2016 Annual Conference

This session examines the challenges to creating learning environments conducive to social interactions between diverse students in face-to-face, blended and online classes in universities and community colleges. Autoethnographies of presenters reflect upon their experiences teaching in the changing landscape of higher education and highlights thoughtful methods for engaging adult learners.

The target audience for this presentation is professors, instructors, and adjunct faculty members at community colleges, universities and other higher education venues who teach in face-to-face, blended and online formats. Graduate students and others who work with adult learners in various contexts will also find the session helpful to their comprehensions of adult learners in their classrooms. Higher education administrators who attend may also gain understandings of classroom dynamics and interactions between instructors and learners in a variety of contexts.

The emerging use of technology as a teaching format, the ever evolving culture of classroom dynamics, the inclusion of various generational cohorts in one class, the cultural and racial diversity of students and faculty members, the gap that may exist between student and faculty expectations, and finally, the strained relationships between faculty members and administrators points to potential issues in providing rich learning contexts for adult learners in community colleges and universities. This session explores the perspectives and experiences of full time and adjunct faculty members teaching adults in face-to-face, blended and online formats. Time will be allotted at the end of the session for questions and for small and large group discussions focusing on ways to enhance interactions between learners with each other, with instructors, and with course content in a variety of learning contexts.