The objectives of the National Space Grant and Fellowship Program include the expansion of space-oriented educational programs beyond the traditional boundaries of university campuses to reach 'non-traditional' students whose personal and professional lives would be enhanced by access to such programs. These objectives coincide with those of the continuing education programs that exist on most university campuses. By utilizing continuing educations resources and facilities, members of the National Space Grant Program can greatly enhance the achievement of program objectives

Redd, Frank J.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

N93-'23144
Workshop 4
The Use of Continuing Adult Education
Frank J. Redd
Program Director, Rocky Mountain Space Grant Consortium
Utah State University
Logan, Utah 84321-4140
First National Space Grant Conference
Columbia, Maryland
January 16-19, 1990
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https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19930013955 2020-03-17T07:01:16+00:00Z
The Use of Continuing Adult Education
Abstract
The objectives of the National Space Grant and Fellowship
Program include the expansion of space-oriented educational
programs beyond the traditional boundaries of university
campuses to reach "non-traditional" students whose personal
and professional lives would be enhanced by access to such
programs. These objectives coincide with those of the
continuing education programs that exist on most university
campuses. By utilizing continuing educations resources and
facilities, members of the National Space Grant Program can
greatly enhance the achievement of program objectives.
Introduction
The objectives of the National Space Grant and Fellowship
Program include the expansion of space-oriented educational
programs beyond the boundaries of the university campus to
reach at least four groups of people: (I) middle and
secondary school teachers, (2) aerospace professionals in
need of skills upgrade training, (3) non-aerospace
professionals who desire to transition to aerospace
employment, and (4) the general young-adult and adult public.
The concept of continuing adult education is dedicated to
providing on-campus and off-campus educational opportunities
to "non-traditional" students who do not attend the
university full time, but who are in need of the educational
opportunities provided by university staff and facilities.
Thus, it seems evident that the use of existing continuing
education resources to provide access to space-oriented
educational programs will strongly enhance the achievement of
National Space Grant Program objectives. This paper reviews
the conclusions of a workshop on the subject of the use of
continuing adult education to meet National Space Grant
Program goals. The workshop was conducted during the First
National Space Grant Conference at the Johns Hopkins Applied
Physics Laboratory during January 16-19, 1990.
Objectives
The participants in the referenced workshop agreed upon the
following objectives for the use of continuing education in
support of National Space Grant Program goals:
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(i) To provide teaching methods, materials and instruction
to secondary and middle school science and mathematics
teachers with the goal of providing real linkages
between the subjects they are teaching and space
applications.
(2) To provide appropriate courses of instruction to
aerospace professionals to enable them to upgrade their
skill in consonance with rapidly advancing technology
and the introduction of new engineering/scientific
design and analysis tools. Courses should also be
provided for non-aerospace professionals who desire to
transition to aerospace employment.
(3) To help the general young adult and adult public become
"space literate"; that is, to help members of the
general public understand current space related issues
and the relationships of those issues to their
everyday lives.
An examination of these objectives reveals, then, that the
focus of the space-oriented continuing education should be
upon secondary and middle school science and mathematics
teachers, aerospace professionals in need of upgrading their
skills, professionals in non-aerospace fields who desire to
transition into aerospace employment, and the adult general
public.
Methods
The methods suggested by workshop participants for meeting
the above objectives are generally well within the scope of
traditional university-based continuing education programs.
However, the suggested methods are different for each
objective; thus, the programs must be tailored for the
objective they are supporting.
Secondar_ and Middle School Teachers. Workshop participants
concluded that the most effective method for assisting middle
and secondary school teachers in the development of teaching
methods and the acquisition of materials for classroom
demonstrations was to bring them to the university campus for
a workshop experience which includes instruction and
"hands-on" experience. Workshops should be at least a week
in length and participants should stay on-campus in order to
be absorbed in the educational experience. Social functions
(e.g. banquets, cookouts) should be provided to enhance the
formation of acquaintances which will lead to long-term
sharing of educational experiences.
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At least two universities, University of Washington and Utah
State University, were in the process of planning such
workshops for the summer of 1990. At the writing of this
