In this article, we present implementation strategies for a graduate-student professional development initiative entitled "Graduate College Shop Talks." Shop Talks support graduate students' academic success, research development, and career readiness by offering targeted workshops designed to build skills and raise awareness of resources in each of those areas. The initiative accommodates a range of student needs and interests through flexible formats, timely communications, and tailored scheduling. We use literature to discuss the need for an initiative of this kind, describe how Shop Talks are set up at our university, review feedback and response information collected at various times since we began Shop Talks in 2015, and then offer effective and sustainable guidelines for implementing a similar graduate-student specific series at other universities.
This study examines diverse pathways leading to high academic performance among post-traditional doctoral students in English-medium education programmes. Integrating the English-Medium Instruction Academic Success (EMIAS) framework with crisp-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (csQCA), the study identifies the necessary conditions and sufficient configurations for high and non-high academic performance among Chinese doctoral students enrolled in an English-medium applied linguistics programme at a private university in Macau SAR, China. These students typically bring substantial professional experience and often balance employment alongside their studies. Four conditions derived from the EMIAS framework, i.e., academic English proficiency (AEP), perceived academic competence (PAC), prior English-medium education experience (PEME), and institutional language support (ILS), were examined using survey data from 25 students. Two equifinal configurations emerged as sufficient for high academic performance: (1) strong AEP combined with PEME and (2) high PAC combined with PEME in the absence of structured ILS. The findings demonstrate the value of configurational analysis in understanding how these various configurations facilitate high academic performance in English-medium doctoral education. Consequently, these results offer evidence-based insights for designing support systems tailored to the varied needs of post-traditional doctoral learners.
Adult education supports learners in developing new knowledge and skills to navigate and thrive in today's increasingly complex world. Guided by a Malcolm Knowles Award, this study used andragogical program development as the theoretical framework to examine adult online education, including the real-world problems or topics adult students choose to research. Major findings included trust, technology, and transfer. For adult students, trust develops in and from people, in processes, and in self. Technology facilitates learner interactions with content, the instructor, student peers, self-reflection, and vicarious learning as well as the academic advisor, trust development, and learning transfer. Adult students transfer knowledge and skill to the workplace by conducting research on real-world problems and identifying solutions. These findings offer implications for theory and practice in adult education, including for students, instructional designers, instructors, academic advisors, and program coordinators.
Graduate-level instruction relies on more than syllabi, rubrics, and institutional policies; it is sustained by a tacit architecture of expectations that shapes how instructors teach and how adult learners engage with feedback, revision, and academic growth. This conceptual essay names and theorizes the pedagogical contract, i.e., an implicit, reciprocal set of obligations that underlies instructional relationships in adult and continuing higher education. Although adjacent constructs, such as psychological contracts, learning contracts, and the didactical contract address related dynamics, none account for the relational and procedural expectations that govern iterative learning in graduate-level settings. Drawing on a representative vignette and a synthesis of adult learning theory, feedback literacy research, and scholarship on emotional and cognitive labor, the article illustrates how breaches of the pedagogical contract unfold and why they matter. A typology of six breach patterns clarifies the mechanisms through which reciprocity erodes, shifting the burden of learning disproportionately onto instructors and disrupting the conditions necessary for meaningful academic development. The analysis highlights the pedagogical, relational, emotional, and institutional consequences of these breaches and offers practical strategies for articulating expectations, reinforcing role clarity, and structuring revision cycles to support substantive engagement.
The number of post-traditional students, who have been more commonly known as nontraditional students, is on the rapid rise in higher education over recent years. Despite more attention paid to this student population, the literature lacks studies examining the relationships between post-traditional characteristics and key academic outcomes among students in undergraduate engineering programs at Hispanic-Serving Institutions. This study aims to address this gap by using multiple regression to analyze the institutional data collected at a large, four-year Hispanic-Serving Research Institution with a considerable number of post-traditional students in the southeastern U.S. The main findings include that being a part-time student negatively predicted three academic outcomes and being an older, commuter student negatively predicted retention, while being an older commuter student and having full-time employment positively predicted six-year graduation rates. In reviewing the findings, we offer ways to interpret the results in light of broader systemic issues, such as the racialized and hyper-elite nature of undergraduate engineering programs.
Traditional internships often exclude nontraditional learners, including international students, career-switchers, student parents, and working adults who cannot meet time, travel, or labor requirements. This study examines Coursera Career Academy certificates as flexible, skills-based alternatives to internships for nontraditional learners enrolled in a U.S.-accredited business program in the South Pacific. Drawing on reflections from 25 undergraduate learners, the study highlights benefits such as workforce-aligned training, schedule flexibility, and accessibility for students with full-time jobs, international student status, or caregiving responsibilities. Students also noted limitations in interactivity, real-time feedback, and opportunities for networking. Findings suggest that professionally developed certifications can serve as viable experiential learning alternatives in continuing higher education when they are formally designated as internship substitutes and paired with intentional curriculum design, structured reflection, and soft skills development. The study contributes to ongoing discussions about expanding access to experiential learning for adult and nontraditional learners and illustrates how digital credentialing can support equity, flexibility, and workforce readiness in continuing education settings.
