Catherine A. Cherrstrom

Making Connections: Attending Professional Conferences.

Attending a professional conference is an effective way to explore and advance knowledge, skills, and careers. For graduate students, attending a conference is an effective way to explore academic fields and new professions (Chapman et al., 2009). However, attending a professional conference requires precious resources-time and money--so the decision to attend, or not, is often difficult. Are you new to the adult education field and considering your first conference? Or, are you a seasoned adult education professional considering your next conference? Perhaps you are a professor or practitioner encouraging a student or mentee to attend a professional conference. If you have decided to attend a conference, what is your plan for maximizing the experience? The purpose of this reflection is to share my experience and a framework for graduate students, and professionals, to maximize attending professional conferences. If I had not attended a professional conference as a masters student, I would not be a doctoral student today; if I had not attended a second professional conference while applying for doctoral programs, I would not be studying and researching my way to the professoriate. Based on my conference experience, reflection, and research, an overarching theme of making connections emerged and formed the foundation for a model (see Figure 1). Although the models focus is graduate students making connections at a professional conference, the making connections opportunities and best practices also apply to seasoned professionals. Although no one person will experience all connections at all conferences, each graduate student or professional has the opportunity to experience multiple connections and benefits. As an example, the model begins with making connections to colleagues. For graduate students, attending conferences provides access to a variety of potential colleagues, including other students, professors, practitioners, and authors. As a new professional, it is important to meet other professionals. Social cognitive theory contends the learning process is social, involving the interaction and observation of others, and constructivist learning theory contends meaning is constructed from experience (Merriam, Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007). Conferences offer formal and informal methods of socializing and a variety of experiences with colleagues. I have heard conference attendees proclaim they learned as much in informal conversations with colleagues over lunch, during breaks, or before and after sessions, as they learned in formal sessions. Receptions, conference-arranged dinner groups or dine-arounds, and business meetings are additional ways to connect with colleagues (Senese, 2010). [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Graduate students often wear student ribbons and are easy to spot and meet. Conferences provide opportunities for students to form strongly bonded communities (Ghosh & Githens, 2009). Conferences also provide opportunities for graduate students to interact with professors in a higher level of interaction, in different situations, and in new ways (Lirgg et al., 2010). Students and faculty enjoy the positive relationships developed in a professional environment outside of the classroom (Fiorentino, Manson, & Whalen, 2005). My first adult education conference was in 2009. While earning my masters degree, my advising professor recommended I attend the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) conference in Cleveland, Ohio. My initial thought was the wind off Lake Erie can be very cold in early November. My next thought focused on my meager graduate student budget and whether it could stretch to cover travel and conference-related expenses. I was also concerned about missing class, taking time away from studies, and not knowing anyone at the conference. After much deliberation, I went to the conference, made numerous connections, reaped valuable benefits, and laid the foundation for a new career. …

Predicting workplace transfer of learning: A study of adult learners enrolled in a continuing professional education training program

Purpose The primary purpose of this study was to predict transfer of learning to workplace among adult learners enrolled in a continuing professional education (CPE) training program, specifically training courses offered through face-to-face, blended and online instruction formats. The study examined the predictive capacity of trainee characteristics, training design and work environment on transfer of learning among the study respondents. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional online survey design was used to collect data from the study respondents, three months after CPE training. Two hundred ninety-seven trainees participated in this study. Data from 46 participants were incomplete and therefore excluded in the preliminary analysis, resulting in 251 valid responses and participants for the data analysis, 43 males (17.1 per cent), 201 females (80.1 per cent) and 7 (2.8 per cent) who did not indicate their gender. To answer the study’s research questions, factor analysis and multiple hierarchical regressions were performed. Findings The results of the study revealed training efficiency and relevance were critical in the transfer of learning among the study participants. The findings of the study showed combined training efficiency and training relevance enabled training participants to acquire knowledge and skills for application in the workplace and had significantly positive influence in transfer of learning. The work environment, measured by work variability (or flexibility) and work complexity, and the trainee motivation to participate, measured by learning-conducive workplace features, had a positive influence in transfer of learning. Research limitations/implications Because the majority of participants were females (80.1 per cent), this could be one of the limitations to this study. Research has identified that, because of the broad expectations based on sex and different family and occupational roles, men and women differ in their social network communication, participation in CPE, personality traits, gender-related occupational preferences, learning preference and methods of handling workplace conflict. The second limitation is related to the study design. The researchers did not have a control group because of practicality issues. This being a cross-sectional online survey study, all extraneous variables were not controlled such as in the case of a true randomized control study. This study is relying on the information obtained from a self-report training transfer instrument completed by the study participants. The accuracy of the obtained data is dependent on the honesty of the participants and their commitment in providing correct responses. Originality/value This study provides empirical evidence pertaining to the transfer of learning among adult learners engaged in a continuing professional development training program. The study examines factors related to training design, training delivery, trainee motivation and the workplace environment and how these factors determine transfer of learning among trainee respondents who participated in the study. The findings of the study have practical implications for the design and successful delivery of continuing professional training among adult learners. The study could be replicated at a national level and in international settings.

10 Years of Adult Learning Content Analysis of an Academic Journal

Academic publications provide insights into a discipline’s history, knowledge base, and research norms, and thus analyzing publication activity provides learning about the field of study. To learn more about the field of adult and continuing education, this study used content analysis to examine 10 years of Adult Learning from 2006 through 2015, providing insights into the field, major findings related to journal issues; article authorship, keywords, purpose, frameworks, and research design; and five prevalent themes and trends.

Construct of Expertise Within the Context of HRD: Integrative Literature Review

Human resource development (HRD) academics and practitioners often speak of developing expertise in individuals and unleashing expertise in organizations. For individuals, expertise has professional and personal implications related to employment, work performance, career development, career transition, and resulting livelihood across the life span. For organizations, expertise has implications for training and development; for organizational development, as a competitive advantage; and for performance. Expertise presents challenges and opportunities for HRD and merits additional research to meet such challenges and leverage opportunities to benefit individuals, teams, organization, communities, nations, and humanity. The purpose of this integrative literature review was to examine the construct of expertise within the context of HRD. Findings included where, when, and how authors used expertise in the HRD literature. Major themes comprised expertise and assessment, workforce development, professional development, leadership development, redevelopment, and elicitation and transfer. Findings have implications for theory and practice and inform future research.

This Group Is Vital: Adult Peers in Community for Support and Learning.

Adult learners often experience uncertainty, isolation, and, in graduate school, angst about meeting program requirements. Therefore, graduate students created and facilitated a seminar series and preliminary examination study group. The experience, however, transcended seminars and study meetings to build relevant and meaningful community. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine adult peers in community for support and learning. Major findings included participants built community for support and learning, using programming as foundation for building a community of practice (CoP), with peer mentoring playing a major role. The findings also feature participant voices and share programming ideas for adult learners and educators.

Book Review: Five Perspectives on Teaching: Mapping a Plurality of the Good (2nd ed.)., by Pratt, D. D., Smulders, D., & Associates:

I found Motha’s explanations in this concluding section to be more nebulous than those throughout the rest of the book, and wished for additional concrete examples of teachers putting this provincialized English into practice. In recognizing that I wanted more, however, I realized that Motha had already accomplished her primary objectives: to encourage me to ask difficult questions; to help me engage with research, peers, and mentors; and to catalyze critical, creative thought and action in my own particular context. Motha’s insightful, powerful writing challenges us to reconceptualize our understandings and practices of teaching, learning, and using English. In the midst of our day-to-day teaching and learning, may her words remind and inspire us to continue cocreating a more racially, linguistically, economically, and socially just and hopeful world.