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Today's college students grew up with digital news media and social media readily available on their smartphones. As a result, students are likely to use their smartphones to access the news through social media where partisan misinformation is easily spread. Efforts to combat the spread of misinformation on social media are being explored on several fronts, including media literacy programs. While media literacy is not a cure-all for the problems posed by misinformation, it is helpful for instructors to understand how adept U.S. college students are at assessing the credibility of the news on their phones and the influence political polarization has on the students' news consumption. This study addresses how 206 undergraduate students at a regional university in the Southwestern United States interact with social media, consume the news, and determine which news articles to believe. It offers insights into the role media literacy may have in addressing the issue.

Many Americans dream of a college degree, but earning one requires time and money. As one solution, prior learning assessment (PLA) documents college-level learning gained outside the classroom for academic credit and can make the difference between earning or not earning a college degree. However, the literature lacks an integrative and systematic review of PLA to add to the knowledge base. The purpose of this review was to examine the academic literature related to PLA in the United States. For data collection, we used a structured process to capture data from all peer-reviewed journal articles, published in the last decade, meeting inclusion criteria. For data analysis, we used inductive coding and clustering to identify categories leading to themes. Major findings from the articles included journals, publication years, authorship, underlying empirical studies, and six themes--the big picture; higher education changing PLA and PLA changing higher education; equity and access; program overviews; approaches, methods, and processes; and quality assessment.

Effective communication between cancer patients and their healthcare professionals is an essential ingredient in providing quality medical care. There is a correlation between poor healthcare communication and chronic stress in cancer patients. Chronic stress impedes the human immune system and promotes tumor growth. There is also a negative correlation between cancer communication discomfort in patients and their level of education. To address poor healthcare communication, chronic stress, and improve health outcomes, healthcare providers must act as educators. It is important for providers to (1) utilize effective methods when communicating face-to-face with cancer patients, (2) present written information that can be understood at sixth to eighth grade levels, and (3) utilize the power of computer-mediated communication in order improve the health literacy and outcomes of their cancer patients.

An increasing number of universities have implemented prior learning assessment (PLA), but little research has examined the non-course matching approach referred to as block credit PLA. Adult learners pursuing a college degree often bring professional competencies, knowledge, and skills to the classroom. PLA enables adult learners to earn college credit hours based on prior college-level learning gained outside the traditional classroom. This study operationalized Block Credit Prior Learning Assessment to award college credit hours for adults enrolled in a college completion program. Participants were comprised of 280 undergraduate students who submitted a PLA portfolio for evaluation by trained raters. Research methods included computing Cronbach's alpha for inter-rater reliability and conducting principal component analysis to weight four internal variables for computing a score. Results indicated a weighted score from internal variables combined with external variable scores aligned with college credit hours. This study relates PLA theory to practice in implementing Block Credit Prior Learning Assessment.

Improved educational technology provides new opportunities and tools for enhanced teaching and learning. However, low efficacy with technology adversely affects nontraditional students' course and college outcomes. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine nontraditional student perceptions of educational technology tools. We thematically coded 10 discussion forums and 239 analyses of 125 student-selected tools. This article highlights traditional student voices and presents a list of tools organized by purpose, the template used by students to analyze tools, and student perceptions of tools. Discussed major themes comprise a wide breadth of tools and purposes, differing experiences in applying theory to practice, and tools supporting learning and interaction in multiple domains.

In the 21st century economic landscape, many argue the importance of a college degree, as entry into many occupations now requires advanced credentials. Pursuing a college degree costs time and money, often presenting barriers to those pursuing the dream. Prior learning assessment (PLA) offers a solution to spend less time and money earning a college degree by documenting outside learning. PLA shortens time-to-degree, reduces tuition costs, supports student persistence, and boosts degree completion, particularly for adult learners (non- and post-traditional students) and underserved populations. The purpose of this article was to examine PLA within an award-winning degree completion program primarily serving adult learners in order to improve practice. Aligned with the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning's (CAEL) standards for assessing learning, this article discusses the degree completion program, PLA course and competency portfolio, block credit competency model and block credit competency model and portfolio assessment, program administration, and implications.

