Changes in Adult Learning in the Digital Age

Video Transcription

In a society where we have quick and easy access to virtually any piece of knowledge or information that we might be interested in, this facilitates learning more than ever before. We know that adult learning needs to be self-directed and pertinent and timely. And so this easier access to knowledge and information and this resulting facilitation of learning really has a great impact on adult education.

There are four unique elements that are working together to shape today's adult learning. These topics are definitely interrelated and often will be referenced together because they are so closely related. But these four different elements are globalization, technology, demographic changes, and what we call the knowledge society or the knowledge economy. So let's look at each of these in turn.

Globalization is the movement of physical items or even ideas across national borders. So while it can refer to moving people and services and goods across borders, it can definitely also refer to moving ideas across national borders. Globalization has been going on for many years, but really now what we notice is that it's happening more and more rapidly and more and more intensely as the digital age continues.

Technology is also playing a huge role in what learning looks like in the digital age and especially what adult learning looks like. Technology and information are ubiquitous now. Technology is literally at everyone's fingertips with information available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And so this changes how we are able to learn both formally and informally.

In 2012, the US Census Bureau stated that 80% of households have internet access either at home or through the use of a mobile device. And so the vast majority of us really are connected to our devices all the time and are really plugged into technology all throughout the day. And so this increasing access to technology and access to information not only sustains globalization and the knowledge society, which we'll talk about in a moment, but it also increases the demand for e-learning.

So not only is there a demand for e-learning because of the increased use of technology, but also the demographic changes that are going on in the world also influence this. It's interesting to note that in many countries around the world in the very near future, for the first time in history the growing aging population is going to actually outnumber the children in the population. And so when we have this increasing number of people who are in their adult years with adult life experiences and adult life situations that are vastly different from the situations of the children who are going through education, we need to be meeting those needs. And e-learning especially is one of those ways in which we can tackle this challenge.

So with all of those ideas in mind, the knowledge society or the knowledge economy here is the fourth and final element identified as being one that shapes today's adult learning. You may be familiar with the term "information society," and the phrase "knowledge society" is just a bit more complex than that because it actually combines the information and the data that are going to work together to yield knowledge.

It is nearly impossible to keep up with the demand for information as information doubles every two years. And so, consequently, we can't keep up with the learning either. So whereas even a few generations ago you could finish your K-12 education and live your whole adult life with information really not changing very much in that time span, now there really is a need to continue learning beyond your first 20 or 30 years of life because the information that is available in society is changing so very rapidly. Think about it this way. We need to be preparing our students for jobs that don't even exist yet.

So with all of these factors influencing learning in the digital age, the very nature of teaching is truly being changed by the changes in society in the digital age. We are all connected. Today's adults tend to be very active on social media, like Twitter and Facebook, and tend to use a lot of other digital communication tools, like texting and emails.

And so because we have this constant information access and this constant access to one another, this means that teachers are no longer the keepers of the knowledge. We no longer are the sole possessors of the knowledge and information that our students are lacking. So whereas really traditionally the role of the teacher was to pass on this kind of secret knowledge to students, that's not the case anymore. We can no longer assume that we know more about the topics that we're teaching than our students do. In most cases, our students can access the information in the same ways that we can.

And so this needs to cause a shift, then, in how we are approaching education. And again, this is especially true in the case of adult education. One possible way to address these changing needs is through the use of e-learning. In fact, there is currently an increasing demand for the use of e-learning in higher education. This just has been a side effect of that increase of information and increasing internet access, increasing access to information.

There are quite a few different e-learning models that may be used. Some of them are fully online. Some of them are hybrid or blended courses that include both some online elements and some face-to-face elements. So let's briefly go over some of these different models.

First is the face-to-face driver model where there is a physical classroom with a teacher who is defining the curriculum and leading the learning. But that teacher is integrating technology into the classroom environment. Next is the rotation model where students have a modified schedule that moves them between an online course and a more traditional in-class environment.

Another model is the flex model. In this model, students are getting most of their instruction online, but they do have access to a teacher in a more traditional school setting for any tutoring needs or other support needs that they might have. The online lab model is one where students are in school. They're in a traditional school setting. But they're taking all of their classes in online courses.

The self-blend model is where students attend traditional school, but they supplement their traditional schooling with some additional online courses that they are allowed to choose. And finally, the online driver model is where students are taking online courses and working from home, but they often will have some in-person check-ins with a teacher or a staff member in a more traditional school setting just to monitor their progress.

No matter which e-learning model you're using, the goal is to create possibilities for asynchronous learning and asynchronous instruction. E-learning is not just defined by seat time. It's designed to be able to fit everyone's schedule. And with all of the different styles of e-learning available, we really can meet a wide variety of learners' needs and goals. And so we don't need to rely on the idea of synchronous instruction where everyone is learning the same material at the same time.

We currently see that many e-learning opportunities are still found outside of more formal educational contexts. So with these more informal e-learning opportunities widely available and just with all of the changes we're seeing in technology in the digital age, we are seeing that lifelong learning is really becoming a reality with today's adults.

So what might the impact be then on your professional development? Well, first of all, it just means that your professional development can occur online. An interesting note on that front is that professional development now is going to need to include some instruction on how to use and how to access those online resources.

So think about how online learning could really become an essential part of your professional development. Perhaps you reflect on your instructional practices or a peer coach or mentor comes in and does an observation and you get the results of that observation and you identify some key areas that you would like to improve.

So then if your district, for example, subscribes to one of the already available online professional development resources, you could search that library of resources for resources that meet your specific needs. And then you would be able to access those resources when it is most convenient for you. And perhaps most powerful, you can do this in a timely fashion, so that if you identify a need today, you might be able to implement a strategy to improve tomorrow. So the opportunities here are really powerful.

So here's the chance for you to stop and reflect. Can you picture what your professional development might look like if it incorporated more e-learning opportunities? As you reflect on how this new information can be applied, you may want to explore the Additional Resources section that accompanies this video presentation. This is where you'll find links to resources chosen to help you deepen your learning and explore ways to apply your newly acquired skill set. Thank you for joining me today. Have a great day.