The Power of ePortfolio Development to Foster Reflective and Deeper Learning in an Online Graduate Adult Education Program

2020 ◽  
pp. 104515952097773
Author(s):  
Frank Di Silvestro ◽  
Hamid Nadir
Keyword(s):  
Adult Education ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Master's Students ◽  
Student Responses ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Personal Strengths ◽  
Self Discovery

The current study addressed two problems in adult education: the lack of published research on the use of ePortfolios in graduate adult education, and more specifically, how can graduate adult educators utilize ePortfolios to foster reflective and deeper learning in a graduate adult education program? This was a 3-year qualitative study of 36 master’s students in their final capstone course in an online graduate adult education program. The primary research question was Can developing ePortfolios foster reflective and deeper learning in an online graduate adult education program? Researchers analyzed student responses to three guideline questions for the development of their ePortfolios: (a) What story did your ePortfolio tell?, (b) What surprised you?, and (c) What did you learn about yourself? These questions were designed to stimulate students’ thinking about their learning from the ePortfolio process, artifacts, and experience in the degree program. Through thematic analysis of student responses to these questions, three predominant themes emerged that provided evidence for reflective and deeper learning. The three themes were as follows: (a) Students became more reflective learners who frequently experienced deeper transformative learning, (b) Students were surprised by greater self-discovery and significant personal growth exceeding their expectations, and (c) Students found new personal strengths. Specific recommendations were provided about how to use ePortfolios in graduate adult education programs to foster reflective and deeper learning.

scholarly journals Transformative Learning: a Concept and Powerful Vision for Adult Education

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 128-131
Author(s):  
Md Mahfuzar Rahman ◽  
AK Mahbubul Hoque
Keyword(s):  
Adult Education ◽  
Adult Learners ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Factual Knowledge ◽  
Multiple Points ◽  
Social Lives ◽  
Medical College ◽  
Beliefs And Values ◽  
Substantial Change

Transformative learning is a process of learning that individuals to changes their critically assumptions and beliefs and consciously making and implementing plans that bring about new ways. It is a fundamentally rational and analytical process. It is also a process of getting beyond gaining factual knowledge alone to instead become learns in some meaningful way. It involves questioning assumptions, beliefs and values, and considering multiple points of view, while always seeking to verify reasoning. This learning is to make interpretations from the person's own beliefs, judgments and feelings and consciously define the meaning of the experience1 or a process of learning that creates a substantial change in the habits, ideas and/or outlook of an individual. This article highlights concept and theories that deals with the paradigm shift of changes needed among adult learners, role of educators and learners towards development of individual and social lives in addition to existing perspective (traditional) of teaching & learning practice. Practices of transformative learning vision and process in adult education have the scope to bring improved critical thinking and a way of changing life style.Anwer Khan Modern Medical College Journal Vol. 8, No. 2: Jul 2017, P 128-131

scholarly journals Indonesian Freshmen’s Challenges in Collaborative Learning during COVID-19 Pandemic:A Reflection of a Procedural Writing Class

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Listyani
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Education Program ◽  
English Language ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Language Education ◽  
English Language Education ◽  
Writing Class ◽  
Writing Students ◽  
Teaching Learning

One of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in the world of education is the implementation of online learning. Almost all teaching/learning activities must be changed and adjusted with the virtual classes. One among other activities commonly done in an English language education program is group work or collaborative work between or among students. Due to the pandemic situation, this particular activity should also be done online. This study aims to describe freshmen’s perspectives on collaborative work done in a Procedural Writing class. The teacher of the writing class randomly paired the students to work collaboratively. There is only one research question in this study: What challenges do Procedural Writing students experience in doing collaborative learning during the pandemic COVID 19? Data were derived from reflections that fourteen (14) Procedural Writing students at an English Language Education Program (ELEP), UKSW, Indonesia, wrote in the sixth week of Semester II/ 2020-2021 academic year, and from interviews with two participants who said that they were not happy with collaborative learning. Findings showed that in general, the freshmen felt that collaborative work helped them write better, they got more ideas, helped in their grammar, and exchanged knowledge. Only two students felt unhappy due to misunderstanding and ideas which were not delivered successfully. This study will hopefully be useful for writing teachers, practitioners in education, as well as students so that they will have a wider horizon of what writing students feel and experience in collaborative learning during this pandemic era.

scholarly journals Adjunct Faculty Perceptions of Participation in Online Collaborative Research Teams

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Hartman ◽  
Danielle Kearns-Sixsmith ◽  
Patricia Akojie ◽  
Christa Banton
Keyword(s):  
Adjunct Faculty ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Faculty Perceptions ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Research Teams ◽  
Organizational Skills ◽  
Part Time Faculty ◽  
Inquiry Approach

Career professionals who serve as adjunct faculty at the university level are expected to engage in continual research and publishing to maintain their status as adjunct (part-time) faculty, to be considered for potential advancement, and to qualify for additional compensation.  One way of meeting this objective is to participate in online collaborative research projects benefiting from a set of multiple lenses, multiple insights, and a multitude of considerations in regard to design, methodology, data interpretations, and broader reaching implications.  A narrative inquiry approach was applied to gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of adjunct faculty working in online collaborative research teams. Data was gathered through phone interviews where adjunct faculty shared their personal experiences and reflections about working as collaborative researchers in an online environment. Using an inductive process, themes were drawn from the responses of the participants to address the research question. The dominant themes found were organizational skills, interpersonal skills, and personal growth and development. The results of the study led to recommendations for supporting adjunct faculty in online collaborative research for building a sense of scholarly community and expanding opportunities for personal professional growth.

