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SITE PHILOSOPHY:
Learner-Focused Education, Andragogy

This site follows the adult education philosophy of Malcolm Knowles (1973) in suggesting appropriate uses for educational technologies by Virginia Tech instructors and their students. In the table below, "adult" refers to all college students, undergraduate and above.

Characteristics of Adult Learners Implications for Technology Use

Mature, adult learners are self-directed, rather than dependent on the instructor.

Adults should be provided with adequate resources and technology tools to direct their own learning. An activity, task, or project in which the learner diagnoses their own needs, sets their own goals, and plans their own strategies will be more effective than direct lecture.
Adults bring life experiences to the classroom that may aid in acquiring new knowledge. Adults learners should regularly be required to relate classroom content to actual life experiences. Discussing, debating, critiquing, and reasoning are all activities through which adults can draw from past experiences to help one another gain a broad, diverse perspective on classroom issues (i.e., "Based on my experience...").
Adults should obtain appropriate beliefs about learning (i.e., learning is a process of personal inquiry, in which reasoning and critical thinking are required). The instructor should not be the dispenser of knowledge, but rather, the facilitator of student-driven activity.

Appropriate beliefs about learning are developed over time by providing students with many opportunities to ask their own questions and engage in personal inquiry. Until learners are afforded some control over their tasks and processes, they will not develop adequate self-regulation or lifelong learning skills (see stages of reflective development). What tools can you envision to support student reflection on their own learning processes?
Adults are more motivated by and interested in specific problems, relevant to their interests than in gaining general, discipline-oriented knowledge. Motivation and interest can be supported by designing authentic projects or tasks that the learner can see are relevant to their future needs (e.g., online cases, problems, simulated situations, etc.).

Knowles' (1973) characteristics of adult learners reflect the term "andragogy." This term was initially constrasted against "pedagogy," with the former describing processes to help adults learn and the latter describing processes to help children learn. Contemporary views suggest "andragogy" can be defined more broadly as all "learner-focused" education. The term and its underlying assumptions are applicable not only for adults, but also for children (the one exception being the lack of life experiences present in children).

For More Information Contact John Moore