Arthur C. Clarke Gets It. Can We Figure It Out?

This post originally appeared in my blog Digital Amalgam, and was moved to this blog in July, 2007.

elearningeuropa.info: "Adult Learning and ICT": "'We have to abandon the idea that schooling is something restricted to youth. How can it be, in a world where half the things a man knows at 20 are no longer true at 40 -- and half the things he knows at 40 hadn't been discovered when he was 20?' (Clarke, Arthur C. The View from Serendip)"

Pleased to find this quote from one of my favorite authors included in this article on approaches to adulty learning. The article covers some of the basics about what we know regarding how adults learn, and why our approaches with them need to be different than they are with traditional college-age students.

My colleagues in continuing education at SNHU and I are having a discussion about how can we make our courses, adopted from the "day school" programs for traditional college-age students, more vital and relevant to adult students. Some of it is just good teaching instincts--many of our faculty (especially the aduncts) adapt their approach to make sure they are tapping into those qualities of adult learners that make them unique.

I think one of the benefits of using online tools for these learners is that these tools can make it easier to incorporate things like problem-based learning. Rich, broad, and deep conversations about real-world applications can flourish online. While good teaching instincts can help us develop some of these approaches, I think some course re-design is necessary to help create some models. Now where's that funding source to make this happen?