Date of Award
2004
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
Diane E. Bryant
Committee Member
Karen D. Bowser
Committee Member
Maryellen Maher
Keywords
adult education, adult education programs, adults, Andros Island, Bahamas, business administration, college preparatory programs, computer literacy, developmental methodologies, distance education, educational delivery, educational needs, evaluation, Family Islands, higher education, implementation, Internet access, nonexperimental research, program evaluation, program implementation, research questions, secondary education, survey research, tertiary education, The Bahamas, The College of The Bahamas, technology, traditional face-to-face education
Abstract
There exists a paucity of opportunities for adults on the Family Islands of The Bahamas to obtain higher education, as there is minimal infrastructure on these islands to support the traditional face-to-face mode of educational delivery at the tertiary level. This project was designed to develop a plan for the implementation and evaluation of programs to meet the educational needs of adults on Andros Island, Bahamas. The plan that was developed utilized 14 procedures to answer 4 research questions. The 4 research questions addressed were (a) What are the educational needs of adults on Andros Island?, (b) Currently, what is the best practice for educational delivery taking into consideration the demographics of the population and the geographical location of Andros Island?, (c) What elements (criteria and components) should be included in a plan for the implementation of programs to meet identified needs?, and (d) What elements (criteria and components) should be included in the plan for an evaluation of the program that will meet identified needs?
The nonexperimental research methodology was the primary problem-solving approach used to survey the population in an effort to ascertain their educational needs. The evaluation and developmental methodologies were also utilized to develop the survey tool and the subsequent plan.
The survey response rate was 72% (N = 144). The results of the study indicated that 75% of respondents were educated up to the secondary level. They also revealed that 83% of respondents indicated that they would register in courses if they were offered via distance. The results also showed that 87% of the respondents could use the computer and 72% of them could access the Internet.
From this study, it was concluded that there exists a great need for college preparatory programs on the Family Islands, particularly on Andros Island. It was also discovered that technology exists on Andros Island to support the distance mode of educational delivery.
This study recommends that the plan that was developed be implemented within 4 to 6 months of the approval of this applied dissertation. It is also recommended that The College of The Bahamas adapt courses from the Certificate in Business Administration so that they could be offered via distance. It is further recommended that future research should be undertaken to examine the impact that this plan has had on the communities of Andros Island in The Bahamas.