Sunday, May 27, 2012

Program Planning for Adult Education - my Values and Beliefs

I just recently enrolled in a Program Planning course in Adult Education and it dawned on me that what I am learning (in the context of my immediate past job), is really how to manage the delivery of courses.

Immediately, the first assignment was to examine ourselves and our belief system regarding Adult Education. The value of this activity really lies in recognizing our values so that we will be consistent in our planning. It is also important to recognize and codify these values so that intentional biases maybe designed into the the program.

Here are my values and beliefs regarding Adult Education:


These views are based mainly on my personal experiences and observations of my classmates as I consider myself a “professional adult learner,” having obtained some of my degrees as an adult.
1. Adult learners are highly motivated. They will be actively seeking information.
Maybe due to need or curiosity, adult learners are motivated to pursue learning in a particular field. They will enrol in classes that are suitable and useful. They will also actively look for information online and through the course. There should be a ready source of information, either within the learning management systems or a list of easy references for course materials.
2. Adult learners are mature learners. They know what they want to learn.
Adult learners will perform sufficient background research on the areas that they want/need to learn and will look for courses that meet these needs. They will look at the courses and contents; they know that they want to learn.  Marketing materials should be geared towards explaining the course contents but also the manner of delivery of the courses as well the course requirements.
By the time the adult learner has approached the institution, he or she would have had sufficient information that tells them that the courses will provide them with the learning that they require.  As a program planner, the more important information to supply should address the general requirements and manner of course delivery as these are typical specific concerns that pertains to manageability of the course. Will the course require face-to-face? Do I need to travel far and be physically present for some modules? Can I learn online? Will I need to write essay or answer quizzes or do I need to form groups with my classmates (what if our busy schedules or physical location make it impossible to form groups?). These are some of the important information that need to be addressed.
3. Adult learners are busy with other things. They learn at their own time.
Most adult learners are both working and raising families. They are busy with a multitude of demands. It is the minority who are given the protected time to keep on learning. As such, there should be options regarding attendance and styles. As item #2 describes that information on course deliveries should be provided, in terms of actual implementation, there should be a bias towards asynchronous learning. Synchronous sessions should be focused on clarifications and social support (from the co-learners).
4. Adult learners are diverse. They have different backgrounds and different learning styles.
In adult education, the enrolees are typical people who want to learn a particular skill set. It is possible that only the course/module is the only similarity between these people.
Another important aspect of learning is the assessment. There should be options, choices or if not possible, a highly diverse set of assessments. Different people prefer different methods of assessment. Thus any course geared for the adults’ population should have, among others, a few different ways of assessments.
5. Adult learners usually support themselves. They seek value for money.
Adult learners are more conscious of value. They are spending hard-earned money to learn. As a consequence, it should be expected that they have chosen the course that they are enrolled in well. They are autonomous, conscientious and self-driven. They should be briefed on the expectations as well as performance. They will seek their own learning and will try to maximize the occasion for learning. They will ask questions and would demand answers.  If some learners are unable to match the coordinator’s expectation (i.e. unable to submit on time, little contribution to the discussions, etc.) there might be obstacles that need investigation/follow-up with learner as this is inconsistent with the belief that they are value seekers. The coordinator should plan that questions are anticipated and that answers are readily available.
6. Adult learners have large prior industry (or even seemingly unrelated) knowledge and experience. They are valuable resources for learning.
Most of the adult learners enrol in formal learning to improve on their job performance, hence they are already within the industry; or they are interested in joining the industry. As such, they have tremendous amount of prior/related knowledge and are valuable resources in the class. The program should be designed that there are several avenues for interaction between students, either in classrooms, or virtual classrooms, discussion boards, email groups or social network. There should be plenty of occasions for the students to share their views and experiences.
Table 1. Summary of Beliefs and Values
Belief and Values
Impact on Program Planning
Adult learners are highly motivated:
They will be actively seeking information.
There should be sufficient information available regarding the course and the course contents.
Adult learners are mature learners:
They know what they want to learn .
Adult learners have done sufficient background research on the course and contents; they know that they want to learn it. Marketing materials should be geared towards explaining the delivery and the requirements.
Adult learners are busy with other things:
They learn at their own time.
There should be a bias towards asynchronous learning and synchronous sessions should be focused on clarifications and social support (from the co-learners).
Adult learners are diverse:
They have different backgrounds and different learning styles.
There should be diverse delivery methods and equally diverse assessment tools.
Adult learners usually pay for their own fees:
They choose their courses well, and seek value for money.
Adult learners are more conscious of value. They are spending hard-earned money to learn. They are autonomous, conscientious and self-driven. They should be briefed on the expectations as well as performance. They will seek their own learning and will try to maximize the occasion for learning.
Adult learners have large prior industry (or even seemingly unrelated) knowledge and experience:
They are valuable resources of learning.
The program should be designed that there are several avenues for interaction between students, either in classrooms, or virtual classrooms, discussion boards, email groups or social network. There should be plenty of occasions for the students to share their views and experiences.




No comments: