How to design for adult learners?

Understanding the learning context is our first consideration. We need to know who is learning.

Working and learning can be a balancing act but with intuitive learning design, we can make it impactful. With years of learning in the bag, adults have many learning strategies but they may be strapped for time.

We need to consider their work context and design accordingly. They are no longer at school so placing the learning experiences in their work contexts where they develop necessary skills is important. When we do this, we avoid school -words such as ‘test’, ‘class’, ‘quiz’, ‘points’, ‘grade’, since they have already left school, there’s no need for this.

We direct messages to them personally (how would you…?) and encourage their input (share your findings…). We also avoid overwhelming them with data and numbers, instead we tell stories that they can relate to. These stories and scenarios adhere to their context, their work and aim at solving problems there.

We personalise by giving choice (present your findings in xx format) and aim at them not only knowing, but doing things differently. We include opportunities for reflection and activate through multiple media (audio, visual, text etc.).

They are busy professionals so we understand that they may have a limited window for a learning session. Finally, we rely on their resourcefulness but offer immediate feedback in order not to cause frustration.