It is quite obvious that the
University of Phoenix is an institution that has its “finger on the pulse” of Education
Technology (ET) for its online and campus programs. They make full use of Web
2.0 technology and encourages its distance learners to do the same. With this
in mind, there is a perspective that the University of Phoenix has yet to fully
address: the lack of familiarity with Ed-tech and/or Web 2.0 learning tools on
the part of its adult learner population. For those who are fully integrated
into online research – or even social networking! – there is an assumption that
everyone else is as well; or that those who are not comprise a minority of
adult learners.

An unfamiliarity with Web 2.0 tech
is an area that the University of Phoenix should thoroughly address for its
adult learners. Granted, they do provide workshops for students but these are
generally voluntary. Pearson (2007) offers solutions for building an early
rapport with online research for high school and journalism undergrads and
graduate students, some of his ideas can be incorporated by the University of
Phoenix if their desire is to increase the confidence and success rates of its
adult learner population. His suggestions include developing a “degree track
for teachers with certifications in language arts, art education and computer
science” and he also proposes online research of public records, assembling
databases, doing podcasts of lectures, thus “their lifelong connection to web
2.0 and online studies can be strengthened”.
While
his proposals are for integrating Journalism majors to online
Podcasts:
Students
can develop their own podcasts. How-To links can be provided showing them how
to do podcasts. Podcasts can be designed by individuals and/or learning teams.
Podcasts can cover a myriad of topics including assignments, lectures, personal
projects, etc.
Adult
learners can be given simple research projects that require using databases.
Projects can be simple, keeping in mind that for many students in this
demographic, online familiarity is at a minimum.
Blogs:
Adult
learners can be required to start and maintain a blog throughout the course. As
with podcasts, how-to links can be provided offering instruction on how to set
up a blog spot. This is an area where they can be “encouraged to shine”, their
blog(s) can be educational, creative, political – whatever strikes their fancy!
They can post their assignments, offer commentaries on text books, required
articles, opinions on information presentation, etc.
These are just a few ideas that the
University of Phoenix can
incorporate on a more intensive level to ensure successful learning
opportunities for its adult learner population. Granted, many can
argue that some of these ideas are already included in many UoP
courses. However, they are not in all of them, and they are not
presented as being specifically for its adult learner population. The
University of Phoenix provides a few workshops, nothing more.
Other than that, it is “sink or swim”. Adult learners are forced to
seek help in familiarizing themselves with how to post
assignments, how to access, open, download and/or print out text
book chapters, and do online research. That is where Smith’s
(2006) observations come into play. There is an assumption that
the workshops are all that is needed, yet he points out that “many
mature adults have limited digital literacy experience and are
generally far less adept at decoding the multi-media interfaces
involved with eLearning than their younger counterparts”.
incorporate on a more intensive level to ensure successful learning
opportunities for its adult learner population. Granted, many can
argue that some of these ideas are already included in many UoP
courses. However, they are not in all of them, and they are not
presented as being specifically for its adult learner population. The
University of Phoenix provides a few workshops, nothing more.
Other than that, it is “sink or swim”. Adult learners are forced to
seek help in familiarizing themselves with how to post
assignments, how to access, open, download and/or print out text
book chapters, and do online research. That is where Smith’s
(2006) observations come into play. There is an assumption that
the workshops are all that is needed, yet he points out that “many
mature adults have limited digital literacy experience and are
generally far less adept at decoding the multi-media interfaces
involved with eLearning than their younger counterparts”.
References: