Barriers to Creating a More Adult Centered Learning Environment

1. Barriers to Creating a More Adult Centered Learning Environment Dr. Ingrid Crowther Athabasca University Nov. 3-6, 2003

2. Climate of Adult Learning Environment • Difficult to reconfigure large lecture halls or classrooms into small groupings for individual work and discussions • Lecture type-environments lead to more authority-oriented setting – lecturer at the front, students in rows in front • Lecturer initiates learning through presentation – overhead, board work, computer • Discussion centres around points raised by lecturer • Emphasis on students listening and asking questions • Student discussion limited to a few individuals

3. Planning of Program • Content of program pre-set by educational institution – students fit into pre-planned program • Delivery of program responsibility of faculty – lectures pre-designed, course outlines developed by faculty to indicate expectations • Students required to follow course of study regardless of experience, knowledge, or individual differences

4. Diagnosis of Needs • Diagnosis set by evaluative system of course • Set by faculty – marks, pass/fail • Students fit into pre-existing program of study that compares individuals within the program through marks • Limited opportunity to improve grades achieved

5. Goal Setting • Students may set general goals to complete a specific program of study – ECE, DSW.. • Goals of program pre-set by faculty and specified in program layout and on individual course outlines • Students work fits into pre-existing goals

6. Designing Learning Size of class dictates types of learning activities – the larger the class the more: • Lecture type of activities – content delivered by faculty • Greater degree of teacher-directed activity • More likely to multiple choice or short answer type of evaluation systems • More comparison of student competency /learning

7. Learning Activities • Focus on testing knowledge, facts • Same for all students • The larger the class the less likely that all individuals will participate in discussions, asking of questions and fewer application type written assignments such as essays • Assignments such as presentations – focus on knowledge and facts and are presented in a teacher-directed method

8. Evaluation • Emphasis of learning is competitive – percentages, grades, bell-curving of marks • Evaluation is set and evaluated by faculty • Evaluation product oriented – what has been learned • Evaluation based on memorized facts

9. Knowledge of Adult Learning • Few adult educators have completed adult education learning programs • Adult education not often specified as a criteria for hiring faculty to teach adults • Adult education is a relative new field • Past practices have influenced practices today • Retention of learning not often a cornerstone for teaching

10. Financial Larger class size uses fewer resources - • One individual can lecture to large numbers of students; • Need for decreased number of faculty – fewer salaries, fewer benefits • One large room may be utilized rather than several smaller rooms; • Less resources needed as fewer faculty needed to teach - audio-visual equipment, videos, projectors..

11. Attitudes • Status quo - We have always taught like this in post secondary education and it has worked • Faculty are hired as experts; students are not experts, it is perceived that they need to be told what they need to learn • Students need to be taught the same curriculum in order to ensure consistency • Developmentally appropriate practices for teaching adults are more time-consuming and therefore not readily implemented in larger group sizes