I feel that through this program I have really become to
know myself as a learner. Somewhere
along the way I was introduced t the Adult Learning Theory. This theory became of interest to me because
it helped me to identify my needs as an adult learner and to understand my
drive and motivation.
Azaiza (2011) talked about the motivation in women and how women
are especially self-motivation. However,
since women have a considerable amount of responsibilities (i.e. family,
children, jobs and home life), it is also important that they maintain their
motivation as well as time management.
This really hit home for me because I can really identify. God blessed us with a pregnancy right after I
began my degree. Then when my son was
born, he spent about seven weeks in the NICU. By the time he finally came home it was time
for me to go back to work and for the next school year to start. I began my second year adjusting to parent
life and teaching full time. Though I am
very self-motivated, I have had a hard time with my time management. There were times when I wanted to break down
and nearly quit because of the sacrifices that I felt I was making for this
degree and my job.
In my virtual field trip to the library I found that
instructor feedback was the most common and prominent best practice for
distance education. This is also one of the adult learner
characteristics. A study conducted by
Martz and Shepherd (2007), surveyed MBA students at the University of Colorado
in Colorado Springs. After asking as
series of questions it was determined that instructor feedback was the most valuable
to the learners’ success. The learners
were adult learners ranging from age 22 to 60 with an average age of 35.
Instructor feedback as a best practice requires that the instructor
is involved in and through the course. Feedback on assignments, discussion and
assessments should be in a timely manner.
Bagdadi (2011) actually recommends that it should be no longer than 72
hours. It is understood that some
feedback may take longer under circumstances where a detailed response must be
given. In that case it is important to
give time parameters for feedback and stick to them.
Because adult learners value their education different than
other younger learners, things like feedback, are key in their success. Instructors can make feedback personal by
using the learners’ names and not delaying responses to emails and other
feedback (Martz and Shepherd, 2007).
Aaiza, K., & , (2011). Learners' motivation in a distance education environment. Distance Learning, 8(1), 23.
Baghdadi, Z. D. (2011). Best practices in online education: Online instructors, courses and adminstrators. Turkish Online Journal of Dstance Educatoin, 12(3), 109-117. doi: 1302-6488
Martz, W. B., & Shepherd, M. (2007). Managing distance educatoin for success. International Journal of Web-Based Learning and Teaching Technologies, 2(2),
Adult learners, as you stated in your post, do find constructive feedback valuable to the overall success in their education. They consider he information offered to future assignments and understand the learning derived from mistakes. Of utmost importance is the timeliness of feedback as well as its relevance to the learning objectives.
ReplyDeleteAlisha,
ReplyDeleteI am sure that timely feedback was highly motivational for you during pursuit of your Master's. During those difficult times, when you wanted to give up, you certainly have stories of how the Lord sent inspiration through an email, course announcement, assignment comment, or other communication! I agree that there are times instructors cannot give an answer, but I have found it is important to respond letting the student or parent know I am seeking an answer. I think this type of response is important to adults and K - 12 students alike.
Congratulations!!