How do you tailor education to the learning needs of adults? Do they learn differently from children? How does their life experience inform their learning processes? These were the questions at the heart of Malcolm Knowles’ pioneering theory of andragogy which transformed education theory in the 1970s. The resulting principles of a self-directed, experiential, problem-centred approach to learning have been hugely influential and are still the basis of the learning practices we use today. Understanding these principles is the cornerstone of increasing motivation and enabling adult learners to achieve. The 9th edition of The Adult Learner has been revised to include: Updates to the book to reflect the very latest advancements in the field. The addition of two new chapters on diversity and inclusion in adult learning, and andragogy and the online adult learner. An updated supporting website. This website for the 9th edition of The Adult Learner will provide basic instructor aids including a PowerPoint presentation for each chapter. Revisions throughout to make it more readable and relevant to your practices. If you are a researcher, practitioner, or student in education, an adult learning practitioner, training manager, or involved in human resource development, this is the definitive book in adult learning you should not be without.

Virtually everyone needs a high level of literacy in both print and digital media to negotiate most aspects of 21st century life-succeeding in a competitive job market, supporting a family, navigating health information, and participating in civic activities. Yet, according to a recent survey estimate, more than 90 million adults in the United States lack the literacy skills needed for fully productive and secure lives. At the request of the U.S. Department of Education, the National Research Council convened a committee of experts from many disciplines to synthesize research on literacy and learning in order to improve instruction for those served in adult education in the U.S. The committee's report, Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research, recommends a program of research and innovation to gain a better understanding of adult literacy learners, improve instruction, and create the supports adults need for learning and achievement. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Supporting Learning and Motivation, which is based on the report, describes principles of effective instruction to guide those who design and administer adult literacy programs and courses. It also explores ways to motivate learners to persist in their studies, which is crucial given the thousands of hours of study and practice required to become proficient.The booklet concludes with a look at technologies that show promise for supporting individual learners and freeing busy adults from having to be in a particular place in order to practice their literacy skills. Although this booklet is not intended as a "how to" manual for instructors, teachers may also find the information presented here to be helpful as they plan and deliver instruction.

Online education has created an ever-expanding number of programs. Adult online learners are diverse and have varied talents, challenges, and motivations. They choose online learning for its convenience and accessibility, but the online learning environment can be flat and two-dimensional. Adult online learners can then become disengaged and disconnected—especially if the online learning experience does not support their social-emotional needs. More research on supporting the whole learner in adult online classrooms is required. Motivation and Momentum in Adult Online Education highlights unique and varied approaches to adult learners’ motivation and momentum in online education. It provides examples of strategies, tools, and practices educators and educational institutions use to encourage and support adult learners’ motivation and momentum across a variety of online educational programs. Covering topics such as academic coaching, faculty-student interaction, and student engagement, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for higher education leaders, professors, course instructors, advisors, curriculum developers, instructional designers, lifelong learning application developers, professionals in student support services, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

Finally, the first research-based book of sound strategies and best practices to help instructors motivate students to complete their online courses. Although studies support the effectiveness of learning online, students often fail to complete online courses. Some studies have found that as many as 50–70% drop out of their online courses or programs. Retention is not only a growing expectation and imperative, but it is also as opportunity for faculty members to take the lead in innovating, researching, and implementing new strategies while demonstrating their effectiveness. Designed for instructors and instructional designers, Motivating and Retaining Online Students is filled with empirical research from the authors’ study of motivation and retention strategies that can reduce online learner dropout. Focusing on the most important issues instructors face, such as course design; student engagement and motivation; and institutional, instructional, and informal student support strategies, the book provides effective online strategies that help minimize student dropout, increase student retention, and support student learning. While helping to improve the overall retention rates for educational institutions, the strategies outlined in the book also allow for student diversity and individual learner differences. Lehman and Conceição’s proven model gives instructors an effective approach to help students persist in online courses and succeed as learners.

At a time when more and more of what people learn both in formal courses and in everyday life is mediated by technology, Learning Online provides a much-needed guide to different forms and applications of online learning. This book describes how online learning is being used in both K-12 and higher education settings as well as in learning outside of school. Particular online learning technologies, such as MOOCs (massive open online courses), multi-player games, learning analytics, and adaptive online practice environments, are described in terms of design principles, implementation, and contexts of use. Learning Online synthesizes research findings on the effectiveness of different types of online learning, but a major message of the book is that student outcomes arise from the joint influence of implementation, context, and learner characteristics interacting with technology--not from technology alone. The book describes available research about how best to implement different forms of online learning for specific kinds of students, subject areas, and contexts. Building on available evidence regarding practices that make online and blended learning more effective in different contexts, Learning Online draws implications for institutional and state policies that would promote judicious uses of online learning and effective implementation models. This in-depth research work concludes with a call for an online learning implementation research agenda, combining education institutions and research partners in a collaborative effort to generate and share evidence on effective practices.

Finally, the first research-based book of sound strategies and best practices to help instructors motivate students to complete their online courses. Although studies support the effectiveness of learning online, students often fail to complete online courses. Some studies have found that as many as 50–70% drop out of their online courses or programs. Retention is not only a growing expectation and imperative, but it is also as opportunity for faculty members to take the lead in innovating, researching, and implementing new strategies while demonstrating their effectiveness. Designed for instructors and instructional designers, Motivating and Retaining Online Students is filled with empirical research from the authors’ study of motivation and retention strategies that can reduce online learner dropout. Focusing on the most important issues instructors face, such as course design; student engagement and motivation; and institutional, instructional, and informal student support strategies, the book provides effective online strategies that help minimize student dropout, increase student retention, and support student learning. While helping to improve the overall retention rates for educational institutions, the strategies outlined in the book also allow for student diversity and individual learner differences. Lehman and Conceição’s proven model gives instructors an effective approach to help students persist in online courses and succeed as learners.

"Overall this text is a very interesting read with significant applicability to both advisors and faculty. The creative advisor will have no problem synthesizing Materna's ideas and theories of brain-compatible learning strategies into daily interactions with students and faculty." —Jennifer Varney, Hesser College Use these interactive strategies to help adults become more self-directed in their learning, improve their ability to comprehend and apply complex information, and unleash their creative potential.

In the more than a decade since its original publication, Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn has been widely used in all educational and training settings where adults are learners, and has remained a work of Anduring value to both practitioners and students of adult learning. This completely revised edition of Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn offers updated, culturally responsive practical advice and strategies in the jargon-free, readable style that made the original work so popular. This valuable resource is for teachers, trainers, and anyone who wants learning to be a motivating experience for all adults. Wlodkowski reveals that motivation must come from within the learner. He explores the factors that trigger student motivation and shows the ways in which teachers of adults can create learning environments that stimulate and nourish the motivation to learn. Drawing from recent research in the fields of cultural and ethnic studies, communications, cognitive psychology, systems theory, and multiple intelligences, Wlodkowski shows how to use this information in practical ways and to the best advantage of adult learners. For example, he examines the role of culture and gAnder differences in student motivation and presents strategies for creating motivationally effective lessons for diverse adult learners. With each strategy, there are clear, effective examples solidly based on applied research. Wlodkowski identifies the characteristics necessary for a person to become a motivating instructor—expertise, compassion, enthusiasm, cultural responsiveness, and clarity. He also analyzes four major motivating factors—inclusion, attitude, meaning, and competence—and provides advice and examples on how to employ them during the instructional process. Throughout the book, Wlodkowski provides a wide variety of detailed strategies for increasing learner motivation so that instructors can choose from among them based on the subject being taught and the learning situation.