This study involves nontraditional students attending a community college in west Texas. The purpose of this study was to report initial attitudes of nontraditional students required to enroll in an Effective Learning/Student Success course. Participants included four nontraditional students from the researchers' Effective Learning/Student…

This is a narrative case study that analyzes Carl's experience as a nontraditional student who enrolls in a transition course after a 15-year hiatus from college. Specifically, the study aims at understanding the perceived impact that the course had on shaping the personal narrative of learning in college of a reentry student. Using a…

This qualitative case study examined the experiences of instructional designers and professors during the online course development process. The purpose of this study was to determine if their experiences had an effect on the process itself. Data analysis revealed five emergent themes: communication, commitment to quality online courses,…

Higher education is now expected to respond to community demands that include fueling economic development and addressing the needs of a wider range of students. Colleges and universities have responded to these demands using a variety of delivery models. A study was conducted by the Ardmore Higher Education Center to identify the advantages and…

Continuing educators need additional strategies for developing new programming that can both reduce the time to market and lower the cost of development. Rapid prototyping, a time-compression technique adapted from the high technology industry, represents one such strategy that merits renewed evaluation. Although in higher education rapid…

The integration of formal and informal learning is increasing transparently in our daily lives. Leaders of higher and continuing education will benefit from better understanding why and how to formatively research and design effective popular informal learning such as educational podcasting. Using media that has a wide general public user base and…

In recent years, positive organizational behavior and scholarship has emerged as a new lens for organizational analysis. The construct of organizational virtuousness, a part of positive organizational scholarship, has been examined in for-profit entities and was found to be positively linked with organizational outcomes. This case study sought to…

The article addresses the effective use of full-time and part-time faculty in transforming an institutionalized marginalized professional studies unit into an academic unit with greater academic credibility, as perceived by traditional colleagues and accreditors. Recommendations are supported by a case study narrative from the experiences of the…

Described as "ripe for the picking," non-degree seeking (NDS) students in graduate education are creating an accelerated awareness of how little is known by institutional, state, and federal stakeholders about this population. Recognition of the unidentified learning objectives, limited student services, and ambivalence within the university…

The term Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) refers not to a single kind of assessment but rather an entire family of assessment methods that can be used by institutions. Some of these methods are exam-based. In addition, there are other methods of PLA. One of the more innovative methods of offering PLA, however, is through the development of student…

Interviews with four continuing education program planners and analysis of critical incident reports supported the notion that planning is a social activity guided by a process of negotiating interests. In the planning process, different levels of power exist in relationship to different audiences. (SK)

Ethical dilemma case studies and associated ethical principles were evaluated in 2 surveys of 1,640 members of the Association for Continuing Higher Education (10% and 21% response, respectively). Respondents preferred principles emphasizing student advocacy and their role as professionals. Issues of role conflict were also apparent. (SK)

A case study illustrates the need to examine criteria used to select noncredit continuing education offerings. In this case, the physics faculty protested that the offering "Fundamentals of Astrology" was inappropriate as a university noncredit course. A survey of 77 continuing education divisions revealed how course offering choices are made. (CH)

A study of the image of a small church-related college among adults in its immediate community, among students from feeder schools, and among its own students is reported, and the implications of the results for recruitment for and development of its evening program are discussed. (MSE)

The author provides the theoretical context and setting of a study of how adult students characterize instructional excellence and how certain programmatic factors relate to the identification of excellent instructors. The study also examines the role of instructional award programs in continuing higher education. (CH)