Endowed Faculty

Dr. Barry G. Sheckley
Neag Professor of Adult Learning

In 2002, the Neag School of Education established its first endowed professorship. While constructing an aggressive strategic plan for the school, the Neag faculty identified adult learning as a key area for needed growth. Dr. Barry Sheckley, a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, had devoted the past 20 years to this field, and was appointed to the chair. Since then, he has also taken on the added responsibilities of department head.

The Neag School of Education is one of only a few schools in the country focusing on the field of adult learning, a relatively young field of study. It comes at a time when labor experts predict that 75 percent of the nation's workforce will need retraining over the next five to seven years. According to Sheckley, methods for retraining adults are often not effective because they focus too heavily on traditional classroom instruction. Based on his research, Sheckley has crafted a method for making learning more effective for adults, and it is based upon a model known as PLAI (pronounced "play"), which stands for professional learning as inquiry.

News Links:

Adult Learning Specialist Appointed to Endowed Chair
http://www.advance.uconn.edu/2002/021021/02102101.htm

Sheckley Aids Corporate Training
http://www.advance.uconn.edu/1998/981102/11029810.htm