Walden’s online Graduate Certificate in Adult Learning can help you develop the knowledge and skills you need to meet the increasing demand for qualified adult educators and training professionals.

Explore a broad range of career possibilities, including developing education programs for adult literacy, employee training, vocational education, community programs, or self-enrichment.

This certificate program focuses on topics and themes that you can apply immediately to help adult learners build on their existing knowledge base and learn in transformative, relevant ways—in the classroom, in the workplace, and beyond.

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  • “Certificate programs from the Riley College of Education and Leadership are designed to help educators like you update your skills as you advance your career. You can participate in Walden’s collaborative online environments as you share ideas with educators across the country.”

    Dr. Kelley Costner
    Associate Dean of Master’s and Undergraduate Programs
    The Richard W. Riley
    College of Education and Leadership

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  • Tuition and Fees

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Completion Requirements

  • 12 total semester credits

You can complete this certificate program in as little as 8 months. Time to completion may vary by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. For a personalized estimate of your time to completion, call an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336. Credits earned from this certificate program may be applied toward Walden’s M.S. in Adult Learning program.

Courses

  • Theories and Frameworks for Adult Learning

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    To understand adult learning, one must ask and answer complex questions: Who is the adult learner? What is the social context of learning? What motivates adult learners? In this course, education professionals explore the theories and frameworks that inform the field of adult learning today. They identify, compare, and contrast foundational and emerging perspectives on adult learning with the aim of transforming theory into practice. They engage in an integrative course project through which they synthesize and apply various theories to real-world situations, including their own development; summarize how the idea of wisdom impacts their experiences as adult learners; interview an adult learner; and assess various perspectives in regard to educating diverse learners.

  • Cultural Diversity and Motivation

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    Today’s diverse, multicultural world dictates that adult learners are not treated as a homogenous group but rather as distinct individuals, each with his or her own intrinsic motivations. Education professionals in this course learn the importance of culturally responsive teaching methods that promote respect, relevance, engagement, and academic success. They engage in readings and assignments focused on inclusive approaches that promote cross-cultural communication, and they explore and discuss a range of topics, such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nontraditional learners, and linguistic diversity.

  • Developing a Repertoire of Effective Teaching Practices

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    A number of best practices in adult teaching and learning have been identified based on decades of research and experience. Education professionals in this course examine these evidence-based practices to build their skills and gain strategies to facilitate learning in a variety of settings. They also explore promising new ideas and emerging trends in the field of adult learning.

  • Planning, Assessing, and Improving Adult Learning

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    Given the wide variety of settings in which adult learning takes place, it is no small challenge to plan and implement robust learning experiences tha can be effectively evaluated. This course examines the ingredients essential to succesfully promote learning, including multiple needs assessment models, approaches to program design, implementation strategies, and models of evaluation and assessment.

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Next State Date is July 1. Apply Now

2013-2014

Curriculum Component Requirements  Cost
Courses 12 total semester credit hours $640 per semester credit hour
Technology Fee per semester $150

Tuition and fees are subject to change.

Call 1-866-492-5336 for information about a full range of options for:

Walden is committed to providing the information you need to make an informed decision about where you pursue your education. Please find below detailed information for the Graduate Certificate in Adult Learning relating to the types of occupations this program may lead to, completion rate, program costs, and median loan debt of students who have graduated from this program.

Occupations
Program Completion Rate
Program Costs
Median Loan Debt

Occupations—This program generally prepares students to enter the types of occupations listed below. For more information on these specific occupations, visit www.onetonline.org.

In addition to this list, there are other career options that graduates of this program may choose to pursue. To enter certain professions, students may need to satisfy specific additional requirements established by state and/or professional organizations in addition to completing their program.

View examples of our student and alumni accomplishments in their chosen fields.

Occupation Name* Occupation Code*
Adult Basic and Secondary Education and Literacy Teachers and Instructors 25-3011
Postsecondary Teachers 25-1000
Teachers and Instructors, All Other 25-3099
Education Administrators, All Other 11-9039
Training and Development Managers 11-3042

*The “occupation name” is a general job title. “Occupation code” refers to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Standard Occupation Classification.

Program Completion—The program completion rate for July 1, 2011, to June 30, 2012, is not available because this program did not yet have any graduates.

Program Costs—The total program costs are the estimated average costs over the duration of the program, excluding any scholarship or tuition reductions, for students completing the program on time. These costs can vary based on the number of credits. Typically, tuition and fees are subject to change annually.

Expense Cost
Tuition and Fees $7,740 
Books and Supplies  $0
Room and Board Not applicable

View cost per credit in the Tuition and Fees section.

Median Loan Debt—The Median Loan Debt for July 1, 2011, to June 30, 2012, is not available because this program did not yet have any graduates.

For assistance in deciding which online certificate program fits your goals, request information or speak with an enrollment advisor by calling 1-866-492-5336. A list of international toll-free phone numbers is available for students outside the United States.