Waiting to Exhale: African American Women and Adult Learning Through Movies

This paper proposes that movies are a great source for learning especially for African American women. Findings suggest that adult educators will want to look closely at how today’s diverse adults are informed and make meaning via popular culture

A Critical Review of Race, Class, and Gender in Adult Development Models and Theory: Implications for Adult Education

The purpose of this roundtable is to discuss North American literature showing how race, class, and gender has been treated historically and presents three approaches or perspectives that inform contemporary literature

A Majestic Burden: Discovering the Untold Stories of Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Women and Learning Through Narrative Analysis8

The purpose of this completed research investigation is to articulate three of four final research findings as part of a larger study that investigated diverse leadership among an under-represented group and to extend current research on African American women political leaders

Making Meaning: A Critical Literature Review of Young Adults’ Post-Katrina Volunteer Experiences

Hurricane Katrina dealt a devastating blow to the soul of America which resulted in a collective response of young adult volunteers. Understanding the experiences of these crisis volunteers can provide meaningful insight and underscore the importance of investigating human resilience, civic operations, and self-perceptions for life-long learning curricula

The Changing Nature of the Adult Education Professorate: New Roles and Responsibilities in the 21st Century

The purpose of this session is to discuss how the roles and responsibilities of the adult education professor have changed in the last 30 years and how the level of power has shifted amidst such change. An examination regarding the changing nature of faculty roles and responsibilities is important because faculty are now challenged in colleges and universities to operate under *market driven models (Kotler & Fox, 1995). In many institutions, faculty are micro-managed to become “organization” men and women, which greatly alters the teaching and learning contract we have with students; resulting in adult education faculty operating as brokers among constituencies for power, influence, and control. Politics and positionality readily becomes a part of this new market driven relationship or model (Cervero & Wilson and Associates, 2001; Johnson-Bailey, 2001; Kotler & Fox, 1995)

Adult entrances and exits: What does retention literature inform us about urban adult higher educational participants and student success?

This research purpose, derived from a larger study shares findings which help explain retention and, success outcomes associated with Urban adult learners in a 4 year higher educational setting. A critical analysis of the literature reveals in retention, understanding barriers is a key indicator of an institution\u27s effectiveness

Disability matters: IDEIA, Section 504, and ADA: What do these acts mean for African American learners who experience intellectual disabilities? A critical literature review

Adult learners with an intellectual disability have legal protections to access post-secondary learning and vocational opportunities. As individuals strive to maximize potential in the disability space, do cultural barriers of racism disrupt the potential for African American adult learners with intellectual disabilities? One implicit assumption is that race and social status affect advocacy efforts for learners during K-12 experiences, and the adult learners’ ability to self-advocate

Expanding the Contributions of bell hooks: Through the Lens of Adult Education

The purpose of this roundtable is to discuss hook’s influence in the field of adult education and her contributions. We will explore four key areas: 1) adult teaching and learning pedagogy, 2) adults and popular culture, 3) feminism and diverse women’s issues, and 4) diversity and liberatory pedagogy

Measuring the Satisfaction of Students at the Completion of an Adult Learning and Development Graduate Program

The purpose of this empirical paper is to discuss the level in which the students nearing graduation from an adult learning and development graduate program were satisfied with their learning experience. Historically, colleges and universities have been regulated by accreditation agencies, such as the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, for the purpose of assuring that the adult learners will receive the level of education necessary to perform effectively in professional practice. Colleges of education are further regulated by agencies, such as NCATE. However, state departments of education are now requiring state institutions of higher learning to justify the need for academic programs and the level of training that is being administered in the classroom (Brand, 1997). Colleges and universities are being micromanaged from the state-level similar to the market driven model described by Kotler and Fox (1995). Faculty are now finding they are responsible for assuring the success of their educational program through numerous factors such as program enrollment, recruitment, student retention, student learning gains, and student satisfaction (Brand, 2000). Donaldson and Graham (1999) developed a model suggesting that college outcomes are dependent upon the five elements of (1) prior experience, (2) orienting frameworks (e.g., motivation, self-confidence, and values), (3) the adult’s cognition (e.g., declarative, procedural, and self-regulation of knowledge structures and processes), (4) the “connecting classroom” (e.g., avenue for social engagement and negotiating meaning for learning), and (5) the life-world environment (e.g., family, work, and community). Edwards and Usher (1997) examined the understanding of knowledge and education, the place of the university, and the responsibilities for adult educators with respect to economic, social, and cultural dimensions. A study of graduate students found that the academic programs’ level of program integration, responsiveness to change, and leadership explained 26% of the predicted value in the change of student enrollment (Milton, Watkins, Spears-Studdard, & Burch, 2003). The literature does illustrate studies that address many contextual factors between the adult learner and higher education. However, the studies do not address the degree to which the academic program is meeting the needs of the adult learners and the demands from governing accreditation agencies, state departments of education, and the administrators of higher education. The purpose of this study was to understand the level to which our graduate students were satisfied with their learning experience while pursuing a master’s degree in adult learning and development

Making Meaning of the Retirement Portfolio and its Impact on Learning in the Third Age

This roundtable examines relevant literature concerning the impact of one’s retirement portfolio and the economic self-sufficiency essential for learning and living in the Third Age of life. Third Agers are conceptualized as active retirement aged individuals, in good health with possibly 20+ years of life ahead of them