Continuing education

Continuing education is organized learning pursued after formal schooling, often to maintain or advance professional competence or develop personal knowledge and skills.

Continuing professional development: Ongoing learning that helps professionals maintain and develop the knowledge and skills required for their work. It frames continuing education as a sustained part of professional practice.
Adult learning theory: Theories explaining how adults learn, including the roles of experience, goals, and self-direction. Its principles shape course design for learners returning after formal schooling.
Formal education: Structured learning provided by educational institutions, typically following a curriculum and leading to recognized qualifications. Continuing education often sits outside the initial, credentialed sequence of formal schooling.
Lifelong learning: The ongoing pursuit of knowledge and skills throughout a person’s life. Continuing education provides organized opportunities within a broader lifelong-learning approach.
Professional certification: Formal recognition that a person meets defined standards of competence in a profession or specialty. Continuing education can prepare learners for certification or help them retain it.
Andragogy: A theory and practice of facilitating learning among adults. It emphasizes adults’ experience and practical goals in educational settings.
Non-formal education: Organized learning outside the formal education system that may not lead to recognized qualifications. The distinction helps locate courses that are structured but not part of degree programs.
Credentialism: The emphasis on formal qualifications as measures of ability or eligibility, sometimes beyond their relevance to a task. Rising credential requirements can make repeated education necessary for employment.
Microcredential: A short, assessed credential that certifies specific skills or knowledge. It packages focused learning into a credential smaller than a degree.
Accreditation: A formal process for evaluating whether an educational institution or program meets established standards. Accreditation can signal the quality of a continuing-education provider or course.

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