Cultivating Engagement: Innovative Practices for Online Adult Education
Saved in:
| Title: | Cultivating Engagement: Innovative Practices for Online Adult Education |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Salomón Antonio Rodezno (ORCID |
| Source: | Adult Learning. 2026 37(2):129-135. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 7 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Education Level: | Adult Education Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Adult Education, Higher Education, Virtual Classrooms, Electronic Learning, Adult Programs, Graduate Study, Program Descriptions, Student Personnel Services, Student Recruitment |
| Geographic Terms: | Michigan |
| DOI: | 10.1177/10451595251357244 |
| ISSN: | 1045-1595 2162-4070 |
| Abstract: | This article examines the evolving landscape of online adult education, focusing on community building and engagement strategies in higher education. With a growing number of non-traditional students in online graduate programs, educators must adapt to the challenges faced by adult learners. Through their experience coordinating the Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education Master's program at Michigan State University, the authors highlight two innovative initiatives: the Speaker Series and the Online Masters Student Ambassadors program. The Speaker Series invites current students and alumni to address relevant contemporary issues related to student retention and sense of belonging. Meanwhile, Student Ambassadors provide prospective students with authentic insights into online learning experiences. The article reflects on the lessons we encountered in implementing these strategies and emphasizes the importance of learning opportunities outside the online classroom. Ultimately, it advocates for a holistic approach to online adult education enriching the educational journeys of adult learners. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1502434 |
| Database: | ERIC |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Url: https://content.ebscohost.com/cds/retrieve?content=AQICAHj0k_4E0hTGH8RJwT4gCJyBsGNe_WN95AvKlDbXJGqwxwGdUXCo47Dyg3YhFDCQF3cRAAAA4zCB4AYJKoZIhvcNAQcGoIHSMIHPAgEAMIHJBgkqhkiG9w0BBwEwHgYJYIZIAWUDBAEuMBEEDO9CFCuRsffO_23zuQIBEICBm_GHlJ4oRmwBN3I42sv73ynax7Q0Z7jhq1ibzKof-KmmqoI8s6DuTmTF711C26-IO8P7qZ-ZOChqNRPG06dH96rvpOE-1utYlDE8_Ru6kcS1k4uDJ01LLrKTZImApWWYMyY9LCFJ99qOwkRm0d4KftRsTNQjC6C1fwf5HTmPaEuHKSAlNoi9jssE-5PrNzyGAlUZruRyIDuvpNcr Text: Availability: 1 Value: <anid>AN0192697304;adl01may.26;2026Apr03.06:11;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0192697304-1">Cultivating Engagement: Innovative Practices for Online Adult Education </title> <p>This article examines the evolving landscape of online adult education, focusing on community building and engagement strategies in higher education. With a growing number of non-traditional students in online graduate programs, educators must adapt to the challenges faced by adult learners. Through their experience coordinating the Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education Master's program at Michigan State University, the authors highlight two innovative initiatives: the Speaker Series and the Online Masters Student Ambassadors program. The Speaker Series invites current students and alumni to address relevant contemporary issues related to student retention and sense of belonging. Meanwhile, Student Ambassadors provide prospective students with authentic insights into online learning experiences. The article reflects on the lessons we encountered in implementing these strategies and emphasizes the importance of learning opportunities outside the online classroom. Ultimately, it advocates for a holistic approach to online adult education enriching the educational journeys of adult learners.</p> <p>Keywords: online learning; engagement; adult education administration</p> <p>"Success of adults in graduate school is a result of faculty and administrators prioritizing learning opportunities in and outside classrooms."</p> <hd id="AN0192697304-2">Introduction</hd> <p>Online adult education in higher education faces a host of evolving challenges—both longstanding and emerging. From building community and fostering student engagement to navigating limitations of virtual learning environments ([<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref1">10</reflink>]), these issues demand urgent attention. In addition, today's graduate-level adult education programs must adapt quickly to rapid paces and social change in higher education ([<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref2">4</reflink>]; [<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref3">15</reflink>]). Reframing practices and administration of educating adults is no longer just about curricular improvements, but about also engaging in learning outside the online classroom that overlaps workplace, home, and postsecondary settings. In this article, we focus on innovating adult student engagement in online programs, through offering learning opportunities outside the online classroom. Echoing research by [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref4">4</reflink>], we address a pressing concern that many adult educators share: how to ensure the sustainability of our adult education programs in an evolving landscape. We share how our exclusively online graduate program is responding to the changing landscape of higher education for adult students.