The first set of projects in the Master of Adult Education program is the Learning Plan and the Annotated Bibiliography. The Learning Plan is a 10-15 page essay that includes a student's:

• intended professional development goals
• anticipated research focus within the program
• personal learning narrative and intents
• intended project description
• tentative program plan and schedule

The Annotated Bibliography, on the other hand consists of between 60-70 entries of resources the student will review over the course of the program. Its purpose is to provide a summary and evauation of a resource for the reader. Such evaluations provide commentary on a resource's:

• content
• target audience
• writing style
• organization

The Annotated Bibliography, like all other program-related documents, is formatted according to the American Psychological Association's (APA) Publication Manual.

Not having much experience conducting such projects, I initially felt daunted. However I did learn some valuable lessons. For the Learning Plan, I learned about:

• praxis, the practice of action followed by self-reflection
• expressing myself in written form clearly and succinctly
• appreciating the process involved in accomplishing tasks
• the importance of considering who my target reader is
• the value of collaborative learning through solicited feedback

My experiences compiling the Annotated Bibliography included :

• the sinking feeling that it would take an inordinate amount of time reading resources
• learning how to choose information selectively and according to my developing interests in specific fields of study
• the frustration over and lack of answers to the dichotomies of the subject matter I was studying
• the joys at discovering, in my readings, 'truths' applicable to my teaching practice

To view sample documents, click on the "Sample Documents" link to the right. Please note that this copy of the Annotated Bibliography was edited by my advisor and was included to demonstrate the editing process. Depending on your web browser, clicking on any part of a scanned document with the magnifying glass icon will enlarge it. Otherwise, position the curser on the lower right-hand corner of the document and click on the square icon that appears. To adjust the document, click on and slide the navigation bars at either the bottom or right-hand side of the screen.To download a free copy of Adobe (pdf.file) Reader, click here.