This study examined nontraditional students using linguistic inquiry and word count (LIWC) of their reflective writing assignments. Participants included 364 adult students enrolled in a degree completion program. Data comprised a multiweek reflective writing assignment and demographic data, linguistically and statistically analyzed. The study found that nontraditional students have low clout, a high drive for achievement, and a high motive of allure. In addition, students participating in credit for prior learning (CPL), also referred to as prior learning assessment (PLA), have statistically higher analytical thinking, drive for affiliation, and reward as motive. These results offer implications for prospective and nontraditional students, for academic advisors and instructors, and for higher education institutions and CPL programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many Americans dream of completing a college degree, positively influencing wages and economic mobility. The number of students entering college or returning to college later in life is growing. Up to 75% of university enrollments are comprised of students in one or more of the following circumstances: 25 years old or older, attend school part-time, work full-time, parents. These students, described in the literature as non-traditional or post-traditional students, have different needs from traditionally-aged students. The award-winning Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS) program, in Texas State University's Department of Occupational, Workforce, and Leadership Studies (OWLS), provides a pathway for post-traditional students to earn a college degree. This article features the voices of post-traditional students and discusses background information as context. The work of Malcolm Knowles and his ideas about andragogy serve as a framework for analyzing the BAAS program as well as implications and future.

Belonging at work is an important aspect of faculty values, motivation, and professional identity. The purpose of this study was to explore individual and institutional factors related to belonging and professional identity for university faculty. Two hundred and thirty-six faculty participated in the study through completing a survey with open and closed-ended questions. Data was analyzed using inductive and sentiment analyses. Six themes emerged from the faculty responses, and finding suggest belonging is associated with faculty rank and roles. Implications for policy and practice and suggestions for future research are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior learning assessment (PLA) uses testing or competency portfolios to assess and grant credit for college-level learning, thus offering personal and professional empowerment to adult learners. The purpose of this review was to systematically examine global academic literature related to PLA over a decade. An earlier review of U.S. literature focused solely on PLA, but this review focused on the globally used term recognition of prior learning (RPL) and prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR). Data collection followed a structured process to identify all peer-reviewed journal articles published over a decade that meet inclusion criteria. Data analysis included thematic coding to identify categories leading to themes. Major findings included journals publishing about PLA, author perspectives and affiliations, underlying empirical studies, and eight major themes: studies of programs, policy and systems, studies of PLA, technology tools, theory building, assessment practices, workplace applications of PLA, and immigration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has long been posited in the field of adult education and elsewhere that reflection is an integral part of one's teaching practice and as well as a beneficial learning tool for students. It was with this orientation to practice that Dr. Carrie J. Boden started her first year of teaching in the Adult Education Masters Degree Program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Being new to the program and the 60-some advisees, she envisioned using reflective journaling in the graduate courses, not only as a way to improve student learning, but also as a means to conduct an informal baseline assessment of the students' knowledge in the program, to diagnose their learning needs, and to learn about their personal and professional goals. In the Foundations of Adult Education course, she assigned weekly learning journal entries in which the students were to chronicle their insights, agree or disagree with course materials, relate new information to previous experiences, record their reflections, and/or ask questions. The students were also encouraged to make connections between the course materials and their current or future teaching practices. While sometimes "starter prompts" or topics were assigned, the students were not required to write "only" about these items. They were encouraged to focus on their own learning patterns and would be given full credit for any journal entry that in some way dealt with the course topics. The journal entries were presented as "low-stakes" writing experiences. This article presents reflections, written several months after the end of the Foundations of Adult Education course, that show reflective journaling has had a lasting effect.

