Providers of Formal Adult Education

¶ … adult learner, including statistics, and self-directed learning. Adult education has seen dramatic growth since the introduction of online and self-directed courses, and the numbers show it. As noted, in 1991, approximately 58 million adults participated in adult education courses, while in 1999; the number grew to 90 million. The latest figures show an even more dramatic rise in numbers. The National Center for Education Statistics indicates that by 2005, 53.9% of adults aged 16 to 64 had participated in adult education, for either business or pleasure, jumping to 133 million people (Editors, 2009).

Adult learning has taken off in the Internet age, and it is very interesting to note that the very highest percentage of adult learners returning to school, for various reasons, is the group who has already completed at least a bachelor's degree. Sixty-five percent of these adults have participated in adult education classes for business or pleasure. All in all, adult learners took over 108 million courses in 2005, and with the economy sliding since that time, more people are returning to school to learn new skills or upgrade the skills they have. With the proliferation of universities adding online degree programs and catering to adult learners (such as the University of Phoenix), it seems the adult education numbers will only continue to rise.

Self-directed learning is a concept of learning that began in adult education. SDL proponents believe that students are responsible "owners and managers of their own learning process." They encourage students to engage in self-management, such as context, resources, and actions, along with self-monitoring their educational learning strategies (Smith, 2009). SDL shifts the control from the teacher to the learner as they set their own goals and it attempts to mimic how people learn in real life.

The advantages of SDL are many. Studies show that SDL students understand their own responsibility in learning and their approach to learning, and as noted, it may make learning easier because it mimics real life. SDL students actually collaborate more, even though teachers are less involved. This is because the students often collaborate with their peers, and are encouraged to bring real-life problems into the classroom to solve.