Interested in more free on adult learning characteristics? Check out this blog: http://bit.ly/1kwTmQi Building engagement in learning is a critical component of successful learning programs and helps to foster employee engagement in your organizations. Learn about adult learner characteristics and how to best support them in online learning environments.

1. Putting the learner first –
Adult learner characteristics in the online environment.
October 22, 2015

2. Introductions
Sarah Nicholl, BA, B. Ed (AE), M.Ed.
• Focused career and studies on enhancing workplace
learning through technology
• Consulted with 100+ organizations on effective learning
programs

3. Welcome to our series on Learning
Engagement
Systems and networks are connecting us like never before. It is
changing the way we work and live. And it is changing the
expectations of learning within organizations.
We are all brand ambassadors 24x7 – it’s not enough to check
the box on training, employees have to live it. They can’t just
read the compliance and training content, they need to discuss,
practice, and embed it into their daily practice.
This series will focus on fostering learning engagement to help
you enable behaviour change within your organization.

4. Welcome to our series on
Learning Engagement
This series will focus on fostering learning engagement to help you enable
behaviour change within your organization.
October
• Webinar: Adult Learning in the Online Environment - Oct 22
• Adult Learning blog post
November
• Webinar: How to onboard millennials - Nov 17
December
• Learning Engagement ebook
New year
• Jumpstart your learning culture toolkit

5. Housekeeping items
Participant lines are muted
Polling questions will appear periodically
Enter comments and/or questions in the chat pod
Session is recorded

6. Today’s Objective and Target
Audience
Objective:
By the end of today’s session, through discussion and reflection,
you’ll have an understanding of methods to plan and design
learning with adult learner characteristics considered.
Target Audience:
This session is targeted at learning and development
professionals responsible for the planning, design or delivery of
corporate learning programs.
It can serve as a refresher for those familiar with the topic, or an
introduction for those new to designing learning for adults.

7. Today’s Agenda
How do you support adult learning online?
• Motivation, Applicability, Time, Experience, Independence, Evaluation,
Established Routine, Collaboration and Discussion, Learning Environment
• Polling questions
Additional Resources
Questions

8. Supporting adult learning online
Motivation
Adults enter an education or training programme with
a high level of motivation to learn. They appreciate a
programme that is structured systematically with
requirements (objectives) clearly specified.
 Clear learning paths
 Objectives outlined
 Consider enabling access to coaches or mentors to promote structure
 Encourage the use of learning partners
 Enable learners to create their own personal learning plan

9. Poll: How would you characterize
the motivation of your learners?
1) Intrinsic motivation – they chose to be
there for their own development
2) Extrinsic motivation – they are there to
enable a raise or promotion (reward
focused)
3) Other motivation – they are there
because they have to be (compliance,
regulatory, manager-mandated)

10. Supporting adult learning online
Apply immediately
Adults want to know how the content that will be
taught will benefit them. They expect the material to
be relevant, and they quickly grasp the practical use of
the content.
 Online enables ability to use what you need and then apply it
 Foster applicability via practical content
 Use real-life examples
 Integrate applicability questions
 Encourage discussion with a mentor or coach
 Enable interactivity and reflections via discussions

11. Supporting adult learning online
Time
To adults, time is an important consideration. They
expect the learning event to start and finish on
schedule and they do not like to waste time.
 Design learning into components or chunks
 Indicate the estimated duration of each component in the description
 Ensure optimum use of time via easy navigation and user-friendly interface:
 Provide quick reference guides
 Use single sign-on to avoid password fatigue
 Make directions clear and easy to understand

12. Supporting adult learning online
Experience
Adults bring to a class extensive experience from their
personal and working lives. These experiences should
be used as major resources by helping students relate
to the subject being studied.
 Encourage collaboration
 Entice learners to draw on their own experiences through exercises and reflection
 Provide real-life scenarios

