QUALITY LIFELONG EDUCATION: NEW PERSPECTIVES ON DESIGN AND ADMINISTRATION

The purpose of this project is to develop a manuscript for a useful publication for those interested in designing and administering quality lifelong education programs for diverse adults.;A basic assumption of the publication is that recurrent quality lifelong education is increasingly necessary for everyone living in a rapidly changing, complex society. Programs in institutions of higher education and other sectors that deliver educational services to adults are not currently designed and organized to appropriately serve diverse adults' changing needs and interests. In order to improve the quality of education for increasingly older, part-time, experienced, employed, and role-complex adult learners, institutions need to develop new perspectives and approaches.;Key questions are raised about individuals, institutions, society, and quality. Perspectives are offered on: the society, philosophy, institutions, education, and the individual adult learner. A balanced perspective is developed, including the learner, institution, and society. An "Equation for Quality: Development, Outcomes, and Environment" is proposed as an approach to achieving quality.;In order to design for diversity, demographic data is summarized. Models based on recent research on adult developmental phases, stages, styles, and levels are presented. Developmental transitions and individual change are viewed as central concepts, which need to be understood and used in designing quality educational programs for adults.;The publication is a synthesis of recent research, study, and effective practices which combine to present a variety of perspectives, models, and exercises that can be used by educators.;Institutional administration is approached through a five part management model. Issues relating to decisions, conflicts, structures, cultures, and managers of institutions are raised, drawing from literature in the fields of law, management, and sociology. Partnerships with other sectors are discussed.;A number of program design strategies are presented. A curricular taxonomy, an academic process approach, and learning outcomes are offered. Twenty organizing principles, implications for program design, and action steps are enumerated. Methods for increasing individualization and learner-centeredness are presented. Basic institutional change concepts are addressed.;A systems model of the community is offered. Major social issues are identified. Ways to approach futures invention and social change are suggested.;Individual, institutional, and social change cycles are synthesized. The essential elements of quality and the "Quality Circle" combine these new perspectives. Steps toward organizing for quality lifelong education are suggested. The need to assert new models is justified. A vision for a future quality lifelong educational institution is created.;This publication is intended to provide some lenses through which the reader's perspective transformation can occur. By considering future social trends, current institutional realities, and the nature of adult development and life cycle change, educators are encouraged toward a way of thinking that can result in improving the quality of lifelong education for diverse adults. This writer views this task as critical for higher education and has sought to make a contribution toward these ends.