ABSTRACT
Teaching adult learners in a community-based educational setting differs in many ways from applying typical campus-based or online instructional best practices. Adult learners show tremendous diversity in their backgrounds, approach learning in a myriad of different ways, and rely heavily on their past experiences to help guide their future knowledge
acquisition.
Teaching a thoroughly engaged and eclectic group of adult learners in an
“off-campus” setting can be rewarding and challenging at the same time.
This paper describes a collaborative partnership, known as The Knowledge Café, between a local community foundation and a regional campus of a major university to provide business owners with advanced knowledge on professional social media technologies.
Details regarding how the partnership was established are presented, along with teaching insights from the inaugural year of operation.
Suggested future work and activities provide an overview of how The Knowledge Café may evolve as the campus-community partnership
continues to grow.
Author
Susan A. Baim
Paper
Tags: conversational learning (20) | higher education (6) | knowledge cafe (111)
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In-person, 7–11 September 2026, Warbrook House, Hampshire, UK
We are living and working in conditions of uncertainty, complexity, and rapid change. Many leadership approaches still rely on control, expertise, and tools that no longer fit the realities people face.
This week-long immersive workshop brings people together to practise Conversational Leadership as a shared, lived experience. It is not a training course but a space to slow down, think together, and explore how leadership emerges through dialogue, responsibility, and real engagement.