RUNNING HEAD: Learning Strategies 1

Developing Strategies to Increase Learning Retention in an Adult Audience

Amber Barks
Robert Page
Ben Watkins
Hayley Williams
Colorado State University




















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Abstract
Seeking methods and best practices to increase learning retention in an adult
audience has long been a dynamic process. There are many theories and variables that
must be discussed to get the most bang for your buck, not the least of which may
include: selection of objectives, techniques and best instruction practices, program
selection/structure, and knowledge of the audience. In the face of the myriad of hurdles
that block the genesis of effective program creation, several key factors come to light that
may be more essential in creating meaningful programming for both the instructor and
the participant. In the following pages, we will explore the avenues that might be taken to
increase the effectiveness of programming as well as the touch on the subtle nuances that
are required in order to make such programming memorable.











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Developing Strategies to Increase Learning Retention in an Adult Audience
"Race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ability, age, and other elements of
human difference all influence who adult learners are and the learning activities in which
they engage." (Hansman and Mott, p. 13) Owing to this, educators and adult instructors
must seek to use innovative and exploratory designs in order to reach the largest possible
audience and impart the greatest impact on program participants. In order to achieve this,
special attention must be paid to learning strategies and the retention goals that are
inherent with those objectives. "Goals are usually divided into learning objectives, which
are statements which specify what is to be learned. There are three types of learning
objectives: behavioral, content and problem centered" (Dean, p. 105). Making sure our
objectives fall into one of these three categories ensures an increase in learning retention
and has the opportunity for students to explore multiple examples, reflect on their
learning throughout the program and repeat objectives through different lenses.
One of the keys to success in adult learning programs is to present less new
information. So often, too much information is being presented and the information that
is presented is not given in a clear or concise manor. When information is not broken
down into clear manageable objectives or the learner is hazy as to what they will be
responsible for knowing at the end of the program, they are unable to process the material
given to them.
In order to promote the idea that less is more, we need to limit content objectives.
The IDEA Center, a non-profit which provides feedback services for higher education,
suggests using only three to five objectives. This also falls into line with our traditional
modalities of learning where we chunk things, like phone numbers, in groups of three. I
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remember my mother telling me things in groups of three, "wash your hands, be home for
dinner and put your bike away". Threes and fives constitute a reasonable number for
amount of information that humans can recall with limited effort. Limiting objectives in
this way (to threes and fives) takes advantage of our natural recall instead of retarding
program participants by requiring them to remember large quantities of information and
the relative importances associated. Allowing students to determine what they deem
essential rather than the program dictating the essential objectives could be a new model,
and an effective one.
It is a well known fact that todays adult learner can have a wide variety of
learning styles. From the old negativism, You cant teach an old dog new tricks to the
Super Learner described by Malcolm Knowles in 1984. The disparity between these
views is important for two pragmatic reasons. First, belief affects action. What we believe
in or have heard, or have been told is the way we approach the education of adults.
Second, learning is of increasing importance to adults (Long, 1987). The truth about these
learners is somewhere in between the old adage and the super learner theory. As
educators, we must strive to find that balance and prepare learning sessions that are
effective and have a high rate of retention to increase learner satisfaction.
Knowles describes the adult learner as being self directed, as deriving positive
benefits from experience with a great readiness to learn, voluntarily entering an
educational activity with a life centered, task centered or problem centered orientation to
learning (Galbraith 2004). Keeping these principles in mind, the following strategies can
be used to increase learner retention of the knowledge gained in the education experience.
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First, The teacher should develop and deliver a flexible curriculum. Developing
and delivering a flexible curriculum was a central focus for many projects as a means to
increase access to, and opportunities to engage with, the curriculum for a range of diverse
student groups. A flexible curriculum is also seen as a way to support other stakeholders
such as employers. For most projects increasing flexibility through choice over where
and when to study was seen as a solution to challenges. Flexibility is also vital to support
open and responsive curricula, where feedback and conversations are shared and help to
shape future curricula (Merli, 2011). One way to achieve this is through the development
of dynamic learning maps. If the brain could, it would purchase a dynamic learning
map. A dynamic learning map provides an interactive and participative means of
navigating and engaging the curriculum. It involves the organization of resources that are
available, such as textbooks, web searches, local resources, plus the fusion or new
resources and technology such as wikis, blogs, eportfolios, web 2.0 etc. Below is a
concept of a dynamic learning map. (DLM project 2012).The focus is to empower the
learner, content managers and course directors with personalized, navigable maps that are
adaptable enough to meet curriculum changes







