Submitted by Ken (not verified) on Wed, 03/22/2006 - 6:01pm.
Jennifer, I think I detect a theme in your choice of articles: a) online learning b) adult learning c) adults learning online.
I definitely think that adults can be more diligent students, and they have accumulated cogntive and life skills to draw on.
Reflecting on my own experiences, I was 29 when I graduated undergrad - definitely an adult and no spring chicken. I'm 34 now, and am a much better student than I was when I was 29, and I was a very good student at 29, graduating with a 3.69GPA while working full-time (I missed Honors by .01 - curses!)
Why am I a better student now? Well, undergrad was something I "had" to do (with my middle class upbringing, there was no other option), while I'm a student now because I want to be one. I have very clear goals (Master's = become a uni instructor in Korea) and I'm willing to make the necessary sacrfices. I have much higher academic standards for myself now, too.
I have a lot of life experiences to draw upon. I studied Philosophy in undergrad and didn't have too much experience in that area - unless you count "navel gazing." Now I'm studying education and have been teaching five years, so when I read an article I can say "Yeah, that's true, I've seen that" or "That's a lot of bunk!" I have stronger metacognitive skills, too; I've got more experiencing managing my life ("managing" being a relative term here) now than I did five years ago, and I think this experience gives me stronger skills in managing my learning.
I think the above model provides an ideal one for adult instruction. I would be curious to see how Dobrovolny's model for younger learners would be different; although undergraduate students are technically "adults," an 18 year-old has a lot less experience to draw on than a 34 year-old.
Jennifer, I think I detect a theme in your choice of articles: a) online learning b) adult learning c) adults learning online.
I definitely think that adults can be more diligent students, and they have accumulated cogntive and life skills to draw on.
Reflecting on my own experiences, I was 29 when I graduated undergrad - definitely an adult and no spring chicken. I'm 34 now, and am a much better student than I was when I was 29, and I was a very good student at 29, graduating with a 3.69GPA while working full-time (I missed Honors by .01 - curses!)
Why am I a better student now? Well, undergrad was something I "had" to do (with my middle class upbringing, there was no other option), while I'm a student now because I want to be one. I have very clear goals (Master's = become a uni instructor in Korea) and I'm willing to make the necessary sacrfices. I have much higher academic standards for myself now, too.
I have a lot of life experiences to draw upon. I studied Philosophy in undergrad and didn't have too much experience in that area - unless you count "navel gazing." Now I'm studying education and have been teaching five years, so when I read an article I can say "Yeah, that's true, I've seen that" or "That's a lot of bunk!" I have stronger metacognitive skills, too; I've got more experiencing managing my life ("managing" being a relative term here) now than I did five years ago, and I think this experience gives me stronger skills in managing my learning.
I think the above model provides an ideal one for adult instruction. I would be curious to see how Dobrovolny's model for younger learners would be different; although undergraduate students are technically "adults," an 18 year-old has a lot less experience to draw on than a 34 year-old.
Ken