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
Image Credits: Midjourney
(Public Domain)
In-person, 7–11 September 2026
Warbrook House, Hampshire, UK
We are living and working in conditions of uncertainty, complexity, and rapid change. This week-long workshop offers a space to practise Conversational Leadership as a shared, lived experience.