Adult Education Programs (Module 1)

The great variety of possibilities in adult education is both exciting and overwhelming at times.  The topics of study are as wide ranging as the adult students themselves and their reasons for returning to the classroom.  The classroom itself is of many varieties, from traditional desks and chairs, to the factory floor, to the dance studio, to the virtual world of the internet.  Adult students might pursue a course of study for personal or professional growth and development, in pursuit of a degree program (as I am doing) or as continuing education.  Licenses and certifications are examples of non-degree occupational credentials.  Other work experience programs can include residencies, internships, clinical experiences, and practicums.  Many workplaces offer online or in person professional development programs and there are many freelance workers, such as artists, that continue their training throughout their professional lives.

As a student and an educator, I have experienced many of the above scenarios in various combinations.  I have taught adult piano students and served as a vocal coach to working musical theater professionals.  I have taught ESL in a volunteer setting to new residents of the United States.  And I teach undergraduate musical theater students, who seem to me to share the needs of both traditional and adult learners.  As a student, I am two classes away from completing my M.A. in Adult Learning and Training, I have taken private piano and voice lessons, and have attended professional development sessions.  It has been a fascinating experience living on both sides of this field and I believe it has enhanced my overall experience.

One of the first classes I took as part of this degree explored program planning, which was a very new world to me.  I learned about Caffarella's Interactive Program Planning Model, which really helped put the important steps into focus and which we are revisiting this week.  I am glad to see this model again through the lens of the other classes I've taken in the interim, which have really fleshed out the concepts of instructional design.  This model also addresses the more practical aspects of program planning, such as budgets, staffing, and scheduling.  My favorite part of this model, which is an idea I saw many times in other concepts as well, is that very little happens in a nice, straight line.  Every step can affect and be affected by every other step.  This idea of constant evaluation and flexibility has stayed with me and I have observed its presence or lack thereof in my observations of education programs as well as in my own teaching.  See below for an illustration of  the model.

of Program Planning