Family Life Education

  Family Life Education (FLE) is the effort made by American professional organizations, universities, and individuals to strengthen families through social science education.

 One of the first professional organizations in the U.S. for Family Life Educators, the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR), explains Family Life Education this way: "Family Life Education is the educational effort to strengthen individual and family life through a family perspective. The objective of Family Life Education is to enrich and improve the quality of individual and family life." Parenting classes, pre-marriage education, marriage enrichment programs, and family financial planning courses are a few examples of this human development profession. These formal programs are a relatively recent phenomenon. However, Family Life Education has existed informally throughout history — with marriage and child-rearing counsel passed from generation to generation as well as by written information in ancient writings, mythology and religious scripture.

In a seminal work in the field, by Margaret Arcus, Jay Schvaneveldt and J. Joel Moss, the Handbook of Family Life Education offers several definitions by scholars as the field has evolved over time, dating back to 1962. Unlike Family Therapy, Family Life Education works on a prevention model — teaching families to enrich family life and to prevent problems before they occur. Family Therapy intervenes primarily after problems set-in. Research from the Rand Corporation (from Rand research report Early Childhood Interventions: Proven Results, Future Promise) and the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis (in its report Early Childhood Development: Economic Development with a High Public Return) shows that family problems are less damaging for people — and less expensive for society — when they can be tackled by prevention. Family Life Education recognizes that all families can benefit from education and enrichment programs — not only those experiencing difficulties.

 A form of Family Life Education entered public policy in the 1800s in the U.S. Hatch Act of 1887, forming the underpinnings for the national network of Land Grant universities, agricultural experiment stations, and the Cooperative Extension Service out of the US Department of Agriculture. The Hatch Act specifies, in part, that the federal resources for research and education should focus on "agriculture in its broadest aspects" to include the "development and improvement of the rural home." This early form of Family Life Education centered around the field of Home economics and training of practical home-based skills in areas such as food preparation and sewing. Family Life Education moved into widespread public awareness in the early 20th century by offering gardening, home canning and nutrition information to homemakers in programs such as the "Victory Gardens."

In the late 1980s, Dr. Michael A. O'Donnell—a former Assistant Professor of Family Studies and Dean of Professional Studies with Faulkner University and Certified Family Life Educator—and Dr. Nick Stinnett (professor with the University of Alabama) co-founded The International Family Life Institute, Inc., Montgomery, AL, a for-profit enterprise offering assistance in curriculum development, prevention-through-education seminars, and research and writing projects in the area of family and consumer science and practice. The International Family Life Institute helped pioneer the first B.S. degree completion program in Family Life Education on the campus of Spring Arbor University, Mich.
In 1996 the National Council on Family Relations began reviewing and approving family degree programs for inclusion of coursework that could lead to Provisional Certification as a Certified Family Life Educator(CFLE). As of May, 2011 there were 125 NCFR CFLE-approved academic programs.

Athens State University

 


 Friendly, affordable, and convenient – three hallmarks that make Athens State University a great place to continue your education.

At Athens State, we understand that career opportunities rest on your college education. Over 3,000 students each semester select Athens State because of this neighborly environment where over 50 different degree programs are taught by understanding and quality faculty.

Whether you work full or part-time or whether you are a full-time student, Athens State offers a course schedule to meet your needs whether it be day, night, weekend or distance courses. Because nearly every student is from North Alabama or Southern Tennessee, you will literally attend class with people you know. Don’t find yourself being just another student number. Consider Athens State University!

Athens State is dedicated to its traditions of building a brighter, more successful future for our students, our state, and our world. Our faculty members are committed to teaching students in ways that will best prepare them for rewarding careers.

We seek to admit and enroll students who have demonstrated their commitment to learning.  For admission decisions, we consider grades and test scores, of course, but we also consider the  experiences and talents that a student will share with our community.

You can choose from more than 50 degree options. Athens State is affordable and accessible by offering a wide range of merit and need-based scholarships and financial aid.

 Our office receives and manages gifts and grants from individuals, corporations, and foundations that benefit a great variety of people and programs at Athens State. Scholarships help us attract some of our region’s highest achieving students and also make college affordable for many others. Support for faculty gives us leverage to recruit and retain top professors. Unrestricted gifts give our campus leaders the ability to respond to their most pressing needs and opportunities. And gifts to the endowment help secure Athens State’s future. We encourage you to contact our office to talk more about how your gift can achieve the impact that you desire.

 Athens State’s Student Services provides essential programs and services which support the transfer, academic achievement, personal development, and quality of life of all students. Efficient enrollment and admissions services assist students in making effective transitions to the University. Educational partnerships and academic support programs promote student learning and help students integrate academic development with personal growth. Campus traditions and an active campus life encourage the development of student leadership, personal responsibility and accountability, and an inclusive and supportive learning community.

