This post was contributed by Dr. Sam May-Varas, Professor, Basic Education for Adults, Clark College (WA) and Portland Community College (OR).
I am currently collaborating with my colleague, Juliet Pursell from Portland Community College, in writing an Open Educational Resource (OER) to support adult learners in using real-life examples to access topics needed to be successful on the GED and transition to college and the workforce.
To spread the word about the value of using an OER with our adult learners, I recently presented at the 2026 Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) Conference.
In my presentation, Andragogy in Action: Using Lived Experiences to Support Transition to College and the Workforce, I shared how our OER uses real-life examples to support learners in connecting to the content. It was received well by participants, who noted that the resource would be an excellent way to support an Integrated Education and Training program. I look forward to continuing our work and presenting at future conferences.
If you are interested in learning more about our project, please contact me.
