University Adult Education: Backwards or Forwards?

This article discusses findings from a small-scale, exploratory study into teaching methods used by UK university adult and continuing education tutors and into how these methods were perceived and experienced by a sample of students. The initial aim was to uncover trends in usage of experiential methods, but both students and tutors were more concerned about pigeonholing different teaching and learning methods, with labels such as "experiential" and "interactive. " Not many tutors used role-play, simulation, and games on a regular basis. The types of materials frequently discussed in the pages of Simulation & Gaming were conspicuous by their absence. A number of reasons were given for this, including the expectations and preferences of adult students. This became the focus of the second part of the research, which found that more traditional methods, especially lectures, predominated, with only a few respondents having experience of any others. There were some negative opinions and perceptions of more experiential methods, even among those who had never experienced them, as well as some confusion in the minds of the students. Students preferred what is described here as the "interactive lecture," where they can participate within the framework of what remains a tutor-led learning situation.

show abstract

scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

Contact Info

customersupport@researchsolutions.com

10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614

Henderson, NV 89052, USA

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Blog Terms and Conditions API Terms Privacy Policy Contact Cookie Preferences Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Made with 💙 for researchers

Part of the Research Solutions Family.

University Adult Education: Backwards or Forwards?

Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

‘Mythmaking and Mortmain’: The Uses of Adult Education History?

‘Mythmaking and Mortmain’: The Uses of Adult Education History?

Strangers in a Strange Land: Participation and Withdrawals on University Certificates

Straws in the Wind: Some Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Simulation and Gaming in the United Kingdom

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About