<p> Many colleges and universities have expanded their mission to include adult learners. Programs range from scheduling traditional courses in the evening to designing new programs tailored to meet the needs of working adults. Program designers have relied on theorists such, as Mezirow (1991), Houle (1996), and Knowles, Holton, and Swanson (1998), to develop programs that apply adult learning theory. Lindenwood College, now Lindenwood University, established The Lindenwood College for Individualized Education (LCIE) in 1975 to serve adult students in the St. Louis metropolitan area. The program has evolved over the course of 40 years, and this program evaluation evaluated the program effectiveness in its current delivery format.</p><p> This program evaluation employed a mixed-method design to answer one main research question and two sub-questions. The main research question asked, How does LCIE, in its current incarnation, address the ideals of adult learning theory, the needs of busy contemporary adult students, and the requirements of the accrediting agency? Sub-question #1 asked, How have LCIE learning processes evolved since 1975? Sub-question #2 asked, Is there congruency between LCIE mission and practice?</p><p> The outcome measurement data was gathered through a comparison of pre-test and post-test data collected by the university to assess critical thinking skills of entering and graduating students. The university employed the ETS Proficiency Profile, and a sample of 30 students was extracted from that data set for comparison for this study. The findings showed that the differences between pre-test and post-test scores were not significant.</p><p> The process measurement data was gathered through interviews with volunteer faculty (3) and students (9) from the program. A series of interview questions was posed, and the responses coded to identify three emerging themes. The three themes were general satisfaction, the importance of job preparation and career mobility, and program rigor.</p><p> The program evaluation found that LCIE is currently applying adult learning theory and there is congruency between the program mission statement and the program practice. The answer to sub-question 1 concerning the changes in the program was inconclusive as the students had not experienced the changes and therefore felt unqualified to comment.</p>

<p> Young adults between the ages of 16 and 30 are typically at the stage of their life when they should be transitioning from school, gaining employability skills, and entering the workforce (Settersten et al., 2005; van Gennep, 1960). An estimated 1.3 million undocumented, DACA eligible youth are currently in this transitional life stage (Hipsman, G&oacute;mez-Agui&ntilde;aga, &amp; Capps, 2016), and another 80,000-90,000 will enter this stage each year (Batalova et al., 2014) where their opportunities for gaining skills and quality legal employment will impact their futures (Becker, 1992; Schultz, 1961). Struggling to find a path towards meaningful careers, these young adults know that if they are not able to gain additional education, training, and quality work they will be trapped in an underground society, working in under-the-table jobs that are way below their potential, education, and skills abilities, and are ultimately unable to escape poverty and support themselves and their families (Anguiano, 2011; Bank-Mu&ntilde;oz, 2009; Bernstein &amp; Blazer, 2008; Burman, 2013; Gildersleeve, 2010; Gonzales, 2007, 2008, 2009b, 2011a; Gonzales &amp; Chavez, 2012; Hudson, 2012; Padr&oacute;n, 2007/2008; Snyder, 2013).</p><p> In lieu of comprehensive immigration reform, this study sought to identify policy recommendations that would assist the DACA youth to develop skills, continue with their education, and ultimately enter into the workforce in legal employment opportunities. Two theories framed this study and a third was used as a lens in which to view the issues. These theories are human capital theory, national human resource development (NHRD), and Kingdon&rsquo;s multiple streams theory. The intersection of these three theories brings together (a) the traditional economic foundation of how organizations make determinations regarding who and when to invest in the skill development of individuals, or whether the investments should be made by the individuals themselves (human capital theory), (b) what interventions can be utilized to develop skills and how policy should be used to promote those interventions (national human resource development), and (c) how these elements are brought together to formulate policy (Kingdon, 2003).</p><p> Using an iterative survey methodology called a Policy Delphi this study obtained a compendium of viewpoints from the diverse perspectives of the stakeholders represented and identified 94 specific policy recommendations. There are five barriers to skill development (transportation, education, access to information, families and first-generation issues, and hopes, dreams and fears) and four barriers to accessing legal employment opportunities (knowledge of jobs available, employability skills, a lack of having credentials and experience, and the behavior and practices of employers). There are three facilitators to skill development (attaining higher education credentials, the importance of advising, and motivation) and five facilitators to employment (work authorization, bilingual proficiency, educational credentials, internships, and mentoring). These barriers and facilitators led to the identification of 94 policy recommendations which were ranked by desirability, importance, and feasibility/likelihood. Greater than 80% of the policy recommendations were desirable or very desirable and all 94 recommendations were important or very important. However, out of the 94 recommendations there is only a moderate belief that any of the policy suggestions are feasible or likely to be addressed despite their desirability or importance. Beyond the rhetoric surrounding immigration and who is and is not desirable to be a part of the U.S. workforce, there is a more nuanced and subdued element that emerged through this study that is more salient than any others, and that is the issue of addressing social inequalities on a broad scale.</p>

