Self-Directed Learning, A Guide for Learners and Teachers

Understanding and Facilitating Adult Learning

Learning outcomes are broad statements of what is achieved and assessed at the end of a course of study. The concept of learning outcomes and outcome-based education is high on today's education agenda. The idea has features in common with the move to instructional objectives which became fashionable in the 1960s, but which never had the impact on education practice that it merited. Five important differences between learning outcomes and instructional objectives can be recognized: (1) Learning outcomes, if set out appropriately, are intuitive and user friendly. They can be used easily in curriculum planning, in teaching and learning and in assessment. (2) Learning outcomes are broad statements and are usually designed round a framework of 8-12 higher order outcomes. (3) The outcomes recognize the authentic interaction and integration in clinical practice of knowledge, skills and attitudes and the artificiality of separating these. (4) Learning outcomes represent what is achieved and assessed at the end of a course of study and not only the aspirations or what is intended to be achieved. (5) A design-down approach encourages ownership of the outcomes by teachers and students.

http://reforma.fen.uchile.cl/papers/learning outcomes and instructional objectives - harden.pdf

Learning outcomes and instructional objectives: is there a difference?

Arguments regarding the distinction between child and adult learning have existed for decades. Pedagogy has a long tradition of providing educational guidance in which there is little differentiation between child and adult education. The two groups of learners are assumed to learn under the same philosophy. Conversely, andragogy, advanced by Malcolm Knowles in the 1970s, is a well-known approach to address the distinct needs of adult learners. Knowles’ concept of andragogy has been widely adopted by educators from various disciplines around the world. Andragogy is based upon six assumptions: (a) self-directedness, (b) need to know, (c) use of experience in learning, (d) readiness to learn, (e) orientation to learning, and (f) internal motivation. This paper presented a synthesis of research that discussed the applications of Knowles’ andragogy in different settings.

/pdf/applications-of-andragogy-in-multi-disciplined-teaching-and-48i4c7nm4y.pdf

Applications of Andragogy in Multi-Disciplined Teaching and Learning.

This article focuses on the recognition of prior learning and the figure of thought it represents in Swedish policy on adult education. It can be seen as a technique for governing the adult learner ...

/pdf/recognition-of-prior-learning-as-a-technique-for-fabricating-3pjn3ccfba.pdf

Recognition of prior learning as a technique for fabricating the adult learner : a genealogical analysis on Swedish adult education policy

As its title suggests, this paper explores the compatibility of outcomes-based education (OBE), the recognition of prior learning (RPL) and adult education in higher education in South Africa. OBE and RPL entered the consciousness of South African educators in the 1990s, when policymakers, responding to economic and political imperatives to develop a more skilled and flexible workforce, turned to overseas models of integrated education and training systems. OBE and RPL are often described as ‘learner-centred practices’, meaning that learning goals, teaching and assessment processes, content and pace of learning are mutually determined by the tutor and student. Such practices are grounded in a humanistic approach to adult education which places emphasis on the person as a holistic being and allows for considerable differences which characterize mature adult learners. The paper explores the relationship between OBE, RPL and the andragogical model of adult education proposed by Malcolm Knowles, whose theorie...

OBE, RPL and adult education: good bedfellows in higher education in South Africa?

Attacking widespread under‐education with limited resources in the scattered, oppressed adult population of South Africa is a formidable challenge. One way of meeting this challenge could be to develop adults’ critical thinking skills, using their own experience as their main educational resource. Experiential learning technology, facilitated from a distance, could provide a means of achieving this aim. Research carried out at a conference on experiential learning at Natal University, Durban, provided an opportunity to assess the viability, desirability and usefulness of this educational method and aim. Participants’ responses indicate that the method is promising, although further experiment and development are necessary, particularly with different groups. Three issues are discussed in this paper: the nature of the South African educational context, the promotion of critical thinking skills as an adult education aim, and the potential of employing experiential learning technology, facilitated from a dis...

Jane Castle

Papers

OBE, RPL and adult education: good bedfellows in higher education in South Africa?

Experiential learning for critical thinking: a viable prospect for distance education in South Africa?