An awareness of the unique attributes of adult learners is necessary in order to design a curriculum, meet their needs, and help them achieve their educational goals.
As the economy demands additional education and skills to remain competitive in the job market, an increasing number of adults are returning to school to obtain college degrees.

Adult learners bring a different set of experiences to the classroom, and instructing adults is approached in a manner that differs from the approach taken when instructing children or adolescents.
Pedagogy as Opposed to Andragogy

The term pedagogy is defined as the art and science of educating children. In the pedagogical model, a teacher guides learning by choosing the subject to be learned, and determining the structure of the learning process. In this model, the student’s role is to receive the knowledge imparted by the teacher.

In many universities, this kind of learning is demonstrated through a lecture-based format, and it is appropriate when the subject matter is completely unfamiliar to the student.

Conversely, the term andragogy means the art and science of educating adults. A learning model using an andragogical approach relies more on teacher interaction with the students by way of back-and-forth discussion and increased participation of the student in the learning process. In this model, adult learners bring more of an understanding of the subject matter to the classroom.
Key Characteristics of the Adult Learner

In the early 1970s, the notion that adults and children learn differently was first introduced in the United States by Malcolm Knowles, a professor in the field of education. Knowles identified six key characteristics of the adult learner:

Adults have a self-concept of a self-directing personality: Adult learners are not only defined by their role as a student. It is more common for an adult to have other roles in their life, roles that may take precedence over their identities as students.

Having a spouse, a full-time job, or being a parent, are responsibilities adult learners will manage in addition to their responsibilities as students. A teacher of adult learners will acknowledge these other aspects of an adult learner’s identity, and incorporate those elements into the classroom curriculum.

Adults bring a wealth of experience to the learning process: Unlike children who have limited experience with the subject matter, as well as limited life experience, an adult learner brings prior educational, professional, and life experience to the classroom.

The teacher will be filling in gaps in adult learners' knowledge, in order to build and expand their base of understanding. Additionally, a teacher will ensure that the subject matter is relevant to the adult learner’s real-life experiences.

Adults come to the learning process ready to learn: Given that many adult learners are returning to school while they are still in the workforce or raising families, adult learners have other priorities that compete for their time and attention. As such, the decision to return to school is done with a firm purpose and determination to learn.

Adult learners are often prompted by a specific desire to enhance their career marketability, or simply accomplish the goal of acquiring a college degree, if they perhaps had to postpone going to college in the past.

Adult learners are eager to acquire new information, so an effective curriculum will tap into their enthusiasm, and demonstrate that the material will be directly beneficial to their professional lives.

Adults are oriented toward immediate application of learned knowledge: Closely tied to the fact that adults are ready to learn, is the orientation to learning that adults bring to the classroom. Typically, adults seek higher education because they need and want to address issues in their lives.

They embark on the journey of learning from a performance-oriented or problem-oriented mind-set. They want information that they can immediately apply to their life tasks and enhance their professional performance, in addition to wanting information that they can use to solve problems. In designing a curriculum, a teacher can provide real-life examples of how knowledge of the subject matter can be applied successfully in the workplace.

Adults need to know the reason for learning something: Designing a curriculum for adult learners that makes explicitly clear the reason, purpose, and usefulness of the subject matter is a necessary component of effectively reaching adult learners.

For example, a teacher instructing adults in a Business Communication class will make clear that effective communication in the workplace is a highly sought-after skill that is expected of workers at every level of an organization.

The teacher can inform the adult learners that in order to get their foot in the door at an organization, or to be able to move up the corporate ladder, effective communication skills are highly important.

Adults are driven by an intrinsic motivation to learn: Adults are keenly aware of their reasons for seeking additional education, and they take the initiative to make room in their life for continuing education. Adult learners juggle multiple responsibilities, and take ownership of their education, with the goal of improving their knowledge base and career opportunities.
Knowing What Adult Learners Need

Teachers should keep these six important characteristics of an adult learner in mind when designing a curriculum for adult learners that will have a meaningful impact on their professional lives. It will also ensure that continuing education will help adult learners meet the goals they set out to achieve.