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Day 4 / 60Week 1 · Introduction to Instructional DesignLesson

Adult learning

Learning goal

Apply adult learning principles to design decisions instead of quoting them.

Estimated time

25 minutes · self-paced

Warm-up

What made the last thing you learned voluntarily stick?

Main lesson

Andragogy in practice

Knowles' principles matter only when they change a design decision. Translate each principle into an action.

  • Adults need relevance → open with the job problem, not the agenda
  • Adults bring experience → ask before you tell
  • Adults are self-directed → offer choice and paths
  • Adults are problem-centred → structure around tasks, not topics

Motivation is contextual

An adult who ignores training at 4pm on Friday may devour a job aid at 9am on Monday when the task is live. Timing is design.

Respect the learner's time

example

Every extra minute must earn its place. Cutting content is a design skill.

Examples from practice

  • A 'benefits enrolment' module reframed as 'choose your plan in 10 minutes'.

Interactive quiz

Which opening best reflects adult learning principles?

Reflection

Where do you personally resist learning, and what would change that?

Daily challenge

Rewrite one boring course intro so it opens with a real problem.

Portfolio task

Add the rewritten intro to a 'Before / After' page in your portfolio.

AI design tools

Ten assistants for this lesson

AI Mentor

Instructional design questions only

Hi! I'm your ID Mentor. Ask me anything about adult learning — or instructional design in general.