scholarly journals Editors’ Introduction to the Special Issue of the Journal of Transformative Education on Assessing Transformative Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 295-305
Author(s):  
Kris Acheson ◽  
John M. Dirkx
Keyword(s):  
Adult Education ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Postsecondary Education ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Transformative Education ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Jack Mezirow ◽  
Education Community ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Over 40 Years

Over 40 years ago, Jack Mezirow introduced the idea of transformative learning (TL) to the adult education community. Representing a profound shift in how one thinks and feels about one’s self and the socio-cultural context in which one is embedded, transformative learning has since evolved to reflect numerous theoretical lenses and its framework continues to be extended and elaborated. As TL theory expands within different contexts and across different disciplines, particularly within postsecondary education, the term transformative learning is often employed with scant connection to the theoretical framework in which it was initially grounded. Learners and educators alike frequently describe learning experiences as transformative, yet little consensus exists around a definition of transformative leaning However, if the field is to continue to evolve theoretically, we cannot accept these claims of transformation at face value. The phenomenon must be measured in some manner. The field continues to struggle with several perennial issues related to assessment. This special issue of the Journal of Transformative Education seeks to address the need to wrestle with these underlying theoretical and conceptual issues by critiquing the state of the field, introducing new approaches to operationalizing the phenomenon, and advancing new trajectories for research. We approach this charge through two major threads explored through eight papers that represent Methodological Innovations and Cases of Methodological Application. We close this introduction to the Special Issue with key themes represented in the eight papers and recommendations for addressing the challenges of assessing the processes and outcomes of transformative learning.

scholarly journals Learning in Later Life: The Perspective of Successful Ageing

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-23
Author(s):  
Salomėja Šatienė
Keyword(s):  
Adult Education ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Psychological Resources ◽  
Successful Ageing ◽  
Older Adult Education

Abstract The integrated approach to the development of educational theory of later life learning should be informed by comprehensive knowledge of ageing as a social construct. Establishment of the role of later life learning in the context of successful ageing paradigm encompasses both sociological and educational perspectives taking into consideration the complexity of older people’s engagement in society and participation in education with regard to social use for the learning outcomes and personal growth. In the context of successful ageing, it should provide the answers to the questions related to the meaning and role of learning in later life. The present research aims to explore the role of learning in the construct of successful ageing and to analyze the characteristic features of non-formal later life learning in Lithuania in the perspective of successful ageing based on the review some recent literature on psychological and social aspects of successful ageing and older adult education and research in the fields of educational and psychosocial gerontology. It pursues answers to the questions as to “How can learning in later life contribute to successful ageing? What are the implications for the role of learning in the models of successful ageing? How is the role of third-age learning conceptualized in the perspective of successful ageing?” The answers to these questions provide better insight into the conceptual background of older adult education and suggests prospective research on the issue of the role of learning in older age. The multidimensional nature of the concept of successful ageing revealed by the literature review suggests that the role of learning in the construct of successful ageing is analyzable in relationship with health, psychological and social domains. The role of learning in later life is manifested through its impact on maintenance of cognitive function, psychological resources and social functioning. The positive impact of learning in later life on mental health through maintenance of cognitive function and the utilization of psychological resources through stimulation of personal growth and self-efficacy of older adult learners has been supported by findings of many recent studies. Education has been identified as one of the predictors of active engagement with life as an essential component of successful ageing.

Adult Education With Technology for Transformative Learning

2021 ◽  
pp. 718-734
Author(s):  
Victor Wang ◽  
Uta M. Stelson
Keyword(s):  
Adult Education ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Learning Technology ◽  
Learner Engagement ◽  
Web 3.0 ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Technological Skills

Adult learners often fear that employment will be difficult if they lack technological skills. Newspapers, magazines, and advertisements for positions often emphasize the importance of the use of technology in the workplace. Without adequate skills in the use of appropriate technologies, adult workers may face challenges in finding employment. Web technologies can provide powerful teaching and learning strategies, enhance learner engagement, provide a chance to acquire critical technological skills, and promote critical reflection. This chapter addresses technological applications in vocational and adult education advancement from different perspectives. Technology has the potential to support transformative learning. Technology, along with the vital role of adult educators, helps learners grow, change, and develop. Through the discussion of these, and related issues, a model titled, Learners' Seeking Transformation via Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 Technologies, emerged.

scholarly journals Venturing Through the Looking Glass: An Instance of Transformative Learning in Adult Education

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith MacIntosh ◽  
Nancy Wiggins
Keyword(s):  
Adult Education ◽  
Adult Learners ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Baccalaureate Degree ◽  
Educational Programs ◽  
The Other ◽  
University Education ◽  
Lewis Carroll ◽  
Transformative Process ◽  
Looking Glass

Adult learners who are introduced to transformative learning in their university education initially tend to find the experience strikingly different from their previous educational programs. For Registered Nurses beginning a baccalaureate degree in nursing, learning in a transformative environment may be as odd to them as was the experience of Lewis Carroll's Alice on the other side of the Looking Glass. For their teachers, examining a common experience, not common to learners, in an uncommon manner expands the understanding of the process. Using the imaginative work of Lewis Carroll, the authors of this paper relate it to the experiences of these adult learners and expound on the strategies being used to facilitate the transformative process in adult education. The perspectives developed by the UNB nursing teachers and the strategies they use to facilitate transformative learning are described.

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