Education (EDUC) 309
The Purposes of Adult Education (Revision 1)

Revision 1 is closed for registrations, replaced by current version
Delivery Mode: Individualized study or grouped study
Credits: 3
Area of Study: Reading course - Social Science
Prerequisite: None
Precluded Course: EDUC 401. EDUC 309 may not be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for EDUC 401.
Faculty: Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences
EDUC 309 is not available for challenge.
Overview
Education 309: The Purposes of Adult Education is designed to introduce the purposes and foundations of adult education. The course provides an overview of adult education theory and practice, but it is not intended as a comprehensive examination of all areas of adult education. It will, however, give you tools for examining other areas of adult education and related fields of study. The course focuses on Canadian and North American adult education, but also considers global perspectives and experience. As you work through the course, you will learn to relate your knowledge and experience to the knowledge base of the course. We encourage you to initiate your own reading on the issues discussed and to select topics that interest you for further reading and research. Please note that the course is designed as a directed reading course, and commentary in this guide is at a minimum. You are however encouraged to contact your tutor on a regular basis and take advantage of any online enhancements the course, the educational studies program, and the university provide.
Outline
EDUC 309 consists of five units listed below.
Unit 1: Education for Adults
Unit 2: Education for Economy
Unit 3: Education for Transformation
Unit 4: Education for Diversity
Unit 5: Education for the Twenty-first Century
Evaluation
To receive credit for EDUC 309, you must complete all of the assignments, and achieve at least fifty per cent on each one. The weighting of the course assignments is as follows:
Tutor-marked Exercise 1 | Tutor-marked Exercise 2 | Tutor-marked Exercise 3 | Tutor-marked Exercise 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
25% | 20% | 20% | 30% | *95% |
*An additional five per cent of the final grade is based on your participation in the course. You can earn this five per cent by contacting your tutor on a regular basis (e.g., after completing each unit), and discussing the issues raised by the course with her or him.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.
Course Materials
Textbooks
Fenwick, T., Nesbit, T., & Spencer, B. (Eds.) (2006). Contexts of adult education: Canadian perspectives. Toronto: Thompson.
Lotz, J. & Welton, M. (1997). Father Jimmy: The life and times of Jimmy Tompkins. Wreck Cove, NS: Breton Books.
Scott, S., Spencer, B. & Thomas, A. (Eds.) (1998). Learning for life: Canadian readings in adult education. Toronto: Thompson Educational Publishing.
Spencer, B. (2006). The purposes of adult education: A short introduction. Toronto: Thompson Educational Publishing.
Other Materials
Athabasca University. (1988). Perspectives on adult education: Interviews with Malcolm Knowles, Allen Tough, Patricia Cross and Roger Boshier. Athabasca, AB: Athabasca University.
The course materials also include a student manual, and a study guide.
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized-study counterparts.
Opened in Revision 1, May 23, 2008.