Blogs of Interest in Adult Learning and Instructional Design

It seems there are myriad topics and viewpoints within the realm of learning, and instructional design. Based on my avenues of interest, the ones that stand out to me usually center around adult online learning in Higher Education and P-20 online learning success.

The first blog that held my interest was, Tips to watch out in a Learning Management System in 2019. It gives a simplified outline of the important considerations to be mindful of in 2019, in selecting a Learning Management System (LMS) for educating new students, new hires or providing a refresher course for current employees. The 8 points highlighted are

• Ease of usage and accessibility across multiple instruments.

• Peer-to-peer interactivity through online conversations, online discussions, and blogs, and

• Allow the creation of individualized learning paths and coverage which addresses an organization’s ability to assess whether the training course was effective.

LMS should allow records such as Task Reports generation, as well as gamification, to make it fun or even competitive for the learners. Excellent workplace LMS offer certifications to learners when they finish the training course, and should have personal privacy controls, to maintain staff member information secure (Tips to watch out in a Learning Management System in 2019 [Web log post]).

As a student success strategist, this information is of value in the development of training as well as informational presentations for students in K-12 or Higher education. The post is fairly new, 2019 which means it is relevant to current technology usage patterns among adults and provides useful insight into the most important considerations when selecting a LMS that will be worth the investment that the organization must make in acquiring it.

The second blog, It’s a Matter of Principle - Mistakes Are Good!, addresses a key principle of andragogy, which proposes “Experience (including mistakes) provides a sound basis for the learning activities for adults.” (Knowles, 1984). Strategies should give adult learners the opportunity to explore the subject matter, apply their experience, and learn from mistakes they might make during application.

This blog is part of a blog series that focuses on the investigation into theories of adult learning. The first one was It’s a Matter of Principle 1: “Please Involve Me!” In the blog, Mistakes Are Good, the writer speaks to the reality that for adult learners, experience and mistakes made must be recognized and respected as the groundwork for learning (Farris, S. (2018, October 22). It provides strategies for the instructional projects and activities that best allow for this to experiential learning. The realism of this approach will make this blog a great reference for use in creating the foundations I will need to develop instructional material that has relevance to the adult learner.

The third blog was A Case for Andragogy. This blog acknowledges there is a difference in approach to the instruction of children vs. adults (PIDP, A. 2018, October 21). It references Malcolm Knowles and his six assumptions of the adult learner and how these have to be given consideration while designing learning geared towards this group. These assumptions are, self-direction, experience, social roles, perspective, motivation, and the need to know why they need to know a subject matter or material. The blogger also states that adding self-reflection, self-assessment, and eliminating traditional testing has been very effective in improving the experience of adult students.

As this blog delves into Malcolm Knowles and his six assumptions of the adult learner, its usefulness lies in the details about the ways in which these assumptions may be used in designing learning for adults as well as provides links to further information about the Contrasting Classrooms: Instructional Differences Between Pedagogy vs. Andragogy The blogger informs that it takes the theories of Malcolm Knowles and expands into Jack Mezirow‘s theory of transformational learning. They suggest that when we understand both theories and marry the two, that we can meet the needs of the adult learner. Please explore!

Knowles, M. (1984). The adult learner: A neglected species (3rd ed.). Houston, TX: Gulf Publishing.

PIDP, A. (2018, October 21). A Case for Andragogy [Web log post]. Retrieved November 4, 2018, from https://audreypidp.home.blog/

Farris, S. (2018, October 22). IT’S A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE 2: MISTAKES ARE GOOD! [Web log post]. Retrieved November 4, 2018, from https://edtech207.com/2018/10/22/its-a-matter-of-principle-2-mistakes-are-good/

Tips to watch out in a Learning Management System in 2019 [Web log post]. (2018, October 25). Retrieved November 4, 2018, from https://professionaltrainingcourses.wordpress.com/2018/10/25/tips-to-watch-out-in-a-learning-management-system-in-2019/