Adult Education (ADTED)

This course provides an overview of medical education, and considers how it operates as a specific form of adult education. ADTED 501 Foundations of Medical Education (3) The primary focus of this course is to explore the foundations of medical education by providing an overview of medical education, and considering how medical education operates as a specific form of adult education. It is especially relevant to educators working with adult learners in medical education, nursing education, or health education. More specifically, the course will focus on how insights from adult learning theory can contribute to the theory and practice of medical education in designing curriculum and developing an appropriate pedagogy in both classroom and clinical teaching contexts. It will examine recent and future trends in US medical education in light of the context of: the guidelines of the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC); the current health care system; and comparative trends in medical education in other countries. The course will examine research in medical education, and help students focus on the connections of research and educational philosophy/theory with developing their own teaching practice in medical education in classroom settings (face to face and online), and in clinical teaching settings. Finally, it will briefly explore trends in medical education assessment, and issues in continuing medical education.Objectives are: 1. To provide an overview of the foundations of Medical Education as Adult Education2. To consider the development of medical education in light of its history and recent trends in health care in both a U.S. and international context3. To analyze and discuss adult learning theory as related to medical education in both classroom and clinical settings4. To examine some of the research in medical education assessment strategies used in evaluating medical education5. To develop a philosophy of medical education that guides the development of curriculum and pedagogy in different medical education settings6. To develop specific strategies for medical education teaching practice for both classroom and clinical contextsIn addition to ongoing participation, evaluation is predominantly based on the following:1. A paper where students discuss their philosophy of medical education and what it suggests for curriculum development in light of course readings and class discussion2. A collaborative book review and presentation of a recent book in medical education3. A final paper or project exploring an issue in medical education in depth

This course focuses on program planning and instructional design in a medical setting with an emphasis on teaching with simulation. ADTED 502 Program and Instructional Design in Medical Education (3) Participants of this course will explore a variety of program and curriculum planning and instructional design approaches to teaching in a medical setting, with a particular emphasis on the use of simulation as an instructional design. Program planning is informed by models from the adult education literature and curriculum planning informed by the field of medical education which will provide a framework for preparing participants in the assessing, planning, developing and evaluating simulations as an instructional design. The course will provide participants with the both theoretical understanding and direct practical experience so they are able to effectively plan and develop effective simulations for teaching in a medical setting. In addition, this course is taught in six sessions (9-5pm) which is a suitable format for teaching the content and the work schedule of medical students/faculty who will be taking this course.

Examination of direct and indirect teaching; contracts, application of current technology, andragogy, motivation, evaluation; knowledge of research.

Intensive study of theoretical foundations, policies, evaluation models, methods, and materials in program planning in adult education.

Guided discussion and reading in selected research and evaluation methods and trends as applied in adult education settings.

Examination of globalization discourses and their relationships, implications and impacts on lifelong learning processes and contexts. ADTED 508ADTED (CI ED) 508 Globalization and Lifelong Learning (3) The course is designed to help students to critically examine the nature and impacts of globalization on lifelong learning. The main goal is to enhance the students' ability to learn and work in a globalizing world and to challenge traditional perspectives about globalization and lifelong learning. As such, the course will adopt a critical perspective on globalization while helping the students to develop a reflective stance on the theory and practice of lifelong learning. A central focus of the course will be to develop a critical analysis that contributes to the building of a more active and socially responsible adult learner. Students will be evaluated using a number of assignments/projects. The major research paper, class presentation, two critiques of theories of lifelong learning, country profile of lifelong and a short reaction paper will count for 90% of the course grade. Class participation will be awarded 10%.

Examines the relationship between issues of language, identity and culture for adult learners in an increasingly global context. ADTED 509 ADTED (CI ED) 509 Language, Literacy, Identity, and Culture in a Global Context (3)This core required course provides graduate students in the ADTED Ph.D. program a critical overview of the literature, theories, and scholarship examining the complexities inherent in an increasingly diverse global and post-colonial sphere. Explorations of historical, theoretical, postcolonial perspectives will be the focus, as will the daily portrayals of diverse peoples by the media. Participants in the course will be expected to familiarize themselves with the readings portraying the complexities of ethnicity, indigeneity, race, gender, and social class. Evaluation will focus primarily on writing a scholarly paper, preparing video materials that illustrate the issues, writing their personal educational histories, and participating in class.

Social and historical foundations of adult education in the United States and selected nations.

