Towards an adult learner model in an online learning environment

Abstract

Online learning environments are in a continuous and rapid evolution. Multiple approaches are used to model these environments, but only a few of them deal with adult education, which is becoming more and more important, as adult learners are increasingly interested in online education. In fact, learner models-, which are the foundation of adaptive learning systems-that exist nowadays, are limited to modeling only a few learner's characteristics such as learner's knowledge and competencies, but they neglect other parameters that are as important for the adult learner. This paper aims to identify adult learners' different characteristics, and to define a taxonomy that can aid the design of a model that incorporate the adult learner in an adaptive learning environment.