A Profile of University Continuing Educators in Canada

Abstract

As the field of adult and continuing education matures, it is useful to more fully understand both the nature of practice and the characteristics of practitioners. Although some attention has been devoted to these topics in the literature, this article focuses on those practitioners who work in a university setting. and reports the results of a national study of university continuing educators. The data, which was gathered on a Canada-wide basis, has allowed us to both describe the characteristics and job responsibilities of those working in the field and develop job responsibility profiles. In addition, the study considers questions of gender, academic rank, age, educational levels, and length of experience in university continuing education as important elements in understanding who continuing educators are, and the kind of work they do.

Creating a Common Space for Community Engagement

“…In earlier articles relating to the practice of UCE, Guinsburg (1996) advocates for collaboration rather than competitiveness and asserts that the profession needs to aim higher in order to support an efficient, effective, and ethical practice. Stern (1992) maintains that a successful activist must also be a successful entrepreneur: "without the first we lose our souls; without the second we lose our jobs" (p. 25). The idea that UCE practitioners can play a role in "building bridges" between faculty and community is offered by Lund (1994), who suggests that UCE is well positioned within the university to provide a forum for faculty and community members to "raise new questions, challenge academic assumptions, and stimulate thinking and reflection" (pp.…”

Continuing Education in Non-University Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria: Emerging Roles and Challenges

“…An increase in research funding and a delineation of research priorities will help to spotlight the nature of CE in these institutions. The study of Pearce, Hein, and Donaldson (2000), in which the trio carried out a survey of the characteristics of university continuing educators in Canada and their job profile, is relevant for research focused on CE in NUTIs. Such research will provide answers to questions such as CE for whom, by whom, and how.…”

Research on University Continuing Education: Barriers and Future Possibilities

“…Although there may be some agreement on research priorities and on the knowledge and skills required of researchers, the low volume of adult education research, carried out by a relatively small number of researchers, and its relatively low priority (Brooke & Morris, 1987;Pearce, 1993)-even among those required to engage in research (Garrison & Baskett, 1989)suggest that adult education lacks sufficient numbers of skilled and experienced researchers to build strong research capacity (Blunt, 1994).…”

“…Here at home, even small-scale funding sources may not be fully utilized; in the 1998-99 academic year, for example, the Canadian Association for University Continuing Education (CAUCE) Research Fund received only two applications. This situation may reflect different factors, such as the high ratio of effort required to the size of the grant (Lawler & Ferro, 1995) or, in the university context, the relatively low priority assigned to research by UCE practitioners and administrators (Brooke & Morris, 1987;Garrison & Baskett, 1989;Pearce, 1993).…”

“…Even when academic staff contemplate engaging in research, few actually do. Bains (1985) found that while academic staff showed a preference for more assigned research time (13 percent of their job assignment), only about 6 percent of their time was reported as actually being devoted to research.…”