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You
are here: The Internet as a Path to Adult Learning
Lori Pendley Kupczynski, Ed.D.
Buddy Hooper, Ed.D.Education is no longer occurring exclusively in the traditional classroom. While this form of education does still exist, the classroom has transcended boundaries and moved into other media, including Internet-based teaching. Distance learning is not new; but the arrival of the personal computer, the expansion of the Internet, and the willingness of national and regional accreditation agencies to consider other than traditional instructional milieus has encouraged the rapid development of online courses. (Uhlig, 2002, p. 670) As part of this growth, many colleges and universities now utilize the online format for teaching while other colleges and universities have been founded exclusively as distance learning institutions. As Glahn and Gen (2002) point out:
It is entirely possible that the Internet will radically reshape higher education. The Internet will have profound effects on who learns, who teaches, where teaching and learning take place, how much higher education costs, and a host of other issues. (pp. 777-778)
Among these considerations is the preparation and facilitation of courses in this medium to ensure the success of the learners. As teaching represents an individual's approach to the transference of knowledge, it is imperative that educators examine teaching methodologies as they affect learning in an online environment.
It is clear that Internet-based instruction is different from instruction in the traditional classroom. However, what is unclear is whether Internet-based instruction is as effective as traditional classroom instruction. The traditional feedback that instructors receive, such as verbal and/or non-verbal cues, is unavailable in the distance learning medium; thus, instructors must use varied methods of ascertaining student comprehension of the material. In addition, new methods of feedback are instituted in these classes that may or may not lead to student success.
What began as correspondence courses many years ago has now evolved into an encompassing realm of distance learning that includes as its main avenue Internet-based Instruction. This type of instruction is rapidly surpassing all other forms as universities and colleges worldwide expand their programs to the online frontier.
In the United States today, the numbers of students enrolling in distance learning courses are increasing at a rapid pace. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (2002) reports that of the 5,655 institutions that are accredited by the 17 institutional accreditors, 1,979 offer a form of distance-delivered learning programs or courses. According to the NCES (2003), in the 2000-2001 year, 90 percent of public higher education institutions that offered distance education courses reported that they offered Internet courses using asynchronous computer-based instruction, while 43 percent reported that they used synchronous computer-based instruction. In addition, during this time frame, 2- and 4-year institutions offered an estimated 2,810 college-level degree programs that were designed to be completed totally through distance education instruction. Of these, 1,570 were undergraduate degree programs and 1,240 were graduate/first-professional degree programs. Public 2-year institutions had 48 percent of total enrollments, which were 1,472,000 enrollments, in distance education during the 2000-2001 academic year, the greatest number of all institutions offering distance education courses.
Considering these numbers that are increasing yearly, it is clear that Internet-based teaching, while it may not ever replace traditional teaching, is an avenue for millions of students to receive their education. This type of teaching allows students to work from home or from anywhere in the world that has access to the Internet and to receive the same degree as those students who are attending face to face (FTF) classes in the traditional classroom setting.
Historical Growth
Although the United States historically followed the European model of instruction, lecture-based teaching, forms of distance education have actually been available for almost 200 years. The first form of distance learning was the correspondence course, which initially focused on written materials being passed from instructor to student and back again along with testing materials. A few examples of this type of teaching in practice include:
• 1850—William Sewell of Exeter College, discussed the new "extension system" in England which was basically a non-resident program of education.
• 1873—Anna Eliot Ticknor, of Boston, Massachusetts had developed the Society to Encourage Studies at Home.
• 1873—Illinois Wesleyan University became the first university in the United States to offer degrees through correspondence instruction.
• 1881—William Rainery Harper began to offer Hebrew courses at the Baptist Theological Seminary in Illinois. (MacKenzie, Christensen, & Rigby as cited in Morabito, pp. 25-26)These types of correspondence schools were prevalent through the 1960s, during which time technology began to expand the scope of distance education to print, video and audio. A few examples include Athabasca University in Canada which began a distance learning institute utilizing the telephone, fax, voice mail, e-mail, computer conferencing and regular mail in the 1970s, and England's Open University, which offered instruction through the radio and on television, with print-based materials, videos, cassettes and access to tutors as supplements. England's Open University also began in the 1970s.
According to Morabito (1999), "During the 1980s, a tremendous change took place for the individual in terms of computerized telecommunications. The personal computer became affordable in the early 1980s, thus allowing the public to buy their own computers and inexpensive modems" (p. 29). This opened a new door to distance education with use of e-mail as quick communication and a broader knowledge as people from all over the world could correspond. Meanwhile, many other businesses and educational institutions were moving to distance education, including The University of Phoenix-On line and Nova University. Both of these universities began in the late 1970s but were able to expand tremendously in the 1980s (Morabito, 1999). At the same time, research materials were beginning to appear all over the Internet, making access to information much more comprehensive and easily attainable. The shift had begun.
