1. Presentation at OTES, San Diego, April 25, 2008

2. Look quick…The demographics are changing

3. Internet Demographics (Pew)

4. Reasons for returning to school Job performance enhancement Career change Personal enrichment

5. The Older Learner has challenges Physical (vision, hearing, mobility, dexterity) Cognitive Decrease in working memory Decrease in cognitive speed Harder to perform complex tasks Decrease in concentration Decrease ability to sort out irrelevant material Needs more time to practice and learn

6. Not to mention technological challenges Computer anxiety Little experience or training with technology May not understand the benefits of use Afraid of “breaking” it

7. Online offers opportunities Community of learners Increased time to process information Emphasis off memorization and on application Allows less mobile seniors to participate Allows learners to use several ways to learn

8. Their challenge becomes our challenge

9. So how to engage the 55+ learner?

10. Components to success Course Design ContentsLive Class Assignments and Projects Sense of Community

11. Course Design CRAP Variety of delivery methods (2 or more senses) But: minimize extraneous sounds & information And: font large and easily magnified Color with care, and no color to convey meaning, please Graphics to illustrate key points help Animations will make learning more lively Put headings next to pictures, text next to graphics to keep information coherent

12. And more design Information in chunks is nice Variety of delivery methods (2 or more senses) Self paced instruction Self directed instruction Minimal technical skills Fun and successful will bring them back

13. Content Less is more Relevant to daily lives Builds on existing knowledge and experiences Provides links to references to build prerequisite knowledge

14. Live Classes Area most lacking in current online classes Organization of topics, follow schedule Delivered in interesting way, with visuals and learner interaction Include facts, applications Powerpoints effective Provide archives of live class Provide plenty of material to support live class Currently, live online class may be least effective way of instruction for older adult

15. The Learning community Develop an interactive discussion board or forum, with intuitive function and interesting topics Allow for performance and action in a variety of other modes (chat, quizzes, blogs) Encourage sharing (photos, documents) Extensive use of e-mail for communication with class and instructor Encourage interactions during live class Group projects that encourage collaborative learning

16. Assignments and projects Clearly defined and well structured Require a minimum of background knowledge, but also provides information needed Provides opportunity to practice with feedback before real thing is due Provides examples and non examples Provides references and templates as needed

17. Class activities Use a variety of different types to target different ways of learning Activities should easily blend into course design Range from passive to active, from self paced to group, from facts to discovery learning

18. And then some tips Interactive Relevant Build on existing knowledge

19. Interactive Older adults learn by doing: Provide relevant problem solving activities Older adults learn better with goal free tasks Provide worked examples with immediate reinforcement Provide multiple opportunities to practice with different scenarios Passive to active

20. Build on existing knowledge Where possible, tie in experiences that they may be familiar with Create ways for learner to infuse own experiences and interests into class Tie in course to learner, and how it will help them to meet individual needs & objectives Provide plenty of examples, references and links in a variety of delivery modes

21. Relevant Provide relevant facts and data which pertain to the current topic Irrelevant information, when provided, should be clearly identified as supplemental

22. Conclusion Well designed and facilitated content Relevant activities and projects Strong Learning Community Interactive, with ties to existing knowledge

23. A successful learning experience for all

24. THANK YOU! Mary Burns Prine Associate Professor San Diego Community College District Continuing Education, Older Adults mprine@sdccd.edu