A community education lecturer is a teacher who teaches in a community education program. Sometimes that position might not differ much from the position of a college or university lecturer, but sometimes community education lecturers have to design their classes for students who are well beyond their college years. A teacher cannot teach a group of middle-aged students, for example, in the same way that he would teach a group of 18-year-olds. Such a lecturer, thus, must know how to design different types of classes and curricula for different types of audiences.
Community education lecturers teach in many different venues. Sometimes, community education classes may overlap with regular university courses. The University of Oregon, for example, offers a Community Education program that allows anyone to enroll in eight credits worth of courses without needing to apply for official admission. Other times, community education lecturers teach in high schools after hours. Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia offer Adult and Community Education programs after normal school hours in the fall and spring. Community colleges, perhaps more than any other institutions, represent the notions of Community Education. Though there are plenty of college students seeking two-year associates degrees in community colleges, there are also plenty of adults taking classes for new degrees later in life or simply for enjoyment or enrichment. For example, in a Spring 2011 Arabic class at Northern Virginia Community College, of the 15 students, at least 12 were participating in community education.
Community Education lecturers offer classes of all kinds. At universities such as the University of Oregon, community members may take the same courses as university students. The same is the case at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. It is not unusual to see local Williamsburg residents taking Spanish or history courses alongside college students. In Fairfax County, however, there is a separate program -- after school hours -- geared for this kind of education, with its own course offerings. In a case like this one, a community education lecturer would be required to teach some courses -- such as foreign languages -- that are normally found in a regular academic program. However, other course offerings are specifically geared toward adults seeking career training or simply indulging in personal interests. Fairfax County's program offers the latter in courses in medical career training alongside courses in flower arranging and home improvement techniques. In this way, a community education lecturer is distinct from a regular teacher or professor.
In some ways, community education lecturers improve the lives of their communities simply by offering members enrichment. In other ways, community education lecturers contribute directly toward the life of a community by teaching some of its members how to better participate in that community. A community education lecturer who teaches adult literacy classes is an example of a teacher who contributes to a community in this way. Such a lecturer helps community members to improve their reading, writing and speaking in English. Sometimes, these adult literacy courses help students to comprehend simple math that may help them calculate gas mileage or save money. Either way, this type of community education directly impacts community members' lives.