Recent History
There has been tremendous growth in the last 15 years regarding Internet-based learning. As Morabito (1999) notes, "By the 1990s, real-time computer-based teleconferencing was readily available to the public, both through commercial online networks and by the mid-1990s through the Internet" (p. 35). This accessibility, along with software programs such as WebCT and Blackboard and course-ready content for instructors, has allowed this form of instruction to truly expand and take over the realm of distance education. It is no longer too expensive to use the Internet for study, and the courses can provide excellent online tools, such as e-mail, course shells, message boards, and libraries "all at the same basic cost to the end user as the regular monthly Internet account" (Morabito, 1999, p. 35). Thus, the move to this type of teaching and learning, while continually evolving, is definitely a significant source of education now in the new millennium.
Current Trends in Learning
When focusing on Internet-based courses, it is crucial to understand two substantial theories in learning. These two theories are Andragogy and Learner-Centered teaching, Each is prevalent to the formulation of research in the current study as the study uses as its subjects adult learners and focuses on student perceptions of instructor behaviors and chosen teaching methodologies that lead to retention and success for them.
The Theory of Andragogy
Before formulating his theory on andragogy, Malcolm Knowles was first interested in adult informal education. His focus was the informal climate of many adult learning situations, the flexibility of the process, the use of experience of the learners and their enthusiasm to learn. While he did not coin the term "informal education" and he did not focus on this idea as the end point in his studies, he did offer excellent information. He suggested in his book, Informal Adult Education, that informal programs would more likely use group approaches:
Several important differences are found between the interests in organized classes and the interests in lecture, forum and club programs. In the first place, the former are likely to be stable, long-term interests, while the latter are more transitory. In the second place, lectures, forums and club programs are more flexible than organized classes. In a program series the topics can range from pure entertainment to serious lectures, while an organized class is necessarily limited to a single subject-matter area. Third, the lecture, forum, and club types of programs generally require less commitment of time, money and energy from participants than do organized classes. As a result, they are likely to attract people with somewhat less intense interest. (Knowles, 1950, p. 24)
Andragogy assumes that the point at which an individual achieves a self-concept of essential self-direction is the point at which he psychologically becomes adult. A very critical thing happens when this occurs: the individual develops a deep psychological need to be perceived by others as being self-directing. Thus, when he finds himself in a situation in which he is not allowed to be self-directing, he experiences a tension between that situation and his self-concept. His reaction is bound to be tainted with resentment and resistance.
It is my own observation that those students who have entered a professional school or a job have made a big step toward seeing themselves as essentially self-directing. They have largely resolved their identity-formation issues; they are identified with an adult role. Any experience that they perceive as putting them in the position of being treated as children is bound to interface with their learning. (p. 2-3)
Andragogy, as stated in Learning in Adulthood (1999), is based on five assumptions about the adult learner (with the fifth added at a later time). These assumptions are:
1. As a person matures, his or her self-concept moves from that of a dependent personality toward one of a self-directing human being.
2. An adult accumulates a growing reservoir of experience, which is a rich resource for learning.
3. The readiness of an adult to learn is closely related to the developmental tasks of his or her social role.
4. There is a change in time perspective as people mature—from future application of knowledge to immediacy of application. Thus an adult is more problem centered than subject centered in learning.
5. Adults are motivated to learn by internal factors rather than external ones. (Merriam & Caffarella, 1999, p. 272)
From these five assumptions, Knowles redirected the learning process in the classroom, creating a more self-directed and learner-centered atmosphere.Learner-Centered Teaching
The theory and application of learner-centered teaching is one way to practice andragogy in the classroom. This type of instruction, as detailed by Weimer (2003), discusses five predominant aspects of instruction that currently adversely affect learning. For each, there is an alternative.
In the balance of power area, the teacher currently makes all of the decisions, such as course assignments, examinations, and grade values for assignments. According to many pedagogues, this disconnects students because of the lack of power over the learning processes. Weimer suggests for faculty to responsibly share decision-making with students. Examples include offering students choices about their assignments and a larger role in policies such as attendance. The result is that students become more involved in the learning experience.
In the area of the role of the teacher, the classroom atmosphere should focus on the student rather than the teacher as the center of attention. Class time needs to involve more student participation while teachers serve as coaches to encourage and guide students on the right path to knowledge. The result is that students will build knowledge for themselves while teachers are available to provide leadership and direction.
