This assignment requires you to critique a historical or contemporary adult education program. In your critique, you are expected to integrate the historical, philosophical, and socioeconomic foundations of adult education into a review of a program.
The education program to be reviewed could be in a workplace , a professional or geographic community, a social service institution, an educational institution, or a volunteer organization. It could also be a program associated with a social movement.
If you need to consult other sources to acquire more detail about historical examples discussed in your readings, you can consult a wide range of online resources and journals through the Athabasca University Library.
IMPORTANT:
To prepare your critique, address the following elements:
- Describe the program, including its purpose, its sponsors (financial and otherwise), the participants, and its educational content and process.
- Describe the purpose in terms of theoretical perspectives within the field of adult education.
- Analyze the (historical) context in which the program exists (or existed) and the importance of the social and economic conditions on the program’s formation and operation.
- Analyze the dominant philosophy embedded in the program, particularly the assumptions about society, humans, the role of education in society, and the view of the learner.
- Analyze the socio-economic forces affecting the program, and explain how they have shaped the program and how the program, in turn, has influenced these socio-economic forces.
- Develop a thesis or argument about the program based on your conclusions about whether or not the program has achieved its purpose and whether there is (or may have been) an alternative way to achieve the purpose within the context.
- Use your theme to develop a creative and/or provocative title.
Sample Solution