What is the best approach for adult learners to engage successfully in an undergraduate online co...

1. Adult learners can utilize different approaches to find ways to stay engaged and motivated through all the steps of earning a degree.

1.1. Students who seek interaction amongst students and professors feel more invested in a course.

1.2. Seeking a younger student to mentor can help an experienced adult to feel that there are multiple benefits to core undergraduate courses that extend beyond credits.

1.3. Taking advantage of PLA programs, fast-track course options and other options designed to assist adult learners with focusing on finishing their program quickly can help keep adult learners motivated to finish.

2. Introduction

2.1. Adult learners can be identified as those participating in multiple life roles (spouse, parent, employee, caregiver, etc) while also attending college.

2.2. Adult learners come primed with previous knowledge, bias and experience that can both help and hinder higher education goals.

2.3. For many adults the idea of "starting from scratch" in an environment outside of their comfort zone or within a large community of "traditional" first time college can be discouraging and lacking in external motivators.

3. Resources

3.1. Wlodkowski, Raymond J. 2003. “Accelerated Learning in Colleges and Universities.” In “Accelerated Learning for Adults: The Promise and Practice of Intensive Educational Formats,” edited.by R. J. Wlodkowski and C. Kasworm, special issue, New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education 97: 5–15. Retrieved from http://raymondwlodkowski.com/Materials/Accelerated_Learning.pdf

3.2. Ross-Gordon, Jovita M. (2011). Research on Adult Learners: Supporting the Needs of a Student Population that Is No Longer Nontraditional. Association of American Colleges & Universities, Peer Review, VOL.13, NO.1. Retrieved from https://www.aacu.org/publications-research/periodicals/research-adult-learners-supporting-needs-student-population-no

3.3. Shepherd, J., & Nelson, B. M. (2012). Balancing act: A phenomenological study of female adult learners who successfully persisted in graduate studies. The Qualitative Report, 17(20), 1-21. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1504088515?accountid=8289

3.4. Hains, B. J., & Smith, B. (2012). Student-centered course design: Empowering students to become self-directed learners. The Journal of Experiential Education, 35(2), 357-374. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1288615787?accountid=8289

4. Colleges and universities can take active steps to encourage and value adult learners and their unique additions to the classroom.

4.1. Prior Learning Assessments take into account a student's previous real life experience and evaluates it for college credits.

4.2. Accelerated programs and modified class schedules respect and accommodate the multiple roles many adult students play in their daily lives.

4.3. Placement exams can help ensure students spend an appropriate amount of time in a comfortable course while still allowing them to move forward in a challenging manner.

5. Educators can design classrooms and curriculums designed to reach, engage and challenge adult learners.

5.1. Self-directed course options designed to let a student move at their own pace can be particularly enticing.

5.2. Focusing on problem/solution based tasks as opposed to subject centered ones can engage an experienced adult used to problem solving in their daily career.

5.3. Acknowledging that adult learners are often internally motivated and allowing opportunities for their experience to be considered and valued helps adult learners thrive in a college environment.