nulsa's adult learning theory malcolm nols's adult learning theory or andragogy emphasizes that adults are self-directed and expect to take responsibility for decisions in other words andragogy is the concept or study of how adults learn and how it differs from children it aims to show how adult learning is distinct and identify the learning styles which suit them best in what follows i will briefly sketch the six key assumption of nulse's adult learning theory first the need to know the first assumption states that adults need to know why they need to learn something before undertaking to learn it by explaining the purpose of the assignment and the learning outcome of the assignment prior to assigning the task the instructor can increase the chance that the adult learner will be motivated to attempt the task faculty members may choose to explain or provide an outline of the learning expectations prior to beginning class or lecture and this would be one method to implement the essential assumption in a classroom environment as already intimated adult students are more inclined to be motivated when they understand what they are expected to learn second the learner's self-concept the second assumption states that adults have a self-concept of being responsible for their own decisions for their own lives according to nada dabber of george mason university the learner's self-concept is a key predictor for success and students who have an internal locus of control tend to be more successful especially in the online learning environment for this reason the instructor must be willing to give up control of the course to allow the learners to be empowered to work on the course content together with the instructor as an equal hence the instructor may consider accessing and incorporating an adult's life experiences into class activities since adult experiences are a valuable resource faculty members and students may also work together to design instructional materials that are acceptable to both parties to address the learner's needs activities to support and encourage learners in this area should be activities that are collaborative in nature indeed adults need to be viewed as being capable and collaborative activities should provide the opportunity for adults to demonstrate their capabilities it is also important to note that in the second assumption of nulse's adult learning theory students are encouraged to participate actively in group projects and collaborative activities third the learner's prior experiences according to knowles the third andragogical assumption states that adults have different life experiences from children thereby creating a more heterogeneous group of learners thus encouraging learners to connect their learning to life experiences can help the learner gain a better understanding of the learning material for this reason the course content must be structured in a way that fosters sharing of experiences among learners such as using group projects and interactive discussions course content should be flexible in that it can evolve rather than follow a specific script null suggests that instructors who would like to implement this assumption course need to ask the students their opinion regarding the activities they would like to participate in to improve their learning experience activities may be collaborative in nature which allows for student interaction and conversations that may lead to mastery of course material this is so because students who actively participate and contribute to their learning will be more engaged and motivated to learn and thus be more successful hence instructors according to knowles should create a learning environment that is encouraging and conducive to learners sharing their personal experiences ideas and opinions a useful activity for sharing past experiences involves reflections from a journal short writing exercises to share and reflect on learners knowledge of a particular topic which may include their past experiences can also be used as an effective assessment tool fourth the learner's readiness to learn the fourth assumption of andragogy is the adult learner's readiness to learn which according to nulls means aligning learning with developmental concepts here the needs of the learner must be addressed quickly to ensure the success of learners chris watkins a reader in education at the university of london institute of education suggests asking the adult learners about specific experiences with topics related to the course content and about expectations for the course for example an instructor could post a discussion question to the class and the students would then be required to respond to the discussion question and to the posts made by their peers by using an asynchronous environment the instructor may use discussion questions to encourage student engagement with their peers it is important to note that in an asynchronous environment the students have time to reflect on the posts of others and organize their thoughts before they respond the answers the students provide can help an instructor get a better understanding of the learner's readiness to learn the course content and it would allow the students to get a better understanding of what they are about to learn fifth the learner's orientation to learning the fifth assumption in nulsa's adult learning theory is that adult learners are motivated to learn when given authentic learning activities and as such the curriculum should be process based versus content based to allow learners to develop content in accordance with their specific needs it is critical to the success of learners that instructors provide adults with activities that capture their attention and keep them engaged it is important to note that authentic learning activities provide meaning beyond the learning environment examples of authentic activities include case studies team problem-solving activities and conducting interviews faculty members may consider focusing on creating task-based activities according to knowles task based activities can be used to help learners get a sense of how to apply practice to their lives sixth the learner's motivation the sixth assumption in nulsa's adult learning theory is that adult learners are intrinsically motivated to learn for this reason according to knowles instructors can support the student's intrinsic motivation to learn by providing a learning environment that engages the students and encourages them to be active participants to create a positive learning environment for adults as null suggests instructors must be aware of the need of learners to be appreciated valued and respected using games for example or simulating a radio talk show to include guests or using multimedia when appropriate all have been used successfully to enhance student motivation now as we can see implementing the learning assumptions outlined above is invaluable in shaping the learning process to be more conducive to adults and according to knowles they should be used as a guide for developing the adult learning environment in fact andragogy is a set of assumptions that can apply to all adult learning situations as nulls argues to include an online environment on a last note a benefit in applying and dragging includes the ability to adapt the assumptions to fit the needs of individual learners and to the learning situation