Page 256

Abstract

255

create a better learning environ¬ment for adults” (Underwood, 2002).

Active learning, utilized not only in degree-completion programs but throughout the curriculum, helps all students identify and solve problems, ensuring fresh, effective approaches to instruction and encouraging lifelong learning. "We're not just interested in what students know on the last day before they graduate-- but also what they know three years after they graduate," Provost, Dr. Mary Hawkins said (Bellevue University’s online courses, 2002). President Muller, quoting Alvin Toffler, emphasized that “the illiterate of the twenty-first century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn” (Toffler, 1990). “The shelf life of learning is much shorter than it used to be,” said Muller, “so you constantly have to be retooling, upgrading your educational programming, and the knowledge base of your employees” (Underwood, 2002).