Adult and Continuing Education Courses

Adult Learning and Development

1.0 required course in the CACE program.

Offered online and face-to-face at UVic.

The content of this course reflects the large body of knowledge in the area of lifespan development. We’ll examine adult development, learning and change, and relate these areas to andragogy.

Emphasis is placed on the importance of both contextual factors and individual differences when examining the process of learning in adults.

Facilitating Adult Learning

1.0 required course in the CACE program.

Offered online and face-to-face at UVic.

In this course, we’ll explore the complexity of the teaching/learning process in the education of adults and identify and define the assumptions, values and beliefs that underlie your decisions as a facilitator. We’ll also analyze the application and implications of educational principles in the design, delivery and evaluation of adult learning.

Foundations of Adult Education

1.0 required course in the CACE program.

Offered online and face-to-face at UVic.

Examine the history of adult education from both the international and local perspectives, and analyze the underlying philosophical, sociological, historical and political foundations of adult education. Then, apply your insights to contemporary adult education issues.

Program Planning in Adult Education

1.0 required course in the CACE program.

Offered online and face-to-face at UVic.

In this course, you will identify and examine the planning procedures and strategies that result in efficient and effective programs for adults learning in a wide variety of social and institutional settings. You’ll also develop basic skills or enhance and redefine your current skill levels.

Assessment and Evaluation in Adult Learning

Available for 1.0 elective credit in the CACE program.

Only offered online.

This course focuses on the place of assessment and evaluation in the context of curriculum design/development/delivery and adult learning. Students will learn how to analyze and evaluate assessment and evaluation tools and strategies that allow them to meet the needs of various learners and stakeholders. Students will demonstrate their learning by designing an evaluation strategy appropriate for the curriculum used in their own workplace-learning context. 

Blended Learning in the Workplace

Available for 1.0 elective credit in the CACE program.

Only offered online.

Many organizations today are using blended learning models to deliver training and facilitate learning. So: what is blended learning and how can you use it to create quality, engaging learning events? 

In this hands-on course you will learn how to design synchronous and asynchronous blended training that will engage learners and make learning stick. There will be opportunities to network, collaborate and share a variety of blended learning design and development tools and techniques. 

A blended learning approach is integral to the delivery of this course. You will be engaging in asynchronous directed and self-directed learning and virtual classroom learning activities.

Learner assessment in this course is performance-based. There are three course assignments that reflect real-world training situations.

This course focuses on the application of tools and technologies to workplace training.

Constructing Change through Creative Goal Setting

Available for 0.5 elective credit in the CACE program.

Only offered face-to-face at UVic.

Goal setting is both an art and a science. By learning more creative ways to assist learners and clients with their goals, you can provide inspiration and impetus for meaningful change.

This course will appeal to career practitioners, teachers, trainers and human resource personnel who wish to become more effective as helpers. It is an opportunity to develop new skills in helping yourself and others set goals that are personal, sensible and dynamic. Learning will be achieved through practice sessions, videos and mapping techniques.

Cracking Through to Creativity

Available for 0.5 elective credit in the CACE program.

Only offered face-to-face at UVic.

This workshop will introduce you to a variety of creativity tools that will enhance problem solving, goal setting and visionary thinking in both business and personal contexts.

Using experiential exercises, you will learn how to think more creatively and freely as an individual as well as a team member. Creativity tools offer new perspectives and can inform action to enable you to become an effective change agent at work as well as at home.

You will receive a handout package detailing the tools acquired in class, as well as a reference list for other creativity sources.

Discovering Our Many Intelligences

Available for 0.5 elective credit in the CACE program.

Only offered face-to-face at UVic.

Remember when IQ was the major predictor of professional success? Well, no longer. Research shows that our emotional intelligence is the primary indicator for both personal and professional success; the good news is that it can be learned.

In this workshop, we’ll explore and hone our emotional intelligence using the research from Goleman, Bar-On and Short. In addition, we'll learn about Gardener's multiple intelligence theory and how to implement this into our working world and personal relationships.

Dynamic Presentations: Public Speaking and Presentation Skills

Available for 0.5 elective credit in the CACE program.

Only offered face to face at UVic.

The ability to speak well in front of a group is a fundamental skill in the professional world. Moreover, the ability to convey important information to a group is pivotal to team and organizational success. So why is it that so many presentations are long, boring and lacking in inspiration? Enter Dynamic Presentations.

In this workshop, students will learn the three most important elements of a solid presentation: narrative, argument and audience engagement. Using the Pecha Kucha (pe-CHA ku-CHA) format of presenting, students will learn to deliver a leading edge presentation that will educate, motivate, persuade and entertain an audience.

Effective Coaching for Learning in the Workplace

Available for 0.5 elective credit in the CACE program.

Only offered face-to-face at UVic.

Coaching is a powerful catalyst for supporting individual and team learning in the workplace. Coaching helps others think through their issues or problems and find their own solutions.

Workplace coaching is less like sports coaching, where the coach tells players what to do, and more about creating an environment for learning and enhancing personal learning skills. Effective workplace coaches foster curiosity where individuals feel comfortable discussing their challenges and hopes, exploring their current reality, brainstorming options and making actionable plans to move toward their future. An effective coach is a good thinking partner, not necessarily a content expert or instructor.

This workshop is designed to help participants develop the skills to support others’ to discover their own solutions, especially when it seems easier to just deliver the answer.

E-Learning: Design and Development

Available for 1.0 elective credit in the CACE program.

Only offered online.

If you want to learn how to design and build engaging e-learning courses, experiences and activities, then this course is for you.

This online course will provide hands-on learning opportunities based on each individual participant’s particular audience and learning strategy. Participants will learn how to create storyboards, conduct effective needs analysis and gain stakeholder buy-in.

Throughout the course participants will be building their e-learning courses, experiences and activities and upon completion they will showcase their final product. With a diverse learner population in the course, there will be opportunities to network, collaborate and share a variety of e-learning design and development techniques.

Enhancing Your Classroom Training with Technology

Available for 0.5 elective credit in the CACE program.

Only offered face-to-face at UVic.

In this workshop, you will learn ways to keep your classroom learners engaged through the effective use of educational technology. By building tasks and activities that are supported through the use of readily available apps and internet tools, your classroom training will be more interactive, and will build opportunities for a greater sense of accomplishment in your adult learners. We will discuss different options for engaging learners, opportunities to allow greater creativity in your sessions, and how to provide a sense of accomplishment for your learners. In this workshop we will also discuss the changing landscape of educational technology, how to choose the right technology for the purpose, and will also cover topics such as privacy and consent. This workshop is intended for facilitators of face-to-face classroom learning, in-house training, corporate training sessions, or anyone delivering training to groups of people in the classroom.

Facilitating Dream Teams in the Workplace

Available for 0.5 elective credit in the CACE program.

Only offered face-to-face at UVic.

Teamwork is a mainstay in most organizations. A group of dedicated individuals working toward a common goal can create exceptional results – if the team is healthy and adaptive. But how do you, as the leader of a team, create a healthy team that knows how to learn from and trust each other?

If you are a trainer, facilitator or instructor responsible for a team, this workshop is for you. We’ll learn how to build trust, learning and cooperation into the fabric of teams. Drawing upon experts in the field such as Patrick Lencioni, Bolman & Deal, Peter Senge, Bruce Tuckman and Kohn & O’Connell, you’ll leave this workshop knowing how to build a true dream team.

Facilitating Intercultural Relationships

This course facilitates intercultural relationships within the context of deconstructing systemic structures and ideologies, which impact every aspect of our society as well as our personal world-views.

Participants and instructors will engage critically, deeply and honestly. We will aim to facilitate and create a respectful community of learners using a dialogical (dialogue) model and an action-reflection process throughout classes and assignments. Topics for critical analysis include: equity, knowledge, leadership, privilege, race, class, identity, oppression, and social justice.

Improving Performance through Learning Transfer

Available for 1.0 elective credit in the CACE program.

Only offered online.

This course provides students the opportunity to investigate the critical components of the learning transfer process, and to get at the heart of improving performance and contributing to organizational results through changing behaviour. Learning transfer will be analyzed at the organizational, manager, trainer, and trainee levels. An understanding of how organizational contextual factors may impede or support transfer, and influence behaviour will be developed. Students will also examine how transfer considerations influences the adult instructional design cycle (i.e. ADDIE) from needs assessment to evaluation. Additionally, the importance of building business partnerships to gain clarity on expectations and promote actions to boost transfer will be explored. Students will leave with strategies and tools that will help improve training’s impact on organizational performance.