This pilot randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of a veteran peer-mentoring intervention designed to enhance academic performance in the MachinE Learning for VETerans (MELT-VET) micro-credential program. Twenty-seven U.S. military veterans were randomized to either a peer mentoring group (n = 10) or a control group (n = 17). Peer mentors met with participants to review academic progress and address psychosocial goals using a contract-based framework. Academic performance was assessed via pretest and posttest scores on a ten-item quiz measuring proficiency in machine learning coding. Linear mixed-effects models, adjusted for covariate differences at baseline, estimated changes in scores over time. Groups were comparable at baseline. The peer-mentored group improved 38.8% from pretest (M = 6.7, SE = 0.4) to posttest (M = 9.3, SE = 0.2), while the control group improved 2.4% (M = 8.3, SE = 0.4 to M = 8.5, SE = 0.5). A significant time-by-group interaction (b = 1.0, SE = 0.3, p < 0.01) indicated greater gains among peer-mentored participants in an adjusted model. Structured peer mentoring significantly enhanced veterans' learning outcomes in a technical training context, suggesting that formalized mentoring frameworks may strengthen academic adjustment during the transition to civilian education.
Nontraditional learners-older, working, part-time, parenting, or returning-now comprise the majority of U.S. higher education students, yet most policies remain oriented toward the 18- to 22-year-old residential model. Veterans, a key subset, bring significant college-level learning from military training, standardized exams, and professional experience but often find this knowledge undervalued. This article synthesizes evidence from national datasets and policy reports to examine three structural barriers that hinder completion: (1) inconsistent recognition of prior learning, (2) extensive credit loss during transfer, and (3) advising systems designed primarily for traditional students. Findings from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) study from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), the National Veteran Education Success Tracker from Student Veterans of America (SVA), and the College Board validity research demonstrate that these barriers are institutional rather than individual. Prior learning assessment substantially increases completion, veterans graduate at strong rates when military credit is honored, and proactive advising improves persistence for adult learners. The article concludes that institutions must scale PLA as a default practice, strengthen statewide transfer pathways, standardize exam credit policies, and adopt advising models tailored to adult learners. These reforms would reduce time-to-degree, advance equity, and ensure that higher education reflects the realities of today's new majority.
The aim of this study was to explore the subjective personal experiences of individuals' learning processes during a self-development course. A case study was performed using a qualitative approach, using a thematic analysis. The data included observations and individual self-reported written reflections during the educational course and a focus group interview two months after course completion from 14 individuals (6 men and 8 women) working in various civilian contexts. Two main themes were identified with corresponding subthemes. The first theme was learning challenges, with the following subthemes: (a) difficulty constructing new learning from fragmented experiences, (b) struggling to begin in a free context, (c) emerging negative emotions during the process, and (d) individual differences regarding structure needs. The second theme was coping strategies with these subthemes: (a) acceptance, (b) tailoring the material, (c) using the group as a resource, and (d) creating specific goals. The findings identified relevant challenges and coping strategies that individuals experience during learning processes and can serve as a basis for future research and course development improvement.
In the digital world, learners increasingly expect flexible, interactive, and personalised learning experiences. Higher education institutions have responded by adopting a blended learning approach, combining traditional and online learning environments, a trend amplified in the post-pandemic period. However, uniting ESL learners who have diverse learning abilities to engage effectively with content, peers, and teachers in such settings remain a challenge. This study aims to investigate how a Blended Learning Community (BLC), underpinned by the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, enhances ESL learners' interaction skills. The BLC fosters regular interactions and knowledge sharing, allowing learners to progress at their own pace towards shared goals. Through focus group interviews with 30 ESL learners, thematic analysis revealed that incorporating TPACK in the BLC positively impacts ESL learners' interaction skills, encompassing digitalisation, social, and academic dimensions. Additionally, the findings highlighted the need for ESL teachers to align their technology, pedagogy, and content expertise with learners' expectations. The results of this study offer insights for course designers, policymakers, educators, web designers, and education ministries on the importance of embedding TPACK in the BLC environment to achieve ESL learning objectives.
