Creating learning environments for adult learners

[Pat Lefor]

We're interested in the question of how the affordances of social networking can be re-purposed to support adult learners studying at a distance. Specifically, we're thinking about ways to connect them in learning communities that are not limited to courses and studies. (For context, our primary delivery modes are online courses supporting full degree programs and individualized mentoring supported by F2F appointments between students and their mentors.) What are others doing to support adult learners?

[Babatunde Ipaye]

Hi Pat, I am just joining the group. I am interested in the topic. As Director of Learner Support Services in an Open University this is of interest to me. I observed that no one had responded since you posted the topic in October. Or have you harvested any further contributions. I shall like to share in discussions. For us in Nigeria, we had encouraged our student counsellors to create what we call 'Learning Cells'. This brings together distance learners within contiguous areas in f2f situations at their own choice. Initially they engage in group lerning and as they progress we hope this will mature into learning communities whereby they bring others in to share ideas, projects, facilities and equipment. We also do hope that some non-academic activities and socials will follow and some sort of social networking will develop which again hopefully will help academic work. Our main goal is creating a sense of belonging in a distance learning environment and also to ensure that a larger number complete their programmes on time. Please let me know what others do.
Babatunde Ipaye

[Jess Knott]

How do you define "adult?" Post-undergraduate?

[Shannon Ritter]

I work for Penn State World Campus (the online campus of Penn State) and the vast majority of our students are adult learners who are learning at a distance. I'm the social networks adviser for World Campus and we're using Facebook, twitter, YouTube, Flickr, LinkedIn and Second Life to connect our learners not only with each other, but with us and the university as a whole. We've just started using Second Life to do academic advising with our students and every academic adviser at World Campus has Second Life office hours and they also provide walk-in coverage in Second Life every week as well. I think it's incredibly important to give our distance learners ways to connect with the university and to feel like part of the community even though they might not be studying on campus.

[Michael]

Shannon Ritter said:

I work for Penn State World Campus (the online campus of Penn State) and the vast majority of our students are adult learners who are learning at a distance. I'm the social networks adviser for World Campus and we're using Facebook, twitter, YouTube, Flickr, LinkedIn and Second Life to connect our learners not only with each other, but with us and the university as a whole. We've just started using Second Life to do academic advising with our students and every academic adviser at World Campus has Second Life office hours and they also provide walk-in coverage in Second Life every week as well. I think it's incredibly important to give our distance learners ways to connect with the university and to feel like part of the community even though they might not be studying on campus.

[Michael]

Shannon - Interested on how successful your academic advising is on Second life. We are noticing that the admissions and Univeristy advancement group are very interested in the social networks to make theri connections and are providing a nice paralell motivation at the administrative level to fund and support these technologies.
Michael DeBlasi- Seattle U

[assesa]

[dernes]

[Joel D. Galbraith]

I too am interested in the topic of creating learning environments for adult learners, but like others have expressed, who are we talking about here? ...I ask, because I think the audience does make a difference for the discussion. The adult learners I serve are professionals who may be seeking Continuing Education Units (CEUs), and not the full degree-seeking variety primarily addressed by Penn State World Campus for example.
My faculty spend their time training and teaching appointed and elected officials in many different fields across the state of NC.
The need they have in common (IMHO) is the ability to to build a community of practice (CoP), a community of peers to continue learning from each other beyond the annual conferences or workshops we may put on for them. Listservs meet some of the need, but are not an ideal learning environment. Like we're doing here, I've contemplated setting up Ning sites for them, but these can be awefully techy, and the term "social networks" can carry some negative baggage in the work place.
So, I'm interested in the topic and hope some people have some suggestions on creating sustained learning environments for professionals beyond the (artificial?) boundaries of semesters and terms.

[Lisa Moison]

Hi Pat,

Here at Fitchburg State College I work with adult learners who are earning their undergraduate or graduate degrees in the evening. We created a Virtual Advisor website that helps them to connect to campus quickly in order to get answers to their academic questions. As a program advisor I noticed that adult learners rarely have time to come to campus for a physical advising session, so we created this surrogate site. They still can contact me through the site or they can watch a series of quick videos podcasts to get the answers that they need. To view the site go to www.fsc.edu/gce/virtualadvisor.

We plan on adding twenty new videos in the fall. We thought about adding an IM Chat feature (MEEBO), but our focus group told us that they wouldn't use it and we were concerned about FERPA issues.

Regards,
Lisa Moison
Graduate and Continuing Education
Program Advisor/Retention Specialist
Fitchburg State College
Fitchburg, MA 01420