</p> <p>While efforts to understand shifting needs of adult learners in formal postsecondary education are important, what remains missing is a deeper understanding of how adults in fully online graduate programs engage in innovative learning outside the online classroom. Research on adult education within higher education often seeks to address formal in-person undergraduate learning environments ([<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref5">19</reflink>]) or faculty perspectives about their perception of student engagement in class ([<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref6">15</reflink>]). We argue learning outside the online classroom deserves more attention, since these are important sites that reinforce how learning "can happen anywhere, may occur in the workplace, people's homes, colleges, universities, or professional schools" ([<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref7">6</reflink>], p. 62). We believe co-curricular experiences in online environments play a crucial role in adult learning, and this paper contributes to practitioner-oriented literature on adult education administration. By highlighting our experience, we aim to provide valuable insights to help shape possible futures in online graduate programs for adult learners.</p> <p>We begin this article by introducing our graduate program and elaborate on engagement strategies we developed to cultivate our virtual learning community. We discuss our two programs to illustrate how we intentionally overlap adult education and higher education ([<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref8">6</reflink>]). We conclude with a summary of lessons we continue to learn amidst existing implications that accompany innovation implementation. Rather than evaluating the "how" or effectiveness of our engagement activities, our aim is to share key insights we've gained. We hope our story sparks ideas among those in online adult education administration in <emph>and</emph> outside of higher education.</p> <hd id="AN0192697304-3">The HALE MA Program</hd> <p>Our article is about our Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education (HALE) MA program at Michigan State University (MSU). We are a 30-credit hour online program promoting professional development among adult students working in formal <emph>and</emph> informal settings in and outside higher education. All our students are adults with a range of life experiences: some are "supporting themselves, crafting a career, married" ([<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref9">6</reflink>], p. 65), divorced, raising children, and/or carrying for loved ones young and old. Most work full-time in a variety of local, national, and international settings. Although a majority are employed in public and private colleges and universities. Being responsible for the professional development of other adults is the unifying trait among all our students. Regarding enrollment, 56% of them take three credits per semester to accommodate their busy schedules. Students enroll with us because our program is flexible and focuses on gaining the knowledge needed to teach other adults.</p> <p>Our program is one of the country's largest adult education programs. We have six faculty members, and one of them concurrently serves as program coordinator. Like most adult education programs, our faculty and staff reside in the College of Education ([<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref10">13</reflink>]). Our commitment to student success is evident in our use of best practices for teaching adults online, such as individualization through a student's 24-credit hours of electives ([<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref11">11</reflink>]). Our program is also attractive because we embody unique locations, epistemologies, teaching inclinations, and instructor qualifications that make adult education possible ([<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref12">6</reflink>]). Though we recognize pressures for innovation being tied to deliverable outcomes in today's knowledge economy within higher education (see [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref13">17</reflink>]). We argue performance metrics are often blind to unique realities of adult students. As such, our program balances competing needs of higher education administration and our responsibility to adult learning values.</p> <p>We also take a step further in comparison to other virtual graduate programs when we invest time and resources towards our learning outside the online classroom. This makes our program unique. We are committed to blurring disciplinary priorities needed in formal adult learning without compromising learning outside the online classroom. In the following sections, we provide details of two programs we believe might inspire other adult education administrators to replicate for their own programs.</p> <hd id="AN0192697304-4">Speaker Series</hd> <p>There is no one single way adult learning occurs, nor does a monolithic identity for adult learners exist, nor do we want it to. The <emph>Speaker Series</emph> is a program that invites members of our learning community to be part of topic-based addressing contemporary issues related to learning in adulthood. Success of adults in graduate school is a result of faculty and administrators prioritizing learning opportunities in and outside classrooms. [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref14">11</reflink>] detail how alignment of these elements encourages a state of becoming for adult learners, who often seek to engage in individual and organizational change in <emph>and</emph> outside classrooms. This belief led us to develop an online speaker series in 2022 to highlight overlaps between student engagement, adult characteristics, work environments, and connections between individual and collective learning.