What I Learned About Teaching Adult Learners OnLine

By Denise A. Blake, Shenandoah University

The Reality of Online Instructors

Experts tell us that to be effective at online instruction, a professor needs to establish a student-centered learning environment. Students need to feel as if they are connected to others by establishing dialogue and interacting with other students and the professor. By interacting with others, adult learners become more collaborative, judgmental, reflective, and integrative (Spellman, 2007).

Student-centered instruction also acknowledges the real-life experiences and knowledge adult learners bring to class. Using more methods of learning, such as teamwork, group discussions, skills practices, technologies, and case studies, allows adult learners to benefit from active engagement in learning because these methods draw on their experiences from work and life (Chao et al., 2007).

Most online instructors have learned by trial and error. To improve, instructors have to put themselves in the role of the learner. An instructor needs to focus on connecting with the students and creating a learning environment that helps them overcome any worries they might have. Read entire post ...