Andragogy and Microlearning in Professional Continuing Education

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153

Learning Activities; Learning Modules; Electronic Learning; Andragogy; College Faculty; Professional Continuing Education; Teacher Attitudes; Asynchronous Communication; Program Effectiveness; Relevance (Education); Barriers

979-83-8233-247-5

Organizations are dynamic, and employees must pursue continuing education to remain current on the most recent innovations, technological advances, and competencies in their respective career fields. However, employees often experience obstacles in completing continuing education, resulting in a lack of course material acquisition and, ultimately, unsuccessful course completion. This qualitative case study explored how microlearning supports reducing cognitive load, student acquisition of course material, and completion of continuing education courses. Knowles' (1973) Adult Learning Theory, often known as andragogy, and Knowles' (1975) Self-Directed Learning Theory analyzed practice gaps discovered in the literature concerning instructors' experiences implementing microlearning into their learning environments. Practice gaps in the literature focused on additional research concerning faculty instructor perceptions of factors contributing to student efficacy and motivation. Out of sixteen semi-structured interviews, three themes surfaced: (1) the Relevancy and Effectiveness of Asynchronous PCE Courses, (2) whether Implementation of Microlearning is Beneficial to Continuing Education, and (3) Obstacles Affecting Student Efficacy and Course Completion. Implications to practice that could enhance the services provided by practitioners and be advantageous to higher education and continuing education leaders and professionals emerged. The recommendation of this study is to include the implementation of microlearning into asynchronous continuing education courses. This study provides insight for future students and instructors in all organizations with helpful advice to manage their continuing education requirements and inform the development of influential microlearning events for continuing education courses. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

As Provided

2024

ED654235