Adult Learning in the Digital Age: Information Technology and the Learning Society

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Jake Seaton is a big arts and entertainment fan.

He lives and breathes for music, movies, and anything Hollywood. He can tell you about film and music history and can quote even the most obscure lines from zombie movies his favorite. He also is up-to-date on the latest in computer and console gaming. He chose a multidisciplinary degree in music journalism and has taken distance-education courses. In high school he won a state architecture award and has taught himself to use Photoshop and InDesign.

These are representatives of the Net Generation. They all use computers in their class work and in their hobbies. They have a wide range of interests, outside their chosen area of study. They are not locked into one thing, although all are highly motivated and pursue their interests with passion. They use the latest in technology, whether cell phones, computers, PDAs, MP3 players, or digital cameras. They expect things to work properly and work fast. They get bored if not challenged properly, but when challenged, they excel in creative and innovative ways.

They learn by doing, not by reading the instruction manual or listening to lectures. These are the learners that faculty must reach. There were numerous computer labs all over campus, and professors actively used assessment tools like WebAssign and WebCT in their classes. In an experimental psychology class, I used SAS statistical software to crunch data I collected from experiments. In my technical document design class, I experienced the best use of technology in a class: This course covered the fundamental designs of technical documents: Taught in a computer lab, the class sat one student to a computer.

We learned to use Adobe Pagemaker, the most popular desktop publishing program at the time. With basic exercises from the instructor and trial-and-error assignments with broad guidelines, I learned not only how to use the program but also design fundamentals—by doing the actual design, not by reading it out of a book. This is how the Net Generation learns: Many of my peers have emerged as the leaders of my generation.

They will go on to become the leaders of our nation in many different roles—politicians, business executives, artisans, scientists, and journalists. Much like how we learn by doing, we lead by doing; that is, by practicing the art and science of our chosen paths. Generational differences in learning techniques are apparent in how people of different ages approach technology.

It has been said that we, the Net Generation, are closer to our grandparents—the Greatest Generation—in our work ethic and optimism about the future than to our parents' generation. But how we approach problems is totally different. My grandfather is a tinkerer—he figures out how things work by trial and error. He is very mechanically inclined and has spent his life working on many kinds of machinery. But when it comes to computers, he approaches it one thing at a time, step by step.

Every time I come home from college, he has a new problem for me to fix on his computer. He will fiddle and fiddle with a program until he is befuddled. Usually it is because he missed a step somewhere. If I show him and write down steps, he takes the information I've given him and works it out for himself. Even though the computer's parts are more complex than a carburetor or gear drives, the skills my grandfather used to put it together came from decades of tinkering with machines. He still uses a step-by-step thinking process used in mechanical arts to figure out software and basic functions like e-mail and Internet browsing.

Similarly, Patrick sits down with a new piece of design software and tinkers with its features. He has fundamental knowledge about how certain software should work. By tinkering, he can figure out shortcuts and pick up the gist of the program quickly. Even though Patrick uses step-by-step problem-solving skills, he also is pulling information from his own memory, experience, and base knowledge to master the new program.

Patrick has had almost two decades of experience working with computers—almost to the point that it is second nature.

Information Technology and the Learning Society

My grandfather, on the other hand, has only had about five years of computer experience. Because they have been wired since grade school, Net Geners are likely to grasp technological concepts faster. But the same "tinkering" practice applies in the classroom: Using technology only enhances the hands-on experience; it does not—and cannot—replace human interaction.

There's that word again. Distance education is the popular option for nontraditional learners. With many traditional industries such as manufacturing and textiles going offshore, year veterans of the workplace are being laid off and going back to school to learn a new trade. Distance education—through Internet and video courses—helps those who have to work a job and go to school at the same time better schedule their learning opportunities. These people are usually older, in their 30s or 40s, and are learning to use technology, like the Internet and computers, while training for a new career.

In theory, the Net Generation should learn better through Internet courses because they have been surrounded by computers all their lives and know how to use the technology already. Just the opposite is true. Net Geners like the social interaction that comes with being in class with their peers. While they may use technology in their daily lives, relationships are a driving force in the learning process. Jake Seaton, as a part of his multidisciplinary degree, took a video course through distance education—and didn't like it. I would go to my other classes and then come home and have another class to watch on TV," he said.

