Theories of Adult Learning That Educational Designers Need to Know

by Manoj Kumar online marketing

You want to design courses as an instructional designer that has a positive impact on your audience's lives. You want to design experiences that motivate people, alter their perspectives, and improve performance. To put it simply, you want to create courses that consistently hit the mark and connect with your audience.

Now here is the challenge. Your students are mature individuals with established beliefs about what is effective for them. They are time-conscious, overworked individuals who detest idling. They look for learning opportunities that will help them meet their needs and goals.

Having said that, you must comprehend how adults learn most effectively. It's crucial to have a thorough understanding of adult learning theory when developing your next eLearning course.

What is adult learning theory?

The phrase "adult learning theory" is widespread in corporate education circles. But do you know what that means?

First, a myth-buster. There is no theory of adult learning. Several prevailing theories explain, from different perspectives, how adults learn.

We will specifically discuss andragogy, experiential learning, and transformative learning in this article. Nevertheless, there are many other theories! However, their common objective is to help you design efficient learning opportunities for adult corporate learners.

Why understand adult learning theories?

Adult learning theories are not just a collection of jargon, concepts, and ideas about how adults learn. These theories support the planning, creation, and delivery of your course and facilitate learning.

Educational designers for the following four reasons should know these theories:

Create relevance by assigning courses to the perceived needs of students
Develop didactic strategies in real learning contexts
Choose the technology that best supports the didactic strategy
Plan relevant instructional strategies for students in the digital age and on the move

Theory no. 1: Andragogy: drawing on previous experience

This theory is based on the core characteristics of adult learners and how they bring their experiences to bear to guide them throughout the learning journey. Malcolm Shepherd Knowles created this theory in the 1970s, and it is still valid today.

The following six characteristics distinguish adult learners from children, in Knowles' opinion:

Need for Knowledge: Adults need to know "why" they should learn.

Internal motivations are what propel adults forward in life. If they want to learn, they will. A compelling response to the question "what's in it for me?" is an effective internal motivator, for instance.

Will: For adults, willingness to learn comes from perceiving the relevance of knowledge. They want to know how learning will improve their lives, and they learn best when they know that the knowledge will be of immediate value to them.

Foundation or Experience: Adults bring with them rich stores of experience that form the foundation of their learning. They synthesize, assess, and either develop new ideas or modify existing ones in light of their experiences. You must use your knowledge as an instructional designer to help them improve their capacity for making connections, recognizing relevance, and discovering inspiration.

Self-direction: Adults are self-directed people who want to take charge of the learning journey. They are independent beings who want to be in control.

Learning Orientation: Adults learn best when they "do it." They believe that task-oriented learning is pertinent and that it can be matched to the needs of the workplace. Task-oriented learning also enhances students' problem-solving skills, which in turn boosts their assurance that they will be able to overcome challenges using the knowledge they have just learned.

Theory no. 2: Transformative Learning: Insightful Insights for Creating Aha Moments

We've all experienced "aha" moments.

Flashes of inspiration have led us to see reality in new ways. Nuggets of wisdom that have radically changed our mindsets. Deep insights that have broken long-held beliefs and conventions.

These are transformative experiences that change our consciousness. As an instructional designer, you should strive to create such learning experiences. Such experiences awaken the mind, arouse strong emotions, and leave lasting impressions. Many of these events trigger "radical changes" in thoughts, perspectives, attitudes, and behavior patterns: "transformations."

Transformational learning theory explains how adults learn through these "aha" moments. The theory is based on the idea that learning happens when an old experience is given a new meaning or when an old meaning is reinterpreted and viewed in a different way (Mezirow, 1990).

In transformational learning theory, there are three stages of learning:

Identifying a dilemma or crisis: Realizing that we have been holding on to wrong beliefs all along or that we didn't know what we needed to know is often a trigger to seek and discover information or revise our mindset and thought patterns. Not knowing or realizing that you have misinformation is a crisis that deeply upsets all of us. You need to point out what your students don't know to make them curious about your course.

Establish personal relevance: This is the context or the answer to the eternal question "What's in it for me?" that inspires people and drives learning. You should establish the context early on in the course to grab the students' interest and keep it. The context can be personal, professional, or social. Adult learners are more motivated to learn when they can see the results of their efforts.

Critical Thinking: Your students are sensible, rational people with minds of their own. To get them to rethink their attitudes and beliefs, the next step is to give them chances for critical reflection (prologue reflection). When you allow them to sort out their feelings and thoughts and do for themselves what they need to release or change, they will be more willing to accept and absorb the learning.

This post discusses how to create opportunities for transformative learning in a virtual learning environment.

Theory no. 3: Experiential learning: linking reality to create meaning

The Chinese philosopher Confucius said: “Tell me, and I will forget it." Show me, and maybe I'll remember. "Involve me, and I'll understand."

As human beings, we are shaped by our experiences. For adults, no amount of textbook learning can replace the knowledge, clarity, and wisdom that come with experience.

Experiential learning theory states that the essence of adult learning is making sense of experiences. Adults learn best when they learn by doing. Students learn more effectively when they actively engage in "experiencing" learning as opposed to memorizing definitions and facts from books.

Kolb explains how experiential learning occurs in four stages, demonstrating its cyclical nature:

Concrete Experience (CE): Adults learn best when the learning experience goes beyond the routine of chalk and conversation. Both kinesthetic learning—learning that encourages physical actions (simulations), and learning that elicits strong emotional reactions (realistic scenarios that show cause-and-effect relationships)—produce memorable experiences.

Reflective Observation (RO): Adults must participate and take their experiences into account in order to learn and develop ideas. In addition to giving people opportunities for experiential learning, it is crucial to give them the time and space to reflect. Create opportunities to 'watch' the action unfold before your eyes (demonstrations) and 'discuss" processes and procedures (scenario-based activities, case studies).

Abstract conceptualization (AC):

The success of experiential learning depends on the student's capacity to generalize abstract ideas from their reflections and understand how these ideas relate to their reality. Design assessments to encourage students to practice their "critical thinking" skills, so they can formulate concepts and procedures.

Active Experimentation (AE): Role-playing exercises, internships, and other practical tasks enable students to put what they have learned into practice and genuinely "learn by doing." The cycle of experiential learning continues after active experimentation results in tangible experiences.

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