Adult education is an exciting field to study and is equally exciting to be associated with as a learner, graduate student, faculty member, educator, or interested professional. The field is dynamic, growing, and full of opportunity. There are several important issues facing the adult education field today as those working in any way with human resource development, training, or the education of adults seek to serve an ever-expanding clientele or build a knowledge base adequate for personal and professional growth.
Some contemporary issues are controversial in nature.
Others are more philosophical in terms of the knowledge required to understand them. Still others require constant attention just to keep up with the expanding literature and information being developed. In this course, we will study several such issues and discuss the implications for each of us as we develop our understanding of both the field and where it is heading. Your involvement should include adequate preparation through reading and thinking about the various issues to be covered, participating in class discussion and dialogue, and preparation of a personal statement on at least one of the contemporary issues covered in the course. Therefore, the general purpose of the course is to help you better understand various issues, the nature of the field of adult education, the field's future directions, and personal views on several contemporary issues.