Creating Courses for Adults (PDF)

Become an effective adult educator by approaching teaching
systematically

As the author describes at the beginning of Creating Courses
for Adults, "The big idea of this book is that education for
adults has to be designed." Whether in basic skills training,
English language classes, professional development workshops,
personal interest courses, or formal degree programs, good teaching
tends to conceal all the planning and decisions which had to be
made in order to present participants with a seamless and coherent
process for learning. The author posits that nobody is a completely
intuitive teacher and that everybody has to make a series of
choices as they put courses together. The decisions they make are
important and far-reaching, and deserve to be considered
carefully.

Starting with the three core factors which must be taken into
account when creating courses, Creating Courses for Adults
walks readers through a manageable process for addressing the key
decisions which must be made in order to design effective
learning.

* Instructor factors are what the teacher brings to the
teaching and learning process, such as experience and
preferences.

* Learner factors are the influences that students bring
with them, including their past experiences and expectations for
the class.

* Context factors include the educational setting, whether
in-person or online, as well as the subject matter.

Readers of Creating Courses for Adults will learn a
systematic approach to lesson and course design based on research
into the ways adults learn and the best ways to reach them, along
with pointers and tips for teaching adults in any setting.