In seeking to bring numerous factors together in online learning, Andragogy addressed the question of how to put the pieces together: learner, institution, and technology. He also focuses on who the learner is and that andragogy must be learned, designed to fit the learner, to incorporate technology positively (Thorpe, 1999).
Dewar (1999) articulated what she deems to be the important principles of andragogy / adult learning for consideration when facilitating adult learning online. Increasing and maintaining ones’ sense of self-esteem and pleasure are strong secondary motivators for engaging in learning experiences. New knowledge has to be integrated with previous knowledge, which means active learner participation. Adult learning must be problem and experience centered. Effective adult learning entails an active search for meaning in which new tasks are somehow related to earlier activities. A certain degree of arousal is necessary for learning to occur. Stress acts as a major block to learning. Collaborative modes of teaching and learning enhance the self-concepts of those involved and result in more meaningful and effective learning. Adults generally learn best in an atmosphere that is nonthreatening and supportive of experimentation and in which different learning styles are recognized. Adults experience anxiety and ambivalence in their orientation to learning. Adult learning is facilitated when: (a) the learner’s representation and interpretation of their own experiences are accepted as valid, acknowledged as an essential aspect influencing change, and respected as a potential resource for learning; (b) the teacher can give up some control over teaching processes and planning activities and can share these with learners; (c) teaching activities do not demand finalized, correct answers, and closure; (d) teaching activities express a tolerance for uncertainty, inconsistency, and diversity; and, (e) teaching activities promote both question-asking and question-answering and problem-finding and problem-solving. Adult skill learning is facilitated when individual learners can assess their own skills and strategies to discover inadequacies or limitations for themselves.
Osborn (1999) declared that andragogy has the potential to play an important role in distance learning. However, she found that students need to be coached in the principles of the approach so they understand the teacher’s expectations. Most students have been trained to rely on their teachers for leadership. Some need to be shown how to take responsibility for their own learning and become self-directing.