Abstract
“Adult learners can enhance their experience by recognizing the impact that course design, feedback approach and self-directed learning have on our own learning experience.”
Introduction
As an adult learner, I returned to graduate school to begin my EdD while retaining my position as principal of a small high school in Texas. While juggling my return to school as a student and ongoing work as an educational leader, I generally felt positive about my induction back into the world of higher learning and my deep dive into research. However, my experience on a course-by-course level varied significantly. This reflection contrasts my experiences as a student in two classes—one during my first semester (referred to as the first course) and the other near the end of coursework (the later course)—using the lens of adult education theory. I hope this analysis will help three groups of people in different ways: adult students in their approach to learning, course instructors in moving to praxis more centered on the principles of adult education, and program administrators in promoting policies consistent with such principles and reevaluating inconsistent policies. As such, I will discuss course design, instructor feedback, and self-directed learning, followed by implications for adult education students, instructors, and administrators.
Course Design, Instructor Feedback, and Self-Directed Learning
The two courses included structural discrepancies and qualitatively different feedback from the instructor, contributing to a very different experience as a learner. To illustrate, I will contrast the approach to the course welcome, instructor feedback and the final course assignment.
To begin the first course, we introduced ourselves in an online discussion thread, but there was no direct contact with the instructor or opportunity for dialogue. In the later course, the instructor met with each student at the start of the course to understand what we hoped to gain from the course. This communicated a desire to know me as a learner and allowed her to tailor feedback to individual ways of knowing. Drago-Severson’s (2009) research demonstrated that appreciating the different ways of knowing among adult learners paves the way for choosing the approach that will most likely lead to learning and development. The instructor’s tailoring of the learning to my needs enhanced my self-direction as a learner and fostered internal motivation by facilitating my own articulation of my goals (Knowles et al., 2015; Merriam & Bierema, 2013). Acting as a co-architect of my learning began the course on a powerful note.
Specific feedback choices by each instructor led to very disparate experiences in the two courses as a learner. The first instructor’s feedback approach was misaligned with the theories of self-directed learning that positively correlate with academic success, motivation, and retention (Boyer et al., 2014; Damrow et al., 2024). The feedback was terse and directive—“this is incorrect” or “use better language.” In contrast, the later instructor provided thoughtful feedback that encouraged me to think more deeply about my analysis and writing. Such feedback often asked me to consider a different approach or highlighted areas where alternate wording might strengthen my argument. This invitational language contributed to my development as a reflective practitioner (Brookfield, 2017) and was more in line with the goal-oriented approach of an adult learner (Knowles et al., 2015). I found the first course disempowering and frustrating—it left me feeling foolish. In contrast, the later course offered a supportive learning experience, respecting my stance as an adult learner and affording opportunities for growth.
In the final course assignments, the goal was to demonstrate and apply the knowledge and skills gained during the course. The first instructor graded and returned the final assignment after course completion with no opportunity to utilize the feedback or improve my work. However, the second instructor graded the final assignment, provided detailed feedback, and gave us the choice to accept the grade or rewrite and resubmit the assignment. This choice moved the feedback from summative to formative and allowed the assignment to be for learning—to ascertain what students knew, and as learning—instructive in its own right (Clark, 2012). As such, I diagnosed my learning needs, felt more in control of my learning (Merriam & Bierema, 2013), and chose to use the feedback to strengthen my academic writing and learning. This resulting sense of empowerment and active participation was a fulfillment of both Drago-Severson’s (2009) advocacy of using adult learning principles when supporting adult professional development and Damrow et al.’s (2024) suggestion for more self-directed assignments specifically for future researchers. As a doctoral student on the path to creating research of my own, I appreciated the opportunity to actualize improvement during the course and enhance my skills as a reflective practitioner.
Aligning the course design and instructor feedback approach with adult learning theory offers a more positive learning experience. Considering these elements empowers students and guides instructors and administrators in providing more self-directed learning.
Implications for Adult Education Programs
Given the fact that, on average, students of education at the doctoral level tend to be older than most other terminal degree programs (Korhonen, 2024), and schools of education should model the best educational practices they teach, graduate programs should align with what is known about adult education. I will suggest practical steps for adult learners, course instructors, and program administrators who set program and course design.
As students, adult learners can enhance their experience by recognizing the impact that course design, feedback approach and self-directed learning have on our own learning experience. Within any educational opportunity, students can seek ways to capitalize on these factors, choosing courses, and even programs, most aligned with adult educational theory. Students can also advocate for their needs in their communication with instructors and administrators, requesting opportunities for feedback on drafts of their work prior to completion. Additionally, students can seek feedback from sources aside from their instructor, such as peer-feedback in the form of feedback partners or study groups of like-minded peers interested in reciprocating feedback on the coursework.
For course instructors, when deciding how assignments will be submitted and feedback given, there is an opportunity to align more closely with adult educational practices by meeting with students when a course begins, using invitational language in feedback, and providing opportunities to utilize feedback to improve writing within a course. Instructors can be more explicit about the skills the course is meant to build and invite students to be co-architects of the plan to enhance these skills. Strategies like creating more draft opportunities or smaller, more frequent, scaffolded assignments can build a more self-directed path towards improving skills over the duration of a course. Adopting strategies centered on self-directed learning seems even more necessary for instructors working in schools of education who should model the best practice taught in programs.
For program administrators, programs can be designed to align with self-directed learning and actionable feedback. Curriculum and graduation requirements can be oriented towards adult learning principles by making required skills explicit and including student self-assessment and goal setting on these skills as an aspect of student advisement. Additionally, it is important to ensure that specific instructor practices do not impede self-directed learning. The later course instructor added considerable work for herself by allowing us to submit our final assessment early and get feedback, rather than immediately submitting it through the plagiarism-checking software as was the common practice in other courses. Instructors should not be put in the position of needing to choose between following protocol or creating an improved process for students more aligned with adult educational principles. Instead, alignment between course, program, and institutional expectations will maximize learning opportunities.
Knowing and using the theories of adult learning will benefit students, instructors and administrators in adult education spaces. Utilizing strategies of self-directed learning and delivering invitational, implementable, and instructive feedback will improve the experience of adult learners. My own learning experience was enhanced significantly when I felt more known as a learner, was given choice as a co-architect of my learning, and received feedback tailored to my ways of knowing. Aligning graduate school courses with the principles of adult education will result in more engaged learning by students as architects of their own learning who will ultimately become better prepared researchers and practitioners.