 Athens State places an emphasis on leading-edge technology that keeps the campus connected and provides computer- and Web-based classroom and distance education opportunities for students, faculty and staff.

 The Athens State University Alumni Association has increased their efforts to give back to their alma mater and its students. Cumulative figures for donations to the University are greater than $85,000 and scholarships are just under $180,000 since 2010.

Over the last 5 years they have allocated $5,000 per year to the restoration efforts of the Beaty-Mason home, increased scholarships to over $50,000 annually, provided $2,000 in financial assistance for the student publication Athena’s Web, donated over $9,000 to the sound system and seating in McCandless Hall, purchased over $9,000 in furnishings for the Sandridge Student Center lower lobby and President’s Dining Room, and provided sponsorships to University affiliated clubs and organizations.

Environmental Education

 

 Environmental education (EE) refers to organized efforts to teach how natural environments function, and particularly, how human beings can manage behavior and ecosystems to live sustainably. It is a multi-disciplinary field integrating disciplines such as biology, chemistry, physics, ecology, earth science, atmospheric science, mathematics, and geography. The term often implies education within the school system, from primary to post-secondary. However, it sometimes includes all efforts to educate the public and other audiences, including print materials, websites, media campaigns, etc..
Environmental Education (EE) is the teaching of individuals, and communities, in transitioning to a society that is knowledgeable of the environment and its associated problems, aware of the solutions to these problems, and motivated to solve them [6]. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) states that EE is vital in imparting an inherent respect for nature amongst society and in enhancing public environmental awareness. UNESCO emphasises the role of EE in safeguarding future global developments of societal quality of life (QOL), through the protection of the environment, eradication of poverty, minimization of inequalities and insurance of sustainable development (UNESCO, 2014a).

Environmental education focuses on:
1. Engaging with citizens of all demographics to;
2. Think critically, ethically, and creatively when evaluating environmental issues;
3. Make educated judgments about those environmental issues;
4. Develop skills and a commitment to act independently and collectively to sustain and enhance the environment; and,
5. To enhance their appreciation of the environment; resulting in positive environmental behavioural change (Bamberg & Moeser, 2007; Wals et al., 2014).

Environmental education has crossover with multiple other disciplines. These fields of education complement environmental education yet have unique philosophies.

• Citizen Science (CS) aims to address both scientific and environmental outcomes through enlisting the public in the collection of data, through relatively simple protocols, generally from local habitats over long periods of time (Bonney et al., 2009).
• Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) aims to reorient education to empower individuals to make informed decisions for environmental integrity, social justice, and economic viability for both present and future generations, whilst respecting cultural diversities (UNESCO, 2014b).
• Climate Change Education (CCE) aims in enhancing the public's understanding of climate change, its consequences, and its problems, and to prepare current and future generations to limit the magnitude of climate change and to respond to its challenges (Beatty, 2012).
• Science Education (SE) focuses primarily on teaching knowledge and skills, to develop innovative thought in society (Wals et al., 2014).
• Outdoor Education (OE) relies on the assumption that learning experiences outdoors in ‘nature’ foster an appreciation of nature, resulting in pro-environmental awareness and action (Clarke & Mcphie,2014). Outdoor education means learning "in" and "for" the outdoors.
• Experiential education (ExE) is a process through which a learner constructs knowledge, skill, and value from direct experiences" (AEE, 2002, p. 5) Experiential education can be viewed as both a process and method to deliver the ideas and skills associated with environmental education (ERIC, 2002).
• Garden-based learning (GBL) is an instructional strategy that utilizes the garden as a teaching tool. It encompasses programs, activities and projects in which the garden is the foundation for integrated learning, in and across disciplines, through active, engaging, real-world experiences that have personal meaning for children, youth, adults and communities in an informal outside learning setting.

While each of these educational fields has their own objectives, there are points where they overlap with the intentions and philosophy of environmental education.

