1. Andragogy:
Case Study of
Andragogy and Online
Learning

2. Context
Adult student enrolled in the second
quarter of a Master of Health
Administration program
Focus
Two dimensions of the learning
experience:
• Adult learning (andragogy)
• Online Learning setting
Case Study Context & Focus

3. The theory of adult learning that
distinguishes the abilities, needs, and
desires of adult learning from childhood
and adolescent learning. It is not
completely separate from pedagogy, but
can work alongside it- to fit the prior
knowledge, experiences, and motivations
that separate adult learners from children
learners.
(Hiemstra & Sisco, 1990, para. 6)
Andragogy

4. Adult learners are autonomous
and self-directed and want to be
involved in their own educational
planning. They have the ability
to initiate solutions to the
challenges they encounter in
their attempts to learn and are
capable of planning organizing
and implementing their own
learning strategies.
Wilmarth, 2010, p. 3, para. 2

5. • Independent; Self-directed
learners
• Have experiences that can be
used to support learning
• Intentional learners
• Performance-centered
(Hiemstra & Sisco, 1990, para. 7)
Cited from (Knowles, 1980, p. 44-45)
What we know about
adult learners

6. Online Learning
According to the
Sloan Consortium, in
2007 3.5 million
learners used online
learning.
The number is
increasing due to the
demand for certain
levels of education to
perform certain jobs
and upward mobility
to gain a more ideal
position and more
money within one’s
field.
(Bedford, 2009, para. 1)

7. Online Learning
The convenience of
online learning allows
people to add
education to their
lives, while still
maintaining their
personal and
professional lives, due
to the autonomy and
convenience of online
learning.
(Bedford, 2009, para. 1)

8. Case Study Question
What features and designs in
online learning support or neglect
the needs of adult learners?
 With particular attention to self-
directed learning, learner motivation,
and instructional design

9. Sources of Evidence
Asking- Interview
Direct Observation-
Documented
Physical Artifacts-
Photos, Videos, Surveys