Adult Learning Theory in Online Education

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Adult Learning Theory in Online Education

The developments of technology has changed the way which adult students may choose to obtain a college degree. Through the use of their computer, they may opt to attend an online only college or university. While it may not be apparent to the student, a lot of research has been conducted regarding the most effective way to teach adults and children based upon how they learn. An awareness in different teaching theories could make an adult student a better consumer when it comes to shopping for their best value in education. This paper will explore the theories of andragogy and pedagogy, along with their implications for online adult education.

Society's view of the adult student before World War II was that people who were past college age could not learn new concepts (Crawford 2004). It was noted by Crawford that one of the reasons for such an assumption was that a university education was a luxury that only the rich could afford. Crawford suggests that a change in society's attitude regarding adult education occurred when the GI Bill of Rights was enacted after WWII, which prompted millions of adult veterans to pursue a college education. Such a huge change in student demographics eventually caused society, educators and scientists to change views about an adults ability to learn in a college environment.

Prior to the influx of adult students, and for many years after, the main method of teaching was a style that is now referred to as pedagogy (Crawford, 2004). Pedagogy is defined as “the art or science of teaching children”(Knowles, p. 60). Knowles claims that the set of beliefs which define pedagogy were used by the churches in England between the seventh and twelfth cen...

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...ting that best suits the student could mean the difference between dropping out and obtaining a college degree.

References

Blondy, L. C. (2007). Evaluation and application of Andragogical assumptions to the adult online learning environment. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 6(2), 116–130.

Crawford, D. L. (n.d.). School of Education at Johns Hopkins University-The Role of Aging in Adult Learning: Implications for Instructors in Higher Education. Retrieved May 4, 2014, from http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/lifelonglearning/higher-education/implications/index.html

Knowles, Malcolm S; Holton III, Elwood F; Swanson, Richard A (2012). The Adult Learner. Retrieved from http://www.eblib.com

Wang, V. X. (2011). Pedagogical and Andragogical Teaching and Learning with Information Communication Technologies. Hershey PA: Information Science Reference.

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