Search

Suggests a model to identify variables and measure influence upon the management of a continuing education department. Identifies relevant variables and suggests methods for measuring variables quantitatively. Includes responses from two adult educators operating in a university continuing education program. (JOW)

Leaders of university continuing education units frequently dedicate significant energy to managing relationships between their units and senior university administrators. Many CJUCE readers know of cases where a particularly sympathetic (or unsympathetic) university president or provost has substantially changed the trajectory of a continuing education unit. Using historical documents from the University of British Columbia, the author of this article constructs a case study of the influence of presidential support on the philosophy and practice of university extension and continuing education. In short, UBC's Extension department emerged and flourished under the leadership of two long-serving presidents who expressed significant support for its function as a primary role of the university. In the 1960s, following the appointment of a president who considered research and degree credit teaching to be the university's distinctive mission, the department experienced a crisis. However, the period following 1975 brought renewed executive support when a new president with an expansive vision of the contribution that the university should make to society was appointed. This article not only presents an interesting historical case study but also provokes reflection on how contemporary leaders in continuing education can nurture support from senior administrators.

Over the past decade, many government and policy documents have highlighted with greater urgency the need for lifelong learning. What do present mission statements of Canadian universities have to say regarding lifelong learning? In researching this question we analyzed the institutional mission statements of 58 Canadian universities to identify the extent to which these expressed commitments to facilitating and promoting lifelong learning. While mission statements cannot serve as proof of institutions actually enacting the goals and ideals by which they choose to portray themselves to the public, they still yield insight into the values institutions recognize as important. This article first proposes a model of conceptualizing lifelong learning in higher education. It distinguishes three dimensions of lifelong learning (the adaptive, the personal, and the democratic) and two aspects (lifelong learning as a goal and lifelong learning as a process). From this three by two matrix we derive six categories of lifelong learning in or through higher education. We then use these six categories as a priori codes for our deductive analysis of mission statements. We present and discuss the outcomes of our study, note differences with regards to institutional type, and make some suggestions for future research. (Contains 1 figure and 7 tables.)

Writing recently in this journal, two of Canada's veteran adult educators contemplated the "death" of the Canadian adult education movement. I disagree and argue that adult education in Canada is as vital an activity as ever and one that still fully justifies being called a movement. Specifically, Selman and Selman (2009) list five trends that they assert have brought about the adult education movement's demise: a general retreat from collaborative activities and collective action; a concern about "missionary" activities; the structure, values, and rewards within universities and other institutions of higher education; a shift toward "lifelong learning" as an organizing concept; and the movement somehow becoming less Canadian. In this paper, I consider each trend in some detail and provide examples to counter the Selmans' analysis. Instead, I show that adult education continues to be a critical and vital movement in Canadian society and one very far from dead.

A distinct lack of clarity regarding the identity of university-based continuing education seems commonplace. Continuing educators have tended to focus on the institutional structure of continuing education, linking its identity to its degree of centralization, size of budget, and whether it houses its own faculty members. This paper suggests starting with the function of continuing education, regardless of how and by whom it is carried out. It then proceeds to identify some key values that might guide the practice of continuing education, arguing that in some cases, these values must be in tension with the impulses of the broader institution. Universities today, by necessity, are large bureaucratic institutions with little flexibility. This situation provides continuing education with the opportunity to address the gaps or tensions in the system by offering programs that are more responsive to participants' needs and that allow for a deeper exploration of the values of specific interest groups. UCE programs can also provide alternative entry points to those who want to further their education but have little access to mainstream university programs. Finally, continuing educators can help communities of interest connect with relevant university departments and thereby contribute to the university's mission. (Contains 3 endnotes.)

This paper reviews the foundational literature of contemporary e-learning, with a focus on scaffolding, instructional design, and engagement. These concepts are then considered in two limited case studies, each involving e-learning and adult learners--in particular, nurse-learners. The first case study describes the use of a scaffolding model called Introduction, Connect, Apply, Reflect, and Extend (ICARE) in e-learning for nursing education. The second is a reflection on the use of engagement strategies for the purposes of discourse and learning in a different online nursing context. Because nursing educators were among the early adopters of e-learning, they are important mentors to others who are adopting e-learning strategies at this time. Additionally, the paper is a crossroads publication: it reminds the reader of the imperative to review theory and emerging evidence related to e-learning and to bring key findings to the actual practice of e-learning in order to benefit the adult student. This commitment to theory and practice will enable the evolution of e-learning for all learners, including returning adult learners and working professionals.

The themes of adult learning, cross-cultural learning, and transformative learning are common to many continuing educators working at universities across Canada. In this essay, I narrate my experiences as a mature, adult learner returning to university. Following a literature review and discussion of methodology, I begin this autobiographical portrait with a description of my initial education and life experiences in China. From this foundation, I describe and interpret my cross-cultural sojourn as a graduate student in Canada. This sojourn was both happy and sad, both empowering and disempowering. My story is one of learning--learning as an adult, learning in a cross-cultural setting, and learning that ultimately had a transformative impact on how I view myself and my world. Through exploring my own experiences with learning and change, I hope to offer readers of the "Canadian Journal of Continuing Education" a unique opportunity for insight into personal processes that are difficult to truly understand at a theoretical level alone.

In 2002, the CAUCE Professional Development Committee sponsored a survey of CAUCE members to gather information on their professional development needs and interests. This paper presents the results of this survey and compares it with the results of previous surveys. A particularly interesting aspect of the 2002 survey was the results of a self-assessment by CAUCE members on a series of specific professional competencies. In addition, the results of the present survey were discussed at a meeting of CAUCE deans and directors in February 2003 and a summary of that discussion is provided. The paper concludes with some questions and suggestions relating to future surveys.

