of quality interactions in the online environment, and application…

The resources that federal financial aid, state financial aid, and federal public benefits programs provide, when they operate effectively, are critical to older students and students with children. This report seeks to shed light on how these programs are functioning by analyzing data and policies across four states--Colorado, Missouri, North…

This paper describes the course design and evaluation results for an online continuing education program designed for working engineers. Engineering educators have long recognized the value of reducing the gap between the classroom and work environments. Implementing experiential learning in the undergraduate classroom brings much needed context…

This article examines the design structure and interface of online courses and explains how program-wide design standards can benefit the learner, educator, and organization as a whole. Standards in program design can help support learner success, and these examples serve as a guide when designing, updating, or improving online adult and…

Derived from practical experience, this article outlines key aspects to be considered when developing a training programme focused on quality assurance in higher education and suggests possible measures of success for training delivery. Practice-based professional reflections are systematised into an applicable, duly tested, quality assurance…

This paper presents an enhanced evaluation framework for teacher professional development programmes, which is based on one originally proposed by Huber in 2011. This paper draws on a study on the Professional Up-skilling of English Language Teachers (ProELT) programme in Sabah (Borneo), Malaysia. The study adopted a mixed methods exploratory…

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Adult and Community Learning Services Unit and UPD Consulting engaged in a multiyear partnership to provide adult education providers across the state with people-centered, action-oriented training opportunities focused on antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI). This…

Many educators are leaving their teaching positions, especially in the early years of their career. This has led many states and districts to mandate teacher mentor programs for new teachers with the hope of retaining these teachers. However, even with these mentor programs, new teachers are continuing to leave their positions, which affects the…

Purpose: The Farmer Field School (FFS) has been used to enable farmers to adapt their farming decisions according to the field situation. This paper explores the methodological state, challenges and lessons learned, of the FFS around the World. Design/methodology/approach: We used a 52-item questionnaire to capture issues of design, implementation…

Through our shared interest in articulating a knowledge base for teacher education, we believe a deeper examination of the "work" of teacher educators would contribute to a fuller understanding of who teacher educators are and the work they do. Recognizing how context and positionality influence conceptions of teacher education and with…

Providing targeted professional competence development for educators involved in planning, managing, and teaching internationalized higher education programmes is still a relatively rare phenomenon. This article provides an example of such a continuing professional development (CPD) programme and of how the effect and value of it may be evidenced.…