By Nicole Lopez & Travis Smith Motivating Adult Learners

Motivating adult learners can sometimes be a challenge. This module will provide you with information on how to design instructional content that will Motivate your adult learners! At the end of this module you should be able to: 1. Make instructional content relevant to your learners. 2. Create instruction that allows learners to actively participate.

Motivating Adult Learners Why is understanding what motivates adult learners important? Adults comprise the largest proportion of the workforce as well as, a large proportion of todays higher education student population. Many employers and higher education institutions will require educational programs and training that is geared for an adult learner target audience.

Why is understanding what motivates adult learners important? (Continued) Understanding what motivates learners can help us to design instructional content in such a way that learners are rewarded by the learning experience itself. Employers will be better able provide training that will effectively improve productivity and performance..

Click on the statements that describe why motivating adult learners is important. Understand what motivates adults will help to provide a more meaningful and practical learning experience for adult learners. Understanding what motivates adults internally would not help us to design instructional content in such a way that learners are rewarded by learning experience itself. Correct! Incorrect Correct! Higher learning institutions will be better able to provide an effective and meaningful experience for target audiences that include adult learners. Employers will be better able to provide training that will effectively improve productivity and performance.

As learners, adults are autonomous and self directed. Instructional design would for example, involve obtaining participants perspectives about what topics to cover. As learners, adults have acquired a foundation of life experience and knowledge. Instructional design would need to make connections to the learners previously accumulated knowledge and experience. Adult learners are relevancy oriented; they need to be able to see a practical reason for a need for training. Motivating adult learners is a difficult problem to solve.

Two solutions to motivate learners

Click on the statements that make motivating adult learners difficult. As learners, adults are autonomous and self directed. Instructional design would for example, involve obtaining participants perspectives about what topics to cover. As learners, adults are dependent only on the entertainment value of the instruction being provided. Correct! Incorrect Adult learners are relevancy oriented; they need to be able to see a practical reason for a need for training. Adult learners are not relevancy oriented; they do not need to be able to see a practical reason for a need for training.

Motivating Adult Learners Click here to learn about one way to motivate adult learners

Motivating Adult Learners Click here to see some methods for make instruction relevant to learners. Focus on practical knowledge that relates to real-life performance. Involve target learners in the planning and design process and allow prompt redesign and new learning activities based on evaluation. Accommodate individual interests and career goals. Provide a demonstration of the utility of the content that is being covered.

Portrayal of Motivating Adults Scenario 1 : Julie is an instructional designer involved in the course planning phase. She has invited several target learners to provide input on what they would like to gain from attending the training and how they will utilize what they learn in the real world. She incorporates these insights into the course design by including a demonstration to show how the skills will be performed on the job. Julie also asks the target learners to complete a brief demographic survey in order to learn more about any common interests or career goals. From the survey, Julie learns that several of the prospective learners are interested in technology development and most want to be mangers. Since this is a technical course, she incorporates some aspects of technical development that align with the course goals. The following aspects of this scenario may increase adult learner motivation by designing instruction that is relevant to learners: Involving target learners in the planning & designing process helps to ensure that the course material is relevant to the learners. Accommodating individual interests and career goals also helps to ensure that the instruction is relevant to learners.

Portrayal of Motivating Adults Scenario 2 : Cynthia is designing a course on survival skills for managers at Skill-Tech. She will also be presenting the content for the course. At the beginning of the course offering, Cynthia provides a demonstration of the utility of the management training followed by a discussion about why it is important and how learners will apply what they learn in their jobs at Skill-Tech. Cynthia presents a few well planned skits where she also involves a few volunteers from the audience. Each of the skits demonstrate a management skill such as, giving constructive criticism to a subordinate. These skits show the impact that the presence or absence of these skills can have on the trainees career. The following aspects of this scenario may increase adult learner motivation by designing instruction that is relevant to learners: The instruction focuses on practical knowledge that relates to real-life performance. The instruction provides a demonstration of the utility of the content that is being covered.

Component Skill Application & Demonstration Janet is a new instructional designer, she is creating a training program that is intended to improve customer service performance for Sales Representatives at a local company. She has decided to ask a few Sales Representatives to demonstrate how they are currently performing customer service during a sale. At the beginning of the training course, Janet provides a demonstration of why customer service is important to the Sales Representatives and how the service that they provide impacts the representatives themselves, the customer and the company. Click on each statement that is correct. Incorporating the elements above makes course content relevant. Target learners are involved in the planning process. Learners provided input in the planning process which was used to make the course content relevant. A demonstration of the utility of the course content was provided. Correct!

Motivating Adult Learners Click here to learn about another powerful adult Motivator Active participation encourages a higher level of learner involvement in the learning process. When learners are motivated and engaged they are more likely to gain a deeper understanding of course content. When learners actively participate they become more engaged with course content.

Motivating Adult Learners Click here to see some methods for make instruction relevant to learners. Add a dose of fun or suspense by including a game. Draw on learners 'experiences and encourage collaboration between the instructor and the learner. Let learning occur through mistakes. Enable this through context-sensitive feedback. When possible, make instruction performance based.

Portrayal of Motivating Adults Scenario 3: Derrick is creating a course on how to create interactive websites. He decides to include an in-class activity that allows learners to practice what they learn from the course content by creating an interactive scavenger hunt that incorporates different principals of interactive design. Learners are told that there is no pressure and that they are free to practice their skills and make mistakes during the activity. The learners then trade games and take turns playing each others game. Derrick focuses on practical knowledge that learners will need in order to perform the skill. He incorporates several other opportunities for learners to practice performing their skills, such as building simple websites that incorporate newly learned skills. After he demonstrates each skill, students are then allowed to practice performing. While the students practice, Derrick provides individual feedback and tips to each student. The following aspects of this scenario may increase adult learner motivation by allowing learners to actively participate. Derrick added a dose of fun by including a game. Instruction was performance based. He also drew on learners’ past experiences and encouraged collaboration between the learners and the instructor. Derrick let learning occur through mistakes. He enabled this through context-sensitive feedback.

Component Skill Application & Demonstration Brandon is designing a new flight simulation course. He asks prospective students to provide a demonstration of how the skills are performed. The course will allow for a safe place for learners to practice their flying skills and make mistakes. While students practice each simulation exercise, the instructor provides feedback about techniques that are utilized. Click on each statement that is correct. Target learners are involved in the planning process which Helps to ensure that the content is relevant to learners life or job. Instruction is performance based. Learning is not allowed to occur through mistakes. Correct! Incorrect

Application There are three ways to incorporate learners into instruction on this page click on the one that gives learners a way to practice their learned skills during the training. Having learners fill out a survey. Playing a game to show learned principles. Correct, games offer a fun way to practice skills. Incorrect, this is a great way to incorporate learners, but learners are not practicing a learned skill Have learners vocalize what they want to learn. Incorrect, you may learn something from a survey, but learners are not practicing skills.

Application You are running a training session for senior management at a bank, you are worried that the bankers might not feel the training is relevant. What can you do to help ensure that the training is relevant to this target audience? Create a demographic survey Have trainees express vocally what they hope to get out of the training before starting instruction Correct, this will give you’re audience a say in what they need to learn Correct, This will help you relate why the training is relevant to the trainee. This may also help break the ice. Show a skit on why training is relevant Correct, This would help you zero in on who the leaners are and what they expect. Click on all applicable ways to relate training session to learners in the following story.

Summary In order to Motivate Learners: Make instruction relevant to them & Allow learners to actively participate.

Congratulations! You have Completed this training module!