Students read the philosophical foundations of education research, study how philosophies influence methodologies, and analyze current educational problems. This course is designed for students entering doctoral programs in the College of Education. Our students are studying to become education researchers within a highly politicized environment. For example, particular definitions of education research and government policies that favor some types of research practices over others provide opportunities for and set limits upon the work of education researchers. Public controversies likewise contribute to challenges faced by education researchers who find their work affirmed or discounted by particular definitions and policies. In order to explore these controversies and to allow students to begin identifying their own "positionality" with regard to research, this course begins with a reading of the history and philosophies of education research (primarily focusing on the United States). The course goals are: - to identify underlying assumptions of competing forms of social inquiry, each determined to uncover new knowledge; - to bring those assumptions to bear on education research in chosen fields of study; and - to begin to develop one's own positions in order to direct further study and research. Specifically, through instructor facilitation and group discussions, students will come to understand major philosophical perspectives that permeate and drive research methodologies in education: positivism, postpositivism, interpretivism, critical theory, poststructuralism, and pragmatism. These understandings allow students to recognize the methodological assumptions that inform published research studies and to discover how methodologies might inform the research they wish to conduct as students and practitioners. Although the course is not required by any particular doctoral program in the College of Education, it is suggested for students who consider research important to their future careers and who see benefits in exploring the methodological options available.

An orientation to the field of adult education and to doctoral study in the Adult Education Program at Penn State. This course provides both an orientation to the field of adult education as an area of study and an initial seminar for doctoral students to understand the process of graduate study in this program. It is intended for both practitioners who have experience working with adult learners and people with little or no experience who have an interest in learning about the field. We will take a broad view of adult education and will accommodate the interest of persons concerned with non­formal education, informal learning, and formal learning in diverse settings. The principal aim is to develop a basic understanding of adult education in a global context as well as to begin preparing students for candidacy. The focus of the course will be on the socio­historical context of its methods, agencies, programs, and issues.

In depth study of the practices of designing courses taught by print, broadcast, and telecommunications media to adult distance learners.

Study of previous, current, and needed research strategies, and issues concerning evaluation in distance education.

Students will explore the historical and current developments of online and distance education in different regions of the world.

Introduction to adult education learning theory, principles, and models of adult learning by adults alone, in groups, and in communities.

This course critically examines the broad contemporary issues and interdisciplinary trends of literacy education with an international and comparative framework. CI ED (ADTED/AFR) 543 Comparative and International Trends in Adult Literacy Education (3) This course provides a comparative synthesis of what is known about literacy education and adult learning and what it will mean for the 21st century: the context in which literacy takes place; who participates; what they learn and why; the nature of the learning processes; new approaches to adult learning; social media and mobile devices; development theory in adult learning; and other issues relevant to understanding literacy education and adult learning in sociocultural, political, and international contexts. It also examines the newer approaches to adult learning: embodied, spiritual and narrative learning; learning and knowing in non-western perspectives; and cultural theory, poststructural and feminist perspectives. This course investigates questions such as: What does it mean to be literate in the 21st century? Why are teachers experiencing difficulty teaching students skills needed to understand and produce written work? Can schools in the 21st century inundated with digital technologies help students navigate the new literacies? How should adult literacy participants deal with the reality of new media and new literacies? What is the role of non-governmental organizations in this crisis? Overall, this course challenges graduate students to engage other international and non-western frameworks of learning and knowing to think about the purpose of education and learning as well as question the nature of knowledge production itself.

This course introduces students to some of the major bodies of literature related to race and gender, with a focus on how these intersectional perspectives help to shape our understanding of adult education and lifelong learning. The first part of the course is an overview of several key concepts including global theories of race and gender relevant to diverse societies in distinct geographical locations. The second part of the course explores the intersection of race, gender, and education through the writings of critical feminist scholars. Through this course, students will learn how to analyze race, gender, and class not as independent categories but deeply interconnected spheres of subjective and objective experiences. Students will also learn how theories of race and gender can inform their analyses of adult education policy and practice.

Distinctive contributions to meeting the need for postsecondary education; development, functions, curriculum and instruction, government, administration, and finance.

Introduction to the theory, principles, and practice of qualitative research.

Students learn to analyze data qualitatively by engaging in, and continuously reflecting on the process. ADTED 551ADTED 551 Qualitative Data Analysis (3) The course is designed for graduate students wishing to gain competencies in qualitative data analysis. It is especially suitable for students needing guidance in completing the data analysis phase of their masters' or doctoral research. The course takes a thoroughly hands-on, inductive approach. Students learn the skills and principles of qualitative data analysis by engaging in, and reflecting on, the process. Texts will be consulted, as needed, but only as resources to assist in the students' on-going work, not as blue prints to follow. Using their own data, the instructor will guide students in selecting and using appropriate strategies and techniques for qualitatively analyzing data. Students will work in teams. Each work team will make periodic progress reports - in the form of oral class presentations. It is expected that students will actively participate in class discussions and in their work teams. Each student will also submit a diskette that contains samples of the work he or she has generated while using qualitative data analysis computer programs. Each student will also submit a final paper that articulates what he or she learned about the qualitative data analysis process.

