Course List
In addition to the courses listed below, the College offers a number of research courses in other programs.
- These required Ph.D. courses are offered residentially every year: ADTED 521 (fall), ADTED 542 (fall; also offered via World Campus), ADTED 550 (fall; web version is also offered annually).
- These required Ph.D. courses are offered residentially every other year: ADTED/CIED 508 (spring) and ADTED 510 (spring; also offered annually via World Campus). ADTED 508 and 510 alternate every other spring.
- All residential elective courses are offered every other year, except for ADTED/CIED 562, which is offered every fall.
- Recommended schedule for doctoral students (note: ADTED 508 is not required for D.Ed. students)
- Year 1, fall: ADTED 521, ADTED 542, elective
- Year 1, spring: ADTED 508 or 510, 2 electives
- Year 2, fall: ADTED 550, 2 electives
- Year 2, spring: LDT 574 (Applied Qualitative Research), ADTED 508 or 510, elective
- Year 2, summer: ADTED 551
- Year 3, fall: remaining course requirements (total of 15 courses for D.Ed. and 16 courses for Ph.D.)
- Year 3, spring & summer: comps and proposal
- Year 4: dissertation research and writing
*course frequency and semester are subject to change*
ADTED 456 Introduction to Family Literacy (World Campus, Fall)
Explores comprehensive family literacy models, focusing upon families, services, outcomes, and roles and responsibilities of individuals, organizations, and communities
ADTED 457 Adult Literacy (World Campus, Summer)
Surveys adult basic and literacy education programs and best practices; applies recent research on adult and family literacy
ADTED 458 Early Literacy Development and Parental Involvement (World Campus, Fall)
Focuses on young children's language and literacy development, including parental and staff support, grounded in scientifically based reading research
ADTED 459 Interactive Literacy: Parents and Children (World Campus, Spring)
Focuses on literacy and language interactions between parents and their young children (including English language learners), implementing intentional/planned learning
ADTED 460 Introduction to Adult Education (World Campus, Fall, Spring, Summer)
History, methods, agencies, program areas, and problems of adult education in the United States
ADTED 470 (CI ED) Introduction to Distance Education (World Campus, Spring, Summer)
An introduction to the history, philosophy, organizations, learning theories,and instructional procedures used in American and foreign distance education.
ADTED 480 Teaching Math and Numeracy to Adults. Examines issues of learning math as an adult and explores effective strategies for teaching math and numeracy to adults.
ADTED 560 Teaching Reading to College Students and Adults. Reading literacy for adults, including college reading, Adult Basic Education (ABE), and General Educational Development (GED) programs.
ADTED 496 Independent Studies (World Campus, Fall, Spring, Summer)
ADTED 497/498 Special Topics (World Campus, Occasional)
ADTED 505 The Teaching of Adults (Penn State Harrisburg) (World Campus, Summer)
Examination of direct and indirect teaching, contracts, application of current technology, andragogy, motivation, valuation, and knowledge of research
ADTED 506 Program Planning in Adult Education (World Campus, Summer)
Intensive study of theoretical foundations, policies, evaluation models, methods, and materials in program planning in adult education
ADTED 507 Research and Evaluation in Adult Education World Campus, Fall)
Guided discussion and reading in selected research and evaluation methods and trends as applied in adult education settings
ADTED 508 (CI ED) Globalization and Lifelong Learning (Residential, every other Spring)
Examination of globalization discourses and their relationships, implications and impacts on lifelong learning processes and contexts
ADTED 509 (CI ED) Language, Literacy, Identity and Culture in a Global Context (World Campus, Summer) (Residential, every other Spring)
Examination of the relationship between issues of language, identity and culture for adult learners in an increasingly global context
ADTED 510 Historical and Social Issues in Adult Education (World Campus, Fall, Spring) (Residential, every other Spring)
Social and historical foundations in adult education in the United States and selected nations
ADTED 521 Doctoral Proseminar in Adult Education (Residential, every Fall)
An orientation to the field of adult education and to doctoral study in the Adult Education Program at Penn State.