<p> Andragogy, defined as, &ldquo;the art and science of helping adults learn&rdquo; (Knowles, 1980, p. 43) has been used in education and organizations for more than five decades. This philosophy was examined in this study to explore to what extent Andragogy was being used, and perceived to be used, by the coach in a collegiate athletic program. Interviews, observations, and surveys of the coach, along with questionnaires, surveys, and focus group sessions of the student-athletes were used to determine whether an andragogically based coaching approach positively affected the performances and outcomes of the participants. By utilizing an adaptation of Henschke&rsquo;s (1989) Modified Instructional Perspectives Inventory (MIPI) the coach&rsquo;s as well as student-athletes&rsquo; perceptions of the andragogical model were examined, recorded, and scored. The coach and student-athletes were also asked to score their most important needs as a learner, using the assumptions Knowles employed to characterize the adult learner. The study concluded that although Andragogy and its principles and practices were not previously known or understood by the coach and student-athletes, there was a high degree of parity between the principles and practices of a successful sports coach and that of Andragogy. What appeared to be new revelations in concept and practice were the notions of the Learning Contract (LC) and Self-Directed Learning (SDL), both of which were being used by the coach in an informal manner. Although not categorically concluded in the study that Andragogy would guarantee better results, the coach confessed that he saw both Learning Contracts and Self-Directed Learning as a way of enhancing his approach to becoming a better coach with increased skill to help unleash the potential, responsibility, and independence of his athletes. The adoption of andragogical principles and practices were acknowledged as an approach that could greatly add to Coach Owen&rsquo;s style and approach in dealing with his athletes, especially the very competitive. Future studies of this nature will be useful in promoting Andragogy and in the education of coaches. </p><p>

<p> Retaining novice teachers in a Northeast Florida county public school is an ongoing challenge. Research indicates that 14% of new teachers will leave the field within 5 years. The purpose of this case study was to investigate the major factors that contributed to this unique group of novice teachers&rsquo; decisions to continue to teach at the school during their first 5 years in the field. The societal model served as the conceptual framework for this study of factors affecting teacher turnover, with emphasis on teacher and school characteristics in relation to teacher attrition. Data collected from 9 interviews and an observation and analyzed inductively were used to answer the key research question about what factors contributed to new teachers&rsquo; retention. The findings of this study indicated that teacher preparation, administrative support, school environment, working conditions, and student characteristics influenced teacher retention at the local site. Recommendations that stemmed from the findings were formulated into a proposal for a new teacher professional development series that the participating school can use to improve new teacher retention rates. This study promotes positive social change by implementing measures to stabilize new teacher retention rates, which will improve student learning and promote academic success by creating stability in the learning environment.</p><p>