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In addition to dynamic learning maps, Students should have access to mentors.
Adults prefer to learn through experience and they will retain more if they have some
belief in what they are learning. An experienced mentor has this experience and can share
and relate this to the students. The student may feel more comfortable talking to a single
trusted mentor than in front of a whole class. Therefore we must facilitate the
Mentor/Protg relationship wherever possible. Results of research conducted in a
healthcare facility indicated that protgs reported higher levels of knowledge transfer
and affective commitment. On average, protgs who reported higher levels of
knowledge transfer were more likely to report higher turnover intentions. Supplemental
analyses suggest that the affective commitment fostered in a mentoring relationship may
attenuate the negative effect of knowledge transfer on retention. (Fleig-Palmer, 2009).
This means that a trusted mentor will be more successful and believable than a straight
lecture from a professor on knowledge transfer.
A third method to increase retention is to Flip the classroom. In the examples
above, the dynamic learning map stresses the need for flexibility. This method is custom
made and ripe for flipping the traditional classroom environment. Through use of
technology and screencasting, lectures and other resources are produced and posted ahead
of time, and then pooled together as a source for learning. The students navigate to that
via their dynamic learning maps. Classroom time, in a formal class, can be used for
mentoring or in some case skills learning and hands on practice through simulations or
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other experiential means. In other words, lecture time at home, discussions in class. This
open discussion of the evidence with the group can foster learning through inference,
which has been shown to increase knowledge retention (Sakamoto, Y., & Love, B. C.
2010).
Educational schools of thought have gravitated away from the traditional sense of
education to a more modern approach where students are encouraged to internalize what
they are learning and make meaning through past and present experiences. Kolb is the
most common name when it comes to relating experience with knowledge (doing and
knowing). This involves the principal, elaborative rehearsal, making connections in
learning with what we already know or have experienced to new material/information.
Instructors need to provide students opportunites for critical reflection so that they
can connect experience to their discipline. Making this possible starts during the planning
process on the part of the instructor;efforts must be made to create opportunities for
students to make these connections. Some strategies include: guiding questions,
journaling, case studies, and simulations and/or games encouraging students to connect to
their individual experiences through reflection. Lee expands on the benefits of these
strategies for increasing learning retention through student experience:
Well-chosen comparisons and analogies.. can engender minor epiphanies
on which deeper, more analytical understanding can grow. A good
questioning strategy can lead students from raw and immediate personal
experience to a broader and more sophisticated understanding. Well-
designed case studies are an effective way of linking experience and
theoryusing the case study as a lens through which to view analogous
situations they may encounter later. Journals provide a natural vehicle for
reflection on the course material in light of students' experience. Entries
can be structured or open-ended, both forms of which force students to
engage more personally and directly with the course material and to
consider its implications for themselves. Simulations and games draw
students towards and into the course material, literally forcing them to
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experience it. Debriefing such experiences critically provides the
analytical tools students will need to reflect upon their own experiences.
(p. 2003-04)
If we wish to engage students in thoughtful learning opportunities, we must set the stage
for students to make connections between their lives and subject matter. The classroom
that integrates experience into its teaching model is encouraging students to become
teachers which is a great learning tool for aiding in the retention of material (Perkins,
1993).
Learning is a network of coexisting ideas and through reflection the learner is able
to maximize deeper learning (Hinett, n.d.). When a person gains new information he or
she must take the knowledge and find where it fits. Reflection is an important part of this
learning process. It allows one to question the information presented. Furthermore,
reflection aids not only deep learning of particular subject matter but also the
development and utilization of a bank of skills (Hinett, n.d., p.3).
Students are more likely to store information in their long term memory when
given time to review the material (Henriques, 2008). There are a variety ways a facilitator
can include time for reflection into his or her teaching. Some of these reflection
techniques include asking questions, a quick write, asking students to analyze
information, allowing students to discuss the concepts that have just been covered, or by
having students identify a question that has not yet been answered by the presentation. By
using these techniques a facilitator is able to enhance the learning process.
Each of these reflection strategies force students to think about what they know
and how the new information fits into their bank of knowledge. Information that is
deemed to be important is gradually transferred from short-term memory into long-term
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memory. The more the information is repeated or used, the more likely it is to eventually
end up in long-term memory. This is why reflecting on the information is a vital step in
the learning process.
By combining these strategies we have mentioned in a streamlined manner, we
will be able to articulate our goal of increasing learner retention. This starts by limiting
our objectives through chunking in groups of three to five. Learners need to be given a
platform to make connections from their own experiences to the learning objectives.
Utilizing this format will trade the instructors reiteration of objectives for the learners
synthesis and evaluation of new knowledge. Since the goal of any program is to reach the
learner and not satisfy an instructors vanity of teaching, this model should provide a new
and competent framework for learning.