At the end of the day, I wanted to be done, not have to work at a class at home. This is typical among Net Geners: Feedback from the professor is vital, and working in groups is the norm. I don't believe technology has reached a point where we can duplicate that effectively on a computer," Assa said. It means that it should simply augment what is already there," Assa continued. It was a very effective tool for helping introverts who don't talk in class to join the discussion. Net Geners cannot remember a time in their education where a computer was not used for some learning experience.

Adult learning in the digital age: information technology and the learning society;

Because of this "tech-savviness," traditional educational practices and ethics are coming into question. Cheating, for example, always a major academic infraction, is on the rise on college campuses—and technology is helping with cheating. Talk to students and any one of them will tell you that cheating is prevalent and part of the culture, especially in technical disciplines.

That is, if you use the strict definition of cheating. Since a faculty member cannot directly supervise students and only the answers are recorded in WebAssign, not how the student came up with them, students often work together on their assignments. But students must submit their own answers. In computer engineering, students must write a program and submit it as a part of learning different coding languages.

Patrick says these programs are worked over with a fine-tooth comb. Plagiarism is the academic infraction of choice. How can it not be, though? Information is easily available from the Internet, especially from sites like Wikipedia. Old term papers are being sold online. But students still get caught because faculty members can search for familiar phrases or quotes to root out plagiarism.

Cheating is on the rise in universities. Is it because students aren't learning the material? Or is it because their learning and work ethic are so different from their professors that working together to solve a problem is no longer that serious an infraction? Remember that teamwork has been emphasized to Net Geners since the first day of kindergarten.

Businesses are also looking for graduates who can work effectively in teams. Based on the very social nature of Net Geners and the tremendous amount of information available to students these days at the touch of a button, the traditional definition of cheating is changing. How faculty assess students is changing as well.

Faculty still give written exams in English, it is still a certainty , but they must be ever more vigilant to catch the cheating student. Cell phones and text messaging have allowed students to text back and forth between each other, conferring through the airwaves on exam questions. Because of emerging technologies, faculty are having to adapt their classes and how they assess students in order to uphold academic integrity. So what do Net Geners want from learning technology? Interactivity—whether it is with a computer, a professor, or a classmate.

They want it; they crave it. Traditional lectures are not fulfilling the learning potential of typical students today. Distance education and online courses don't work well with Net Geners—the social component of learning is required. As technology in the classroom progresses, more and more students are going to demand it be included.

This will pose challenges, though. First, technology costs money.

Growing Up with Technology

What else is new? Faculty members can receive grants for using technology in the classroom and developing new learning technologies. This is fine on the department level, but for a university to implement learning technology on a massive scale will take an act of Congress. State legislatures are listening and meeting the basic technological needs for public universities. But it takes bond referendums for state-of-the-art classrooms in order to implement technology on a university level.

And bonds are paid by the taxpayers because the referendums are voted upon by the taxpayers. No vote, no bonds. So it goes, I suppose. Second, students need to be able to use the technology. If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice.

Adult Learning in the Digital Age, Information Technology and the Learning Society

Simply select your manager software from the list below and click on download. Using a nationally representative British survey, this article explores the extent to which adults are using the internet for learning activities because they choose to digital choice or because of involuntary digital exclusion.

Key findings suggest that reasons for dis engagement with the internet or the uptake of different kinds of online learning opportunities are somewhat varied for different groups, but that both digital choice and exclusion play a role. Thus, it is important for policy initiatives to better understand these groups and treat them differently. Furthermore, the more informal the learning activity, the more factors that play a significant role in explaining uptake.

Skip to main content. Vol 13, Issue 4, pp. Download Citation If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Via Email All fields are required. Send me a copy Cancel. Request Permissions View permissions information for this article. University of Oxford, UK, rebecca. Article first published online: December 6, ; Issue published: Keywords adult learning , digital choice , digital exclusion , e-learning , informal learning , internet use , lifelong learning.

Remember me Forgotten your password? Subscribe to this journal. Vol 13, Issue 4, Digital inclusion in later life: Tips on citation download. Getting behind the hype. Issues and Approaches in International Research. Routledge Falmer , 91 - Google Scholar , Crossref. People, Places, and Pursuits. Committee on Learning Science in Informal Environments. The digital divide and internet uses and gratifications. IT and Society 1 4: Journal of Computing and Information Technology 12 4: Cody MJ , Dunn D.

Training and evaluating internet use among older adult learners. Communication Education 48 4: Designing ICT for informal and community learning.

A Renaissance for a New Britain. Annual Review of Sociology 27 1: Shaping the Way Ahead. The Internet in Britain. Eastin MS Internet self-efficacy and the psychology of the digital divide.

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