There is no doubt that universities have a vital role to play in promoting lifelong learning. This publication presents possible ways of expanding and transforming higher education to facilitate lifelong learning in different socio-economic contexts. Nine articles address the various dimensions of the role of higher education in promoting lifelong…

The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and implementation phases of online graduate nuclear engineering courses that are part of the Graduate Nuclear Engineering Certificate program at Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech restarted its nuclear engineering program in the Fall of 2007 with 60 students, and by 2009, the enrollment had grown…

In Britain, the growth of mass higher education, the need for diverse educational opportunities, and the drive for vocational qualifications and relevance are spurring the need for change and innovation in further and higher education. An adult-centered approach and permeable boundaries between providers can help meet the demand for open access…

The enrollment growth in higher education is slowing down. While the decline can be viewed as part of a long-term growth cycle, institutions still need to find students. Institutions may find students by expanding their educational mission, by ascertaining the instructional needs of a variety of students, and by offering the appropriate services…

The Council of Adult Education in Victoria, Australia, is one of a number of government adult education providers in the traditional adult education model which is now experimenting with new forms to deal with a growing diversity of adult student needs. Changes in organization, programs, and services are discussed. (MF)

Dependence on standardized tests in adult literacy programs derives partly from their relative ease of adminstration and their appearance of providing valid and reliable quantitative data for program evaluation. Few adult educators are satisfied with the quality of the information, and most are extremely dissatisfied with the effects of such…

A participatory approach to adult literacy education aims at getting the learner to function at the highest level of responsibility possible regarding program activities; it demands an active approach. Characteristics of a participatory literacy program include the following: activities that emphasize what learners already know, learners…

Opportunities exist for colleges willing to experiment with new ideas and keep pace with technology. Possibilities for enrollment growth exist in the changing population, including adults, minority groups, foreign students, part-time undergraduate and graduate students, and women seeking higher education. (Author/MSE)

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin was created as an upper-division and graduate institution for community college transfer students. It instituted many innovations, including elimination of departments, integration of undergraduate/graduate education, year-round enrollment, contract study, modular classrooms, a faculty trained at…

The future of higher education, especially that of the community college, is discussed. The role of the community college in advancing new concepts--such as open admissions, equal opportunity, and community involvement--is recounted. The development of higher education in the United States is traced, and problems created by the recently instituted…

Proceedings of the 1981 Creative Responses Conference, which explored approaches to the rapidly changing realities of postsecondary and higher education, are presented. The following major addresses and authors are included: "Hard Times: Constraints or Opportunities," Dale Parnell; "Leadership in the Challenge of Global Competition," George B.…

The four conference papers presented here examine specific strategies and programs by which colleges and universities can design and adapt programs for adult students. In "Strategies of Adaptation" Rosalind K. Loring notes six major types of adaptation to which traditional, four-year schools have resorted (flexible schedules, simulated…

Metropolitan State University (Minnesota), intended to serve largely mature community college transfer students in the inner city, gives students responsibility for planning their own individualized course of studies, with a competence-based focus. Community-based faculty, classrooms, and library resources are essential elements. (Author/MSE)

Although lifelong learning was a term created to mean cradle-to-grave learning, it has come to mean specifically adult learning and education. The adult learning force in the U.S. is huge and growing in size as well as interest. Since eighty-five percent of the active adult learners are high school graduates, they are eligible for postsecondary…

An award winning program, the Teacher-Research Institute of the Maryland Writing Project at Towson State University, is described, along with six other state college programs that received special commendations by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). Towson State University won AASCU's G. Theodore Mitau Award for…