The Instructional Context

Overview

Just as you considered the characteristics of your learners, it is necessary to contemplate the instructional context (learning environment) where your learners will interact with their instructors, the instruction, and others. One word best describes the adult education instructional context: diverse! The following offers an overview of different types of adult education instructional contexts highlighting the different types of programs, enrollment features, and instructional delivery approaches.

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Government Sponsored Programs

While compulsory education ends in most states in the U.S. by the age of 16, government supported formal education programs for adults are an option for some, including those in the adult prison population. Adult education programs offered by school districts and community colleges often focus on high school equivalency, as well as career and college readiness. 

Based on 2014-15 National Reporting System (NRS) data, Links to an external site. adult education programs receiving government funding included:

Organization Type %
Local Education Agencies 49
Community Junior or Technical Colleges 22
Community-based Organizations 17
Faith-based Organizations 2
Correctional Institutions 2
Four-Year Colleges 2
Libraries 1
All Other Agencies 5

Based on 2014-15 National Reporting System (NRS) data for adult education Links to an external site. of the 37,000 teachers in government-funded adult education programs:

  • Most instructors were paid personnel who work part-time (68%), but many were volunteers (15%).
  • While 80% of the full-time paid teachers had more than three years experience in adult education, 35% of part-time paid teachers had three or less years experience. 
  • 33% of paid full and part-time instructors had no teacher certification, but of the paid instructors who did hold a teacher certification, 66% had K12 certification and 34% had adult education certification.

However, the need for adult basic education far exceeds availability in these government-sponsored programs. Data compiled by the National Council of State Directors of Adult Education show government-funded adult education programs serve less than 2 million of the estimated 90 million who could benefit from basic education services Links to an external site.. In addition, funding cuts in education at the federal and state level are making already lean budgets even tighter, and instructors are forced to find creative ways to do more with less. This gap in funding is a primary reason why our efforts in this course are needed by the learners and instructors in all adult education learning contexts.

Public or Private Nonprofit Programs

The shortfall in government funding leaves public or private nonprofit agencies, such as community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and libraries, to provide an adult basic education backstop. While these organizations may receive some support from government sources (see above), they must also seek other forms of funding, such as charitable contributions or grants from private foundations. Arguably, the open educational resources created in this course are most needed by the adult learners and instructors in these public or private nonprofit programs.

These programs are structured in a vast array of formats, but here are some notable characteristics:

  • Adult educators in community-based classes often compare their instructional context to "a one-room schoolhouse" in which adult learners join free classes in community centers, such as classes offered at the local library, or in nonprofit or faith-based education programs.
  • Most often, adult learners meet with their instructor (or tutor) in face-to-face classes with other learners. However, students may progress through their coursework independently (with the support of a tutor or instructor) or in small classes led by an instructor.
  • In contrast to managed enrollment with a fixed start and end to the course with cohorts of learners a the same level, adult education classes in community-based programs are often "open entry" where learners enter and exit the course at various times and at different skill levels.
  • Adults in community-based education courses often have specific goals for joining the class (such as passing a high school equivalency exam, improving job opportunities, gaining life or computer skills, or learning to read and write in English as a second language). 

Face-to-Face Classes: Most Common

Face-to-face classes are the most common instructional context for our target audience of adult learners seeking basic education. Adult educators often face uncertainty in the physical, social, and psychological setting from one class session to the next, which requires them to be flexible, creative, and resourceful. For example, an instructor may need to gather her learners around a table in a large community center bustling with other activities in a room without a blackboard, or he could be asked to teach a course without a predefined curriculum or textbooks that requires him to design and develop his own instructional materials. Further, adult learners and instructors in this context often encounter classrooms with outdated (or nonexistent) computers and slow (or no) Internet access.

Blended (or Hybrid) Learning: Use Varies

In contrast to the traditional face-to-face instructional context described above, a growing number of adult education classrooms are attempting to combine face-to-face instruction with computer-based or online instruction, known as hybrid or blended learning. The availability of high-speed (relatively) affordable Internet access has changed the instructional context for some adult learners. There are several companies offering for-fee educational software or online access to resources (such as high school equivalency test preparation Links to an external site.), but often the costs associated with accessing these resources (and the required technology and /or Internet access) are beyond the budgets of smaller or underfunded adult education programs. In addition, while some organizations post their resources online for free access (such as adult basic education video supplements posted on YouTube Links to an external site.), these "free" (i.e. no cost) resources found online are not always openly licensed and instructors can be severely limited as to how they can adapt the resources for their contexts (more on copyright and content licensing in the optional Extra | Supplementary Readings module of this course).

100% Online Learning: Least Common

Some adult learners may have job and family time commitments, or other constraints, that prevent them from getting to an adult education program. Maybe they don't have a car or money for public transportation. Maybe they are in a rural setting miles from the nearest program. Maybe they don't have childcare for when they are in class. While still rare, some learners now have the option of taking online classes and studying on their own time and at home.

However, as with the blended context described above, a fully online learning curriculum is prohibitively expensive for many in our target audience of adult learners (i.e. those who aren't working or are working in jobs that don't require a high school diploma). A recent survey of low to moderate income families in the U.S. suggests many do not have home Internet access Links to an external site., which is defined in the survey as having a laptop or desktop computer and an Internet connection at home. In addition, as recently reported by the Education Commission of the States Links to an external site., many rural, low-income, and minority learners do not have either access to adequate broadband speeds in their homes to take an online course or the financial means to purchase it. 

Want more.pngWant to know more?

During the prior implementation of this course, we conducted webcasts in which instructors described their experiences working in an adult education instructional context. If you would like to gain a better understanding of the adult education instructional context and have extra time, please view the March 31, 2016 webcast recording (55:43 minutes) in the Extra | Supplementary Readings module of this course. If you are pressed for time, please spend a few minutes watching the bookmarked excerpts below that provide excellent insight into the instructional context from the perspectives of those working in the field:

Pause.png Before we move on ...

Please note: The open educational resources you will be evaluating in this course are not designed for a fully online learning context, but rather a face-to-face or blended / hybrid context. 

Design Checkbox.png Your Design Analysis

Think back to the personas of Part 1, and reflect upon the following questions:

  • Where will your learners be physically located when they are learning?
  • What aspects of the instructional context (learning environment) are most important for you to consider as a designer of adult basic education?
  • How would the instructional context of a learner that is currently incarcerated be different from an individual that is balancing family and work life?
  • What are the use and access implications of creating an online or blended lesson?
  • What is the likelihood your learners will have access to educational technologies, such as the Internet, computers, mobile technology, headphones, or webcams?
  • What can you assume are the prerequisite technical skills necessary to be successful in an online or blended/hybrid lesson? Will your learners have those skills?
  • If you plan to include blended / hybrid instruction, how much time will be dedicated to face-to-face versus computer-based or online learning?