Engaging the Adult Learner

1. Engaging the Adult Learner A Presentation For CAFÉ By Dr. Claudia Santin

2. Purpose of the Presentation Understand WHY and HOW faculty use adult experience, adult learning theory (andragogy), effective feedback and best practices in teaching adults in the classroom. Understand adult learning styles to enhance learning either in the classroom or online.

3. Purpose of the Presentation • Understand the contribution and impact this experience makes to the individual student, fellow students, and the faculty. • Offer activities and assignments that can be used with adult students in the classroom taking advantage of their work experience.

4. Who is an Adult Learner? • Voorhees and Lingenfelter (2003) offered one of the most encompassing definitions of the adult learner in postsecondary education…

5. Who is an Adult Learner? • Someone 25 years of age or older involved in postsecondary learning activities. The U.S. Department of Education defines the adult learner as anyone "engaged in some form of instruction or educational activity to acquire the knowledge, information, and skills necessary to succeed in the workforce, learn basic skills, earn credentials, or otherwise enrich their lives," (NCES, 1999).

6. Teaching Adults • Why is teaching adult professionals different?

7. The art and science of helping adults learn Concept proposed by Malcolm Knowles Distinguished from pedagogy (the art and science of helping children learn) Andragogy

8. Andragogy • Adult learning model developed by Knowles guides instructional practice • An alternative to pedagogy, a term that refers to teacher-centered approaches for educating children • Assumptions of andragogy: 1. Adults are self-directed 2. Adults bring a wealth of experience to the learning process. Merrian, S.B. & Caffarella, R.S. (1999). Learning in adulthood.

9. Andragogy • Adults come to the learning process ready to learn. 4. Adults are oriented toward immediate application of “learned knowledge.” 5. Adults need to know the reason for learning something. 6. Adults are driven by intrinsic motivation to learn (Knowles, as cited in Forrest III & Peterson, 2006, p. 116)

10. Tenets of Andragogy • There is a change in time perception as people mature—from future application of knowledge to immediacy of application. Thus, an adult is more problem centered than subject centered in learning.

11. An a person moves through adulthood his or her self-concept moves from that of a dependent personality toward one of a self-directing human being. An adult accumulates a growing reservoir of experience, which is a rich resource and basis for learning. The readiness of an adult to learn is closely related to the developmental tasks of his or her social role. Tenets of Andragogy

12. Tenets of Andragogy • There is a change in time perception as people mature—from future application of knowledge to immediacy of application. Thus, an adult is more problem centered than subject centered in learning. • Adults are motivated to learn by internal factors rather than external ones.

13. Andragogy Best Practices • Organize a web course development team including a content expert, instructional designer, multimedia producer, systems analyst, and network programmer (Chou & Tsai, 2002) • Courses need to be student-centered, activity-based learning environments with problem-solving activities (Brown, 2001; Carr-Chellman & Duchastel, 2000; Chou, & Tsai, 2002; Knowlton, 2000; Pallof & Pratt, 2003)

14. Andragogy Best Practices • Universal design principles need to be adapted (i.e., courses need to be accessible to students with different learning styles and learning abilities) (Pallof & Pratt, 2003; Dahl, 2005)

15. Andragogy Best Practices • Faculty need to be able to give control of information and processes to the students; more of a mentor and manager role as opposed to one of information deliverer and expert (Palloff & Pratt, 2003; Robson, 2000; Shedletsky & Aitken, 2001).

16. Andragogy Best Practices • Faculty need to create and sustain teaching presence based on 3 components: a) instructional design and organization, b) facilitating discourse, and c) direct instruction (Shea, Pickett, & Pelz, 2003)

17. Andragogy Best Practices • Chickering and Gamson encourage the following conditions and behaviors for successful learning (Keeton, 2004; Shea, Pickett, & Pelz, 2003; Pallof & Pratt, 2003): 1. Frequent contact between students and faculty 2. Reciprocity and cooperation among students 3. Active learning techniques for different learning styles 4. Prompt Feedback

18. Andragogy Best Practices • Time on task (clear articulation of due dates/time frames for learning activities) • Communication of high expectations • Respect for diverse talent and ways of learning (Ko & Rossen, 2001; Meyer, 2003)

19. Nothing has meaning or is learned in isolation from prior experience. Acknowledging adults’ prior knowledge and experience is integral to the learning process. Educators need to be knowledgeable about prior knowledge students possess in a particular area and design learning activities accordingly. Merrian, S.B. & Caffarella, R.S. (1999). Learning in adulthood. Adult Learning

20. Adult Learning Is: Self-Directed • Self-directed learning focuses on the process by which adults take control of their own learning, in particular how they set their own learning goals, locate appropriate resources, decide on which learning methods to use and evaluate their progress.

21. Adult Learning Emphasizes: Critical Reflection • Developing critical reflection is probably the idea of the decade for many adult educators who have long been searching for a form and process of learning that could be claimed to be distinctively adult.

22. Adult Learning Honors: Experiential Learning • The emphasis on experience as a defining feature of adult learning was expressed in Lindeman's frequently quoted aphorism that "experience is the adult learner's living textbook" (1926, p. 7) and that adult education was, therefore, "a continuing process of evaluating experiences" (p. 85).

23. Adult Learning Supports: Learning to Learn • The ability of adults to learn how to learn - to become skilled at learning in a range of different situations and through a range of different styles - has often been proposed as an overarching purpose for those educators who work with adults.

