Consequently, adult learners are pursuing a college education to start a new career, upgrade existing skills, and meet new challenges on a personal and vocational level. Community college educators must redesign curriculum to meet these demands. For example, like all learners, adults need respect particularly for the wealth of learning experience they already bring to the classroom. They are self-directed in their learning and most want to be active participants in lessons, projects, and activities. They are goal-directed and hence pursue an education as a means to an end.
Adult learners look for relevancy in the subject matter.
The course information must be relevant to their work-setting or life responsibilities and be of value to them. Adults are also practical and focus on aspects of a lesson most useful to them in their work. Instructors should not take for granted that adult learners are interested in knowledge for its own sake and therefore must assure learners that the information will be useful to them. Instructors and educators must also recognize that adult learners bring with them life experience and knowledge from their personal and work-related environments. They have already learned much and this learning experience base needs to be recognized through such avenues as independent study and credit for prior learning.