The Saga of Continuing Education
Education is the most precious wealth that never fades. The wealth brought by education can never be stolen by anybody. Wealth that is infinite and not irreversible. Education is a wealth that is for a lifetime.
Education is a social science that encompasses teaching and learning specific skills and knowledge. Any process, either formal or informal shapes the potential of maturing individuals.
Formal education occurs when society, a group, or an individual sets up a curriculum to educate people. It is a conscious effort by human society to impart the skills and modes of thought considered essential for social functioning. Formal education is systematic and thorough. The system of formal education is used to promote ideals or values as well as knowledge and this can lead to abuse of the system. Techniques of instruction in formal education often reflect the attitude of society.
Informal education results from the constant effect of environment and its strength in shaping values and habits can never be overestimated.
Education is infinite and never-ending. This fact is against the thought of some that education is limited. Some thinks that education is only for children, but in fact, it is for all, all walks of life.
Continuing education has been practiced since in the past but the thought of it never became renowned. It is only for now that people realized that continuing education is part of everyday life.
Continuing education can be gained in different ways. In its old concept, it can be gained through experience etc. However, the concept of continuing education has changed as the world changed.
In its definition today, continuing education is education intended for adult learners, especially for those traditional undergraduate college or university age. It involve enrollment in college or university credit-granting courses, often by students enrolled part-time, and often offered through a division or school of continuing education of a college or university known sometimes as the university extension or extension school.
Continuing education can also mean enrollment in non-credit granting courses often taken for personal, non-vocational enrichment. Many such non-credit courses are offered by community colleges.
The method of delivery of continuing education can include traditional types of classroom lectures and laboratories. Many continuing education makes heavy use of distance learning which not only includes independent study but which can include video taped or CD-ROM material, broadcasting programming and online or internet delivery.
In independent study, the use of conference-type group study includes study networks where many meet together online. There are different types of seminars and workshops, as well used to facilitate learning. A combination of traditional, distance and conference-type study, or two of these three types are used for a particular continuing education course or program.
Today, almost all of the colleges and universities are offering courses and programs on continuing education. The first academic institution that offers continuing education was the University of Wisconsin in 1904. The State University of New York was the first institution that focused exclusively on providing higher education to adult learners.
The colleges and universities that offer continuing education have almost all of courses and programs in different lines of careers. It ranges form business, information technology, history and arts, languages, film and writing up to social sciences.
Continuing education proved that education is never ending and infinite.
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