The roots of environmental education can be traced back as early as the 18th century when Jean-Jacques Rousseau stressed the importance of an education that focuses on the environment in Emile: or, On Education. Several decades later, Louis Agassiz, a Swiss-born naturalist, echoed Rousseau’s philosophy as he encouraged students to “Study nature, not books.”^[1] These two influential scholars helped lay the foundation for a concrete environmental education program, known as nature study, which took place in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

 The modern environmental education movement, which gained significant momentum in the late 1960s and early 1970s, stems from Nature Study and Conservation Education. During this time period, many events – such as Civil Rights, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War – placed Americans at odds with one another and the U.S. government. However, as more people began to fear the fallout from radiation, the chemical pesticides mentioned in Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, and the significant amounts of air pollution and waste, the public’s concern for their health and the health of their natural environment led to a unifying phenomenon known as environmentalism. Environmental education was born of the realization that solving complex local and global problems cannot be accomplished by politicians and experts alone, but requires "the support and active participation of an informed public in their various roles as consumers, voters, employers, and business and community leaders"


Environmental education is not restricted to in-class lesson plans. Children can learn about the environment in many ways. Experiential lessons in the school yard, field trips to national parks, after-school green clubs, and school-wide sustainability projects help make the environment an easily accessible topic. Furthermore, celebration of Earth Day or participation in EE week (run through the National Environmental Education Foundation) can help further environmental education. Effective programs promote a holistic approach and lead by example, using sustainable practices in the school to encourage students and parents to bring environmental education into their home.
The final aspect of environmental education policies involves training individuals to thrive in a sustainable society. In addition to building a strong relationship with nature, citizens must have the skills and knowledge to succeed in a 21st-century workforce. Thus, environmental education policies fund both teacher training and worker training initiatives. Teachers train to effectively teach and incorporate environmental studies. On the other hand, the current workforce must be trained or re-trained so they can adapt to the new green economy. Environmental education policies that fund training programs are critical to educating citizens to prosper in a sustainable society.

 In the United States some of the antecedents of Environmental Education were Nature Studies, Conservation Education and School Camping. Nature studies integrated academic approach with outdoor exploration (Roth, 1978). Conservation Education brought awareness to the misuse of natural resources. George Perkins Marsh discoursed on humanity’s integral part of the natural world. The governmental agencies like the U.S. Forest Service and the EPA were also pushing a conservation agenda. Conservation ideals still guide environmental education today. School Camping was exposure to the environment and use of resources outside of the classroom for educational purposes. The legacies of these antecedents are still present in the evolving arena of environmental education.

Bond University

The Bond University is a private not-for-profit university located in Robina, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.


The University was established at the initiative of Alan Bond, the founder and Chairman of Bond Corporation and its development funded via a joint venture between Bond Corporation in Australia and the Japanese entity, EIE International.^[3] In 1987, the Parliament of Queensland granted Bond University university status via the passage of the Bond University Act.^[4] The University commenced teaching in May 1989 with an initial intake of 322 students.^[5]
In 1991, EIE acquired Bond Corporation's share of the company development that controlled the land on which the University buildings were constructed and the surrounding development lands.
The campus was acquired by Bond University Ltd in its own right in August 1999.


As the only university in Australia with an academic calendar similar to that of the U.S., Bond University allows students with difficult schedules to spend a semester abroad in one of the most beautiful parts of the country and still be back in time for summer obligations. Here students can study an array of subjects thanks to the university’s comprehensive course offerings. In addition to the convenient calendar, Bond participants enjoy studying with students from around the world and amazing housing options, including TEAN’s accommodation adjacent to campus or even beach housing.

Overview

 Enjoy your study abroad experience at Australia's first private university - TEAN’s Bond University program is the top ranked study abroad program in Australia and second in the world based on student reviews from Abroad101.com

 

 
Select from our full suite of housing options - live on the beach in our off-campus apartments, adjacent to campus in high quality apartments, or in on-campus housing at Bond

Explore the Great Barrier Reef and tropical far north Australia during your comprehensive six-day Orientation Program, with a week of adventure and learning

 

 Take advantage of our pre- or post- semester excursion to the beautiful islands of Fiji to experience traditional village life as well as some of the most stunning sunsets in the world

 

 Live on the Gold Coast, known for its ideal climate, great beaches and exciting nightlife

 

 Appreciate access to TEAN’s Gold Coast-based Resident Director and other in-country staff for continued support throughout the semester

 

 

Homeless World's Longest Lunch 2016

 

 

The HEAT Homeless World’s Longest Lunch is an event for people affected by homelessness. It runs each year as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival and highlights the issues surrounding homelessness, disengagement and empowerment. Since 2009 over 1,000 homeless members of the community have dined on HEAT.


In 2016, the HEAT Homeless World's Longest Lunch will take place on Friday 4 March where some of Melbourne’s homeless and disadvantaged will be provided with a three course meal.


