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Engaging the 55+ Learner in Online Education

Explore the challenges older learners face in online education & how to engage them effectively. Learn about course design, content, live classes, community building, assignments, and activities. Discover practical tips to enhance learning for older adults.

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Engaging the 55+ Learner in Online Education

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  1. Engaging the 55+ Learner in Online Education Presentation at OTES, San Diego, April 25, 2008

  2. Who are these older learners and why are they in your class? Look quick…The demographics are changing

  3. Internet Demographics (Pew)

  4. Reasons for returning to school • Job performance enhancement • Career change • Personal enrichment

  5. The Older Learner has challenges • Physical (vision, hearing, mobility, dexterity) • Cognitive • Decrease in working memory • Decrease in cognitive speed • Harder to perform complex tasks • Decrease in concentration • Decrease ability to sort out irrelevant material • Needs more time to practice and learn

  6. Not to mention technological challenges • Computer anxiety • Little experience or training with technology • May not understand the benefits of use • Afraid of “breaking” it

  7. Online offers opportunities • Community of learners • Increased time to process information • Emphasis off memorization and on application • Allows less mobile seniors to participate • Allows learners to use several ways to learn

  8. Their challenge becomes our challenge

  9. So how to engage the 55+ learner?

  10. Components to success

  11. Course Design • CRAP • Variety of delivery methods (2 or more senses) • But: minimize extraneous sounds & information • And: font large and easily magnified • Color with care, and no color to convey meaning, please • Graphics to illustrate key points help • Animations will make learning more lively • Put headings next to pictures, text next to graphics to keep information coherent

  12. And more design • Information in chunks is nice • Variety of delivery methods (2 or more senses) • Self paced instruction • Self directed instruction • Minimal technical skills • Fun and successful will bring them back

  13. Content • Less is more • Relevant to daily lives • Builds on existing knowledge and experiences • Provides links to references to build prerequisite knowledge

  14. Live Classes • Area most lacking in current online classes • Organization of topics, follow schedule • Delivered in interesting way, with visuals and learner interaction • Include facts, applications • Powerpoints effective • Provide archives of live class • Provide plenty of material to support live class • Currently, live online class may be least effective way of instruction for older adult

  15. The Learning community • Develop an interactive discussion board or forum, with intuitive function and interesting topics • Allow for performance and action in a variety of other modes (chat, quizzes, blogs) • Encourage sharing (photos, documents) • Extensive use of e-mail for communication with class and instructor • Encourage interactions during live class • Group projects that encourage collaborative learning

  16. Assignments and projects • Clearly defined and well structured • Require a minimum of background knowledge, but also provides information needed • Provides opportunity to practice with feedback before real thing is due • Provides examples and non examples • Provides references and templates as needed

  17. Class activities • Use a variety of different types to target different ways of learning • Activities should easily blend into course design • Range from passive to active, from self paced to group, from facts to discovery learning

  18. And then some tips

  19. Interactive • Older adults learn by doing: Provide relevant problem solving activities • Older adults learn better with goal free tasks • Provide worked examples with immediate reinforcement • Provide multiple opportunities to practice with different scenarios • Passive to active

  20. Build on existing knowledge • Where possible, tie in experiences that they may be familiar with • Create ways for learner to infuse own experiences and interests into class • Tie in course to learner, and how it will help them to meet individual needs & objectives • Provide plenty of examples, references and links in a variety of delivery modes

  21. Relevant • Provide relevant facts and data which pertain to the current topic • Irrelevant information, when provided, should be clearly identified as supplemental

  22. Conclusion

  23. A successful learning experience for all

  24. THANK YOU! Mary Burns Prine Associate Professor San Diego Community College District Continuing Education, Older Adults mprine@sdccd.edu

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