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International students studying in post-secondary colleges go through a lot of challenges during their studies. The biggest out of all is the lack of learning motivation. This comes from prioritization issues, and the inability to practice a sense of urgency when they try to juggle between their duties as a student, and also at their workplaces, or maybe towards their families. We want to explore what motivates an adult learner to learn something new in the classroom! Please leave your comment or write a post here...

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Sogunro, O.A. (2014). Motivating Factors for Adult Learners in Higher Education. The International Journal of Higher Education, 4, 22-37.

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Motivating factors for adult learners in higher education

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Motivating factors for adult learners in higher education

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Read: Engaging & motivating adult learners when using online learning

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Read: Engaging & motivating adult learners when using online learning

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The topic of engaging and motivating and thus retaining adult learners in online learning is a topic that I come across with many of my clients on a regular basis.

From theory and practically experience, we know that online learning can be a great complement and addition to any learning program for learners to not only get up to speed with a topic but also for them to go beyond the actual learning program and start to consume and experience learning in a self-directed way.

Inspired by the module "Engaging & motivating adult learners" which is part of the ATD certificate course on Adult Learning Theory, I came across 4 key and practical consideration for increasing motivation for learning programs, some of which I think are noteworthy to share as a practical reminder of what can help us to engage our audiences and learners more, especially when using online learning.

This post is also a piece of reflection and deepening of my own learning - so for everybody that takes the time to read this post - it would be great to hear your own approaches on how to engage and motivate your adult learners or audiences when using online learning in your programs.
What motivates Adult Learners?
Before diving into the more practical approaches and actual tips, I found it helpful to remind myself of theoretical background of motivation and engagement theories for adult learners. The following graphic about the 4 elements around learning motivation theory were particularly useful and highlighted that apart from

1. Inclusion (a safe environment with peer interaction and making feel the learner welcome and listened to)

2. Attitude (including time)

3. Context/Meaning (important for any learning program is the "what is in it for me?" explanation that taps into the learners goals

4. Competence/Ability (adapted to the audience and appealing to their level of competence)

The different Learning options and environments also play a key part to get the highest engagement possible with your learners and audiences.

Also Malcom Knowles in his book "The Adult Learner" outlined the following about learning motivations in adults which was inspiring and stuck with me and brings together all 4 elements.

Adults are motivated to learn to the extent that they perceive that learning will help them perform tasks or deal with problems that they confront in their life situations. Furthermore, they learn new knowledge, understandings, skills, values and attitudes most effectively when they are presented in the context of application to real-life situations.
So how can we apply the theory of learning motivation to our programs and learning offering? 1) Attitude
I have often heard that the "attitude" consideration is especially important when looking for more motivation and engagement - and this does include the factor of "making time" for learning - because without the correct attitude no learning will take place as the following quote beautifully reflects on:

Without the proper mindset for learning or skill-building, neither will occur. Our learners cannot develop new knowledge or skills without clearing an attitudinal pathway in their brains first.

John Kissenger
Practical Tip #1
As time restrictions is one of the top reasons why adult learners do not engage or undertake learning activities - (online) learning opportunities can benefit for being connected to informal & social learning events like mentoring programs, peer learning group or online knowledge exchange forums in which learners can gain experience for on the job questions and knowledge transfer.
2) Environment: Accept and factor in that learning takes place in many shapes and formats
Continuous learning takes place continuously, whether we realize it or not. We learn by listening, observing, and teaching. We also learn through formal and informal formats.

Patricia Rupp

3 Approaches for Adding Informal Learning
Practical Tip #2
Design your learning programs and offering based on your learner audience, based on their input, listen to them and involve them during the learning event. Make sure you have your preparation in place and factor in that engaging learning is involved learning. One approach is to provide ample opportunity for prep work, that you then reference and progress in your workshop - the blended learning concept comes to mind!

Leverage prior experience from your audience to apply during learning events and ensure also that there is post learning event material on offer and you let the learners create - this is were online learning material can be leveraged as well as community/ forum blog to continue interacting on the topic and encourage further knowledge sharing.
3) What are good strategies to use to make my learning offering more engaging?
Simple answer - make your learners active learners ! Consider tactical strategies to enable your learners to be active and engage them more effectively and some of the tips underneath are not new but could be great elements to add to your programs

Without active learner participation, no amount of teaching will ensure an employee is absorbing the knowledge being transferred, or grow[ing] and succeed[ing] in the long-term.

Jason Silberman
Practical Tips #3
Engage learners by allowing them to facilitate learning that they undertook. Examples: Encourage participants to talk in pairs or groups or on social online forums if your learning is online. As follow-up to a learning event encourage building groups to work through an area of content and then post back to wider audience. Have groups write review questions to pose to the entire learning forum and run a competition who had the most comprehensive follow-up.

In the context of online learning - consider what social and informal learning opportunities you could put in place and encourage your learners to tell you what they would find beneficial and seek out your champions and sponsors to create a learning scaffolding around your official programs to make all learning more immersive.

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There is much more to be said and leveraged from the learning motivation theory, so this is just an initial intro and reflection of what can be achieved when considering learning motivation in adults in current and future learning programs whether they are online or in person.

I think like with everything it does not very complicated approaches and sometimes it is just "going back to basics" and look at some simple and straight forward steps to add and change in your programs and learning offering and hopefully this post helps with going back to basics again!

