Adult Learning Theory (also called andragogy), developed by Malcolm Knowles, focuses on exploring the differences between how adults and children learn. The main aim of this theory is to identify and highlight learning styles that suit adults the best.
In this blog, we will share three principles of Adult Learning Theory and how it is integrated with UX/UI principles to create compelling learning experiences that enhance user satisfaction and improve learning outcomes within Elevate.
Principle 1: Adults are Relevancy Oriented
The first principle states that adults must be able to see how learning connects to their work. If there is not a strong connection to their current knowledge and life experiences, then retaining knowledge will be difficult.
From a course creation perspective:
- Align instruction with their learner’s existing knowledge base and life experiences. This can be in the form of creating questions that would apply to the learner’s work, using examples that the learner can relate to such as job responsibilities or focus, and even adding answer options that are like their real-life work.
- Tailor instruction strategies to meet the immediate needs of their adult learners. You can do this by switching between longform and shortform answers and questions, adding in multi-media such as pictures and video to learning materials, and even including digital badges that the learner can display upon completing your course or certification.
From a UX/UI perspective:
- Develop Personas to keep your learning content aligned with the needs and goals of your audience.
- Design elements such as icons, imagery, and video provide relevancy and personalization to your learners.
- Thoughtful and deliberate typography promotes increased comprehension (e.g., breaking up large walls of text with bullets, images, and bolded words)
Principle 2: Adults are Internally Motivated and Self-Directed
The second principle states that adult learners will resist learning when they feel others are imposing information, ideas, or actions on them. Providing learners with autonomy and freedom can help keep them on the path you want them to stay on.
Course creators and designers should:
- Give adult learners the freedom to direct themselves. This can be in the form of letting your learners create their own personalized learning path that considers their interests, goals, and objectives rather than following a set path with little flexibility.
- Prioritize participants’ perspectives and give them the flexibility to choose tasks. Instead of creating a rigid course flow that forces learners to complete a specific sequence of tasks before moving forward, letting learners choose the tasks they want when completing an objective can keep them motivated.
From a UX/UI perspective:
- Organize your course content so the usability and accessibility are enhanced for your learners using your LMS.
- Logically categorize your content and provide clear and concise labelling so your learners don’t experience decision-fatigue.
- Carefully consider your site structure to reduce cognitive load. Keep content well-organized so learners can easily use and access your LMS.
Principle 3: Adults are Practical
The third principle states that adult learners want to focus on aspects of the course that will help them solve problems in their work. Course creators and designers should create concrete learner activities that assist learners with seeing how the information will be useful to them on the job.
From a UX/UI Perspective:
- Implement contextual learning into your content so that learners are engaged and can see the practical value of your lesson.
- Define learning goals to set learners expectations and gauge the usefulness of your materials right away.
- Make your learning content accessible to learners by making it searchable, adding the correct tags, and inserting a detailed description.
Implementing Adult Learning Theory
Elevate, the leading Learning Management System (LMS) tailor-made for nonprofits and associations, transforms content creation and simplifies course management through these core principles.
Discover how you can enhance your learner’s continuing education experience with Elevate’s robust and intuitive tools.
