New Learning Opportunities for Adult Learners Essay -- Internet Educat

New Learning Opportunities for Adult Learners The concept of adults as learners emerged both in this country and in Europe shortly after World War I; however, only in the last few decades has the theory of adult learning matured. Knowles, Tough, Houle, and Park, among others, have written extensively on the idea of the adult learner. In Tennant's book (1997), he discussed Knowles' adult learning theory. Knowles used the term andragogy to label adult learning theory. The andragogical model of the adult learner is based on the assumptions that adults need to know; adults have a need to be self-directed learners and have a self-concept of being responsible for their own decisions and for their own lives; adults bring reservoirs of their own experiences that posed as a significant resources in the process of learning; adults come ready and motivated to learn what they need to know in order to cope; and while adults are aware of external motivators (better jobs, promotions), it is internal pressures (job satisfaction, self-esteem ) that are the most powerful motivators (Tennant, 1997). While adult learners are constantly seeking specific information and knowledge that is relevant to their immediate problems, and are aware that they would benefit from further education, many are not interested in a standard long-term course of study. They do not have the time or energy to become involved in a traditional education system, and their concerns are context-dependent, focused on specific information relevant to their immediate concerns (Tennant, 1997). Given this information, it is natural that educators look to this relatively new phenomenon technology, namely, the Internet for Web-based learning opportunities. The W... ... learners with a wide variety of learning styles. References: Henke, H. (1997). Evaluating web-based instruction design [online]. Retrieved January 24, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://scis.nova.edu/~henkeh/story1.htm Lohr, L. (1998). Using ADDIE to design a web-based training interface [online]. Retrieved April 1, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://www.coe.uh.edu/insite/elec_pub/HTML1998/id_lohr.htm McManus, T.F. (1995). Special considerations for designing internet-based education. Technology and Teacher Education Annual, 1995, 32, 51-57. Tennant, M. (1997). Psychology and adult learning (2nd ed.) (pp. 9). New York: Routledge. Twigg, C.A. (1994). The need for a national learning infrastructure [online]. Retrieved January 24, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://192.52.179.128/program/nlii/keydocs/monograph.html