Information and digital literacy in education via the digital path

To help adult learners, edtech tools should be designed for their needs and goals, support them in virtually communicating with instructors and classmates and offer them a smooth mobile experience, according to a new report published on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education.

Called “Changing the Equation: Empowering Adult Learners with Edtech,” it’s the culmination of three years of research commissioned by the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education through its Power in Numbers initiative.

In a public-private partnership that could signal the future of higher education, the University of Memphis has teamed up with FedEx Express on a new initiative that will give more than 11,000 FedEx employees the opportunity to earn a tuition-free degree from UofM Global, the university’s online learning program..

The phrase “adult learning theory” is much bandied about in corporate training circles. But, do you know what it actually means?

First, a myth-buster. There is NO one adult learning theory. There are several prevalent theories that all explain— from different perspectives—how adults learn.

In this article specifically we will address: 1) andragogy, 2) experiential learning, 3) transformational learning. There are many other theories though! However, all of them have one main goal: they help you create effective learning experiences for the adult corporate learner.

In 2016, a study was conducted at Georgetown University. It was found that since the end of the Great Recession in 2009, 11.6 million jobs were created [1]. Of those jobs, 8.4 million were snagged by adults with college degrees. Now, that’s not to say that there weren’t other factors involved in the hiring of these individuals. But, simply put, holding a college degree helped to put these workers’ resumes at the top of employers’ stacks.

Want to know how to Master A New Skill as an adult learner? Check 3 tried and true ways to Master A New Skill as an adult learner.

Want to know how to bridge the technology gap with your Adult Learners? Check 5 things you can do to bridge the technology gap faced by Adult Learners. 

As society has evolved, so too has education. To meet the changing needs of our world, an explosion of online education has focused on adult learning. Adult education covers a wide range of topics, as many adult learners strive to improve their lives through professional development or changing careers (Mace and Bacon 2019).  For career fields that require hands-on work and interactions with clients, for example, online education presents a unique challenge for educating adult learners. Therefore, to reach these students, understanding appropriate educational models in an online format is essential (Diep et al. 2019). As society changes to include more online learning opportunities, the field of education must stay abreast of these shifts and use these strategies to provide the best education possible for new and longtime professionals. When teaching courses online, consider applying evidence-based strategies to improve engagement, satisfaction, and comprehension for your students of all ages. The following five tips have been developed from research geared toward pivoting live classes into effective online or blended learning courses.

A variety of technologies can help adult learners reap the same benefits as their younger counterparts.

A closer look at four categories of digital literacy for adult learners

Digital Promise’s Adult Learning initiative recently launched Community Impact Stories, a new series of blog posts to highlight adult learner stories across the nation. The series explores the powerful impact of local nonprofits and community-based organizations that provide adult learning and workforce development opportunities to families and communities. We invite partner organizations and learners to share their stories moving forward: adulted@digitalpromise.org.

There are many similarities to adults and students when it comes to learning. If you were an auditory learner in school, you probably still prefer that learning method [1]. If you were a verbal learner you still prefer that. Adults are able to learn from additional styles as they know what they need to pick out from training, and they know the impact it will have on their job if they do not. The motivation to learn is more relevant to adults than it is to students, but trainers need to be aware of learner preferences.

Here at Techboomers, we are always advocating for adult online learning. We believe it is never too late to start learning new skills, especially when it comes to online education. Because of modern technology, it’s entirely possible to learn about almost any topic online. You can work at your own pace, from the comfort of your own home, and keep working on gaining the skills you want to acquire to help you achieve goals in your life.