Adult learners in online learning environments by hsiu-mei huang

The idea of adopting constructivism in teaching adult learners is a splendid approach on its own. However, the approach is not effective when the course involves instructional design. This is usually in the case that adult learners are new to the course topic. As novices in the course topic, the instructor needs to adopt a different learning technique.
Key terms
The key terms in this article are constructivism and the adult learning theory. The latter is also known as Andragogy. These key terms are directed to instructors who teach adult learners in an online setting. Through the implementation of both methods, the instructors are bound to achieve success in teaching adult learners.
Key Concepts
Constructivism refers to a theory that states that humans inherently generate their own knowledge and meaning through the interaction of both their experiences and ideas. The adult learning theory, on the other hand, refers to a learning theory that addresses the individual needs of adults. The significant learning as adults and children interact is used as the basis of this theory.
Synthesis
Constructivism should be adopted in adult learning as it tries integrates several principles such as active learning, real-life learning, prior knowledge, social interaction. This approach in collaboration with the adult learning theory assists adult learners in learning quickly and more efficiently.
Factors Influencing Adult Learner’s Decision to Drop Out or Persist in Online Learning – Ji-Hye Park and Hee Jun Choi
The authors of this paper analyze the reasons why adult learners either drop-out or persist in online learning environments. Online learning, since its inception, has been on a meteoric rise as learners both young and old enrolled in the system. Despite this statistic, the number of learners who drop out is also significant.
Information
The article adopts a quantitative approach in describing the number of adult learners who either persist or drop-out of online learning. The authors state the advantages adult learners attain from online learning such as convenience and saving on transport costs. They study the growth of online learning in from 2003 to 2005. Alternatively, they list the percent of people who dropped out of online learning institutions.
Using theories and models such as the longitudinal approach and non-traditional models of drop-out they detail the reasons why adults might refrain from continuing with online learning. The most pressing factors include family issues, financial problems, personal issues, managerial support just to mention a few.
Critique
The authors base their research on the influence of familial, and the personal issue has towards adult learners dropping out. They fail to incorporate factors such as the difficulty of course material, instructors failing to apply appropriate techniques in teaching the students.
Key terms
The key terms used throughout the article adult dropout, retention, persistence, online learning and the theoretical framework for online dropout. These terms describe the rate at which adult learners either drop out or persist in online learning institutions.
Key Concepts
The authors describe models such as the longitudinal process model of drop-out distance education to describe reasons for adult learners dropping out. This model analyzes a student’s social and academic integration as factors that lead to dropping out of persisting in an online class. The persistence model is another model that explains the various factors that might lead to learners dropping out of online learning.
Synthesis
The article concedes that adult learners require family support the most in order to pursue online learning. The rate of dropouts reduces in situations where adult learners receive family and spousal support.