Introduction
Adult education is becoming ever more popular. It is the process whereby adults engage in systematic and sustained learning activities in order to gain new forms of knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Adult education can take place inside and outside of the workplace, through literacy and ESL programs, an "extension" school (e.g., Harvard Extension) or a "school of continuing education" (e.g., Columbia School of Continuing Education). Other learning places include community colleges, and universities, libraries, and lifelong learning centers. The practice may also include "Training and Development" which is often associated with professional development.
The Purpose of Adult Education
Purposes of adult education may vary. One of its goals may be to help adult learners satisfy their needs and achieve their goals. Therefore, its ultimate goal might be to achieve fulfillment in one's personal life and in one's career. The goal might also be to achieve an institution's needs. For example, this might include improving its operational effectiveness and productivity. A more large-scale goal of adult education may be to further the growth and progress of society by enabling its citizens to keep up with societal change. The purpose of adult education on the college or university level is distinct. In these institutions, the aim is typically related to personal growth and development as well as occupation and career preparedness. In adult education, students have a wide variety of programs to choose from if they wish to further their education experience. An adult without a high school diploma can earn a GED, and a non-native English speaker can become more fluent through adult education programs. Adults can also earn an associate's, bachelor's or graduate degree, as well as a variety of certificates.
General Education Development
One of the main reasons why individuals might participate in adult education is to complete general education requirements. Adults who dropped out of high school will often return to school to participate in a part-time General Education Development (GED) program being offered at a community college or another educational institute. Most upwardly mobile positions in the work place require, at the very least, a high school diploma or equivalent. A working adult is unlikely to have the freedom to simply quit his or her job and go "back to school" full-time. Public school systems and community colleges usually offer evening or weekend classes for this reason.
Literacy and ESL Programs
Furthermore, other fast-growing sectors of adult education include literacy programs and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Adults with poor reading skills can obtain help from community college and volunteer literacy programs. These institutions and programs provide training, tutor certification, and accreditation for local volunteer programs. States often have or partner with organizations, which provide field services for volunteer literacy programs. At the same time, many of these programs also provide ESOL, also referred to as English as a Second Language (ESL) or English Language Learners (ELL), classes. These courses are important in assisting immigrants with not only the acquisition of the English language, but the acclimation process to the culture of the United States. For more information about literacy and ESOL programs, students and educators should check out the Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL) under the U.S. Department of Education.
Continuing Education
General continuing education is another form of adult education. Recognized forms of post-secondary learning activities within the domain continuing education include: degree credit courses by non-traditional students, non-degree career training, workforce training, formal personal enrichment courses (both on-campus and online) self-directed learning (such as through Internet interest groups, clubs or personal research activities) and experiential learning as applied to problem solving. General continuing education is intended for adults beyond the traditional undergraduate college or university age. However, it is not normally considered to include basic instruction such as literacy, English language skills, or programs such as vocational training or GED preparation. Instead, as the term suggests, it is assumed that the student already has a college education and is simply continuing it.
Frequently, continuing education involves enrollment in college/university credit-granting courses, often by students enrolled part-time, and often offered through a division or school of continuing education of a college/university known sometimes as the university extension or extension school. Continuing education can also mean enrollment in non-credit-granting courses, often taken for personal, non-vocational enrichment (although many non-credit courses can also have a vocational function).
The Method and Format of Continuing Education
The method of delivery of continuing education can include traditional types of classroom lectures and laboratories. However, many continuing education programs make heavy use of distance learning, which not only includes independent study, but can also include videotaped/CD-ROM material, broadcast programming or Online Education which has more recently dominated the distance learning community. Many universities, such as Southern New Hampshire University, have begun to offer hybrid courses. These courses offer adult learners the option of having in-classroom and online learning. Online courses have brought the possibility of obtaining an affordable college education to many of those of to whom it was previously out of reach. In addition to independent study, the use of conference-type group study, which can include study networks (which can, in many instances, meet together online) as well as different types of seminars/workshops, can be used to facilitate learning. A combination of traditional, distance, and conference-type study, or two of these three methods, may be used for a particular continuing education course or program.
Teaching Credentials
Educators interested in adult education jobs are usually required to hold a bachelor's degree in education. Some programs that are attached to community colleges or universities might mandate that educators have a master's degree in adult education or another subject. At the same time, teachers working in an adult education job, like an adult high school or literacy and ESL program, can be required to pass a state certification exam and acquire a teacher's license.
Adult Education Students
Community College students in Rochester, New York