Kurt D Kirstein

Innovations in Teaching Adults: Proven Practices in Higher Education Kurt D Kirstein

Publisher Marketing: In the rapidly changing world of higher education, innovative approaches to teaching adults are helping to drive instructional practices that are key to preparing the professionals of the future. Innovations in Teaching Adults gathers examples of those instructional practices found to be most effective at reaching adult students. This isn't a book on educational research and theory. Rather, faculty members of City University of Seattle share teaching practices that have proven successful in both face to face and online classes so that instructors around the world can read and employ these practices on their own campuses. Chapters in Innovations in Teaching Adults address issues including: Student engagement The use of technology Practice-based approaches to teaching Authentic learning Skills acquisition The editors have gathered fourteen specific instructional strategies that faculty at universities around the world can use to help educate adult students. The papers collected in Innovations in Teaching Adults were originally presented at a conference at City University of Seattle. City University of Seattle, known as CityU, is a, private, nonprofit university that primarily serves working adults in the Pacific Northwest. It has satellite campuses in eleven countries on four continents. Its concentrations include education, leadership, management, technology, psychology, and general studies. Through a mix of in-class, online, and hybrid instructional delivery, CityU reaches out to students worldwide, many of whom would otherwise not have access to education. Educators go through orientations and periodic training, but they find that they often learn more when they share strategies and learn from their peers. At CityU, this sharing of ideas has led to a rich collection of educational strategies that faculty members are now sharing through the Proven Practices in Higher Education series. Innovations in Teaching Adults is the second book in the series. This book is being published as higher education faces a rapidly changing landscape. Students want to pay lower tuition and complete programs in a shorter amount of time. This has resulted in the development of integrated educational technologies, evolving modes of classroom delivery, and competency-based learning opportunities that enrich students' experiences. Today's adult learners want more than the traditional forms of face to face lecture instruction. They want to experience the opportunities for increased interaction that technology advancements make possible. Engaging students in meaningful ways is good for business and for the students. It takes on an added importance, as adult learners are hungry for skills that they can immediately use in their careers. Innovations in Teaching Adults focuses on finding ways to integrate students' individual goals into the curriculum. It offers ideas on how to provide personalized feedback to students and how to develop training models that help small businesses embed essential skills into their workplace training.