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References:

Dean. Gary, J. (2010). Designing Instruction. In M. Galbriath (Ed.), Adult Learning
Methods, A Guide for Effective Instruction (pp. 133). Malabar, FL: Kreiger
Publishing Co.

Dynamic Learning Maps Project. (2012) Newcastle University Retrieved from
https://learning-maps.ncl.ac.uk/

Fleig-Palmer, M. (2009). The impact of mentoring on retention through knowledge
transfer, affective commitment, and trust. (Order No. 3366037, The University of
Nebraska - Lincoln). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, , 139-n/a. Retrieved
from http://search.proquest.com/docview/304941283?accountid=28644.
(304941283).

Hansman, Catherine, A. & Mott, Vivian, W. (2010). Adult Learners. In C. Kasworm, A.
Rose, & J. Ross-Gordon (Ed.), Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education.
(pp. 13). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc.

Henriques, J. (2008, September 17). How can I help students retain more of what I cover
in class?. Retrieved from: https://tle.wisc.edu/solutions/increasing-student-
success/how-can-i-help-students-retain-more-what-i-cover-class

Hinett, K. (n.d.) Improving learning through reflection part one. Retrieved from:
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/resources/database/id485_improvi
ng learning_part_one.pdf

Knowles, M.S. (1984) Introduction: The Art and Science of Helping adults learn. In M.S.
Knowles and Associates, Androgony in action (pp.1-21). San Francisco: Jossey-
Bass.
Lee, V. (2003-04). Promoting learning through inquiry. Essays on Teaching Excellence
Toward the Best in the Academy, 15(2), Retrieved from
http://podnetwork.org/content/uploads/V15-N2-Lee.pdf

Long, H.B. (1987) New perspectives on the education of adults in the United States. New
York: Nichols

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Merli, C. M. (2011). Effective training for adult learners. Professional Safety, 56(7), 49-
51. Retrieved from
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Perkins, D. (1993). Teaching for understanding. The Professional Journal of the
American Federation of Teachers , 17(3), 8,28-35. Retrieved from
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ifi/resources/workshops/teachingforunderstanding.
html
Sakamoto, Y., & Love, B. C. (2010). Learning and retention through predictive inference
and classification. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 16(4), 361-377.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0021610
Lee, V. (2011). Promoting learning through inquiry. Essays on Teaching Excellence
Toward the Best in the Academy, 15(2), Retrieved from
http://podnetwork.org/content/uploads/V15-N2-Lee.pdf