Distance educators should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of new technologies as they design new programs. Two papers discuss a model for understanding the nature of the teaching and learning interaction and present a case study of the use of computer-mediated communication technology in the delivery of a graduate credit course. (JOW)

Nipissing University in North Bay, Ontario, is currently the only post-secondary institution in that province to offer a part-time Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing (BScN) program for Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) through a blended learning model. This program represents a "bridge" from the nurse's college diploma and offers a curriculum that enables students to continue to practice nursing as they study. Since the program's inception in 2010, over 500 students have been admitted, attesting to its need. Flexibility, access, partnership, and excellence in teaching and learning comprise the heart of this complex, innovative, and student-centred program. As a blended learning program, it uses synchronous and asynchronous online technologies to deliver theoretical content; these experiences are balanced with face-to-face learning in the clinical setting. Clinical learning is facilitated through partnership agreements with the students' employers. This paper describes how this RPN to BScN blended learning program has brought Nipissing to a leading edge in continuing education for RPNs. It also demonstrates Nipissing University's commitment to drive change in the world of professional and adult education.

A broad range of British Columbia's educators and administrators convened recently to re-discover PLAR with a new energy, a new focus, and a new urgency. "This is not your grandmother's PLAR" became the battle cry of the British Columbia Prior Learning Action Network (BCPLAN) Summit gathering at which the BCPLAN was declared as a not-for- profit society. This paper describes and situates BCPLAN as an emergent PLAR entity and considers its potential success against a historical background and a range of current issues. (Contains 3 notes and 1 figure.)

The issue of summer session organizational models continues to be of interest to summer session deans/directors and university administrators. The University of Victoria surveyed Canadian universities on this issue in 1994. Based on a similar survey done in 2009, this paper updates the status of Canadian university summer session organizational models, and looks at changes that have occurred over the last decade and a half. It appears that the predominance of more centralized models of summer session administration at Canadian universities has continued. Nevertheless, closer examination suggests that the predominant model is actually a hybrid model wherein responsibilities are vested in a centralized summer session unit with selective responsibilities devolved to faculties and/or departments. (Contains 5 tables.)

Technology-enhanced knowledge mobilization can be extremely useful for helping practicing professionals keep abreast of research and development efforts in their field. The initiative described in this paper encourages collaboration among university and community partners to effectively use online learning and communications technology for professional and staff development for multiple types of professional communities. We are engaged in pilot projects with two parallel professional communities within the health care sector (optometric training and practice) and the public education sector (school boards). While these communities differ in both their professional relationships and their learning needs, their variability allows us to design and test the technical, social, and instructional requirements of a generic strategy for using technology for effective knowledge mobilization.

It has often been suggested that education via the Internet, or e-learning, leads to a sense of separation in individual learners; this need not be the case. Teaching is a relationship: a relationship that is built on a connection between teaching and learner, between learner and learner, and between the learners and the content. What then is the role of the instructor in moderating online learning? This paper will explore how that connection might be better made in an online environment and will explore the interpersonal or emotive distinctiveness needed in an e-moderator from the perspective of a group of graduate students engaged in an online master of education degree offered in Canada.

In this paper, we describe the outreach and engagement movement in the United States and explore the implications of this movement for university continuing education units in Canada. Across the United States, major universities have adopted the vocabulary of "outreach and engagement" to foster a shift in the relationships of those universities with communities and organizations beyond the traditional boundaries of the institution. This vocabulary has its roots in the work of Ernest Boyer (1990, 1996) and the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities (1999, 2000). In the past decade, many American universities have adopted new leadership and organizational structures to make an operational commitment to outreach and engagement. In Canada, university continuing education units have traditionally been involved in activities that fit within the concept of outreach and engagement, and leaders of such units should consider the implications of the outreach and engagement movement. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)

Mandatory continuing education (MCE) has become widely accepted across many professions and jurisdictions in Canada as a re-credentialing mechanism. MCE is defined as continuing professional education (CPE) courses and/or programs, beyond the entry-level educational requirements, required by a licensure board, professional organization, or the workplace in order to maintain competence or retain licensure, certification, and/or employment. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the nature and characteristics of the CPE systems of the major health care professions in Canada. Overall, mandatory systems of CPE are increasing among allied health professional groups in Canada. This introduces significant opportunities for providers of CPE for the health professions. Important trends appear to include an increase in distance education formats, an increase in collaborative arrangements between providers, and an increase in the use of CPE to regulate practice. (Contains 2 tables.)

This paper examines the nature of University Continuing Education (UCE) part-time instructors and their needs with respect to professional development and renewal activities. It also casts light on the kinds of experiences that can shape positive professional development and renewal activities. Survey and focus group methodologies were used to collect data for this study. Analysis of that data indicated that professional development and renewal activities must be understood within the context of practice and the nature of part-time instructors; that these activities may be supported by the principle of "mattering," a critical first step in the provision of a nurturing and supportive work environment for part-time instructors; and that part-time instructors' ownership, articulation, and identification of needs are important in the provision of high quality programs and professional development and renewal activities.

Since education is a process, all education is continuing education and not a new phenomenon. What is new is the idea that the university is responsible for providing opportunities for lifelong learning. (JOW)

Wagner and Yerbury identify six theoretical constructs for international development of continuing education programs. Shute's response indicates that the lack of international content in continuing education is not so much a reflection of the programs as on the struggle to internationalize Canadian universities generally. (JOW)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of University Continuing Education is the property of Canadian Association for University Continuing Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)