It's no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges for instructional designers. It's been a time of uncertainty and adaptation as we navigate new ways of teaching and learning. However, even though the pandemic has been overwhelming at times, it's exciting to think about the possibilities that lie ahead.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced rapid changes in the way organizations operate. With the shift to remote work and new technologies, leaders had to adapt quickly to keep their businesses operational. These changes usually take time to plan and implement and convincing employees to embrace new systems can be challenging. However, the crisis forced everyone to realize that change was necessary.
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, instructional technology became necessary for teachers, instructors, and educators. Everyone had to accept this change regardless of their previous opinion of technology. Moving to an emergency remote teaching (ERT) format focused on getting the courses online as quickly as possible. As a result, instructional designers, teachers, and administrators may have selected instructional technology tools based on how quickly they could implement the tech and the cost involved.
Andragogy (adult learning theory) first appeared as a learning theory in the 1950s, and in 1968 Malcolm Knowles extended the research by presenting six assumptions of andragogy. The author defined andragogy as "the art and science of helping adults learn" (Knowles, 1988, p. 43). The theory is focused on the difference between adult learners' needs as opposed to pedagogy, which is centered on the needs of younger learners.
With the rise of technology, distance learning has grown from a novelty to a necessity. Before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, many instructors and teachers resisted utilizing a partial or complete distance learning option. Despite the evidence that an online course is as effective as a face-to-face course, the assumption that distance education is inferior persists.
A drop in organizational performance can be a source of mystery—which is precisely why performance improvement is so essential. Digging deep to find the root causes of performance gaps is a complex process, but it’s necessary for identifying effective solutions to successfully close those gaps and improve performance.
Without question, the rapid shift to ERT significantly impacted the credibility of online learning (Zimmerman, 2020). However, correcting the misconceptions surrounding ERT vs. online learning may provide an accurate view of quality online education and create a new interest in distance learning and training as a viable option for the future (Samson, 2020).
Adult learners are known by a wide variety of names — including non-traditional students, adult students, returning adults, adult returners, mature learners and many more — and they have an even wider variety of cultural and educational backgrounds, abilities, responsibilities and experiences.
Teaching online isn’t like teaching in the classroom. It requires a different approach and specific online teaching strategies to boost learning.In a digital learning environment, you often have limited time to make sure that your instruction is effective. No matter your audience, you have to provide maximum value. These five online teaching strategies will help you increase engagement and retention for both kids and adults. Want to learn how to put them into practice?
Creating a welcome video can be a great way to introduce yourself to students in your online course. I created this video as an introduction to my Strategic Training and Development Course.