Adult Learning Influence on Faculty Learning Cycle: Individual and Shared Reflections While Learning to Teach Online Lead to Pedagogical Transformations

Background

As of fall 2009, 42% (8.6 million) of the 20.4 million students enrolled in degree-granting postsecondary institutions (academic, career and technical, and continuing professional education) were 25 years of age or over, and 61% (5.2 million) of those students were female and 39% (3.4 million) were male. According the National Center for Education Statistics (2010, Table 119), enrollment of students age 25 and over rose 43% from 2000 to 2009, while enrollment of students under the age of 25 rose only 27%. Nontraditional students, especially women, who are not able to fit courses into their schedules due to work and family commitments, are not able to complete a degree (Brown, J. A., 2004; Kasworm, Polson, & Fishback, 2002; Kramarae, 2003). Belanger (1996) noted, “The question is no longer whether adult learning is needed, and how important it is. The issue today is how to respond to this increasing and diversified demand, how to manage this explosion” (p. 21). The top reason cited by institutions for moving to online courses and programs is improved student access to education (63% said that this was very important and 30% chose important). Two thirds of institutions cited growth in continuing and/or professional education as an objective for their online offerings, chiefly due to the appeal of online instruction for nontraditional students (Allen & Seaman, 2007).