Understanding the Adult Learner

UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK | FALL 2023 (September 6 - December 7)
This is a fully asynchronous online course delivered in Brightspace (D2L)

Dear student, the purpose and importance of our online syllabus is to establish a first impression of the course, the plan of action, any expectations, and me, your humble professor, Kendra Haines.  Deeper information on the course will be available in our Brightspace D2L course (set to open September 5, 2023). Let's do this. 

What is ADED 3024?

ADED 3024  explores what it means to be an adult learner. Throughout the next 13 weeks we will be answering 12 foundational questions that help us, as adult educators - and adult learners - to better understand the learners we encounter in our classes, workshops, workplace traning, and other learning environments -- and ourselves as learners. 


Meet Your Instructor

Hi, I'm Kendra (She/Her) and I will be your facilitator (although I much prefer tour guide) for ED 3024 Understanding the Adult Learner. I am here to not only guide you along your journey in understanding who the adult learner is, but also to help you discover who you are as an adult learner.

I have been facilitating courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels at UNB since 2017 for the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Management and have spent the last 20 years in some form of educational setting either as a K-12 Teacher, a Post Secondary Instructor, an Adult Educator, an Instructional Designer, or as an Educational Technologist. 

How this Course Works

  • This is a 13 Week, fully online, asynchronous, instructor-paced course that begins September 6, 2023.
  • This class does not meet on Zoom or Teams. Your learning will be conducted asynchronously (which means not live) in Brightspace.
  • There is no required textbook. All of your required readings will be available through the Harriet Irving Library Course Reserves and linked in Brightspace.
  • You will learn in a community with your peers. This is not a self-paced course. You will interact with your peers throughout each of our weekly modules. Content is paced by the instructor. You are welcome to read ahead, but you will not have early access to our learning activities.
  • This class is organized into one-week block modules that open each Monday morning (minus our first block module). 
  • Each module contains readings and videos, a study guide, and collaborative activities including disucssion forums.

Our Pact

We are a Community of Learners, You and I, and for the educational process to be most effective for all of us, together, it is essential for each member of this learning community to understand our roles and expectations for success. Please take a moment to read the following commitments that all of us should be prepared to honor during our time together in this course.

What you can expect from me

  • I will treat you with dignity and respect and be flexible to support your individual needs.
  • I will provide you with a clear, organized online course that is designed to ensure you meet our course outcomes in a meaningful manner.
  • I will provide a variety of learning activities to ensure your learning needs are met.
  • I will provide a supportive, safe and brave environment for you to share and discuss ideas with me and your peers.
  • I will reach out to you when I sense that you need support.
  • I won't be perfect. I am human and will make mistakes at times. I will view mistakes as an opportunity to learn and grow.
  • I will bring my heart and soul every week for you.
  • I will trust you.

What I will expect from you

  • You will treat me and your peers with dignity respect and say thank you when your need has been met.
  • You will strive to be an active participant in this course and aim to meet due dates.
  • You will maintain an open line of communication with me so I understand how to support you.
  • You will contact me if you have a concern with meeting a due date and submit an extension request
  • You will strive to regularly contribute to collaborative activities to ensure other members of our class have ample opportunity to read/listen, reflect, and respond to your ideas.
  • You will do your best to have patience with technology. There will be hiccups, expect them. We will get through them together.
  • You will give yourself grace. Expect to make mistakes. You are human and mistakes are part of learning and growing.
  • You will breathe and remember that learning is a process that I am part of.  It's a partnership.

Contact Information for Kendra

Email Address: Khaines@unb.ca (I will respond within 24 hours M-F; emails sent after 15:00 AST on Friday may have a longer response period).

Brightspace/D2L: Course questions (general) can be posted in the Questions Forum. If it is a time sensitive question also email me. 

MS Teams: I am not often on Teams nor do I monitor the chat messaging feature in Teams. Please avoid sending messages through Teams, as I may not see them in a timely manner.