<p> Engineering students entering the workforce often struggle to meet the competency expectations of their employers. Guided by constructivist theory, the purpose of this case study was to understand engineers&rsquo; experiences of engineering education, deficiencies in practical skills, and the self-learning methods they employed to advance their technical and professional competencies. Working engineers were asked about their experiences overcoming practical skill deficiencies and bridging the gap between education and practice. Interviews with 15 chemical, civil, mechanical, and electrical engineers were analyzed by coding for common statements and identifying themes. Firsthand experiences of the participants captured 3 themes: overall perceptions of engineering education, deficiencies in skills, and self-learning experiences. According to study findings, engineering education did not supply sufficient practical skills for working engineers. The study also provided descriptions of training and self-learning methods employed by practicing engineers to advance their technical and professional competencies. The study found that although universities might provide some practical skills through industry collaboration, engineering graduates still required professional development to ensure a smooth transition from academic learner to acclimated working engineer. The project is a practical training, developed for recent graduates, that could achieve positive social change by making strides toward bridging the gap between theory and practice for the participants. This study may also incite positive social change as it contributes to the evidence that there is a lack of practical experience in colleges of engineering, which may therefore improve their curriculum.</p><p>

<p> A review of research regarding acceptance of online degrees by employers returns contradictory results. The current research focused on human resources recruiters&rsquo; perceptions and biases toward traditional versus online education. Human capital theory, signaling theory, and stakeholder theory formed the conceptual support for understanding the potential impact of bias toward online education. The researcher used semi-structured phone interviews with 18 recruiters as the data collection method. A purposive sample ensured that the participants were selected appropriately. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and manually analyzed for themes related to the acceptance of online education. Eighty-three percent of respondents believed online and traditional educations are equal among accredited institutions. This finding marks a change from previous studies that have found mixed attitudes among employers about online education. The perceived lack of social interaction inherent in online education and reputation of specific institutions were concerns. The results suggest that attitudes toward online education are changing to a more favorable view. The majority (83%) of participants indicated online education was equal to traditional education when reviewing resumes. The researcher recommends that online students participate in outside the classroom social activities to compensate for perceived lack of social interaction. Institutions offering online programs should obtain or maintain accreditation and strengthen their reputation for their graduates to be acceptable to business recruiters.</p>

<p> In the United States, adults 65 and older represent a significant and growing cultural minority (Cohn &amp; Taylor, 2011). Ageist stereotypes, whether directed at older adults or internalized by elders themselves, can cause real harm to elders&rsquo; mental and physical health (Nelson, 2016a). Mezirow&rsquo;s transformative learning theory (TLT; 1991) directly addresses the essential nature of challenging personal prejudices and cultivating empathy as critical to development within the adult learner, and transformative empathy-enhancing interventions have been used successfully to improve attitudes toward older adults in helping professionals and professionals-in-training (e.g., Friedman &amp; Goldbaum, 2016; Henry &amp; Ozier, 2011). Even though older adults receive mental health services at a lower rate than any other age demographic (Karel, Gatz, &amp; Smyer, 2012), and greater numbers of older adults are entering postsecondary education (Chen, 2017; DiSilvestro, 2013; Kasworm, 2010), there has been limited focus in counseling and higher education research on meeting the needs of this expanding demographic. Intervening early in students&rsquo; training to address age-related biases and to foster empathetic awareness (Andersson, King, &amp; Lalande, 2010) aligns with the counseling profession&rsquo;s commitment to purposeful counselor preparation (Kaplan, Tarvydas, &amp; Gladding, 2014) and professional competency standards for student support professionals (ACPA &amp; NCPA, 2015). </p><p> Using Bartholomew&rsquo;s (1998) Intervention Mapping model (IM), I developed a three-part empathy-enhancing transformative learning intervention, &ldquo;The Game of <i>I am</i>&rdquo; (Bailey, 2016c). Using a pre-post quasi-experimental design, the purpose of the current feasibility study was to test the preliminary effectiveness of the intervention at enhancing self-reported empathy and improving self-reported attitudes toward older adults with first-year master&rsquo;s students training to be counselors (<i>N</i> = 14) and student support professionals (<i>N</i> = 13). Although preliminary qualitative themes emerged that supported its utility, quantitatively there were no statistically significant changes in mean empathy and attitude scores for the participants following participation in &ldquo;The Game of <i>I am</i>&rdquo; (Bailey, 2016c). Additional plans for the analysis of collected qualitative data are described and implications for integrating &ldquo;The Game of <i> I am</i>&rdquo; (Bailey, 2016c) into existing master&rsquo;s level coursework are discussed.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to illuminate the prevalence and configurations of peer mentoring programs at Central California Community Colleges with emphasis on how the programs impacted student retention. The study&rsquo;s sample was drawn from ten campuses and five centers that operate within five California Community College districts serving approximately 90,000 students annually. Using purposeful sampling, the researcher interviewed five administrators from four campuses and three districts toward obtaining in-depth information about their peer mentoring programs. Eight of the 15 campuses in the subject pool offered a peer mentoring program. All peer mentoring programs were instituted since 2013, and most of the peer mentoring programs were instituted between 2014 and 2016. Diverse peer mentoring programs across sites and districts were instituted between 2013 and 2016. It was revealed that quantitative data to track how peer mentoring impacted retention had not been gathered. This recent proliferation of community college peer mentoring programs refuted the historical underutilization noted in the scholarly literature. Recommendations for future research and practice included investigating whether the Central California Community College peer mentoring program proliferation that was discovered holds true in other areas of the state or country, examining why more campuses in the subject pool did not establish peer mentoring programs, and using quantitative methods to evaluate the efficacy of community college peer mentoring programs.</p><p>