24. Adult Learning Includes: Practical Theorizing • Practical theorizing is an idea most associated with the work of Usher (Usher and Bryant, 1989) who has focused on the ways in which educational practitioners - including adult educators - become critically aware of the informally developed theories that guide their practice. • Colleagues' experiences and formal theory - intersect continuously in a dialectical interplay of particular and universal perspectives.

25. Essentials of Effective Feedback • 1. Personal • 2. Respectful • 3. Constructive/Constructivist

26. PERSONAL – for both you and the student • Not generic, not “canned.” • Expressing your values, meaningful to you. i.e. This is an hour from your life as well. The students want a conversation with you. • From one colleague to another. • Tailored to this particular work of this student.

27. RESPECTFUL, EMPATHETIC • You acknowledge your students’ experience. • You convey that you have a sense of how it will be to receive this feedback.

28. RESPECTFUL, EMPATHETIC • You recognize that no matter what the quality of this particular work, the student is an adult, working professional. • You maintain your patience and professionalism.

29. CONSTRUCTIVE, CONSTRUCTIVIST • You use the feedback to teach, to enhance their learning. • You link your feedback to course goals or to assignment objectives. • You recognize this assignment and this course are part of a larger educational context, reminding students of previous coursework, or directing their thinking toward their lifelong learning.

30. Discussion Model Answers Rubric (Criterion referenced) List of Common Mistakes List of Writing Strengths Continuous Assessment to track progress (i.e. formative) Specific, individualized comments on one work Bravo Insights! Forms of Feedback

31. Research on Adult Learners • In the classroom and online adult learners: • Have better technical knowledge and people skills. • Draw upon their first-hand experience in dealing with textbook problems in their dynamic, changing and uncertain environment of ‘the real world.’ • Like to apply what they learn immediately.

32. Research • In the classroom, students who have work experience: • Are more productive as students • Have higher-order thinking skills • Should be given examples reflecting and acknowledging their experiences

33. Adult or Part-time students… • Advantages • - Take it seriously • - Motivated • - Know how to juggle a busy life • - Are focused • - Grasp connections between theory learned in class and their work Disadvantages • Competing interests • Travel • Haven’t been a student in years • Time is limited for meetings

34. Traditional ModelAdult Model CAPITALIZING ON STUDENT EXPERIENCE: Knowledge Transfer Instructor Student Instructor Student Students

35. Have you developed in-class activities or homework assignments that utilize student’s work experience?  What did you hope to achieve by doing so? How has student’s work experience benefited your teaching? How does one student sharing his work experience benefit other students in the classroom? If you have taught students who lacked work experience in the subject, what are the major differences? Talking Points

36. Have you developed in-class activities or homework assignments that utilize student’s work experience, for example:  Discussions: in-class, online, or panel. Formed teams purposely made up of students from different companies, organizations, schools, etc. Identified environments or projects at work where theories could be applied.

37. OR….. • Taken a system, process, or data from a work project and analyze it using a technique learned in class. • Conducted a post mortem analysis of a project in which the student was involved.

38. Potential Outcomes Students see how concepts and methods can be applied in different ways They cement what they know by applying theory to practice immediately To provide lesser experienced students with the opportunity to hear from those who are in the field Helps students reflect on their own situation at work, see the big picture instead of the just parts in which they are involved

39. Benefits for Faculty How can students’ work experience benefit your teaching? A wealth of real-world examples that I can use as case studies, anecdotes, which are more compelling than artificial textbook examples. As practicing managers, they brought in issues, principles, and techniques that I would not get otherwise.

40. Benefits for Faculty • More insights into combining concepts, gives depth and breadth. • Keeps me up to date, learning what technologies are used. • Makes me a better facilitator. Keep me on my toes!

41. Benefits for Students How does one student sharing his work experience benefit other students in the classroom? They often learn as much from other people in the class Get ideas and tips from each other Exposed to something new that they don’t do at their work, opens up new worlds

42. Benefits for Students • They realize it isn’t just an academic exercise but is practical and useful • They trust information obtained from other students • Enhances their learning • Adds color to the lectures and discussions

43. If you have taught students who lacked work experience in the subject, what are the major differences? A student who can relate the material to problems at work are more motivated to learn and apply the knowledge Students with less work experience could not contribute as much

44. If you have taught students who lacked work experience in the subject, what are the major differences? • It is nice for me when students say that they will apply what they just learned in their organization tomorrow • Experienced students quickly grasp the connection between theory and practice

45. Helps students reflect on their own situation Hearing how their peers do it helps students see how concepts can be applied at work Students work harder and learn more if the project is meaningful to them Benefits to Students

46. Benefits to Students • Form relationship between what they know and the material presented • Actively engages them in the material rather than passively absorbing a lecture

47. Enhances their learning by hearing multiple applications, opening up new worlds Learning from each other reinforces concepts Student need not be skeptical of professor’s ideas if reinforced by fellow students Find out how other organizations operate Benefits to Other Students in Class

48. Gain repertoire of compelling students’ stories from the field to be used as examples, in case studies, anecdotes, etc. Learn what is happening in industry, staying current with technologies used Supports/lends credence to theories presented in class Benefits to Faculty

49. Do faculty who have prior non academic work experience value it in students more or less than career academicians? Do students feel their work experience was incorporated/valued/used in the classroom? Probes

50. Probes • What is it like for the student who lacks work experience to be in a class where experience is valued? • Would the responses be same for education programs, business programs, psychology programs, etc.?