paper (April 1990) the response to invitations to the "First
Annual Utah State University Summer workshop for Physics
Teachers" has been overwhelming. This workshop provides
instruction in the relationship of space science to high
school physics instruction and gives the participants the
opportunity to build classroom demonstration projects which
can be taken to their individual classrooms. Physics
teachers throughout the states of Utah, Idaho, Nevada and
Wyoming have unanimously voiced their feeling of need for
such experience. Many are coming at substantial sacrifice in
summer employment opportunities. This tremendous response
more than corroborates the views of the National Space Grant
workshop participants regarding the need to reach out to this
group.
Universities with space research programs can also reach out
to secondary and middle school teachers by providing
opportunities for them to fly space experiments in space
(through NASA's Get Away Special Program) for example, on
balloons and on NASA's zero-g k-Bird. Although such
opportunities are not usually included in traditional
continuing education programs, they certainly are consistent
with the "reaching out" tradition of such programs.
Courses of Instruction for Professional Skill Upgrading.
both the aerospace professionalThis objective focuses upon
seeking to upgrade his technical skills and the non-aerospace
professional who seeks to attain the skills necessary to
transition into aerospace employment. The methods of
addressing this objective are mostly oriented toward
providing classroom instructional opportunities through
on-campus short courses; TV based courses which are carried
to off-campus classrooms, either in university extension
service classrooms or into industrial plants; and
correspondence courses. Some universities have also used
videotaped courses for use among groups of professionals.
The advantage of such courses is that they can be taken at
times which are compatible with individual employee needs.
Although correspondence courses may be useful for broad
aerospace policy and program oriented courses, they are not
suitable for courses with strong technical orientations.
General Adult Public. Methods discussed for reaching out to
the general public were focused upon the young adult and
adult public who are most able to understand the objectives
of the National Space Program and its impact upon their
lives. Much of the National Space Program is perceived by
its planners to be in the public benefit; thus, it is
important that the public understand its various facets,
challenges and applications.
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The means for reaching the adult public are very much
oriented toward public relations types of events,
presentations and displays. The use of a speakers bureau
which serves as a focal point for arranging speakers on space
topics for local service clubs; the creation of educational
displays for local schools, malls, and public gathering
places; volunteers for local radio and television talk shows,
particularly when a much-publicized space event is taking
place; on-campus tours associated with such events as
homecoming and graduation; and the creation of serious
monographs on key elements of the National Space Program are
all examples of the kinds of outreach efforts that can help
to bring "space literacy" to the American public. It is
recognized that some of these types of activities fall
outside the traditional bounds of most university continuing
education organizations; but, again, they don't fall outside
the philosophy of continuing education and, thus, they are
included in the responsibility to provide opportunities for
the continuous education of a public in need.
Implementation
Time limitations did not permit the workshop participants to
spend much time on implementation. Obviously, those
programs, such workshops and short courses, which fit well
within current continuing education approaches and
capabilities will be easier to implement than those which
require new approaches. Some programs already have a great
demand, such as the Physics Teachers Workshop described
above. Others will need to be nurtured from a small but
growing need. Financial support will also differ, depending
upon the specific program. Well constructed and advertised
workshops and short courses which are tailored to meet a well
researched need will usually be self supporting. Others will
require some outside financial backing, in many cases from
National Space Grant funding. Hopefully, the knotty details
of implementing continuing education concepts into viable
programs will be addressed at a future workshop.
Conclusions
The role of continuing adult educational programs in
supporting the achievement of National Space Grant and
Fellowship objectives is quite clear. Indeed, the outreach
objective is common to both continuing education and the
National Space Grant Program. The objectives of stimulating
and supporting teachers, enhancing skill-upgrade
opportunities for professionals and creating "space literacy"
within the general public must each be addressed with
different methods; however, all these methods fall within the
overall philosophy of continuing education. Some methods
will be easier to implement than others, depending upon their
relationship to existing continuing education approaches and
financial support. The examination of specific
implementation strategies is a ripe subject for future
workshops.
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The use of continuing adult education

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