The aspect of responsibility for learning focuses on the idea that students should be responsible for their own learning. It is not the teacher's job to force students to learn; instead, the teacher should motivate students to learn on their own. An excellent example of this is to structure learning so that students have a reason to learn. If a teacher only puts homework problems on the overhead for the first five minutes, students will learn to come on time so that they don't miss the homework.
Finally, Weimer discusses the fact that evaluation currently focuses on grades and is completed by teachers only in the area of purposes and processes of evaluation. She believes that utilizing self- and peer-review will allow students to better self-monitor their own learning and also allow them to take more responsibility for their own learning.
Learner-Centered Teaching in Internet-based Instruction
Internet-based instruction is becoming the new type of education, and with this growing popularity, determining the best methods for teaching and learning in this medium are essential. McLaughlin (2004) cites information from the National Center for Education Statistics that during the 2000-2001 academic year, 56 percent of all 2- and 4- year degree-granting institutions offered distance education classes. With the growth of these programs, technology and instruction is becoming more and more sophisticated. Considering this, it is imperative that researchers determine the best method to make sure of student retention and success in this environment.
According to Connelly and Clandinin's model of the classroom (1988), the classroom can be broken into three categories: things, people and processes. In the teacher-centered classroom, the professor introduces the knowledge and suggests its implications, the professor disseminates that knowledge and the professor lectures. On the other hand, in the student-centered classroom, both the professor and students introduce knowledge and offer implications, the classroom becomes a community where students are active participants in learning and the professor serves as a facilitator. Thus the teacher-centered classroom relies on positivism while the student-centered classroom relies on constructivism. Vrasidas and McIsaac (2000) clarify that according to constructivism, knowledge does not exist external to the learner. Instead, the learners construct their own meanings based on prior experiences and learning is a result of construction, collaboration, and negotiation within the context where learning is situated.
Conclusion
While education continues to expand in the traditional classrooms, the growth of education utilizing distance learning, specifically the Internet-based classroom, is an event that must be considered. Glahn and Gen (2002) examine the possibility that the Internet will reshape higher education, affecting the learner, the teacher, where teaching and learning take place and the cost of higher education. Therefore, it is clear that an understanding of all aspects of this learning medium is necessary and that teachers who want to focus on this learning must have a solid foundation in adult learning theory as it applies to Internet-based instruction.
References
Connelly, F. M. & Clandinin, D. J. (1988). Teachers as curriculum planners. New York: Teachers College Press.
Glahn, R. & Gen, R. (2002). Progenies in education: The evolution of internet teaching. Community College Journal of Research & Practice. 26(10), 777-785.
Knowles, M.S. (1989). The making of an adult educator. An autobiographical journey. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Knowles, M.S. (1980). The modern practice of adult education: from pedagogy to andragogy. 2nd ed. New York: Cambridge books.
Knowles, M.S. (1950). Informal adult education, New York: Association Press.
McLaughlin, M. K. (2004). Online learning. PC Magazine. 23(16), 124. Retrieved December 13, 2004 from Academic Search Premier database.
Merriam, S.B. and Caffarella, R. S. (1999). Learning in adulthood. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Morabito, M. G. (1999). Online distance education: Historical perspective and practical application. Universal Publishers/uPUBLISH.com.
Uhlig, G.E. (2002). The present and future of distance learning. Education, 122(4), 670- 673.
U. S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2004). The condition of education 2004: NCES 2004-077. Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office.
U. S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2003). Distance Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions: 2000-2001, NCES 2003-017. Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office.
Weimer, M. (2003). Focus on learning, transform teaching. Change, 35(5), 48-54. Retrieved January 17, 2004, from Academic Search Premier database.
Zhang, Y. (1999). Using the internet for survey research: A case study. Journal of American society for information science, 57-68.
Dr. Lori Kupczynski teaches full-time academic and developmental English at South Texas College in McAllen, Texas. In addition, she serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Adult Education graduate department at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Her docotorate focused on Educational Leadership with an emphasis on adult education, and her research interest centers upon Internet-based instruction and the role of the adult learner in this medium. You can contact Dr. Kupczynski at pendley@southtexascollege.edu
Dr. Buddy Hooper is an associate professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in the department of Educational Leadership. In addition, he has served as a superintendent of school in both Texas and Kansas as well as the Coordinator of Online Courses for the Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. His expertise includes online teaching and educational leadership. e-mail: mhooper@kans.com
©July 2006 New Horizons for Learning
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