13. Poll: How do you integrate
learners’ experience into your
learning programs?
1)Discussion – our programs enable learners
to comment and reflect on their experience
as it applies to the learning materials
2)Small Group Exercises – our programs
include small group work online or in person
to foster connections and experience
sharing
3)Individual Exercises – our programs
include exercises/questions that allow
learners to reflect on their experience and
the learning material

14. Supporting adult learning online
Independence
Many adults are self-directed and independent. While
some adults lack confidence and need reassurance,
they would prefer that the instructor serve as
facilitator to guide and assist rather than as an
authoritarian leader.
 Keep tone appropriate to respect adult perspective of learner
 Choose own learning path
 Coaches or mentors available to ask questions
 Enable feedback – built into course, through peers, through coaches

15. Supporting adult learning online
Evaluation
Adults want to participate in decision making. They
want to cooperate with the instructor in mutual
assessment of needs and goals, the choice of activities,
and decisions on how to evaluate learning.
 Enable extensive feedback prior to evaluation
 Allow choice in learning path
 Whenever possible, let the learner choose if they want to be evaluated
 Use an encouraging tone
 Be clear on how learning records are stored and shared

16. Poll: Do your courses
require tests for
completion?
1)Yes – Required – learners must take a
test and achieve a certain score in order
to register a completion.
2)Yes – Voluntary – learners can choose to
take a test but it is not required for
completion.
3)No – we do not have tests in our courses,
attending or visiting all the content is the
completion criteria.

17. Supporting adult learning online
Established Routine
Adults may be less flexible than younger students. Their habits
and methods of operation have been developed into a routine.
They do not like to be placed in embarrassing situations. Before
they accept a different way of doing something, they want to
understand the advantages of doing so.
 Ensure new technologies are explained clearly, provide practice and safe environment to
try new things
 Include feedback in learning materials
 Provide encouragement to learners
 Be conscious of “Imposter Syndrome”
 Adults may feel everyone else is more qualified to be there

18. Supporting adult learning online
Collaboration and Discussion
Adults like to cooperate in groups and socialize together. Small-
group activities and an atmosphere for interaction during breaks
are important. Change of pace every 7 to 20 minutes
 Foster groups and learning partners online and in person
 Include variety in offerings
 Design learning in different components to vary pace and style
 Be conscious of variety of learning styles and preferences

19. Supporting adult learning online
Learning Environment
Facilities are important to adults, they are less likely to tolerate
poor facilities than younger students. If the set up is not optimal,
adults will not be as open to learning.
 Ensure it’s easy to navigate
 Minimize technical requirements
 Make it fun

20. Poll: Based on today’s session,
what one idea will you put into
action in your learning programs?
1)Communicate how results/learning
records are used in our organization
2)Enable more opportunities for learners
to reflect and share experience as it
applies to learning
3)Keep doing what we’re doing – today’s
session was a confirmation we’re on the
right track
4)Other – please comment in the chat pod

21. Learning Engagement Series
This series will focus on fostering learning engagement to help you enable
behaviour change within your organization.
October
• Webinar: Adult Learning in the Online Environment - Oct 22
• Check out the Adult Learning blog post – coming tomorrow!
November
• Register for Webinar: How to onboard millennials - Nov 17
December
• Learning Engagement ebook
New year
• Jumpstart your learning culture toolkit

22. Additional Resources
Designing Effective Instruction by Morrison, Ross, Kalman and Kemp (2013)
Making Sense of Adult Learning by D. Mackeracher (2004)
Planning Instruction for Adult Learners by P. Cranton (2012)
The Skillful Teacher by S. Brookfield (2015)
The Craft of Teaching Adults by T. Barer-Stein and J. Draper (2001)
Why organizations don’t learn Harvard Business Review, November 2015
Design thinking comes of age Harvard Business Review, September 2015
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck (2007)

23. Questions / Comments
Enter questions/comments in the chat pod

24. Thank you