</p> <p>The <emph>Speaker Series</emph> also accomplishes diversity and inclusion goals in celebrating the embodied lives of our learners, while rejecting dominant stereotypes of non-traditional students. Our speakers have covered topics often represented in adult learning literature such as workplace learning ([<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref15">8</reflink>]); community outreach and education ([<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref16">5</reflink>]); engaging wellness as higher education practitioners ([<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref17">14</reflink>]); crafting teaching careers in health professions ([<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref18">18</reflink>]); teaching at community colleges ([<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref19">7</reflink>]); adult learning theory and academic advising ([<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref20">9</reflink>]); using artificial intelligence for learning ([<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref21">12</reflink>]); outdoor education and meaning-making ([<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref22">3</reflink>]; [<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref23">16</reflink>]); and juggling parenthood while earning a graduate degree ([<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref24">20</reflink>]). We believe the assortment of topics models how adult learning takes place in formal, non-formal, and informal settings in and outside higher education. Very simply, the <emph>Speaker Series</emph> is about adults navigating academic and workplace contemporary issues amidst environments that sometimes compromise their professional and personal enrichment.</p> <p>Mechanics of the actual virtual speaker events are simple and replicable. First, our program coordinator and graduate assistant determine a list of contemporary issues related to adult learning. Being mindful of working adults and busy schedules, events are 1 hour with a question/answer period included. Second, a list of possible speakers is generated among current HALE MA program students, alumni, and faculty. Balancing diverse perspectives is important to us, so we take into consideration gender, race, age, and professional experience in determining who we invite as panelists. Third, our graduate assistant confirms speakers and shares guiding questions and conversation prompts. During the event, our program coordinator serves as a moderator and uses dialogical learning techniques to encourage engagement across speakers and attendees. Recordings are uploaded to our college website for any student, faculty, or alum unable to attend.</p> <p>The <emph>Speaker Series</emph> is an opportunity for students, faculty, and alums to see each other as holistic beings. As an example, we have received feedback from students sharing how their participation in the <emph>Speaker Series</emph> was a generative experience to their sense of belonging. Faculty report coming away from events with a better understanding of their students, which is challenging when teaching asynchronously. Panelists and attendants overall comment on how the <emph>Speaker Series</emph>'s public format complements the lived experiences of adult students.</p> <hd id="AN0192697304-5">Online Master's Student Ambassadors</hd> <p>Despite having several faculty members, graduate programs like the HALE MA still have small workforces addressing program administration. Program administrators (i.e., program coordinators, administrative coordinators, and graduate assistants) juggle responsibilities of teaching courses, advising students, participating in college/unit meetings, among other duties. The <emph>Online Masters Student Ambassadors</emph> (<emph>Ambassadors</emph>) began in 2023 as a collaboration between our college administration and nine online graduate programs within the college. There are a total of nine ambassadors; one per program that results from a nomination process involving program coordinators. The collaboration's purpose was to have current students share with prospective students about their experience learning as an online student. All ambassadors received a small stipend for their work, which included holding office hours and responding to emails. Ambassadors also appear in our digital marketing materials posted across our college's website (e.g., videos, social media posts, website features). We believe these marketing materials serve as important visual narratives expanding diversity across adult students and the various identities they bring to enhance learning environments. Ambassador diversity across age, race, ethnicity, profession, and other identities varies and are determined by a program's unique student makeup. Nonetheless, our own ambassador resulted from our knowledge of their demonstrated ability to talk about their online master student experience across diversity markers, progressive professional experiences, and scholarly interests.</p> <p>Recruitment of students into any graduate program in higher education is a year round responsibility. Our ambassador plays a key role in the processes' success. First, ambassadors are encouraged to be candid about returning to higher education, especially since most of them took several years off from formal education. Insecurity about being successful in graduate studies is common among prospective students, so ambassadors are briefed at the beginning of their roles in meaningfully speaking of the obstacles and achievements they experienced in returning to school. For example, ambassadors talk with prospective students about strategies needed to cultivate self-discipline, motivation, and stress management when balancing multiple life roles ([<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref25">2</reflink>]). For our ambassadors, these exchanges serve as an experiential learning arena outside the classroom who construct and communicate narratives of their personal growth and self-actualization through real-life experiences in online graduate education ([<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref26">1</reflink>]). Our ambassador maintains communication via email about their points of contact with prospective students, which we use to weigh program effectiveness. While not a silver bullet for admission and recruitment, ambassadors have contributed to the general sustainability of our and other online graduate programs. At open houses and orientations, prospective and new students often cite word-of-mouth—often beginning with a conversation with an ambassador—as their primary motivation for applying.