2016 Annual Conference

Because their educational and work histories have been circuitous, adult students may divest their past work of meaning and devalue the knowledge they have gained from experience. This session explores ways of encouraging students to construct and reconstruct their past, current, and future selves as active and purposeful lifelong learners.

This session will enable faculty, administrators, and graduate students to discuss methods of facilitating reflection about purpose and calling with adult students. The session will discuss ways of integrating content about constructing meaning into courses and curricula, as well as the relationship between reflection on calling and career development on retention.

Adult undergraduate students return to college with a tangible and specific goal in mind: career advancement. While much stress and strain has gone into the decision to complete their degrees, rarely do students reflect on the meaning of their education and its relationship to their purpose or calling. Much as they question the need for general education, adults may view reflection on such intangibles as a distraction until they are given the opportunity to construct meaning out of their past experiences and integrate their past and present selves with their career goals.

Because their educational and work histories have been circuitous, adult students may divest their past work of meaning and devalue the knowledge they have gained from experience. This may lead them to question their ability to succeed in college and grow in their careers. How might adult undergraduate courses and curricula integrate reflection on calling or vocation, in order to promote success in college and create a sense of ownership and direction in their world of work? This session explores ways of encouraging students to construct and reconstruct their past, current, and future selves so that they are active and purposeful lifelong learners.