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Scholarship March 29, 2017

Creating Courses for Adults: Design for Learning

The Wabash Center

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Author
St. Clari, Ralf
Publisher
Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA
ISBN
9781118438978
Table of Contents
Preface
Why Design?
Perspective on Learning
Further Information
Acknowledgments
About the Author

PART ONE - Core Factors in Teaching
ch. 1 All About You
Why Who You Are and What You’ve Done Matters
Reflecting on Your Approach
What Are We Doing It For?
Why Identity Matters
Going Further
Conclusion: Pulling It Together

ch. 2 Engaged and Involved Learners
How Do People Learn?
Engagement in Learning
Learner Diversity
Responding to Diversity
Conclusion: Making Difference Matter

ch. 3 Context Drives Design
Why Context Matters
Ball Gown or Boots: Formality
Wired Learning
Organizational Context
The Aims of the Course
Time, or the Lack Thereof
Somewhere to Sit: Physical Resources
Conclusion

PART TWO - The Key Decisions
ch. 4 Knowing Where You Are Going
Objectives—And Some Objections
The Educator
The Learners
The Context
Conclusion

ch. 5 Content and Resources for Learning
Information and Objects
Resources and Materials
The Educator
The Learners
The Context
Conclusion

ch. 6 Ways of Working Together
The Range of Methods
The Educator
The Learners
The Context
Conclusion

ch. 7 What Do the Learners Say?
Designing Evaluation
The Educator
The Learners
The Context
Conclusion

ch. 8 Making Learning Visible
Counting What Counts
The Educator
The Learners
The Context
Conclusion

ch. 9 You Can Take It with You!
Moving Learning beyond the Course
The Educator
The Learners
The Context
Conclusion

ch. 10 Design Frames Practice
The Book in a Box
An Example of a Program Design
For New Educators of Adults

Conclusion
References
Appendix A: A Blank Design Framework
Appendix B: Where to Find Further Resources
Index
Click Here for Book Review
Abstract: Become an effective adult educator by approaching teaching systematically

As the author describes at the beginning of Creating Courses for Adults, "The big idea of this book is that education for adults has to be designed." Whether in basic skills training, English language classes, professional development workshops, personal interest courses, or formal degree programs, good teaching tends to conceal all the planning and decisions which had to be made in order to present participants with a seamless and coherent process for learning. The author posits that nobody is a completely intuitive teacher and that everybody has to make a series of choices as they put courses together. The decisions they make are important and far-reaching, and deserve to be considered carefully.

Starting with the three core factors which must be taken into account when creating courses, Creating Courses for Adults walks readers through a manageable process for addressing the key decisions which must be made in order to design effective learning.

- Instructor factors are what the teacher brings to the teaching and learning process, such as experience and preferences.
- Learner factors are the influences that students bring with them, including their past experiences and expectations for the class.
- Context factors include the educational setting, whether in-person or online, as well as the subject matter.

Readers of Creating Courses for Adults will learn a systematic approach to lesson and course design based on research into the ways adults learn and the best ways to reach them, along with pointers and tips for teaching adults in any setting. (From the Publisher)