Self-Directed Adult Learning: Some Implications for Practice. Occasional Paper No. 2.

This publication describes the activities, deliberations, and products of a semester-long, graduate-level class dealing with policy development related to self-directed adult learning. The first section of the document provides a brief overview of the scope and content of the course. After a section of definitions of terms relating to self-directed learning (SDL) and adult education, the history of SDL is traced from colonial times to the present. Particular emphasis is placed on self-directed learning in higher education. Suggestions are provided for involving adult students in program development. A section on the applications of SDL in adult education practice and research discusses specific implications for learners, agencies, educators, and researchers. The report concludes with specific research recommendations and a brief bibliography. Appendixes to the document include a list of workshop participants, descriptions of the learning activities implemented during the course, abstracts of the students' term project papers, an outline of the lecture and discussion topics covered during the course, and a set of learning projects interview materials. (MN)