Professor Peter Jarvis remembered
An internationally renowned expert in the fields of lifelong learning, adult and continuing education, Professor Peter Jarvis has died at the age of 81.
He joined Surrey’s Department of Adult Education as a lecturer in 1976, subsequently becoming Professor of Continuing Education and was head of the Department of Educational Studies for five years. In 1998, he was awarded the first higher doctorate (D.Litt.) by the University.
Professor Jarvis was a pioneer in the field of adult education. He developed a hallmark sensory learning theory that focused on the process of learning through social experiences. His learning process model shed light on how learning occurs for adults throughout their lifespan.
He wrote and edited 30 books and 200 papers and chapters in books on adult education and learning, continuing professional education, nurse education, primary school education, distance education, and third age education.
Professor Jarvis received a variety of academic honours, including being President of the British Association of International and Comparative Education, the Cyril O Houle World Award for Adult Education Literature from the American Association of Adult and Continuing Education and was also the first non-North American to be elected to the International Hall of Fame of Adult and Continuing Education in USA.