OTAN News

Designing Technology for Adult Learners

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Support and Scaffolding

Educators realize the extent to which technology can assist with “personalized pathways for learners with special needs and mixed profiles.” Yet, online learning requires self-regulation and discipline. “Adult learners will achieve the most when using digital learning tools if they have additional support and scaffolding.” Research indicates five principles for instructional creators to consider when designing for the adult basic learner.

5 Key Design Principles

1. Keep it short. This is never truer than with the adult basic learner.
   “Andragogy, a key tenet of adult learning theory, reminds us that adults bring a wealth of experience to their learning and that they learn more effectively when they make connections between these experiences and new information. Short lessons provide scaffolding for the brain to connect these ‘chunks’ of prior and new knowledge.”
2. Go Visual. Visual or graphic organizers “mimic how the brain records and organizes information.” Visual organizers provide mental scaffolding in the following ways:
   1. Clarifying their thoughts;
   2. Organizing and analyzing information;
   3. Integrating new knowledge; and
   4. Thinking critically
3. Resources, resources, and more resources. “Adult Learners need many resources. The more resources and activities available, the more opportunities there are for multiple ways of learning.”
   The best examples of providing abundant resources for adult learners can be found in online courses using learning management systems (LMS) that allow instructors to upload a wealth of resources. The resources can be placed in a centralized space, shared, and accessed outside of class time.
4. Increase learner –teacher connections. Multiple forms of communication between the learner and teacher are critical for success. Some which were listed in the article are as follows: blogs, emails, videos, reflective activities, regular feedback, and office hour chats (written, video). These can happen outside of class time which builds more confidence in the student as they are progressing through school.
5. Help learners engage with each other. Learning science has long known that we learn more when we collaborate with one another. The stronger the learning experience the stronger the retention. “Working with others increases the social-emotional memories of a learning experience, thus increases the learning. For adult learners, these social and emotional connections also add to their confidence.”

These are some of the most critical principles for scaffolding and supporting adult learners with their educational environment. These principles assist learners with the skills they need for advancement.

Image Credit: Tumisu- Pixabay