APPLYING ADULT LEARNING

THEORY TO ELEARNING
By Christopher Pappas
https://elearningindustry.com/9-tips-apply-adult-learning-theory-to-elearning?fbclid=IwAR0aE_7w3FcD_I4fen7E9ZlfjNgJduXEgJcSToi1AYR2on8lCaENwrkerkg
 DISCUSSION
• how Knowles' 5 adult learning theory assumptions can be translated to
modern day eLearning experiences; and
• integrate the 4 principles of Andragogy into your eLearning course for
maximum learner engagement and motivation.
 HOW TO APPLY ADULT LEARNING
THEORY TO ELEARNING

According to the renowned American educator, Malcolm Knowles there are 5

assumptions concerning the characteristics of adult learners, and 4 principles
concerning adult learning (andragogy). Despite the fact that Knowles' adult learning
theory assumptions and principles were introduced in the 1980's, each can be utilized
today to help eLearning professionals create more meaningful learning experiences
for adult learners.
APPLYING KNOWLES’ 5 ADULT LEARNING
THEORY ASSUMPTIONS TO ELEARNING
 5
CHARACTERISTICS
OF ADULT 1
MOTIVATION LEARNERS SELF-CONC
TO LEARN EPT
(ANDRAGOGY)

4 2
ORIENTATION ADULT
TO LEARNING LEARNER
EXPERIENCE
3
READINESS
TO LEARN
SELF-CONCEPT
As a person matures, his/her self
concept moves from one of
being a dependent personality
toward one of being a
self-directed human being
 ASSUMPTION #1 (SELF-CONCEPT)
• Create learning experiences that offer minimum instruction and maximum
autonomy.
• A major aspect of designing adult eLearning courses is having an eLearning
support system to offer guidance and help, while still giving the eLearning tools and
resources they need to learn on their own terms. Adult learners acquire new
information and build upon existing knowledge much more effectively if they are
encouraged to explore a topic on their own. While younger learners might need to
be guided through the learning process, mature learners will typically get more out
of the experience if they are able to work autonomously. This might come in the
form of self-study or group collaboration projects that involve minimal instructor
intervention. eLearning professionals can also offer simulations, scenarios, or games
without prefacing them with any information. As such, the adult learners will have
to explore the activity on their own, and decide which benefits and information
they can take away from the eLearning experience. With that being said, you'll
also want to have an eLearning support system in place if they need to ask
questions or to overcome any obstacles that may be hindering the eLearning
ADULT LEARNER
EXPERIENCE
As a person matures he/she
accumulates a growing reservoir
of experience that becomes an
increasing resource of learning.
 ASSUMPTION #2 (ADULT LEARNER
EXPERIENCE)
• Include a wide range of instructional design models and theories to appeal to
varied experience levels and backgrounds.
• Adult learners are more mature. Therefore, they have had more time to cultivate
life experience and typically have a wider knowledge base. That means that you'll
have to take into account that your adult learning audience is going to be more
diverse, especially in terms of backgrounds, experience levels, and skill sets. While
one adult learner may be well versed on how to search for resources online,
another may have very little experience using the Internet. All of this must be
considered when designing and developing your eLearning courses and eLearning
activities. To appeal to different adult learners, it's often best to include a variety of
different instructional design models and theories into your eLearning course or
module. Survey your audience beforehand to determine any technical knowledge
limitations they may have, as well as to assess their education levels. By doing this,
you will also be able to create eLearning experiences that are informative and
engaging, rather than too challenging or boring. For instance, if your target
audience includes a number of adult learners who may already know how to use
multimedia, then including them in your eLearning course will boost its
effectiveness and make it more immersive.
READINESS TO
LEARN
As a person matures his/her
readiness to learn becomes
oriented increasingly to the
developmental tasks of his/her
social roles.
 ASSUMPTION #3 (READINESS TO
LEARN)
• Utilize social media and online collaboration tools to tie learning to social
development.
• As we get older, we tend to gravitate more toward learning experiences
that offer some sort of social development benefit. For example, we are
often more ready to challenge ourselves with new learning opportunities if
we know it will help us to fine tune skills that pertain to our social roles. From
an eLearning professional point of view, social media and online
collaboration tools can help you to incorporate this assumption into your
deliverables. Create activities that encourage adult learners to use sites like
LinkedIn and Google Plus as invaluable tools. This can help them to not only
build their social network, but collaborate with those who share the same
interests.
ORIENTATIO TO
LEARNING
As a person matures his/her time
perspective changes from one of
postponed application of knowledge
to immediacy of application, and
accordingly his/her orientation toward
learning shifts from one of
subject-centeredness to one of
problem centeredness.