</p> <hd id="AN0192697304-6">Summary: Lessons Learned</hd> <p>Graduate programs and higher education institutions must recognize that adult learners' engagement in online adult education matters. In this article, we shared two strategies for addressing significant gaps in understanding how adults engage in learning opportunities outside the online classroom environment. Our <emph>Speaker Series</emph> and <emph>Ambassadors</emph> foster a dynamic collective learning experience, as we continue to witness our community engage across roles—students, faculty, staff, and alumni. We conclude now by discussing lessons learned along our journey.</p> <p>We are continuously refining our engagement efforts related to the two initiatives discussed in this article. In the <emph>Speaker Series</emph>, topics are currently generated by the program administrators, not students or other faculty. We plan to experiment by asking students what they want to hear, while also including faculty recommendations for topics they might cover in their courses. Our selection of speakers comes from cultivated relationships with students inside class and through advising. These relationships are unique to our program and result from having low advisor-to-student ratios. Not all programs can accomplish this when only one or two faculty members are instructors, administrators, <emph>and</emph> advisors. Some readers might also scrutinize how candid our ambassadors are allowed to be when speaking to prospective students. What we can proudly say is that they are honest. That is, ambassadors avoid making conversations only about recruitment into our program, and focus on communicating how to make an informed decision about where to earn an online graduate degree. We are committed to adult students selecting a program that will provide them with autonomy, flexibility and convenience that will suit their personal, professional, and academic goals.</p> <p>At macro levels, MSU is a large-state university using a decentralized organizational system. This poses a difficult task of determining opportunity costs associated with time, funding, and personnel investments related to engagement among student populations of all ages, but especially adult learners. At micro levels, our own faculty juggle several responsibilities and often negotiate what area of their jobs they need to prioritize, especially given the academy may recognize and reward some efforts (scholarly research) at the expense of others (teaching). These realities impact commitments to student engagement, especially when online programs do not have sufficient human and economic resources to invest in learning opportunities outside the online classroom. So, now what?</p> <p>We believe innovations require trial and error, as we certainly encountered lessons learned. For example, readers might notice our examples of engagement primarily involve how adult students engage <emph>outside</emph> an asynchronous online program. We wonder how hybrid and synchronous online programs conceptualize and practice learning engagement outside the online classroom. Or do they at all? Our program also only admits applicants with three or more years of professional experience—which is often a key characteristic of adult learners ([<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref27">6</reflink>]). Here we wonder how engagement might differ if traditional students (e.g., those with little to no professional experience) were part of our virtual graduate program. Would mixing professional and generational diversity spark engagement and connections? Maybe.</p> <p>What about quality? What are the best ways to nurture and foster engagement quality among adult students? Who determines these norms? Should adult educators determine what students need or should programs rely on their adult students to voice these desires? On our end, we are currently engaged in a strategic program assessment to understand how our program compares to other online asynchronous adult education graduate programs. We plan to begin our research by performing a benchmark analysis to determine strengths, weakness opportunities, and threats impacting our program. Next, we plan on inviting students and faculty to complete an online survey on our internal programming, including the <emph>Speaker Series</emph>. These data will provide the data we need to better envision the next chapter in our program's future. So stay tuned as we figure out this question of quality, but we hope some reader(s) might take initiative to share their own thoughts, experiences, and ideas. We believe that when adult education administrators share their best practices this further improves the landscape for all who are committed to cultivating and fostering engagement among adult learners, whether online or in-person.</p> <hd id="AN0192697304-7">ORCID iDs</hd> <p>Salomón Antonio Rodezno https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6575-7094</p> <p>Riyad A. Shahjahan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3244-3215</p> <ref id="AN0192697304-8"> <title> References </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" idref="ref26" type="bt">1</bibl> <bibtext> Arghode V., Brieger E. W., McLean G. N. (2017). Adult learning theories: Implications for online instruction. European Journal of Training and Development, 41(7), 593–609.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib2" idref="ref25" type="bt">2</bibl> <bibtext> Berry G. R., Hughes H. (2020). Integrating work–life balance with 24/7 information and communication technologies: The experience of adult students with online learning. American Journal of Distance Education, 34(2), 91–105. