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Adult Learning Fills Needs of Healthcare Leadership Needs 

Some healthcare professionals find themselves looking for a leader or at least for some leadership in their specialty area. Charlie Emerson, doctoral student in Kansas State University’s Adult Learning and Leadership program, found himself in this situation a few years ago, as an athletic trainer at a university in the metro Kansas City area. He was drawn to the Adult Learning and Leadership doctoral program at Kansas State University because his previous education programs were lacking leadership content. As he began to take on more leadership roles, he was searching for the right program to develop his leadership skills. As he moves through the doctoral coursework he began to “understand the hidden forces that guide people’s interests, motivations, and intentions.” The Adult Learning and Leadership program allows Charlie to have both the big perspective as well as practical applications. In Charlie’s words, “It gives me the 30,000 feet perspective and also the practical skills that helped me to better understand leadership”. 

Learn more about leadership to be applied in your specialty area. The Adult Learning and Leadership program at Kansas State University offers doctoral degrees, master’s degrees, and also graduate certificates specializing in leadership. The Leadership Dynamics graduate certificate can be completed in about one year and can be applied in any specialty area. Visit the Adult Learning and Leadership website here or email the program director, Dr. Royce Ann Collins (alearnlead@k-state.edu) or more information about the programs we offer. Courses can be completed online or at the Kansas State University Olathe campus located in the metro Kansas City area.

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Healthcare Meets Education

“What I have learned is the concepts and theories discussed can be applied to any adult population, not just educational students.” –Daryn Young, Adult Learning and Leadership doctoral student, Kansas State University 

Healthcare professionals are tasked with communicating detailed data, technical terms, and intricate procedures every day. Sometimes the recipients of this communication are other healthcare professionals who are able to easily decipher the acronyms or technical verbiage, while other times the recipients are patients from vast backgrounds and levels of education and comprehension skills. This can be quite the challenge when physicians or therapists must communicate treatment options, pathologies, lab results, and expectations with patients and their caregivers. Daryn Young, a doctoral student in Kansas State University’s Adult Learning and Leadership has observed “the improved education and communication [with patients] seems to build more trust between patient and therapist, leading to more motivated and compliant patients. This leads to better physical outcomes and higher success rates of the patients’ long-term goals”. 

The Adult Learning and Leadership master’s and doctoral degrees are designed for more than educators. As Daryn and other healthcare professionals are discovering, “the concepts and theories discussed can be applied to any adult population, not just educational student”. The Adult Learning and Leadership degrees are available to students through online learning as well as at the Olathe campus of Kansas State University, located in the metro Kansas City area. 

To learn more about getting started in the Adult Learning and Leadership programs, visit our website online or email the program director, Dr. Royce Ann Collins at alearnlead@k-state.edu. 

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Corporate Training Positions: Tips for making it successful!

How does an educator propose adding training and education to a business or corporation when it may affect the financial bottom line? Anne Brown, a corporate trainer in the metro Kansas City area and Adult Learning and Leadership student, suggests grounding the request for education in the goals of the business overall, or the goals for each individual department.

Brown suggests choosing training which will provide knowledge to improve efficiency or production over training which only checks a proverbial box. Improving efficiency or production can lead to bigger dollar signs for the bottom line. This can increase the value of the training and education to be provided to the decision-makers at corporations.

The Adult Learning and Leadership program at Kansas State University explores theories, research studies, and applications of adult learning in development as well as motivations and characteristics to be considered when designing training for adults. Grounding the theories in research and developing learning outcomes through group projects and assignments, students in the Adult Learning and Leadership program are able to gain knowledge and tools to design and develop learning outcomes to increase value in big and small corporations.

Courses are designed for students to implement knowledge and theories outside the classroom immediately, inviting students to discuss real world problems and issues, guiding towards solutions. Designed for the working adult, classes are available in two delivery methods: online and face to face at Kansas State University’s Olathe campus, in the metro Kansas City area.

Get started today in the Adult Learning and Leadership program at Kansas State University by going here for more information or emailing alearnlead@k-state.edu.