A Critical Examination of the Teaching Methodologies Pertaining to Distance Learning In Geographic Education: Andragogy in an Adult Online Certificate Program
Journal Title: Review of International Geographical Education Online - Year 2012, Vol 2, Issue 1
Abstract
Differences between student audiences are an important aspect not only of traditional learning in higher education, but also in the distance learning environment. Facilitators of distance learning coursework must be cognizant of the differences which adult students bring to the classroom and their varying expectations and reasons for learning. Taking these differences into account, the facilitator can better serve their remote adult and traditional students in the online setting. Case in point is an adult online GIS certificate program at a traditional liberal arts-based institution, which accommodates adult learning modalities and provides for adult learners to have ownership in their learning while providing a practical reason to learn while implementing geospatial concepts into their current job. Based on Malcolm Knowles theories of adult learning, adult online learners require certain aspects of andragogy which complement the content in an adult online experience. These include, but are not limited to: adults needing to know the reason for learning something; adult learners bringing life experiences to the classroom which are different from traditional undergraduate students; adults needing to be responsible for their decisions on education; adults being involved in the planning and evaluation of their instruction; adults being interested in learning subjects having immediate relevance to their work and/or personal lives; adult learning being problem-centered rather than content-oriented; and adult learners responding better to internal versus external motivators. This paper offers a case study of an online adult-oriented GIS certificate program at a traditional liberal art-based college whereby Knowles’ principles of andragogy are employed to offer adult students a rich online learning experience as a technical introduction to the geospatial technologies industry.
Authors and Affiliations
Richard B. SCHULTZ
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP130180
- DOI -
- Views 145
- Downloads 0
Geography in Italian schools (An example of a cross-curricular project using geospatial technologies for a practical contribution to educators)
During the last few years the Italian school system has seen significant changes but geography continues to be considered a boring and un-useful discipline by public institutions. The main problem is the widespread geogr...
Geography and Citizenship Education: Migrations and Pathways of Educational Research
In this paper some pathways of geographical analysis will be illustrated and discussed, seen from a didactic point of view. The geographical theme chosen is that of migration. Migratory phenomena and the problems associa...
An Analysis of Competence Development in Portuguese Geography Textbooks
The objective of this paper is to present certain results of my doctoral research, concerning the application of “Competence Pedagogy” in the teaching of geography in Portugal, particularly an analysis of Portuguese geog...
The Italian Geographers’ Document on the University Education of Future Primary School Teachers
This article describes an important document compiled by a group of Italian geographers who teach in the Teaching Sciences faculty. Twenty-two university professors in an online community debated concepts and compared id...
Geographic Literacy and Moral Formation among University Students
This study extends analysis of geographic literacy further by examining the relationship of geographic knowledge with the primary goal of geographic educators–cultivation of cultural understanding and moral sensitivity f...