 ASSUMPTION #4 (ORIENTATION TO
LEARNING)
• Emphasize how the subject matter is going to solve problems that an adult
learner regularly encounters.
• Adult learners, essentially, need to know the why and when before they
actively engage in the eLearning process. For example, they will not only
want to know why they need to acquire specific information, but whether or
not that information can be applied in the immediate future. Younger
learners accept the fact that the knowledge they're acquiring today may
not be used for quite some time. However, mature learners prefer to engage
in eLearning experiences that help them to solve problems they encounter
on a regular basis (in the here-and-now, rather than the future). So, you'll
want to emphasize how the subject matter is going to help them solve
problems immediately by offering real world examples and scenarios.
MOTIVATION TO
LEARN
As a person matures the
motivation to learn is internal.
(Knowles 1984:12)
 ASSUMPTION #5 (MOTIVATION TO
LEARN)
• There must be a valid reason behind every eLearning course, module or
educational activity.
• Motivation is key with adult learners. As such, you will need to motivate them to
learn by offering them a reason for every eLearning activity, assessment, or
eLearning module they'll need to complete. eLearning professionals must explain
why a particular eLearning course is being taught and why an adult learner must
participate in an eLearning activity, in order for the overall eLearning experience to
be meaningful and engaging. For example, if you are asking adult learners to
complete a group collaboration task, you should also clearly define that this
exercise will help them to build their team working and communication skills, even
after the eLearning course is over. While younger learners won't need to necessarily
know the reason why they are required to participate in an activity, adult learners
need to feel as though they are more involved in the process of learning.
Otherwise, they will question the validity of the eLearning course, given that they
don't see any real need for acquiring the new knowledge or skills.
APPLYING KNOWLES’ 4 ADULT LEARNING
THEORY PRINCIPLES TO ELEARNING
KNOWLES’ 4 PRINCIPLES OF
ANDRAGOGY
 PRINCIPLE OF ANDRAGOGY#1
• Adults must have a hand in the design and development of their learning
experience.
• While, both adult and younger online learners must feel as though they are
playing an active role in their own eLearning experience, for adult learners
this is particularly important. They must truly be an integral part of the
development and implementation of the curriculum, as well as of the
evaluation process. Getting feedback from adult learners allows you to
achieve this, as it offers you the opportunity to design learning materials,
exams, and activities based upon the needs and wants of the adult learners
 PRINCIPLE OF ANDRAGOGY#2
• Experience should be at the root of all eLearning tasks and activities.
• What matters most in regards to adult education isn't the end result, but the
eLearning experience that is gathered through instruction and activities.
Rather than offering memorization tasks, create projects and exercises that
encourage adult learners to go out and explore the subject matter, thereby
gaining experience. By doing this, adult learners can learn from their errors
and master their skills sets through first-hand experience. Adult learners can
take on their own approach when solving problems, which will give them the
chance to use their knowledge in a practical way. There will be
trial-and-error involved, which is what makes the overall eLearning
experience more meaningful and effective.
 PRINCIPLE OF ANDRAGOGY #3
• Real life applications and benefits must be tied to the eLearning course.
• Adult learners need to be able to tie the subject matter to real world benefits
and applications. If they cannot see how a module or activity will give them
an advantage in real life, or how a particular eLearning course is going to
apply to real world situations, then they won't be excited about the
eLearning process. eLearning professionals can increase engagement by
integrating scenarios into adult eLearning courses. This way, adult learners
have the opportunity to directly see how what they are learning can be
used in the real world.
 PRINCIPLE OF ANDRAGOGY #4
• Give adult learners the opportunity to absorb information, rather than
memorizing it.
• The content being offered in adult eLearning courses should be
problem-centered, as adult learners' will want to immediately see how the
instructions will help them to solve an issue they might encounter outside of
the eLearning environment. This often means that the subject matter should
offer them the chance to fine tune skill sets and acquire (and retain)
practical knowledge by doing, rather than just memorizing. Create activities
that allow adult learners to delve into specific tasks, such as simulations, that
enable them to store the information in their long term memory through
repetition and experience.
 APPLICATION
These adult learning principles and assumptions can be applied to
any eLearning deliverable in order to offer your adult learners a wide
range of benefits, including improved comprehension of key
concepts and a boost in knowledge retention.