HEAT students will also help prepare, cook and service the event, providing them with industry experience as part of their Certificate II in Hospitality. The students will learn vital skills to empower them to engage in customer service and the hospitality industry, one of Australia’s fastest growing industries

 

 

College of Engineering

 

  The College of Engineering provides students with the ability to investigate the basic principles of scientific and technological development and new knowledge in the field. It also enables them to participate in creating new technology, which in turn encourages real development in the industry. The college includes three schools with 10 courses of study: School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering; School of Materials, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering; and School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Marine-System Engineering. Students can deepen their specialized knowledge by gaining a broad perspective on fields related to nature, the environment, society, history, humanity, and culture, and by cultivating problem-solving skills for complex real-life problems. The college fosters highly creative researchers and engineers who can contribute to the world of science and technology on a global scale. 

School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering 

Students gain comprehensive knowledge on electricity and electronics, information and communication, physics, and mathematical sciences, which are the core elements of the 21st century science. They learn about the structures of electrical and information systems; acquire skills to design, control, and operate the systems; and study the physics of device materials and mathematical sciences focusing on fundamental theories. We provide students with the ability to meet the demands of the highly information-oriented society.

School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Marine-System Engineering

Students systematically study three fields of advanced engineering: Aerospace Engineering, Marine-System Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. They acquire specialized knowledge necessary for research and development in a wide range of areas including aircraft, rockets, spaceplanes, artificial satellites, next generation ships, marine platforms, undersea robots, ocean resource utilization, environmental conservation, micro-machines, high-functioning robots, next-generation eco-friendly automobiles, and plant factories. 

School of Materials, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

 

 Students acquire knowledge about atomic, molecular, and compound structures; chemical reactions; and the composition of micro-scale materials. They also gain specialized knowledge that will lead to the discovery of new substances from three different perspectives: atomic and molecular function, chemical processes and systems, and materials.

Temple University Japan Campus

 

 The primary mission of Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ) is to provide a superior education to all students. As a campus of Temple University, TUJ provides undergraduate, graduate and first-professional students from Japan, the United States, and around the world with the opportunity to obtain a degree from a leading American university while studying in downtown Tokyo. TUJ offers a broad range of degree and non-degree programs that reflect the academic standards and requirements of the home campus while embracing the uniqueness of our position as a full-experience American university campus in Japan.

TUJ's educational philosophy is based upon a combination of education and student service that enables our students to acquire the critical thinking, cross-cultural communication, linguistic, and professional skills necessary for them to achieve their academic, career, and personal aspirations. The above academic commitment to our students is bolstered by a full range of student support and services, from admissions through career placement.

We live in a world in which both challenges and opportunities are borderless, in which individuals build lives and careers that span cultures and languages, and in which the pursuit of knowledge is a lifelong process. TUJ's mission is to provide a truly international education as a leader and innovator in providing the traditions and contemporary practices of American higher education in a Japanese context to create a unique intellectual environment that transcends borders.

As an American institution in Japan, TUJ is committed to working with Japanese institutions of higher education in educational, research and administrative relationships in order to further mutual academic development. TUJ helps foster better relations between the United States and Japan, but as a truly international institution of higher education we hope that TUJ can be a model for cross-national academic collaboration for all.

In fulfilling the above missions, TUJ will proudly represent Temple University and its commitment to international education.

Oldest and largest foreign university in Japan

Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ), is the oldest and largest foreign university in Japan. Founded in 1982, TUJ has developed into a nationally recognized institution offering an extensive range of educational programs. In addition to its core undergraduate program, TUJ offers graduate programs in law, business, and education; an English-language preparation program; continuing education courses; and corporate education classes.

3,300 learners and counting...

Including the participants in the Corporate Education programs and English traning programs for educational organizations, TUJ is a home for around 3,300 learners. TUJ takes pride in its top-quality, English-language education and in providing a unique opportunity for students to obtain American undergraduate and graduate degrees without leaving Japan.

International student body

One of TUJ's greatest assets is its student body. Students come from approximately 60 countries around the world, including Japan, the United States, East and Southeast Asia, Russia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Europe. Its diverse student body helps make TUJ a rich, dynamic, and stimulating institution.

Recognized as a Foreign University, Japan Campus

TUJ is the first educational institution in Japan to be officially recognized as a Foreign University, Japan Campus by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. This status allows TUJ to sponsor student visas, enabling international students to study at the university on either a short-term basis (one or two semesters) or a long-term basis (such as to complete a full four-year program).

Superb faculty and small classes

TUJ's superb faculty works closely with students to help them achieve their academic objectives. We organize small classes to facilitate lively discussions and to allow professors to give special attention to students. Moreover, TUJ offers the Temple University brand of education, providing the same course content as that of Temple's main campus and teaching all but its language courses in English. Studying at TUJ offers the same quality education as at Temple University in the United States and makes it easy to transfer to Temple's main campus or to any other North American universities in the U.S. and elsewhere.