Resources

One challenge in teaching is designing a learning environment for students who span multiple generations. I’ll focus on this challenge in two blog posts. This first post will look more closely at “non-traditional” or “adult” learners as a demographic group, and suggest ways to support them in our classes. The second post will look at the so-called generational differences between students of different ages. Across both posts, I’ll include cautions for classifying students into neatly defined categories and suggest some strategies for supporting the learning of all students.

Interview with L. Lee Knefelkamp, a professor of psychology and education at Columbia University. Stresses the diversity of higher education learners, including adult learners. Emphasizes the notion of faculty as co-learners with students. Notes the importance of the work of K. Patricia Cross regarding adult learners.

Blog post at Faculty Focus. Highlights five elements to create a better learning environment for adult learners: treat them as adults; be aware of skills gap; consider technology gap; be efficient; and be creative.

Two-page PDF from the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin. Provides brief tips on adult learning in three categories: motivation to learn; curriculum design; and learning environment.

Extensive workbook reviews differences in adult and child learners and discusses adult learning styles. Offers strategies on presentation, facilitation, course design, and course evaluation. Includes sample materials in appendices.

Provides biographical information on Malcolm Knowles, one of the pioneers in teaching adult learners. Discusses his contributions to adult learning theory and highlights desired adult learning outcomes. Outlines key differences in teaching adult learners and child learners.

This University of Illinois resource provides all an instructor needs to get started with role-playing as an online (synchronous or asynchronous) learning activity: description, examples, goals & objectives, lesson outline and procedures, and guidelines for assessment and managing accessibility/accommodations.

A short, practical introduction to using online social media tools (like Twitter) to facilitate role-playing in courses involving literature or history.

Suggestions for using role-play with adult learners in online learning environments, both synchronous and asynchronous. Includes three models, student reactions, integration with Bloom's taxonomy, and assessment considerations.