<p> Human beings have spent much time and effort in trying to understand themselves, others, and their world. Mankind uses intellect when trying to understand life but the majority of people continue to encounter frustration, confusion, and a variety of obstacles when dealing with daily challenges and people. Theorists and researchers understand that successful existence requires more than mere knowledge; it requires a level of understanding, a form of wisdom foreign to the bulk of the populace. The missing ingredient for this kind of wisdom is the ability to &lsquo;know thyself,&rsquo; which is the beginning of establishing a higher level of emotional maturity. This qualitative study focused on the transformational learning process of the adult learner, aged 50 and older. In studying the learning processes, an online survey was implemented and then Partridge's (1985, 2014) Maturity Reasoning Index Program (MRIP) was used as a psycho-educational program and administered after the participants answered five vignettes regarding current perspectives of five areas of their logic reasoning. After completing the MRIP, participants answered five additional vignettes regarding similar areas of reasoning. This study investigated participants&rsquo; transformational learning experiences as they developed a higher level of emotional maturity compared to previous reported emotional maturity findings. A group of 32 volunteers, recruited from a university listserv and networking among family and friends, spent several months completing the online study. The study included an initial four-part survey, a brief pre-test survey, an extensive psycho-educational program, and a brief post-test. At the end of the study, 23 participants completed the study. Findings indicate an increase in using a higher level of logic of reasoning or potential transformation after completing the psycho-educational program. Additional research is recommended in the area of emotional maturation, life satisfaction, wisdom, and trust-of-self for adult learners aged 50 and older.</p>

<p> This study explored the interplay of a community college&rsquo;s vision, its leaders&rsquo; behaviors, strategic planning, and the use of data that contributed to an organizational culture that led to the improvement of student success. The researcher used a grounded theory approach to delve into the relationships and connections between these four institutional characteristics at three award-winning institutions: Bunker Hill Community College, El Paso Community College, and Guilford Technical Community College. The overall goal of the study was to develop a grounded theory regarding organizational success factors necessary to improve student success. The researcher visited each college for a two-day site visit, conducted twenty-three interviews of college leadership, faculty, and staff along with a document review of select publically available documents. The study yielded five findings leading to a grounded theory of five organizational characteristics that promote improving student success in the two-year institution. At all three award-winning colleges, there was a shared vision built upon a collective, unwavering commitment to student success along with frequent and consistent communication on student success. All three award-winning colleges believed their participation in Achieving the Dream which is focused on increasing student success was a key factor and pivotal point in propelling these colleges forward in their student success initiatives. The three award-winning colleges took action to effectuate the desired future. The college&rsquo;s cultures invited innovation and supported initiatives resulting in engaged employees. All three award-winning colleges understood the importance and transformational power of being accountable to themselves and to others. The colleges were growing in their use of data, were courageous in reviewing data, and cultivated a continuous improvement mindset. Finally, each college had a firm belief in understanding that people, passionate and purposeful, are the institution&rsquo;s greatest asset.</p>