Adult Higher Education Alliance (AHEA)

Hosted by Empire State College, plans are now underway for the Alliance's 30th Annual Conference, October 5-8 in Saratoga Springs, New York. The theme this year is "The Future of Adult Higher Education: Principles, Contexts and Practices."

The Future of Adult Higher Education: Principles, Contexts and Practices.

In keeping with the now three decade-old spirit of AHEA, at this year's conference we welcome a range of topics and perspectives relevant to our theme. As you develop your proposals for presentations and workshops, please consider the following three areas:


Principles:

	Experimentation and Change - How can we keep alive the spirit of innovation and flexibility in the programs we develop and in the work that defines our practices?

	Considering the Whole Student - In what ways can we attend to the complexity of our students' lives, and to their personal, professional and academic backgrounds and goals?

	Diversity - How can we embrace diversities of persons, ideas, and points of view in the policies we support and in the practices we carry out?

Contexts:

	Economic and Social Environments - What impact have new economic and social realities had on our faculty work, on our programs, and on our students' lives, interests and goals?

	Cultural Context - What specific efforts have we made to respond to a growing diversity of adult learners and to our claims of inclusiveness?

	Technological Contexts - How have technologies changed the environments within which our students learn and within which we work?

	Imagining New Contexts - Are there new contexts in which we have worked or believe we need to work in order to extend our programs to those who have been passed by?

Practices:

	Reflective practice - What exactly do we mean by "reflective practice" and how has reflecting on our practice allowed us to renew and develop ourselves as professionals?

	Assessment and accountability - What specific methods of assessment have you used and how have such methods also encouraged accountability throughout your institutions?

	Technologies - What technologies are you trying out, regularly using, or imagining that will enhance student learning?