British Columbia offers multiple educational pathways to address the literacy and academic needs of its adult population. In BC, Adult Basic Education (ABE) is offered through two public systems: the secondary system offers the Adult Graduation program in various school district facilities, typically through Continuing Education, and the public…

A probability sample survey of 1,541 residents of Ontario, Canada investigated: (1) the scope of involvement of adults in deliberate part-time learning activities, and (2) the possible role that educational communications media could play in extending educational opportunities to adults. Involvement in education varied according to age,…

Describes an adult basic education facility after one year of operation in an urban shopping mall in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. The center is an informal open-ended classroom and advising center where part-time adult learners study an individualized curriculum. Summarizes the major findings of a program evaluation. (EM)

This volume presents an overall picture of enrollment trends in Canada, with breakdowns in terms of students' gender, age, type of study (part time, full-time, lifelong learning opportunities), level of degree (bachelor's, master's, PhD) and type of student (domestic, international, Aboriginal, visible minorities). Following this is a discussion…

The document presents a study of the demand of part-time learning in Ontario, identifying learners, would-be-learners, and non-learners, and providing information on how people learn, their intentions for learning, their motivations, and various factors which obstruct their efforts and desires to learn. Chapters, with 157 tables, include: (1) The…

This study examined the characteristics of part-time students at the University of Calgary (Alberta, Canada) and Athabasca University (Alberta, Canada), an open admissions undergraduate distance education university. Also called adult students or non-traditional students, part-time students have been viewed as a homogenous group despite marked…

Women's educational needs and the viability of postsecondary institutions are inextricably bound. Women are in transition. Increasingly entering the labor force, women see postsecondary institutions as a means of accomplishing new occupational goals. Now a postsecondary student majority, they are, because of their age, part-time status, and large…

Theories on adult development and learning and some of the Ontario universities' programs and services for the adult learner are examined, and Athabasca University, Alberta's answer to the British Open University, is described. Peter O'Donnell discusses adult learners' needs and explains how Athabasca University serves this specific type of…