Recent fraud cases involving the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill underscore critical accountability and oversight mechanisms gaps. A first line of accountability exists with students, who have the option to lodge official complaints against institutions on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) website. This study examines relationships among institutional characteristics, student complaints, and caution flags issued by the VA. We found that, for both two-year and four-year institutions, there were significant differences in complaint patterns based on institutional control, demographics, and military-related policies. Suburban campuses, more homogeneously White institutions, and public or private institutions (versus for-profit schools) consistently experienced fewer complaints. With an analysis of data from over 27,000 educational sites, this article highlights systemic challenges in monitoring and enforcement, identifies predictors of institutional complaints, and offers recommendations for strengthening accountability. The study aims to inform policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders about the expanse of VA education benefit options for eligible recipients.
#EventCanvas (TM) Methodology (ECM) is a "common visual language for event design" (Event Design Collective, 2023) that enables a design team to stay aligned with an institution's strategic goals by identifying key stakeholders and empathizing with each of them to align with the event owner's long-term objectives. In the three-phase process, teams define the desired behavior changes of the most powerful and interested stakeholders, frame the event by describing constraints such as budget and time, and then design a variety of prototypes that provide value for each stakeholder by helping them get their jobs done, resolve their pains, create gains, and ultimately change their behaviors. The ECM allows for conscious design by creating one shared event narrative with a diverse team through collaboration and ensuring that all ideas are considered and all voices are heard. This article describes ways to incorporate the ECM into strategic event management for higher education.
In 2016, Best Friends Animal Society (BFAS) announced its ambitious "No-kill" goal of ending the unnecessary euthanasia of companion animals in U.S. shelters by the end of 2025. Developing innovative strategies became central to this effort, including a partnership between the nonprofit organization and higher education to design and offer microcredentials for the nation's animal shelter workers and volunteers. This mixed-methods study explores the post-course actions of 120 adult learners who completed at least one of eight microcredential courses. Findings revealed that participants leveraged acquired knowledge and skills, as well as social capital (professional networks, confidence, and influence), to drive sustainable social change in their local and professional communities. By examining the intersection of higher education innovation and social movements, this study highlights microcredentials as accessible, action-oriented education tools that can empower individuals to drive systemic change, offering insight into how higher education partnerships can leverage innovation to meet contemporary societal needs.
This study explored the mental well-being of distance adult working learners in Ghana, a group often overlooked in research that typically focuses on traditional undergraduate students. Using a phenomenological design with 24 participants, the study found that stress, depression, and anxiety were the main mental health challenges. These difficulties were linked to academic and life stressors, as well as institutional and attitudinal barriers. These adult learners often relied on self-control strategies to manage their emotions. The study extends the Conservation of Resources Theory to continuing higher education and recommends that institutions and policymakers promote mental health services, reduce extra academic burdens, and address financial constraints to improve learners' mental well-being.
This article advances an innovative, competency-based learning degree that engages recognition of prior learning pathways to support veterans' transition from Defence into the cybersecurity industry. This program responds to three intersecting societal phenomena. First, there is growing concern regarding veterans' transition from the Defence into civilian employment. Second, the Australian government has foregrounded the need for accelerated investment in Australian cybersecurity personnel. Third, the Australian Qualifications Framework aims to broaden access to higher education by requiring providers to consider prior learning at the point of admission or during candidature. Accordingly, the University of Southern Queensland's bespoke Bachelor of Cyber Security is designed with, and for, industry in response to pressing societal needs. Further, this pathway recognises veterans' prior work experience in Defence and elsewhere, integrates cybersecurity industry certifications, and offers veterans an opportunity to gain a formal academic qualification and sought-after industry experience through a paid one-year internship.
This case study examines collaborative efforts at Empire State University to enhance course design and textbook affordability. It discusses how the Empire Library's textbook affordability program and the Instructional Design team's team-based course design process have mutually benefited from a cooperative environment. By working together, the Library and Instructional Design teams have improved course design, affordability, and student success. This paper highlights the measurable impacts of these collaborations and explores the integration of diverse perspectives in course development.
The evolving landscape of teacher training in Finland is exemplified by the 1,000+ Teacher Training Initiative, a blended teaching model specifically designed for adult students. Adult students often face economic and time management challenges due to the inability to work full time during their studies, necessitating targeted support. The strength of blended teaching lies in its flexibility, since it accommodates diverse learning activities and enhances adult students' experiences. However, it requires that teaching and administrative personnel acquire a range of skills, particularly in integrating online and face-to-face learning methodologies. This research explored the future skills needed by the teaching and administrative personnel responsible for implementing the 1,000+ Teacher Training Initiative for adult students. The data were gathered through interviews with teaching and administrative personnel (n = 7) from three universities and analyzed using content analysis. The results emphasize the need to develop cooperation expertise, innovative administrative skills, specialized guidance for adult students, and extended pedagogical expertise. By highlighting the skill set required for the effective delivery of blended teacher training, this study contributes to advancing teacher training programs that address the needs of adult students, thereby fostering a more inclusive and adaptable educational landscape.
