Creating Courses for Adults: Design for Learning

Creating Courses for Adults is a guide to the behind–the–scenes work that goes into good teaching. Whether you are new to adult education, or want to improve the courses you already teach, this book will equip you with a systematic approach to lesson and course design which is based on research into the ways adults learn.

The book walks readers through a manageable process for addressing the key decisions which must be made in order to design effective learning. What specific ideas or skills should you teach? What resources will you use? Which teaching methods are best for your situation? How will you know if your lesson was successful? The most effective teachers decide on the answers to these questions before they ever set foot into the learning environment. In Creating Courses for Adults, you ll learn how to make these crucial decisions in order to craft a course that best fits your experience and approach to teaching, the influences your learners bring with them, and the context of the course, including educational setting and subject matter.

Ralf St. Clair, a respected author and professor of adult education, doesn t believe in telling you how to do your job. Instead, he recognizes that teaching is an intensely personal activity and that only you as the educator can know what s right for you. Creating Courses for Adults offers a spread of teaching possibilities and gives you the evidence–based framework you need to choose the options that will help you design an outstanding educational experience.

In clear and accessible language, Creating Courses for Adults takes teachers through the steps necessary to create purposeful and engaging learning experiences for adults. Novices or experts will be stimulated to rethink how they design learning.
Stephen Brookfield, John Ireland Endowed Chair, University of St. Thomas

Anyone who is an educator of adults should read this book because it will enable you to plan and deliver good courses. St. Clair s exciting approach demonstrates not only the centrality of design but also the importance of placing values at the heart of our practice.
Lyn Tett, professor emeritus, University of Edinburgh

Preface xi

Why Design? xv

Perspective on Learning xix

Further Information xx

Acknowledgments xxi

About the Author xxiii

PART ONE Core Factors in Teaching ONE All About You 3

Why Who You Are and What You ve Done Matters 4

Reflecting on Your Approach 7

What Are We Doing It For? 11

Why Identity Matters 16

Going Further 18

Conclusion: Pulling It Together 21

TWO Engaged and Involved Learners 23

How Do People Learn? 24

Engagement in Learning 30

Learner Diversity 36

Responding to Diversity 47

Conclusion: Making Difference Matter 52

THREE Context Drives Design 53

Why Context Matters 54

Ball Gown or Boots: Formality 56

Wired Learning 59

Organizational Context 62

The Aims of the Course 65

Time, or the Lack Thereof 67

Somewhere to Sit: Physical Resources 69

Conclusion 72

PART TWO The Key Decisions

FOUR Knowing Where You Are Going 77

Objectives And Some Objections 80

The Educator 86

The Learners 88

The Context 90

Conclusion 92

FIVE Content and Resources for Learning 95

Information and Objects 98

Resources and Materials 101

The Educator 103

The Learners 105

The Context 107

Conclusion 109

SIX Ways of Working Together 111

The Range of Methods 114

The Educator 121

The Learners 123

The Context 125

Conclusion 127

SEVEN What Do the Learners Say? 131

Designing Evaluation 134

The Educator 138

The Learners 140

The Context 142

Conclusion 145

EIGHT Making Learning Visible 147

Counting What Counts 150

The Educator 157

The Learners 159

The Context 162

Conclusion 164

NINE You Can Take It with You! 167

Moving Learning beyond the Course 170

The Educator 174

The Learners 176

The Context 178

Conclusion 180

TEN Design Frames Practice 183

The Book in a Box 183

An Example of a Program Design 186

For New Educators of Adults 187

Conclusion 191

References 193

Appendix A: A Blank Design Framework 199

Appendix B: Where to Find Further Resources 201

Index 203

RALF St. CLAIR is professor and dean in the Faculty of Education at the University of Victoria in British Columbia.