Sample Questions for Comprehensive Examination
Adult and Higher Education
Sample Questions
These are examples of a few questions, each with a different focus. If one of these questions are given, then it is often
accompanied with other questions, and together, make up the comprehensive examination. Students must directly
answer all questions asked.
Example Question A: You are the Director of Training for a small manufacturing firm and are
responsible for providing mandated safety training to all line manufacturing personnel. Since you are
a staff of one, you have contracted for an outside consultant to do a workshop on the latest
government requirements. You have observed the first of ten sessions she is to deliver and it is
apparent that though she is a subject matter expert, she does not have an adult education
background. Her straight lecture style has caused many of the participants to fall asleep or to tune
her out. As an adult educator, given what you know about learner types and about principles of
teaching adults what concrete examples will you give her for making future sessions more
appropriate to all the learner types present?
Example Question B: Through your course work you have been introduced to a number of educators,
who articulate their position on education, with respect to such issues as purposes of education, the
learner, the content or subject of study, and methods and processes for education. Among the
authors you have studied, which one stands out as offering the most valuable perspective on these
issues to contemporary higher education? What about the author's position leads you to say this? In
developing your response, consider this author with respect to some of the other authors you have
studied. In what way has this author offered a "value added" component to or built upon the
contributions of some the others.
Example Question C: For the following research problem, I want you to state the research
methodology. You do not need to describe the statistical procedures you would use, but you must
include the following: (1) identify the type of research methodology you would employ
(experimental, ex post facto, phenomenological, or historical); (2) comment on the research design,
including your sampling technique, how you will be gathering the data, what or who you will be
observing, and the limitations of all data gathering mechanisms, (3) identify all extraneous variables
for which you must control, and (4) state the limitations of your research approach.
Sample Question
This is an example of one question with a number of sub-questions. If this type of question is given, it is often the only
question that a student will receive for the entire comprehensive examination. Students must directly answer all points.
The University of Oklahoma is developing a Center for Transformative Learning. The University
Regents are looking to you to develop this Center. In order for the University Regents to understand
your vision for this Center for Transformative Learning, you must submit a clear program proposal.
The Center may serve a student and/or faculty group of your choice (i.e. returning adults, resident
hall students, student-athletes, fraternity/sorority students, student/faculty governance groups,
students of a particular major, faculty). The proposal should include the components listed below
and any additional components you deem necessary. Please utilize related literature you have studied
to support your arguments as found in your four core courses and/or courses outside of the four
cores.
The Purpose of the Center. Describe the purpose of the center and share the rationale for
why this center is important for the university/student community. You may also want to
identify a focus for the Center for Transformative Learning that is of interest to you (such as
a Center for Transformative Learning on diversity, social justice, civic engagement, disability,
leadership, self-actualization, or self-directed learning).
Description of the Program. Address the content and methods for this Center. More
explicitly, what learning opportunities will this Center offer? In addition, identify the learner
(i.e. who is this center for?), nature of the learner (i.e. why does this learner need the center?)
and the learner’s motivation to learn.
Organization of the Program. Describe the organization of the Center and its fit within
the university structure. Describe the type of leaders (staff, faculty and/or students) that you
will seek to lead the program, the administrative staff (positions rather than names) and a
couple of sentences about their roles. In addition, describe the key stakeholders for this
Center and the strategies you will employ to gain the support of those stakeholders.
Research Plan. The University Regents are requiring that you include a research plan for
studying the program’s benefit. This plan should describe and share the rationale for the
methodology (i.e. experimental, quasi-experimental, casual-comparative, longitudinal,
phenomenological, historical, mixed methods). In addition, outline the research design you
would employ (discuss sampling, variables, ways of gathering and measuring data, limitations
of data, and strategies for enhancing internal validity and/or trustworthiness).
