Adult learners have more options for enrolling in postsecondary education than ever before, and they are able to use their learning style preference in deciding which program best meets their needs. For some of these students, those programs are fully online, and for others, there is minimal use of technology. As technology grows and become more integrated into individual lives, the unique learning styles and preferences of adults need to learn to be incorporated into instructional design. Drawing on a regional sample of US colleges, 545 adult learners in a graduate programs were surveyed about how to effectively build community in their online classes. Results indicated some agreement with these instructional tools. Mature adult learners, however, were found to have stronger agreement with strategies that included work outside of the formal online class. These results suggest perhaps a greater comfort for adults in working in spaces where there is less likelihood of being judged or graded, and that they might value relational work with other students in different ways than younger adults.

“The Powers Of The Mind” is a speech delivered at Los Angeles, California, on January 8, 1900 by Swami Vivekananda explained his thoughts on the Powers of the Mind. This book brings together that speech for followers everywhere in his exact words.

An intimate portrait of the little-known aspects of Swami Vivekananda’s life. Wandering mystic, India’s spiritual ambassador to the West and founder of the Ramakrishna Mission, Swami Vivekananda awakened India’s masses to the country’s spiritual richness while stressing the importance of scientific inquiry. These aspects of Swamiji’s life have been well chronicled by Swamiji himself, through his letters, speeches and writings; his own brothers who between them have written more than a hundred books; his co-disciples, disciples and others whose lives were enriched by their interactions with him; and, more than a century after his death, followers who had only read or heard of the magnetic personality of this revered teacher. Gleaned from all these sources, through painstaking research Sankar’s biography focuses on the personal life of the saint: What was Vivekananda like as a man? What role did his mother play in his life, both before and after he renounced all family ties? Could he reconcile the duties of a monk with the duties of an eldest son? What prompted him to promote Vedanta and biriyani in the West? Did the long drawn battles over family property affect his health and cut short his life? Did his sister commit suicide? Why did his brother not write a single letter for six years when he was wandering around the world? What was Swamiji’s favourite dish and what fruit did he like the least? What was his height? Where did he have his second heart attack? How much did the Calcutta doctor charge him at his chamber? Sankar’s composite picture of the monk as man has sold over one lakh copies in Bengali and this translation brings the unfamiliar Vivekananda to a larger readership.

This book comprises of a choice collection of Swami Vivekananda’s utterances culled from his numerous speeches and writings, arranged under 44 suitable sections. It is a treasure house of thoughts of power to inspire and guide mankind in its march towards the Supreme Reality. Covering the entire cyclorama of ma’s life and its evolutionary movement, the electrifying gospel of this great Swami includes within its fold everything that would go to inspire and awaken a drooping soul by reminding him of his infinite potentialities and inherent greatness, and making him move ahead on the difficult terrain of life and circumstances. This book is a must for all those who earnestly wish to move ahead in the grand march of life, infested with tremendous obstacles and difficulties, towards the state of Supreme Felicity. Published by Advaita Ashrama, a publication house of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, India.

Swami Vivekananda, a great spiritual luminary, a thinker, and a patriot-prophet of our times, had many deep and insightful ideas on education. As time rolls by, his far-reaching vision of education is influencing an increasing number of thoughtful people the world over. Recognizing this contribution of his, UNESCO has identified Swami Vivekananda as one of the eminent educationists of the world. This book published by Advaita Ashrama, a publication branch of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, is a compilation of the great Swami’s ideas on education. It is our earnest hope that this book will serve as a handbook for students, teachers, parents and educationists, and inspire them to imbibe and impart real education in our society.

The book also takes a hard look at his universally acknowledged reputation as a hypercosmological renouncer who championed the causes of the poor and the downtrodden and thus exemplified the doctrines of socialism at their finest. Sil is the first scholar to critically examine Vivekananda's attitude toward women in general and to probe into his experience with Margaret Noble (Sister Nivedita) in particular, and he is the first author to provide a detailed analysis of Vivekananda's popularity as a preacher and lecturer.