Introduction

Welcome

Barry University's School of Adult and Continuing Education  (ACE) welcomes you to a rewarding and challenging experience as an adult learner. Whether you are a new or returning student to the college experience, the faculty and staff at ACE are here to help you reach your educational goals. This resource guide has been developed to help you get off to the right start as a college student. The information it contains will serve as a useful tool throughout your academic career.

Adult Students, Lifelong Learning, and the Learning Society

As the twentieth century comes to an end, it is not surprising that we look with awe and wonder at the transformation of the society in which we were born. We have seen the world change from the industrial age to the information age. "Change," as a leading adult educator aptly points out, "is now so great and so far reaching that no amount of education during youth can prepare adults to meet the demands that will be made on them." Thus, we have become, out of necessity, lifelong learners in a learning society.

Other contemporary educators have named three major forces that are fueling the growth of lifelong learning in the learning society. First, there is the changing demographic situation. The United States population as a whole is older and more diverse. The demand for learning opportunities for these groups has increased the need for continuing education.

Second, the economic situation has a great impact on the growth of a learning society. The global economy is a reality and the shift from a product producing- economy to a service-providing one has changed the nature of the American work force. It is currently estimated that the average person will change jobs seven times in his or her lifetime. Out of necessity, job-related education and training has become a major feature of the work place.

The third force, technological advances, underscores the shift to the information era. The "information explosion" has dramatically increased the need for continuing education. The knowledge database doubles every five years. Moreover, electronic delivery systems are making various forms of education available to populations previously unable to obtain it.

The effect of these three forces on our lives is enormous. Business, professional organizations, and academic institutions have recognized the importance of lifelong learning. We must also recognize the need to gain knowledge beyond the years of high school to function in our jobs, our families, and in our communities. By committing ourselves to learning throughout our lives, we can thrive and excel in the learning society-a place of constant change.

As Alvin Toffler (this link will take you off Barry's site), author of Future Shock and The Third Wave , has pointed out, "the illiterate of the year 2000 will not [only] be the individual who cannot read or write, but the one who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." Welcome to ACE and to the 21st century!