Teaching and learning when the students are established professionals is qualitatively different from teaching those on degree programmes. Some may be looking to extend their knowledge to inform practice in their organisations. Others may focus on upskilling a thematic capability such as project management. Courses may be part-time or blended, as lengthy as an executive MBA or shorter and more technically specific to industry, such as microbiology for pharmaceutical industry managers.
Here, we look at issues and pointers for how to make this an effective experience – especially taking into account the mature-adult nature of the cohorts, their potential diversity of prior learning and experience, and their facility for open critical reflection in the learning environment.
- ‘Adults bring experience and cognitive strengths to lifelong learning’
- The power of short courses in transforming the workplace
- Leverage large language models to assess soft skills in lifelong learning
Get to know your students
The key aspect to bring out the benefits of differences across professions within programmes – as well as address the challenges – is a predictable one: where cohort size makes it feasible, the faculty staff should try to know their students. This counts especially in terms of background in work and study, as well as finding out their objectives for the learning at hand. This can usually be enabled with a brief introductory phase in the first session. Also, tutor attention to application form detail may be important here.
Creating a ‘confidence space’
A feature of professionals’ extended learning is their ability to reflect critically on their experience so far. Some of their knowledge may apply to sectors, organisations and even individual roles. For in-class discussion to thrive, the classroom and online area should be established (and accepted) as space where students can both talk with confidence and have lecturers and peers treat their comments in confidence. This is particularly important where students may come from the same industry or organisation. Tutors need to be explicit on this from the outset – with consent – so that adherence is seen as part of the ethos of the learning.
Purpose for practice
While younger students may readily accept learning content if it is on the syllabus and relates to assessment, more mature students often need to see its direct benefits, especially for workplace practice. This is one of the chief assertions of the established literature of US educator Malcolm Knowles on adult learning – that is, andragogy.
This demand may be especially strong for professionals whose study is to enhance their practice. Lecturers and tutors need to be mindful of this when they set out and present their curriculum and individual sessions. In relation to the latter, practice-relevant activities should be a frequent component. In the case of human resources programmes, scenarios (for example, on constructing communications to departmental managers) need at least as much attention as theories on motivation and appreciation.
Staff-student co-creation
Another of the key principles from the Knowles andragogy literature is that mature adults like to take a hand in how they learn. While overall curricular content may be set, a level of consultation and flexibility on the part of the lecturer, perhaps with regard to sequencing of topics, activity deployment or industry-relevant readings, may be a good way to use student input. Important here is explicit discussion with the group on choices – with a level of democracy on views heard – but also tutor-conclusive decisions on the quality-of-learning argument.
Peer-to-peer learning
Peer learning can be an effective way to counter variations in prior learning and experience across a mature professional cohort. This may chiefly come through reflective discussions, but small group activities may also enable students to share their understanding in a format that reinforces their mutual and equal status. For example, a programme on sustainable management may have some students with environmental credentials and others with industrial-management experience. Combining such people in activities – with consent – may be very beneficial.
Integrative materials and resources
Variations among students with professional experience may be more challenging, even on a common course. They may come from a variety of sectors, disciplines and role types or have differing objectives. A lot can be gained by developing or locating resources that have overlapping relevance across such groups. These boundary objects can enable students to work together on shared materials. These could be interactive documents such as maps – for example, property development and zoology professionals may both be studying sustainable practices. Or science and marketing practitioners could both look at adaptations to product packaging information. Artefacts that can be passed around and commented on can have integrative value here.
In terms of the critical reflection on experience and its peer-learning and co-creation aspects, teaching mature learners can also offer learning benefits to the lecturer themselves, especially with regard to linking theory to practice in future teaching – including for traditional full-time students.
Russ Woodward and Ian Rodwell teach degree undergraduates and professional programme students in business and management at University Centre Grimsby, part of the TEC Partnership UK.
If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.
comment