Instructional Design in Adult Education

Available for 1.0 elective credit in the CACE program. 
Only offered online.

Why should we study instructional design? What difference will this skill make to an organization? If you have ever had the experience of sitting through a training session or learning module and feeling that it was a waste of time, then you will immediately understand the value of designing instructional modules that engage the learner and benefit the organization. 

This practical, hands-on course introduces learning theories and models (ADDIE) that support the development of learning modules and enables you to apply these principles to support the professional development and training needs of your organization.

Instructional Skills Workshop

Available for 0.5 elective credit in the CACE program.

Only offered face-to-face at UVic.

In this workshop, you will improve your instructional skills and facilitate learning by designing and delivering three 10 minute lessons, and by participating as a learner in other people’s lessons. Feedback from participants and discussion of learning theory will help you develop effective teaching practices. We create a supportive and confidential learning environment where you can experiment and learn from others.

We’ll also:

• identify and discuss instructional and classroom issues
• learn how to use audiovisual media
• explore learning and teaching styles

Participants regularly declare that this workshop has been a pivotal experience in their careers. If you wish to be an instructor, then the Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) is the place to start! If you are experienced, the Instructional Skills Workshop is a powerful, experiential workshop or laboratory in which to refine your practice.

Planning Program Evaluation

Available for 1.0 elective credit in the CACE program.

Only offered online.

This course focuses on the application of program evaluation theory and principles with a focus on application in an adult education setting. Students will learn how to build a practical program evaluation, to understand the real-life barriers that face evaluation projects and the strategies that can be used to overcome these barriers.

We’ll briefly review program evaluation history, including the emergence of evaluation models. Five key models will be examined and related to the five forms of evaluation developed by Owen (1999). Mini case studies will be used to exemplify these models and forms. Evaluation approaches will be applied to the various mini-cases and a detailed design plan (blueprint) will be developed for a particular case

Project Management

Get a handle on your project. Whatever your area of expertise, learn and apply the fundamental concepts of effective project management. A seasoned PMP designated professional will work with you throughout a project management cycle: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling and closing. You will learn how to maximize the use of MS Project software throughout this project cycle.

You will learn:

• how to maximize the use of MS Project software
• the concepts and methodologies needed to plan, manage and track performance over a complete project life cycle
• cost–benefit analysis
• change control management
• quality control
• risk management
• performance tracking and corrective action

(Note: This course has a new course code. It was formerly TECJ410)

Format

The online format of the course lets you study from anywhere, anytime.

The course is 13 weeks in duration. Students login to the course and communicate with the instructor and fellow students via the course management system, Brightspace. For more information, visit our page on online learning.

Text: No textbook required.

Strategies and Tools for Teaching Adults Online

Available for 1.0 elective credit in the CACE program, but can be taken without registering for the program.

Only offered online.

This course focuses on the practical aspects of teaching adults online. You’ll learn how to apply adult teaching and learning principles to make your courses more meaningful and memorable.

Using online tools and strategies, you will create activities, content/curriculum, and projects that:

• encourage participation
• build community
• engage learners

You will discuss the challenges you and others may face in teaching online and find ways to overcome them.

*formerly titled Instructional Skills for Teaching Adults Online

Training Needs Assessment

Available for 1.0 elective credit in the CACE program.

Only offered online.

This course investigates how to identify needs related to learning and improvement. Through discussions and assignments, participants will develop a practical approach to successfully conducting a needs assessment for the purpose of creating valid, job-related courses and curricula.

Participants will learn to:

• locate and analyze information from different sources like performance appraisals
• prepare surveys and write effective survey questions
• prepare and conduct effective interviews
• analyze the data gathered and identify key trends and themes
• summarize findings into useful charts, graphs and reports
• interact with and manage stakeholders and team members
• present and explain the results of the needs assessment

During the course and working with others, participants will carry out a needs assessment under realistic conditions to resolve the problems encountered and share their experience with others.