ADTED 531 Course Design and Development in Distance Education (World Campus, Fall, Spring)
In depth study of the practices of designing courses taught by print, broadcast, and telecommunications media to adult distance learners
ADTED 532 Research and Evaluation in Distance Education (World Campus, Spring)
Study of previous, current, and needed research and of strategies and issues concerning evaluation in distance education
ADTED 533 Global Online and Distance Education (World Campus, Fall) (Residential, every other Year)
Students will explore the historical and current developments of online and distance education in different regions of the world
ADTED 542 Perspectives on Adult Learning Theory (World Campus, Fall) (Residential, every Fall)
Introduction to adult education learning theory, principles, and models of adult learning by adults alone, in groups, and in communities
ADTED 543 (AFR, CI ED) Comparative and International Trends in Adult Literacy Education (Residential, Occasional)
This course critically examines the broad contemporary issues and interdisciplinary trends of literacy education with an international and comparative framework
ADTED 549 (HI ED) Community Junior College and Technical Institutes (Residential, Occasional)
Distinctive contributions to meeting the need for postsecondary education; development, functions, curriculum and instruction, government, administration, and finance
ADTED 550 Qualitative Research in Adult Education (Residential, every Fall; web-based, annual)
Introduction to the theory, principles, and practice of qualitative research.
ADTED 551 Qualitative Data Analysis (Residential, every Maymester)
Students learn to analyze data qualitatively by engaging in, and continuously reflecting on the process
ADTED 552 Participatory Action Research (Residential, every other Spring)
Introduction to the major theoretical and practical issues in the design and implementation of Participatory Action Research
ADTED 560 Teaching Reading to College Students and Adults (World Campus, Spring)
Reading literacy for adults, including college reading. Adult Basic Education (ABE), and General Educational Development (GED) programs.
ADTED 561 Family Literacy (Residential, every other Fall)
Examines the research related to the four components of family literacy (adult literacy, early childhood education, parenting, and parent ? child interaction), theoretical underpinnings, program effectiveness, and considerations with culturally and linguistically diverse populations
ADTED 562 Politics, Language and Pedagogy: Applying Paulo Freire today (Residential, every Fall)
Examines the work of Paulo Freire as it applies to community action projects
ADTED 564 (CI ED) Social and Cultural Perspectives on Work and Learning (Residential, every other Spring)
Examination of the relationship between learning and work with special attention given to how certain forms of learning are legitimized
ADTED 570 (CI ED) Comparative and International Adult Education (Residential, every other year, usually Fall)
Critical and comparative analysis of adult education theory and practice outside North America, including international agency involvement
ADTED 572 (CI ED) Policy Studies in Lifelong Learning (Residential, Occasional)
Examination of the approaches and frameworks to the study of lifelong learning policies and the relationship between lifelong learning issues and problems, policy development, policy actors and institutional structures that support them
ADTED 580 Adult Education Research Seminar (Residential, Occasional)
A seminar dealing with specific research topics and methods in adult education. Open to advanced students in adult education
ADTED 581 Social Theory and Lifelong Learning in Adult Education (Residential, every other Spring)
In-depth coverage of social theory, especially as it intersects with research in adult education and lifelong learning.
ADTED 588 Professional Seminar: Research and Adult Education (World Campus, Fall, Spring, Summer)
Review of research in adult education, current and past, with analysis of its directions, effects, methodology, quality, financing, and prospects
ADTED 590 Colloquium in Adult, Continuing and Distance Education (Residential, Occasional)
Continuing seminars that consist of a series of individual lectures by faculty, students, or outside speakers
ADTED 594 Research Topics (Residential, Occasional)
Supervised student activities on research projects identified on an individual or small-group basis
ADTED 595 Internships in Adult Education
Supervised student internship in adult education agency
ADTED 596 Individual Studies
Creative projects including non-thesis research, supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses
ADTED 601/611 Dissertation Research