Designing Adult Online Instruction

     I have to say right up front that I didn’t expect to find an article like the following for this week’s topic regarding Adult eLearning. After all, it doesn’t really take place online. It is done is a bar – well, sort of. It does, however, point out very clearly a design instruction that works for adults that are motivated to learn the subject.  It clearly points out what adult learning experiences need to include. See what you think: http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/488/marc-my-words-what-can-we-learn-from-bartender-school- Ok, now that you read Mark Rosenberg’s blog on Bartending School, let’s see if you agree with him about what adult courses need to include.

·        High-level simulations,
·        an interactive student guide,
·        student-created job aids,
·        simple and fun memory aids,
·        substantial realistic practice, and
·        a competency-based assessment.

So what is different from this and the “usual” online classes you take? Maybe the “High-level simulations”? Perhaps the “substantial realistic practice”? The rest is there, right? How do we integrate ‘high-level simulations” and “substantial realistic practice”? I don’t know yet. I still don’t know how to animate anything, except PowerPoint presentations, and those are really simplistic animations.  But I agree that I need to learn and include this ingredient in my class designs.

Now I want to bring into the discussion what I found at the following link provided by classmate Rick Baron last week: Principles for Designing 3D Learning Environments retrieved from http://www.kaplaneduneering.com/kappnotes/index.php/2010/11/principles-for-designing-3d-learning-environments/  In this blog, Karl Kapp listed the following principles to follow when designing 3D learning environments: (I copied these items directly from the blog)

·        Instructionally Grounded
·        Reflectively Synthesized
·        The Experiential Principles
·        Participant Centered
·        Contextually Situated
·        Discovery Driven
·        Action Oriented
·        Consequentially Experienced
·        Collaboratively Motivated

All of these principles are familiar, since they are found in one or more of the learning theories we studied so far in this class. Take the time to read the blog. It changed my way of thinking about how we can include social constructionism in online classes.

     As I watch my son play games online with other players and listen to him talking with them as they play, I realize that they are building community and connecting in a way that is definitely social. My son has problems seeking out and making friends face-to-face. He has a mental illness that interferes with this socially important human need. He has no problem, however, doing this online. I know he is not the only one like this, mentally ill or not. (See the white paper on “Digital Youth Project” (2006 – 2008) at http://digitalyouth.ischool.berkeley.edu/files/report/digitalyouth-WhitePaper.pdf for a more thorough discussion of the research done in this field.) There are several reasons that occur to me why this is so, and they have all been discussed ad nauseum in numerous situations and media. For example, online conversations (without the webcam) allow people to be who they “want” to be instead of who they “are”. It allows you to say things without the usual immediate physical consequences (other than to your character, perhaps). It allows “teens then share their creations and receive feedback from others online. By its immediacy and breadth of information, the digital world lowers barriers to self-directed learning.” (Mizuko, Horst, Bittani, Boyd, Herr-Stephenson, & Lange, 2008) Another aspect of the online environment is that “while adults participate, they are not automatically the resident experts by virtue of their age. Geeking out in many respects erases the traditional markers of status and authority.” (Mizuko, et. al., 2008) The report continues with numerous other findings about how our youth socialize online. However, the fact that adults are not automatically assumed to be experts in the online environment is pertinent to how to design online adult instruction. It can actually be a relief for a person whose job entails being the “go to” person who is expected to have all the answers and solutions. It can also have the opposite affect for adults who expect to be treated as experts regardless of the situation they are in.

     Of course, the readings this week spell out several premises generally accepted when designing instruction for adults. We have Eduard Lindeman who authored The Meaning of Adult Education and inspired Malcolm Knowles to research “the difference between the education of adults and children.” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). Malcolm Knowles went on to coin the two terms used today to differentiate between adult and youth education: andragogy and pedagogy, respectfully. You will find many of the characteristics Knowles defined as intrinsic to adult education in the list above associated with Principles of Designing 3D Learning Environments: “adults want to have a hand in, be responsible for their own education and their own learning, … bring to the learning process their own life experiences, … are highly motivated by intrinsic factors, such as the need for knowledge and the drive to succeed.” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009)

     We also have Marc Prensky’s influence to the field. He coined the two terms “digital immigrant”, “the group of people born prior to 1970 … [who] were not raised with technology as a primary source of production or information”, and the second term “digital natives” to refer to “those born after 1970, … [who] were raised in a world of technological advancement.” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). He has also delved deeply into research about game-based learning. I just ordered his books Digital Game-Based Learning, Don’t Bother Me Mom—I’m Learning, and TEACHING DIGITAL NATIVES: Partnering for Real Learning. I encourage a visit to his site http://www.games2train.com/ for an experience in how online games can be incorporated into the educational setting for adults. He has a contract with the Department of Defense (http://www.dodgamecommunity.com/) so they seem convinced he has something worthwhile to offer.

    All in all, I found several new sources of information about adult learning, especially in the online environment, this week (and it is only Wednesday). I am more excited about my chosen profession now than when I first applied to the program. I have the people mentioned above to thank for that.

References:

Baron, Richard. (2011, January 28). Exciting time to be entering the ID field. Message posted to EDUC-6115-1 Learning Theories and Instruction class discussion board, found at http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4744627&Survey=1&47=7090838&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1  

Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Malcolm Knowles.  Timeline in the History of Learning. Retrieved from http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/Walden/EDUC/6115/01/mm/tec_timeline.html Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education, Inc.

Laureate Education, Inc. (209). Marc Prensky.  Timeline in the History of Learning. Retrieved from http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/Walden/EDUC/6115/01/mm/tec_timeline.html Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education, Inc.

Mizuko, I., Horst, H., Bittani, M., Boyd, D.,  Herr-Stephenson, B., & Lange, P., et. al., (2008, November).  Living and learning with new media: summary of finding from the digital youth project. The Digital Youth Project. Retrieved from http://digitalyouth.ischool.berkeley.edu/files/report/digitalyouth-WhitePaper.pdf

Rosenberg, M. (2010, July 13). Marc My Words: What Can We Learn from Bartender School? Retrieved from http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/488/marc-my-words-what-can-we-learn-from-bartender-school-