Adult Learning Gaps

Pause.png Before we move on ...

We are fortunate to have had Janet Lee as a member of our facilitation team. In her experience as an educator, she met Arnie Stewart. Arnie was an adult struggling with significant skill gaps that were affecting his life. In Arnie's case, he was married with a family but was unable to read or write. Janet shared with us a video about Arnie's story. Please watch a few minutes of this video (starting at 5:03) where Arnie describes the real-world implications of being unable to read or write while raising his children (Links to an external site.). Feel free to start from the beginning of the video if you have the extra time.

Think about the tasks Arnie was unable to accomplish in his life due to his skill gaps (e.g., read a food label or a street sign), how that made him feel (e.g., humiliated and terrified), his fears and pain points (e.g., a hatred of formal education and unwillingness to ask for help from teachers), and his goals (e.g., to overcome his inability to read and write, and become a role model for other children motivating them to ask for help instead of struggling alone).

Please keep Arnie's story in mind as you work through this module, and think about the implications of being an adult with low math and literacy skills, the real-world problems and tasks that you would struggle to complete, and how that would affect your life goals. If you would like more information about Arnie, check out The Arnie Movie website Links to an external site.. Thank you for sharing Arnie's story with us, Janet!

Adult Learning Gaps

An important part of the instructional design process is identifying the-the focus and goals of our instruction. This process includes a close examination of the difference between the adult learner's current state versus his / her desired state. The difference between what a learner needs to be able to do (desired state) and where the learner is now (the current state) is the “learning gap” that helps us to establish our instructional focus. In turn, the goal for instruction is for the learner to move from his / her current state to the desired state.

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Let's now explore the types of gaps our learners face, as well as the desired skills our learners should possess (desired state), but don't possess now (current state). 

Types of Learning Gaps

As we saw in our review of the target audience of learners, the current and desired state (hence learning gaps) for our adult learners vary widely. Beyond skills and knowledge gaps, some other gaps could affect your learner’s success. 

Types Gaps.png

The list below describes possible types of gaps (Dirksen, 2012) a learner may face. Pause for a minute to consider which of these gaps may exist for the personas we have been considering.

  • Knowledge Gaps: Think about the information a learner needs to be successful in tackling a new problem or task. When and how is this information used?
  • Skills Gaps: While information is necessary to overcome learning gaps, it is not sufficient to overcome a skill gap. Additional supports and practice are needed to be able to perform a new task successfully.
  • Motivation Gap: Along with knowledge and skills gaps, you may need to consider attitude and resistance issues the learner faces, such as anxiety, other work and home distractions, or lack of interest.
  • Environment Gap: There are a surprising number of potential environmental roadblocks for adult learners. Where do they study? Does getting to class involve a long commute? Do they have the right tools and resources? Do they have enough time, childcare, or transportation to take classes?
  • Communication Gap: At times, the biggest gap is not knowledge, skill, or motivation. Instead, the learning gap may be rooted in miscommunication of messages (e.g., directions) between the instruction (or instructor) and the learner.

Desired State Knowledge and Skills

Adult basic education programs focus on a range of gaps associated with knowledge and skills needed to be life, career, or college ready, such as basic life skills, financial literacy, health literacy, and career exploration. In addition to the College and Career Readiness Standards we will explore in Module 2, we have assembled a roster of resources to help us identify specific career-readiness skills an adult should possess (i.e., the desired state) in order to achieve his / her future goals. Links to these resources listed below are found in the Supplementary Resources and Exercises section of this course under Resources: Desired Skills & Knowledge.

Please skim a few of these resources to see how the desired skills and competencies are presented. You will use these resources (and others you find) as you establish the desired skills and knowledge for your learners:

For example ...

Let's spend a moment examining the Employability Skills Framework Links to an external site. that offers an excellent overview of the types of "employability" skills required to be college and career ready. As you think about the instruction you are designing, consider the types of employability skill gaps your adult learners may face.

As defined on the Employability Skills website Links to an external site., employability skills include:

  • Applied Knowledge Skills Links to an external site.: "thoughtful integration of academic knowledge and technical skills, put to practical use in the workplace":
    • Applied academic skills that "enable employees to put skills based on academic disciplines and learning, such as reading, writing, mathematical strategies and procedures, and scientific principles and procedures, to practical use in the workplace."
    • Critical thinking skills that "enable employees to analyze, reason, solve problems, plan, organize, and make sound decisions in their work."
  • Effective Relationship Skills Links to an external site.: "interpersonal skills and personal qualities that enable individuals to interact effectively with clients, coworkers, and supervisors":
    • Interpersonal skills "include the ability to collaborate as a member of a team or work independently, as appropriate; communicate effectively; maintain a positive attitude; and contribute to the overarching goals of the workplace."
    • Personal qualities "contribute to effective relationships include responsibility, self-discipline, flexibility, integrity, and initiative. Other essential qualities are a sense of professionalism and self-worth; willingness to learn; and acceptance of responsibility for one's own professional growth."
  • Workplace Skills Links to an external site. include "the analytical and organizational skills that employees need to successfully perform work tasks ... including managing time and other resources; understanding, evaluating, and using a variety of information; communicating effectively with others in multiple formats (speaking, writing, listening); understanding relationships among the components of a system; and applying information technology appropriately and effectively."