The Development of a Continuing Educational System for the College of the Bahamas with Implications for Third World Countries
Problem. The problem addressed in this study is what form adult education should take and how it should be organized and administered to provide maximum effect for The Commonwealth of the Bahamas, considering its geography. No systematic study has been undertaken with a view to develop such a continuing education system. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop a continuing education system for the College of the Bahamas. Method. The study utilized a developmental research approach to investigate the organization and administration of continuing education in institutions of higher education in the United States with a view to develop a continuing educational system for the College of the Bahamas. A letter containing seven questions covering organization, administration, program planning, and evaluation was sent to sixty institutions; fifty institutions (83.33 percent) responded to the questionnaire. Conclusions. 1. How should the Continuing Education Division of the College of the Bahamas be organized? The Continuing Education Division should have a centralized structure with a chief administrator being a director with responsibilities to the principal of the college. Additionally, the Division should be organized into departments based upon the Division's functions. 2. What relationship should exist between the Continuing Education Division and other divisions of the college? A spirit of cooperation should exist with the other academic divisions and the Director of Continuing Education should be afforded equal status to the other academic divisions of the institution. 3. What programs and activities should be sponsored by the Division? The majority of the respondents offered a variety of credit and non-credit programs that met the needs of the clientele. 4. What procedures would best implement these programs and activities? The majority of respondents in following the program planning process began by conducting a needs-assessment. 5. What financial support would be needed? Financial support would be needed to cover the instructional and administration cost of the program. 6. What facilities would adequately deliver the program? The selection of a site and the environment of the facility should enhance adult learning. 7. What evaluation procedures and measures would be most used? The majority of the respondents distributed standardized evaluation forms to the participants at the end of the programs to evaluate the activity.
College of the Bahamas., Education, Higher Education
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