A great reminder of how to learn faster as published on YouTube video could also offer learners some inspiration as a "warm up exercise" to get excited about learning again.

Thanks for reading and look forward hearing any of your strategies, practical tips and further experience with considering learner motivation in your programs.

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Engaging & motivating adult learners when using online learning

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The topic of engaging and motivating and thus retaining adult learners in online learning is a topic that I come across with many of my clients on a regular basis.

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Read: Motivating adult learners: 6 methods for improving engagement...

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Read: Motivating adult learners: 6 methods for improving engagement...

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An educated workforce benefits employers in multiple ways. Research shows that educated workers are more productive and are less likely to be injured on the job. Clearly, employers have a strong stake in providing continuing education for their workers.

The advent of eLearning has made it easier, more cost-effective and more convenient for companies to provide ongoing education to workers. The ease of delivering educational materials via the Internet and mobile devices is blurring the lines between traditional job training and academic education. Discover why corporate learning is so important.

The challenge for employers often comes in keeping adult learners motivated. Traditional students understand that in a school or university setting, their job is to learn. But for adults confronting numerous family responsibilities along with full-time jobs, developing a sense of purpose in learning can prove more difficult. Motivating adult learners involves understanding their needs and using the right tools for better eLearning.

1. Capitalizing on what adult learners already know

Most adult learners already have significant job experience. An effective eLearning program should anticipate and account for information that adult students likely already possess, and it should build on that knowledge. Adult learners should be provided with the opportunity to demonstrate their existing knowledge and possibly pass a test in lieu of completing particular training modules.

On the other hand, basic subject matter should be included in any eLearning program, because newer workers or those in the midst of a job change may need it. In some cases, seasoned workers may require refreshers on information they typically would be expected to know. An effective eLearning program begins with an assessment tool to determine exactly where each worker is in the learning cycle and at what point they should begin the course.

2. Understanding the life stage of an adult learner

Psychology can provide insight into motivating adult learners. The "stage theory" of psychosocial development from psychologist Erik Erikson includes two life stages typically relevant to adult learners.

In the young adulthood phase from approximately 19 to 40 years of age, learners may be motivated by a need to form relationships through succeeding. For those in middle adulthood, from approximately 40 to 65 years of age, a need to create and nurture develops. This group is strongly motivated by feelings of accomplishment and usefulness that flow from success. Life stage information can be used to tailor specific eLearning programs to specific audiences.

3. Demonstrating job relevancy

Adult learners tend to be busier and more harried than traditional students. An effective eLearning program demonstrates value to adult students from the beginning and helps convince them that their employer values their time.

Subject matter should be relevant to the adult learner's needs and should have practical application to their job requirements. When adult learners see the relevance of educational materials to their jobs, they are more likely to be engaged and recognize benefits from the course.

4. Incorporating user-friendly interfaces and designs

Adult learners may suffer from deteriorating vision that makes readability and user-friendly design key in eLearning settings. Adults can more easily absorb information presented in an aesthetically pleasing, visually stimulating and interactive manner.

eLearning content for adults should involve going beyond PowerPoint. It should incorporate interesting graphic elements, images and videos that break up large, gray blocks of text. For maximum readability, large segments of text should be printed in a dark color of type on a light background rather than in reverse type. Learners should have the ability to adjust font size and screen brightness to meet their individual needs.

5. Using storytelling to increase engagement

Recent research into the inner workings of the brain reinforces what teachers and marketers have always known: People enjoy hearing about other people's experiences.

For many years, scientists have recognized that the brain decodes written words in its language regions. But scientists now also understand that stories are different, prompting activation of other parts of the brain. In the presence of a narrative story, the listener feels the words rather than just hearing them.

The brain draws little distinction between reading about someone's experience and actually encountering that experience, researchers say. Using stories to communicate information relevant to an adult learner's job can create engagement that straightforward text cannot.

6. Providing immediate, meaningful feedback

Undergoing lengthy eLearning sessions with no feedback on performance and expectations can feel like a fruitless endeavor for an adult learner. A corporate eLearning system should provide a process for providing immediate, meaningful feedback.

For material in which the information provided builds on the assumption of having learned previous information, testing with immediate results is key. Learners need to be sure they've mastered one module before moving on to the next. When learners have not properly processed the information, the eLearning system should provide a means for additional review and re-testing.

Availability of a human adviser also is important to the learner's success. Questions may arise that the system cannot answer, and a learner may want reassurance before continuing. Ensuring availability of employees' supervisors or a representative from the human resources department instills confidence in the learning process.

Better eLearning includes finding innovative ways to keep adult learners motivated. Building on the knowledge that adult learners already possess and understanding their stage in life, demonstrating relevance to their job, providing an engaging eLearning environment and providing immediate feedback can inspire enthusiasm in adult learners.

Of course, we believe that iSpring's products can help you create great eLearning content that goes beyond PowerPoint. What else are you doing to help motivate adult learners in your organizations?

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Motivating adult learners: 6 methods for improving engagement

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An educated workforce benefits employers in multiple ways. Research shows that educated workers are more productive and are less likely to be injured on the job. Clearly, employers have a strong stake in providing continuing education for their workers. The advent of eLearning has made it easier, more cost-effective and...