According to Moore and Kearsley, the majority of distance education students are between 25 and 50 years old. Most have work experience and full lives outside of school. Adult learners have unique characteristics, and those who choose distance over traditional education share some common attributes: intrinsic motivation, strong sense of responsibility, and self direction. Not all distance learners are successful, however. Factors that threaten success include feeling that the curriculum is irrelevant, being overwhelmed by the workload or the media, and lack of feedback from the instructor.
Stone (1992) found distinctive barriers to success within an executive training distance program. Using Goodwill Industries of America's management training program as an example, Stone outlined some of the issues involved with adult learners in distance education. Less than half of the people accepted into the Executive Intern Development Program at Goodwill complete it in the recommended time. Most of those who don't complete it in the recommended time never complete it. Stone contends that the Goodwill program has some unique qualities because it is designed for executives in training, rather than general education students. Because the interns are hand picked to participate, the students in the Goodwill program often enter with an exaggerated sense of their skills, then are not given support when problems arise. Stone suggests adding regularly scheduled meetings among the interns, and telephone contact with tutors at least twice a month.
In general, students that tend to be most successful in distance education courses enter with a strong intention to complete the class, and typically have a strong educational background.
Predictors of Success: The Billings Model and A-LASSI
Billings created a model to represent factors related to completion of correspondence courses. She found that some factors have a direct, causal relationship to completion, while others have indirect, or correlational relationships. Billings discovered that while GPA, date of first lesson submission, experience, and proximity to the instructor were good predictors of completion, the best predictor of completion is intent to complete the course.
The LASSI (Learning and Study Strategies Inventory, 1987) is a diagnostic survey that can be used to identify strengths and weaknesses of students, and to indicate strategies that at risk students could use to increase their chances for success. This tool was originally designed for traditional college age students in on-campus degree programs. Typically, traditional campuses have infrastructure in place for assessing and assisting underprepared students, but distance education relies on students being independent and self motivated, and frequently does not have this same infrastructure in place. Melburg, Lettus and Bonesteel (1993) set out to modify the LASSI so that it would be more adapted for adult learners, especially those enrolled in distance education. Their goal was to have a tool that could not only help adult distance learners determine their level of preparedness, but also determine remediation interventions where necessary.
The original LASSI contains 77 items with 10 subscales that measure such characteristics as attitude, motivation, anxiety, and time management. After a careful analysis of the LASSI, the authors made minor adjustments to one-third of the existing 77 items, and added 6 new items. They tested this adult version (A-LASSI) on 790 adult students enrolled in distance education programs at the Regents College of The University of the State of New York. They found that adult norms on the A-LASSI were higher than those of traditional students, when using the 10 original LASSI subscales as a basis for comparison. The authors suggest that the A-LASSI can actually be pared down to include only seven of the original ten subscales: self-discipline, anxiety, studying techniques, preparation techniques, comprehension skills, attitude, and social/peer support. The authors contend that, given more rigorous testing of the A-LASSI, it can be considered a viable instrument for determining the level of adult preparedness for college study.
Reflections of an Adult Distance Learner
As a first-time participant in a distance education course, I'm finding I have to develop new study skills. By nature I am an independent learner, which serves me well in this situation. I'm expected to manage my own time in order to complete the given assignments within the timeframe. This independence appeals to me a great deal, and allows me the flexibility to organize around my work schedule. I'm also fortunate to feel comfortable with the technology involved, both for communicating and researching. This allows me to concentrate on the content without thinking too much about the media. Frankly, I do miss the human interaction that an on-campus class would afford me, but the trade-off is the heightened amount of discussion that I can have with my peers online. I have a strong intent to complete the course, so, according to Billings' model, there is a good chance that I will do so.
Melburg, V., Lettus, M., & Bonesteel, J. (1993). Modification of the LASSI for adult learners in distance education programs: A preliminary report. Paper presented at the Adult Learner Conference, May 1993. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 374 139)
Stone, T. (1992). Distance education and adult learning in an industrial environment. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 351 531)