5 Adult Learning Principles for Corporate Training

Adults learn differently compared to children – we hear this often. But why is this and how does it affect the efficacy of your corporate training efforts is the question. While children absorb everything as a new learning experience, adults are usually looking for solutions to their immediate challenges. Children are driven by curiosity, adults by utility. While children need monitoring, adults don’t like being micromanaged – even in training.

While browsing and learning about our areas of interest is fine, think of training – the first thing we want to know is ‘Why should I attend?’, ‘Why have I been enrolled to this track?’, ‘How is this training relevant for my role?’. We look for the relevance of training programs to our jobs, and acceptance is driven by that.

Unless these concerns are addressed, getting learner buy-in will be very difficult and once learners take a course, it’s essential to ensure it offers solutions to their problems. So it’s all about striking a dual balance.

Don’t miss this guide that covers the elements of effective learning.

For corporate training – and eLearning – to be effective, courses need to address how adults learn. These adult learning principles should be addressed to ensure eLearning courses don’t miss out on learner engagement, cover the essential need-to-know information, offer scope for practice, and more.

That’s why corporate training emphasizes on:

• Including performance-based learning objectives
• Designing interactivities and assessments
• Unrestricting course navigation
• Providing scope for application
• Including new-age learning strategies
• Rewarding successful completion

If you are still wondering why, each of these elements addresses one specific prerequisite of adult learning. For more insights, check this SlideShare which expands the 5 adult learning principles and how they can be addressed through eLearning.