Examines origins, historical development, main characteristics, methodological assumptions and models, practice of participatory action research adult education and community development. ADTED 552 ADTED 552 Participatory Action Research (3) This course is designed to provide students with a critical overview of the theory and practice of participatory action research (PAR). The course begins with an examination of the meaning and nature of participatory action research. Related issues such as the major differences between PAR and the orthodox, traditional research paradigm will be discussed. This will be followed with a discussion of the historical roots of PAR and a critical examination of its epistemological assumptions and philosophical roots. The course will explore the various models of doing PAR with particular reference to the guidelines, phases, methods, and techniques. Finally, the course will critically examine a selected number of case studies from various regions. Students will be evaluated using a variety of assignments. The scholarly paper, a case study of PAR practice, annotated bibliography and three reaction papers will count for 90% of the course grade. Class participation will be awarded 10%.

Reading literacy for adults, including college reading, Adult Basic Education (ABE), and General Educational Development (GED) programs.

Examines the research related to the four components of family literacy, program effectiveness, and theoretical underpinnings. ADTED 561ADTED 561 Family Literacy (3) Open to graduate students who are interested in literacy, adult education, early childhood education, family studies, communication, and related fields, this 3-credit course provides a research-based study of family literacy. Family literacy comprises four components: Adult literacy instruction, early childhood education, parenting education, and parent - child interaction. Research about the four components and the program as implemented in the USA (primarily under the Goodling Even Start Act) and internationally will be studied in addition to the theoretical underpinnings of the concept of family literacy. Students will be required to conduct original or library research related to family literacy and present their findings both in class and in a written paper that could be publishable. Students may choose to do research related to the projects of the Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy in the College of Education; students' papers may have the opportunity to be disseminated through the Institute. The research project, presentation, and paper will be counted as 50% of the course grade. Class participation (including email discussion groups) will be awarded 20% of the course grade while the remaining 30% will be awarded to short reaction papers to the assigned readings.

Examines the work of Paulo Freire as it applies to community action projects. ADTED 562 / CIED 562 Politics, Languages and Pedagogy: Applying Paulo Freire Today (3) The life and work of Paulo Freire will be the focus of this advanced graduate seminar. Freire was one of the foremost adult educators of our time. Graduate students participating in the course will read and reflect on his vision and how it evolved over time, critiques of Freire, the ways in which his ideas have been applied in diverse geographic and practice settings (e.g., education, community development), and implications for research, policy, and practice. Students will explore how elements related to Freire's work, such as conscientization, transformative action, and pedagogy for liberation, influence pedagogy and community action projects. Readings will include Freire's books, scholarship on Freire, and case studies of Freirean projects, among others.

Examines the relationship between learning and work with special attention given to how certain forms of learning are legitimized. ADTED 564 Social and Cultural Contexts of Learning and Work (3) This course is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills required to critically examine the concepts and meanings of learning and work and their relationship to community. The course focuses on formal, nonformal, informal, and incidental learning, with particular emphasis given to how different types of knowledge and different forms of learning are legitimized. The course will allow students to develop and understand the social context in which learning and work operate and how those concepts shape and impact the community. Students will write critiques of readings as well as a major literature review, participate in class discussion, and do a class presentation.

Critical and comparative analysis of adult education theory and practice outside North America, including international agency involvement.

Organization of a program of adult education; legal status, finances, selection of teachers, learning personnel, housing; other administrative problems.

A seminar dealing with specific research topics and methods in adult education. Open to advanced students in adult education.

This course offers an in-depth coverage of social theory, especially as it intersects with research and practice in adult education and lifelong learning. Considering that educational research, educational practice, and the politics of justice in education are informed by specific theoretical frameworks, this course will explore historical and epistemological foundations of theories and engage core modernist theories, postmodern and critical theories, and the theorizing found in Global South discourses.

Review of research in adult education, current and past, with analysis of its directions, effects, methodology, quality, financing, and prospects.

Continuing seminars that consist of a series of individual lectures by faculty, students, or outside speakers.

Supervised student activities on research projects identified on an individual or small-group basis.

Supervised student internship in adult education agency.

Creative projects including non-thesis research, supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.

Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject which may be offered infrequently.

No description.

Ph.D. Dissertation research.

Experience in teaching in the Adult Education Program.

No description.