UofL’s Organizational Leadership and Learning (OLL) bachelor’s program receives the 2013 Malcolm Knowles Award for Outstanding Adult Education Program of the Year

The Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and Learning program at the University of Louisville is the recipient of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education’s (AAACE) 2013 Malcolm Knowles Award. This is the first time the award has ever been awarded to a bachelor’s degree program.

The award was established in the name of Malcolm S. Knowles for his distinguished contribution to the field of adult education and his development of the theory of andragogy. Knowles’ theoretical and practical approach is based on a humanistic conception of self-directed and autonomous learners and teachers as facilitators of learning.

The award recognizes teams or individuals for outstanding leadership of programs that demonstrate effectiveness, relevancy, creativity, immediacy, institutional cooperation or collaboration and legislative impact. Matt Bergman, assistant professor, and Kevin Rose, assistant professor, both with the Department of Leadership, Foundations and Human Resource Education at UofL, accepted the award on behalf of the Organizational Leadership and Learning (OLL) program at the AAACE’s annual conference.

To be eligible for this award, a degree program must serve the adult learner population for a minimum of two years and demonstrate efficient adoption of the andragogical process. The Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and Learning is delivered on campus or online to meet the needs to nontraditional students who are employed, taking care of their family or are engaged in community projects or services.

Referring to how this award reflects the positive learning outcomes of the bachelor’s program, Matt Bergman said ”With more than 96,000 adults in the greater Louisville area who have some college and no degree, we believe that our Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and Learning program is a very effective option for completing a bachelor’s education. This program is built on a solid foundation of high standards that focus on a relevant, rigorous, and research based curriculum that balance the need for greater educational attainment with high quality learning outcomes for our students. Our program’s adult learning advocates continually embrace the support and resources from our campus community, the Louisville region, and the National Degree Completion initiatives to advance educational attainment for so many working adults with some college and no degree.

Kevin Rose also shared his thoughts about the quality of the program and how it impacts continuous professional development: “Our program is receiving national recognition for our efforts to meet the education needs of adult learners. This recognition reflects our faculty’s commitment to making this program particularly relevant for students with prior knowledge and work experience.” We continually strive for new and better ways to deliver a rigorous, relevant, and research-based curriculum that empowers our students to make an impact in their lives and workplaces. This recognition would also not be possible without the great students that we serve and the level of enthusiasm and professionalism they bring to the classroom. Our program is better because of our outstanding students.

In the OLL program, students benefit from a learning climate that is relaxed, trusting, mutually respectful, informal, warm, collaborative, and supportive. Learners and facilitators participate equally in planning the learning process and assessing the learning needs. Most of all, students learn through experiential techniques, inquiry projects or independent study. Learning process assessments are completed by evaluating learner-collected evidence validated by peers, experts and facilitators.

The College of Education and Human Development at University of Louisville strives to provide all students with quality learning opportunities, modern teaching and learning methods and flexible delivery of programs that help professionals achieve their long-term goals and stand out in their profession and organization. Our bachelor’s graduates are fully equipped to advance their career and pursue further studies in organization development. Many of our students go on to become effective leaders, experts in their industry and champions of change in the society.

To learn more about the online programs offered by the College of Education and Human Development, visit:
• BS OLL page (http://louisville.edu/online/programs/bachelors/bachelor-of-science-in-organizational-leadership-and-learning?utm_source=blog-malcolm)
• MS HROD page (http://louisville.edu/online/programs/masters/master-of-science-in-human-resources-and-organization-development&utm_source=blog-malcolm)