Why and How Adult

Learners Use the

Internet?

Krishna K. Bista
PSE 6660: Trends and Issues in Adult Education
Dr. Barry S. Davidson
June 26, 2008
Issues:
• Adults programs through
computer and Internet
• How adults use the Internet
• Statistics of adult Internet
users
• Barriers to use the Internet
for adults
• Adult role model
Why Internet to Adult Learners?
• bridge the gap between the learners &
instructors
• create plenty of learning opportunities
• reduce cost & time of learners
• Help academic & non-academic activities
• plan staff development
 Adult programs through
Computers & Internet

• Academic adult programs, e.g. degree

programs
• vocational and skill-based programs, e.g.
health and food & diet
• Internet-based software programs, e.g.
drill, quiz
• e-programs, e.g. e-shopping, e-
conference
 Adults Students Using the Internet
• Three types of adult users: highly experienced, moderate
& new
• As Rosen (2006) 70% adults were currently using the
Internet and 55%nas "experienced users"; 45% as "new
Internet users"
• As Hooten & Davidson (2007) wrote 6.5 % of students
had taken less than 5 courses on-line, 26.1 % had taken
between 6 to 10 courses on-line, 19.6 % fell between 11
and 15, 23. 9 % had taken between 16 and 20, and
21.7% had taken more than 20 online courses in a total
of 36 e-campus participants.
• As Tallent-Runnels et al. (2006), 90% of all higher
education students were taking at least one online
course in 2006.
 Demographics of Internet Users
(Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, October 24 – December 2, 2007 , N=2,054 adults, USA

Total Adults 75%

Women 74
Men 76
Age
18-29 92%
30-49 85
50-64 72
65+ 37
Race/ethnicity
White, Non-Hispanic 76%
Black, Non-Hispanic 56
English-speaking Hispanic 79
Geography
Urban 77%
Suburban 77
Rural 64
Household income
Less than $30,000/yr 61%
$30,000-$49,999 78
$50,000-$74,999 90
$75,000 + 93
Educational attainment
Less than High School 38%
High School 67
Some College 84
 Access to the Internet

• A large number of adult students still do not

have easy access to the Internet.
• In technically less advanced countries, for
instance, Nepal, Bhutan, India and Bagaladesh,
only 0.25 % of total population has access to the
Internet
• The majority of adult students simply rely on
school’s internet for their academic and personal
use.
• public libraries, offices, cyber café, home
 How Adults Use the Internet
• By using quick search engines like
www.google.com, www.yahoo.com,
www.gale.com, www.ipl.com
• By locating useful sites e.g.
www.dashmovie.com, www.youtube.com
• Browsing for news, history & geogrpahy (
www.nytimes.com), (www.worldtravel.com) ,
• Using Internet Catalog, learning software sites (
www.englishforliving.com) , (www.e-books.com),
(www.tesl.org),
Health-related Information Sought
by Adult Online Users (Source: American Internet User Survey, 97)
US Internet Users
 Barriers in using the Internet
• Problems of getting access;
• having the system crash for a variety of
reasons;
• difficulty in figuring out how to navigate
online;
• problems with online and hardcopy
instructions;
• selecting out-of-date information; and
• reading on-screen (Hannum, 2008).
 Getting Online
• Time consuming and slow connection
• Lack of basic technical skills
• Typing skills, website scanning and
skimming,
• managing incoming and outgoing emails
 Figuring out How to Use the
Internet
• Generally adult learners in informal and
life-skill learning need instructions on how
to use the Internet.
• Lacking precise surfing the Internet: on-
line video telephone, information by voice
instead of by text; graphical ways to
navigate; and language translators.
 Reading and Other Problems
• Difficulty in on-screen reading or in proper
listening
• Problems in operation unlike a telephone.
• Lack of good typing skills
• Cost time and money
• Computer viruses & old un-updated
information
• availability of offensive materials
adult learner role model
• Phyllis Turner,94, became the
world’s oldest recipient of a
master’s degree in Medical
Science at the University of
Adelaide in South Australia.
She was enrolled at university
at the age of 70 - more than
half a century after leaving
school when she was 12.
• Ninty four-year-old Phyllis Turner (C) poses with her supervisors, Professor Colin
Groves (L) and Professor Maciej Henneberg (R)
Bloom’s Taxonomy
 Conclusion
• There is an increasing popularity of using the Internet
among adult literacy/basic education students. Many of
them are interested in using the Internet for a wide range
of purposes: for learning (e.g. to improve reading and
writing skills, or take a course;) to access a wide variety of
information (e.g. information about the weather,
geography, history, health, travel, other cultures, and
American news), for classes at school (e.g. lesson plans,
reading materials, teaching aids); for shopping; to
communicate with friends, family members; and for
entertainment.
• Online education has created a major shift in how
educators and students think about teaching and learning
by allowing students to learn in more convenient
locations, time and cost. Internet based education has
opened educational opportunity to previously unreached
adult populations in learning arena though adults face
several problem in using the Internet.
User and the Internet
References:

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Hannum, W. W. (2008, May-June). Enhancing distance learning for today’s youth with learner-
centered principles. Educational Technology. 48 (3), 11-21.
Hooten, M. A. & Davidson, B. S. (2007). Distance learning in higher education: Innovative
techniques for online course. National Forum of Education Administration and
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Pradhan, K. (2007, June). A survey report: Internet user in south Asia. The Himalsouth Asia
Times. 12 (2), 13-14.
Rosen, D. J. (2006 May). Adult learners and Internet. Educational Technology. 24 (4), 34-43.
Retrieved on June 12, 2008 from www.nifl.gov/pipermail/technology/2006/000313.html
Tallent-Runnels, M. K., & et al., (2006). Teaching courses online: A review of the research.
Review of Educational Research, 76 (1) 93-136.
Thank you