Topic 1 - Adult Learning and the Tertiary Landscape

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Activity 1

In my role as an Associate Learning Designer, I regularly support academic staff to develop their skills in Moodle, online teaching and assessment design. I initially viewed many of these interactions as technical support, where my role was simply to explain a process or solve an immediate problem. However, I now recognise that these interactions are also forms of adult learning.

Adult learning is important in my context because staff must continually adapt to changing technologies, institutional requirements and approaches to teaching. Adult learning can strengthen workers’ skills, improve productivity and help them respond to technological change (OECD, 2002). This reflects my workplace, where academic staff already bring considerable teaching and disciplinary knowledge but may need support applying that experience in new contexts.

What is most valuable about adult learning in my workplace is that it can build confidence, independence and professional capability. This has changed how I understand my role. Rather than only resolving problems, I am supporting ongoing learning that can improve staff practice and, in turn, the student learning experience.

References

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2002). Supporting economic growth through continuous education and training: Some preliminary results [ELS working paper]. OECD.