I too was surprised by the age categorization. When I think of adult learners, and in my expereinces, they are usually in their late 20's to sometimes late 40's. Usually the age defines the reason are going back to school. It can be a career change, usually this is the case with the older population. It can also be wanting to do something "imporant" in their lives or they want to "make a difference. The younger population may have never decided what their true passion was, and as they grow older they are more apt to answer the "who am I" and "what am I going to do with my life" questions.
Amy,
I have found that most of the teaching principles suggested for adult students will also work for traditional age students.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Most adults are desiring more or add more skills. As they progress, I believe the challenges encourage them to do more for themselves and people supporting them.
In todays world people cannot be stagnant in the jobs they need to keep learning. If people don't keep leaning they maybe left behind and not advance in their careers because they don't know the latest information.
Many of our nursing students have given up a lot to be part of an accelerated program. As such, they have significant expectations of faculty as well, and they are quite clear in their expectations. That said, it is helpful to explain how what they are learning will tie to the "real life" situations in which they find themselves. I will try to do more case studies to show how important this application of knowledge will be, as well as to help them with critical thinking.
Some of the pressured (over-extended) students want to be "dropper" fed. "Give me only what is tested." They do not want any supporting facts or knowledge. They want the smallest amount of information possible. I find this frustrating.
I think our current economic realities have caused a change in the landscape of adults returning to school. There was always an element of adults wanting to advance their careers, but now they are discarding careers that have been lost and beginning entirely new ones. Perhaps we should re-examine some of the research on adult learning motivations and see if the data on which we are predicating instructional methods are still valid.
Kathi,
Agree completely and would add that use current journal articles, especially when linked to organizational policies and current events, can encourage great discussion. Challenge, I have found, is keeping the adult learners focused on the topic and keeping them from airing "dirty laundry" in the classroom. It's a fine line--learning from others experiences while not complaining about the boss or the job.
Adults enjoy interacting with others and learning new technologyin a school setting.
Interesting post, Jeannette. What are some of the things you have seen that have brought you to the conclusion that we may need to re-examine our methods.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Deborah,
What are some ways you are trying to change this perception in your students?
Jeffrey Schillinger
Sharing passion for knowledge can motivate some students who are not too overwhelmed. The other approach is to continue to provide learners with stimulating underpinnings of physiology that can help them to understand the conditions they are studying. Then I try not to cringe when someone asks will this be on the test.
Deborah,
Adults typically need to know why they are supposed to learn something before they are motivated to learn it. If we can make sure they know that as we present the material, we should get fewere "on the test?" questions.
Jeffrey Schillinger
For the most part it was the age of some of the studies. Maybe they should be revisited for several reasons:
1. There are significant differences in generations. Any of the data derived from boomers or busters could be seriously dated.
2. We really are in the midst of convulsive macroeconomic change in the country. On the individual level this is the source of great anxiety and I think that raises the stakes in our classrooms.
3. The health care industry is in a state of flux like we've never seen before. Add to that the BSN-in-10 movement is changing the face of nursing within the changing nature of health care. This suggests that a large cadre of nurses are going to be returning to school NOT because they want to but because they have to. And unless someone else is underwriting their tuition, they may bring with them a certain amount of resentment.
It may be that what we know about adult learners is timeless. But we won't know unless we do some re-validating.
Where I teach, the majority of students are adult learners. Their primary motivation is to improve their skills to either advance in a current job or to change careers.
Another factor that influences many of our students is the desire to set a positive example for their children.
I believe some of that "wanting to be spoon-fed" stems from feelings of anxiety related to testing. Many courses have high-stakes exams that must be passed in order to successfully complete a course. I find providing a "test blueprint" helpful in guiding students towards effective studying. As instructors we need to help students identify important concepts.
There are many reasons why adults return to school. Loss of employment is one reason. When an adult loses a position not from their own level of competence it can encourage them to return to school to complete the pathway they abandoned when younger or as an opportunity to renew skills and keep on the cutting edge of business. Whatever the reason, it is important that the student and teacher work together to accomplish the goals of the course.
It is a long list of reasons for going back to school.Career change because of want,physical,mental,health to name a few.You find out that some had a good paying job but they were not satisfied with it.It is a learning experience with age groups from 18 to 65 years old in the same class.As in todays world , it seems the big one is that they lost their job.
Taura,
How do determine what the student's goals for that course are? They can vary be student.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Most of our students have had some college experience (some have bachelor's degrees and/or associate's degrees), and many have had a fair amount of work experience, although not always in the medical field. I believe it is important to acknowledge their experience and knowledge levels on the very first day of class--I ask each person to introduce themselves and tell the class about their work and education background--so they know from the start that I respect where they are coming from, and I don't intend to treat them like students who are right out of high school. When teaching adult learners, showing respect for who they are as adults helps to set the stage for a good learning environment.
