Adult Education in Practice by Brandy Tomey Group 9

 Brandy Tomey 

 

Ball State University 

 

EDAC 631: Adult and Community Education 

 

Dr. Bo Chang 

 

Assignment 5. Adult Education in Practice

 

 

1	Name 1
2	Name 2
3	Name 3

At Ball State University there are many different types of education provided to adults, which we will look into with help from Christina Curry. First and foremost, being a University, education is their expertise. Aside from the traditional formal education someone may think of when thinking of a University, Ball State offers multiple avenues of education for University affiliates. Some programs offered by the University include learning and development sessions, Udemy, Academic Impressions, EduRisk Training, Leadership Excellence and Development (LEAD) Academy, and Professional Enhancement Program (PEP). Professional development is a significant priority of the University, which is apparent just from the listed forms education is offered, which is organized by what was previously known as the Office of University Human Resource Services and more recently known as the Office of Engagement, Wellbeing, and Culture. 

The type of education typically associated with many companies that offer education to its employees is learning and development sessions at Ball State. These sessions can range from simple informational sessions led by an instructor to hands-on sessions, led by an instructor and carried out or recreated by the participants. Some sessions may be offered virtually via Zoom, and others may be in person, some may be offered in one timeframe and others may be over time. Two sessions that are typically offered continuously are New Employee Orientation and Active Shooter Training. New Employee Orientation is generally a one-time session for new full-time employees. Active Shooter Training is offered on a regular basis for any employee who signs up for a given session. All sessions within learning and development are offered at no cost to employees. 

The Professional Enhancement Program is a program offered to eligible employees to “upgrade and master information processing skills” through four semester-long undergraduate courses. To participate, an employee must be admitted and can request tuition remission through Ball State’s Fee Remission Program. This does require that employees earn a minimum final grade to maintain fee remission, or the benefit will be revoked, and the employee will be required to pay those fees thereafter. While the PEP program is not a program I have completed, I have utilized the fee remission program to earn a Bachelor of Science. This does correspond with a significant time commitment, as the courses are offered to regular undergraduate students in a given semester. 

Ball State employees as well as community members can also participate in a variety of classes offered at the E.B. and Bertha C. Ball Center. Participants can join classes such as Beginning Needlepoint or Beginning Genealogy. Classes offered at the Center can vary in price as well, some may be free, while others may require a fee to participate. The goal of offering classes at the Center is “community enrichment”. Offering some classes free to the public can be a tactic to encourage attendance, and also opens individuals to other sessions as well. This can sometimes be a difficult task when resources are limited, simply to make people aware of what is being offered. Put simply, to help fund these offerings, donors can help provide financially for a program as a whole, or even for an individual course. Additionally, time as a resource can make it difficult for those who are interested to attend if sessions are only offered at a certain time of day or day of the week. To combat this, the Center offers some classes on a regular basis at different times of the year. 

The aspect most prominent to me is that Ball State has multiple avenues of education for adults. It shows that education is the top priority of the University, and not just for students. Combined with all avenues of information, everyone can benefit in some way if they wish to do so. With a passion for education, sharing topics and encouraging individuals to attend sessions they think may be enjoyable to the individual can help to promote programs that may otherwise have limited resources to advertise. The vast array of content also helps to engage with a wider audience. Attending any variety of sessions can also lead to an individual sharing about their experience with others, which can lead to future attendance from a different person. I was unaware of the vast variety of options offered and look forward to learning more, as well as attending sessions of my interest.

 

References:

Adult education with different hats 8 Dr Sharan Merriam Jan 16 2019

 

10 Result driven financial support Dr John Boulmetis .MP3.mp3

 

12 Trends of federal support Dr. R.MP3.mp3

 

PART DATA 18 Carol E Kasworm Feb 26 2019.MP3.mp3

 

Bsu.edu

 

Curry, Christina; Ball State University

 

 

Main ideas/themes from the interview

Discussions: What are your thoughts about these ideas/themes?

Implications: How can these ideas above benefit practice? What suggestions do you provide to practitioners/leaders?

Theme 1

 Program variety

 

 

Theme 2

 Program formats

 

 

Theme 3

Individual programs – main ideas/concepts of that particular program