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2020.1701301</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib3" idref="ref22" type="bt">3</bibl> <bibtext> Clover D. E. (2002). Environmental adult education. Adult Learning, 13(2–3), 2–6. https://doi.org/10.1177/104515950201300201</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib4" idref="ref2" type="bt">4</bibl> <bibtext> Collins R. A., Zacharakis J. (2023). Continuous challenges: Case study of a sustainable university adult education graduate program. Adult Learning, 34(2), 111–116. https://doi.org/10.1177/10451595221106171</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib5" idref="ref16" type="bt">5</bibl> <bibtext> Galbraith M. W., Price D. W. (1991). Community adult education in America: An overview. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 5(1), 2–15. https://doi.org/10.1002/nha3.10022</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib6" idref="ref7" type="bt">6</bibl> <bibtext> Hill L. H., Rogers-Shaw C. A., Carr-Chellman D. J. (2023). But, is it adult education? Disciplinary boundaries of adult education and higher education. Adult Learning, 34(2), 59–67. https://doi.org/10.1177/10451595231159430</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib7" idref="ref19" type="bt">7</bibl> <bibtext> Iloh C. (2019). Does distance education go the distance for adult learners? Evidence from a qualitative study at an American community college. Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 25(2), 217–233. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477971418785384</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib8" idref="ref15" type="bt">8</bibl> <bibtext> Lim D. H., Rager K. (2015). Perceived importance of curricular content of graduate HRD programs in the U.S. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 27(2), 13–27. https://doi.org/10.1002/nha3.20099</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib9" idref="ref20" type="bt">9</bibl> <bibtext> McGill C. M. (2024). Advising leaders' perceptions of advisor workplace learning. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 36(3), 176–190. DOI:10.1177/19394225241265832</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Merriam S. B., Baumgartner L. (2020). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> O'Connor B. N., Cordova R. (2010). Learning: The experiences of adults who work full-time while attending graduate school part-time. The Journal of Education for Business, 85(6), 359–368. https://doi.org/10.1080/08832320903449618</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Oliveira J., Murphy T., Vaughn G., Elfahim S., Carpenter R. E. (2024). Exploring the adoption phenomenon of artificial intelligence by doctoral students within doctoral education. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 36(4), 248–262. https://doi.org/10.1177/19394225241287032</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Olson J. S. (2016). Perspectives in AE — Do they know who we are? A starting point for enhancing the visibility of adult education programs within schools of education. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 28(3), 40–45. https://doi.org/10.1002/nha3.20152</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Shatila S. L. (2024). Not alone when I'm feeling stressed: Online adult learner connection and retention. Adult Education Quarterly, 74(1), 43–61. https://doi.org/10.1177/07417136231184570</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Stephens M. L., Coryell J. (2021). Faculty perspectives on context, benefits, and challenges in fully online graduate adult education programs. Adult Learning, 32(2), 79–88. https://doi.org/10.1177/1045159520959468</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Walter P. (2013). Greening the net generation: Outdoor adult learning in the digital age. Adult Learning, 24(4), 151–158. https://doi.org/10.1177/1045159513499551</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Williams J., Harvey L. (2015). Quality assurance in higher education. In Huisman J., de Boer H., Dill D. D., Souto-Otero M. (Eds.), The palgrave international handbook of higher education policy and governance (pp. 506–525). Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-45617-5_27</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Wright M., Hill L. H. (2015). Academic incivility among health sciences faculty. Adult Learning, 26(1), 14–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/1045159514558410</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Wyatt L. G. (2011). Nontraditional student engagement: Increasing adult student success and retention. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 59(1), 10–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/07377363.2011.544977</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Zhu Y. (2020). Learning to become good mothers: Immigrant mothers as adult learners. Adult Education Quarterly, 70(4), 377–394. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741713620921179</bibtext> </blist> </ref> <ref id="AN0192697304-9"> <title> Footnotes </title> <blist> <bibtext> The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.</bibtext> </blist> </ref> <aug> <p>By Salomón Antonio Rodezno and Riyad A. Shahjahan</p> <p>Reported by Author; Author</p> <p></p> <p>Salomón Antonio Rodezno is a doctoral student in the Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education program at Michigan State University's College of Education. 428 Erickson Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824. Salo is a fifth-year doctoral student at Michigan State University in the Department of Educational Administration's Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education program. Salo has worked over a decade in higher education and student affairs administration in the West, East, and Midwest. His work continues to center educational goals of historically marginalized students, especially adult learners, first-generation college students, and children of immigrants.