Improving Andragogy of Educational Technology Training for Adult Learning

EDUA 6378 - Integration of Tech into the Curriculum

Andragogy is defined as the art and science of teaching adults, as per Patrick Fox's YouTube Video and Malcolm Knowles, who created back in the 1960s, the six assumptions underlying andragogy. (Patrick Fox, 2020)

As communicated by Patrick Fox (2020), the six assumptions underlying andragogy are the following:

(1) Need to Know - it’s just as important that the teacher (or facilitator) understand what adult learners expect to learn and be able to articulate the benefit to themselves and explain how this new knowledge will solve the problem or how this can be immediately applied as a solution.

(2) Self-Concept - postulates that adult learners work better autonomously and are more self-directed as they become more mature. Thus, the teacher must create a more collaborative environment that encourages self-directed learning tools.

(3) Adult Learner Experience - incorporates life experiences and merges them into new learnings, and includes motivation, needs, goals, and individualization with learning objects that apply for self-reflection.

(4) Readiness to Learn - depends on if the adult is ready to learn and can connect with what they need to know to deal with real issues; applies learning to the practical application of the present and promotes independent exploration and research.

(5) Orientation to Learning - adult learners are task-centered and problem-centered and need to see how their knowledge can address problems regularly faced by them and how this is applied to daily life.

(6) Motivation to Learn - adult learners' motivation is internal, and educators need to understand this when planning the design and content of their courses. There must be a valid reason behind each activity. Learners should understand the skill set they will develop by completing the task, so relevancy is key to how adults are motivated to learn. As the course develops, educators must create quality learning experiences with targeted objectives that reassess the learner's needs, if necessary.

In her article titled "Adult Science-Based Learning: The Intersection of Digital Science and Information Literacies," Angela Collier Bliss, Ph.D. explains that "Adult learners conduct learning episodes on the internet, meaning they are expected to approach self-direct, science-based learning with knowledge of digital tools, referred to as digital literacy." Therefore, she says, "the three strategies to assist those serving adult audiences which science-based resources might be best dissimilated online, (a) internally evaluate online resources, (b) conduct usability study of online resources, and (c) stay dynamic with types of science-based resources and how best to meet the changing needs of the adult populace." (Bliss, 2019)

In summary, adults are more self-directed and act out of their self-interests to learn new concepts, but only when they can see how this will be used in their quest to solve an issue or some life situation. The individuals heading the class are facilitating learning, guiding, and introducing teaching concepts that can attract the learner's attention so that they will take an interest and find a practical application in their life.

The introduction of educational technology is different for adults as it is for children; teachers need to introduce media carefully and strategically into the adult’s learning process so that they are interested in using it as part of learning. For example, almost everyone uses apps through their cell phones in some form or another, so media obtained through apps may interest adults, as well as artificial intelligence because it is so prevalent in homes today. After all, kids are using it more in their games or for school. Adults are interested in technology because of the practical and daily applications they see around them.

References

Bliss, A. C. (2019). Adult Science-Based Learning: The Intersection of Digital, Science, and Information Literacies. Adult Learning, 30(3), 128–137. https://doi.org/10.1177/1045159519829042

Patrick Fox. (2020, July 22). Adult Learning Theory | Knowles’ 6 Assumptions of Adult Learners [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SArAggTULLU