Adult Education
at the University of Minnesota
Revised 3/12/03
The
graduate program in adult education (AdEd), a specialized academic
area within the Department of Work and
Human Resource Education (WHRE) prepares individuals to
work with adults in a variety of roles, such as program developers,
teachers, advisers, administrators, and managers, in a variety of
formal and informal settings, such as educational institutions,
business and industry, community agencies, health care organizations,
continuing and professional education, and adult basic education. We
define adult education as a process whereby persons whose major social
roles are characteristic of adult status undertake systematic and
sustained learning activities for the purpose of bringing about
changes in knowledge, attitudes, values, or skills. The Adult
Education program provides a foundation of knowledge about the field,
particularly regarding the nature of adult learners and adult
development.
The
mission of the Adult Education program
at the University of Minnesota is to prepare leaders and scholars of
formal and informal education for adults in the workplace, family and
community. To that end, AdEd is integrated with the
Human Resource Development (HRD)
program, also a specialized academic area within the department.
Combined, the two foci offer students of adult education who are
interested in the human resource development field of practice an
opportunity to integrate learning from both specializations.
In fall 1993,
the Adult Education program transferred from the
Department of Curriculum and
Instruction to the Department of Vocational and Technical
Education, now named the Department of Work
and Human Resource Education (WHRE), to focus on adult
learners in both formal and informal educational settings, work
settings, and community settings. While adult education covers a
broader spectrum of environments in which individual development and
learning take place, the linkage with
human resource development (HRD) is logical since business and
industry is one of those contexts and an important one in terms of the
numbers of adults who are served by training departments and HRD
programs. The expertise and interest of the faculty, the traditional
departmental tie between theory and practice, and closer alignment
with adult practitioners represented in departmental professions
contributed to the decision to offer adult education through the
Department of Work and Human Resource Education. The opportunity
to interface more closely with HRD is a direct result of that
geographical proximity and departmental tie.
The
goal of the Adult Education program is two-fold:
-
to
enhance the intellectual development of individuals as they (a) become
more aware of their own life's journey, (b) enjoy the rewards of
learning how to learn, (c) critically reflect on their roles as
responsible adults, and (d) initiate social change; and
-
to
contribute to the preparation of competent professionals who work with
adults in a variety of educational, training and development,
organization development, and community settings, including those in
education, industry and business, government, and non-profit agencies.
In these settings, individuals are involved in teaching,
administration (as coordinators and managers), counseling, and program
design and evaluation. In addition, adult education students may
choose program options to reflect specific interests, such as adult
basic education or workplace literacy.
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