</p> <p>Riyad A. Shahjahan is a Professor of Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education (HALE) at Michigan State University and a core faculty member in Muslim Studies, Chicano/Latino Studies, and Asian Studies. His research interests include the globalization of higher education, time and temporality, curriculum and pedagogy, embodied wellness, and cultural studies. He adopts a critical, philosophical, and interdisciplinary approach to higher education, drawing on decolonial theory, critical race studies, affect theory, temporal studies, and the sociology of education.</p> </aug> <nolink nlid="nl1" bibid="bib10" firstref="ref1"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl2" bibid="bib15" firstref="ref3"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl3" bibid="bib19" firstref="ref5"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl4" bibid="bib13" firstref="ref10"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl5" bibid="bib11" firstref="ref11"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl6" bibid="bib17" firstref="ref13"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl7" bibid="bib14" firstref="ref17"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl8" bibid="bib18" firstref="ref18"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl9" bibid="bib12" firstref="ref21"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl10" bibid="bib16" firstref="ref23"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl11" bibid="bib20" firstref="ref24"></nolink> |
|---|---|
| Header | DbId: eric DbLabel: ERIC An: EJ1502434 AccessLevel: 3 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
| IllustrationInfo | |
| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Cultivating Engagement: Innovative Practices for Online Adult Education – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Salomón+Antonio+Rodezno%22">Salomón Antonio Rodezno</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6575-7094">0009-0008-6575-7094</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Riyad+A%2E+Shahjahan%22">Riyad A. Shahjahan</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3244-3215">0000-0002-3244-3215</externalLink>) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Adult+Learning%22"><i>Adult Learning</i></searchLink>. 2026 37(2):129-135. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: Y – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 7 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2026 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Evaluative – Name: Audience Label: Education Level Group: Audnce Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Adult+Education%22">Adult Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Adult+Education%22">Adult Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Virtual+Classrooms%22">Virtual Classrooms</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Electronic+Learning%22">Electronic Learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Adult+Programs%22">Adult Programs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Graduate+Study%22">Graduate Study</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Descriptions%22">Program Descriptions</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Personnel+Services%22">Student Personnel Services</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Recruitment%22">Student Recruitment</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Michigan%22">Michigan</searchLink> – Name: DOI Label: DOI Group: ID Data: 10.1177/10451595251357244 – Name: ISSN Label: ISSN Group: ISSN Data: 1045-1595<br />2162-4070 – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: This article examines the evolving landscape of online adult education, focusing on community building and engagement strategies in higher education. With a growing number of non-traditional students in online graduate programs, educators must adapt to the challenges faced by adult learners. Through their experience coordinating the Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education Master's program at Michigan State University, the authors highlight two innovative initiatives: the Speaker Series and the Online Masters Student Ambassadors program. The Speaker Series invites current students and alumni to address relevant contemporary issues related to student retention and sense of belonging. Meanwhile, Student Ambassadors provide prospective students with authentic insights into online learning experiences. The article reflects on the lessons we encountered in implementing these strategies and emphasizes the importance of learning opportunities outside the online classroom. Ultimately, it advocates for a holistic approach to online adult education enriching the educational journeys of adult learners. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: As Provided – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2026 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: EJ1502434 |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1502434 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1177/10451595251357244 Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 7 StartPage: 129 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Adult Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Higher Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Virtual Classrooms Type: general – SubjectFull: Electronic Learning Type: general – SubjectFull: Adult Programs Type: general – SubjectFull: Graduate Study Type: general – SubjectFull: Program Descriptions Type: general – SubjectFull: Student Personnel Services Type: general – SubjectFull: Student Recruitment Type: general – SubjectFull: Michigan Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Cultivating Engagement: Innovative Practices for Online Adult Education Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Salomón Antonio Rodezno – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Riyad A. Shahjahan IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 05 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 1045-1595 – Type: issn-electronic Value: 2162-4070 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 37 – Type: issue Value: 2 Titles: – TitleFull: Adult Learning Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |