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ERIC Number: ED336151
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1991-Mar
Pages: 16
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
With Eyes of Equality: Older and Younger Students Learn in a Community College Senior Program.
Heinrich, June Sark
In contrast to many senior education programs, the senior program at Triton College (TC) has as one of its aims bringing together younger and older students in both noncredit and credit courses without neglecting the need and desire of many older adults to learn in their own age group. The term "older students" is loosely defined at the college, but tuition is lower for those 60 years of age and older. The TC program offers a wide variety of courses especially but not exclusively for older students. All daytime noncredit courses are listed not only in a brochure for older adults, but also in the general continuing education bulletin. The courses which are most successful at attracting both older and younger students are regular credit courses. Credit courses offered in recent terms included Practical Psychology, Music Appreciation, Floral Design, and World Religions, with the last most successful in bringing together equal numbers of older and younger students. Near the completion of fall 1990, a questionnaire was administered to the 16 students who enrolled in World Religions to obtain their reactions to the mixed-age class. Four of 13 students responding were in the 17-25 age bracket, while eight of the students were over 60. While the younger students felt that they were treated somewhat condescendingly, all students, both younger and older, strongly supported mixed-age classes as beneficial to learning. Appendixes contain a paper entitled "Why Does Triton Have a Special Program for Older Adults?" a brochure on Triton's "Lifelong Learner Program in the Liberal Arts," a publicity sheet for a certificate program designed to encourage older students to take more challenging courses, and an article on TC's "Education Center on Aging." (JMC)
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A