Many Americans dream of a college degree, but earning one requires time and money. As one solution, prior learning assessment (PLA) documents college-level learning gained outside the classroom for academic credit and can make the difference between earning or not earning a college degree. However, the literature lacks an integrative and systematic review of PLA to add to the knowledge base. The purpose of this review was to examine the academic literature related to PLA in the United States. For data collection, we used a structured process to capture data from all peer-reviewed journal articles, published in the last decade, meeting inclusion criteria. For data analysis, we used inductive coding and clustering to identify categories leading to themes. Major findings from the articles included journals, publication years, authorship, underlying empirical studies, and six themes—the big picture; higher education changing PLA and PLA changing higher education; equity and access; program overviews; approaches, methods, and processes; and quality assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prologue: An Implementation of Learning Journals It has long been posited in the field of adult education and elsewhere that reflection is an integral part of one's teaching practice and […]

Virtually all communication theories involve being aware of the communication transaction-watching, hearing or listening, attending to mood, affect and tone, and finally, assisting in transcending beyond barriers and issues that prevent effective peer to peer communication. The WHAT model (Watch, Hear, Attend, Transcend) may provide a method of alleviating tension and improving peer-to-peer interaction and communication in graduate seminar settings. The WHAT model was presented to students pursuing a master's degree in adult education in an effort to facilitate peer feedback on written work. Focusing on the communication process was a crucial component in facilitating efficacious peer-to-peer constructivist learning strategies. Results of the analysis are discussed and further research is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latino English Language Learners (ELLs) who have recently immigrated to the United States represent a large and growing population that is markedly underserved. Recent trends in the data depict a significant dropout rate from high school and college for these students. According to the latest available data from The National Center for Educational Statistics, the high school dropout rate for Latinos was more than triple the rate for Caucasians. The acculturation difficulties that Latino students encounter are daunting. This article briefly reviews some of the cultural, linguistic, emotional, socioeconomic, and health challenges that may impede success in school. A group intervention model, the Arriba Program, is presented as a means of assisting students in addressing some of these acculturation difficulties. The program involves a school-based, professionally-led peer support group. The program is intended to be practical, culturally-sensitive, and readily disseminated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on personal epistemology (Boden, Smartt, Franklin-Guy, & Scudder, 2006; Perry, 1968; Schommer, 1990; Schommer-Aikins, Duell, & Barker, 2003) suggests that factors such as students' beliefs about the structure of knowledge, the certainty of knowledge, the sources of knowledge, the control of learning, and the speed of knowledge acquisition affect the learning process. This study explores the strategies that professors implement in order to promote the epistemological development of students by encouraging them to think for themselves, to question authority, and to become self-directed. Participants in this study were professors teaching in graduate programs at two universities in an urban setting in the Midwestern region of the United States. Open-ended essay questions were administered online, and follow-up inperson, telephone, and email interviews were conducted. The data were coded and categorized using the constant-comparative method. Seven themes of commonly employed methodologies emerged. These included the utilization of case studies, debate/guided discussions, the Socratic Method, reflective assignments, technology, self-directed learning, and text/article critiques. The methodologies described in this study share many common characteristics: they are active, applied, processoriented, challenging, and formative. While there are certainly many effective teaching techniques that one can utilize at the university level, the authors suggest that the methodologies outlined in this study can be put into practice in order to promote student epistemological development and self-directedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the relationship between demographic variables, epistemological beliefs, and the readiness of learners to be self-directed. The students in the sample were drawn from three distinct populations. A demographic questionnaire, the Schommer Epistemological Questionnaire (SEQ), and the Self Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) were administered to traditional undergraduate students (18–25 year-olds), adult undergraduate students(25 years old and older), and adult graduate students. The students' beliefs and attitudes about learning and the nature of knowledge were measured with the SEQ which includes the four factors of belief in quick learning, fixed ability, certain knowledge, and simple knowledge. These factors and demographic variables were correlated with SDLRS total scores. The significant demographic variables and SEQ factors were utilized in a regression equation to predict learner self-directedness. The findings from this research suggest that students become more self-directed as they progress in class standing and age and as their beliefs concerning fixed ability, simple knowledge, and certain knowledge become more sophisticated. These findings also support including coursework in the humanities, independent studies, and experiential learning within and as prerequisites to programs as these factors were significantly correlated with epistemic sophistication and with learner self-directedness. The findings of this study lead to several recommendations for the improvement of practice. For example, students' epistemic and self-directed developmental levels play a part in curricular decisions. Learning experiences should be designed to help students develop their epistemological beliefs and these experiences should be implemented in a way that allows student to become increasingly more self-directed throughout their course and/or program of study. The researchers conclude that it is necessary to bring innovative learning and teaching strategies to the mainstream of higher education in order to better serve students by changing and growing with them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]