As a designer of online courses, your fundamental objective is to create quality learning experiences. Whether you are working in higher learning, corporate training, government, instructional design, or you are self-employed, you need to make sure the courses you develop are meaningful, relevant and engaging. To achieve this aim, it is essential for you to understand the characteristics of adult learners as well their preferred learning styles. Module 1 introduces you to these foundational elements so you can begin to strengthen your ability to apply them in your own professional context. In addition to discovering how adult learning styles and characteristics are necessary for creating a robust online course, you will be introduced to your first learning theory. 

An examination of adult learning theories will expose you to different perspectives on how to support the planning, development, and delivery stages of your course. This module also introduces you to the principles of adult learning and theory, with a special focus on andragogy - the art and science of adult learning. Designing online learning experiences grounded in adult learning theory will help you optimize learning outcomes and make better design choices that are tailored to diverse adult learners.