Assignment 1: Defining the Learning Environment

Refer to the Overall Concept for Assignments 1-4 for guidance in describing the scenario required here.

Note:  Do not use the real name of the organization you will describe in this assignment.

Write a five to six (5-6) page paper in which you:

1. Provide an overview of the organization for which you are to develop the training.  The overview should include, at a minimum, the organization’s mission, vision, management structure, corporate culture, geographic location(s), community involvement, and experience in providing training and development activities. 

2. Specify the task(s) for which the training is being developed.  Analyze the most significant elements or steps for performing each task and examine the importance the task(s) to the organization’s overall mission.

3. Describe at least five (5) characteristics of the intended audience for the training. For example, describe the number of potential learners, type of learners, reading levels, gender, ages, culture, language(s) they use, and attitude toward learning. Evaluate the intended audience’s level of familiarity with technology overall. 

4. Assess the degree to which the members of your intended audience are self-directed in their learning overall. Suggest the manner in which their self-directedness—or lack thereof—may affect the likelihood that they would successfully compete the training.

5. Select the theoretical basis for the planned training (i.e., andragogy or one of the other theoretical models on adult learning). Provide a rationale for your selection.

6. Propose at least two (2) strategies to incorporate key aspect of the selected theoretical model into the design and delivery of the planned training.

7. Use at least five (5) reputable Websites and scholarly articles for this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

· Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA format. 

· Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

· Analyze social, economic, cultural contexts and demographics that influence who adult learners are and what they learn.

· Analyze the basic principles of selected teaching and learning theories.

· Evaluate the methods that businesses and other post-secondary education environments use to respond to adult learning needs. 

· Analyze the principles of andragogy and selected teaching and learning theories.

· Use technology and information resources to research issues, current trends, theories, and learning strategies for adult learning and development.

· Write clearly and correctly about issues in adult learning and development using proper writing mechanics.

Click here to view the grading rubric for this assignment.

Assignments Overview

This course consists of four (4) writing assignments. When completed, the combined assignments will comprise a lesson, a presentation, and a reflective element that may be used within various adult learning environments.  This is an individual activity; each student will turn in four (4) separate assignments.

Overall Concept for Assignments 1-4

For Assignments 1-3, you will assume that you are in management at an organization where your supervisor has asked you to develop a training plan for a specific constituency, such as employees, customers, clients, or the general public. 

Note: You may create and / or make all necessary assumptions needed for the completion of these assignments. In your original work, you may use aspects of existing training plans from either your current or a former place of employment, or from an organization with which you are familiar. However, in those instances, you must remove any and all identifying information that would enable someone to discern the organization(s) that you have used.

Assignment 4 is primarily a reflective piece within which you will forecast the future of adult education.

The goals of the project are four (4) fold, in which you demonstrate:

• Your      understanding of the theoretical foundations of the training, including      social, economic, demographic, technological, and environmental forces      that shape adult education
• Your      understanding of theories and recommended application strategies geared      toward fostering meaningful teaching and learning 
• Your      understanding of the roles that different perspectives, along with adult      learning theories and models, play in the contemporary quest to meet the      needs of diverse learners 
• Your      understanding of learning theories, learning practices, and the      implications for transfer in effort to deal with real life situations

Your EDU 500 professor will be your reviewer and give you feedback as you develop the parts of the manual, which are: 

• Assignment      1: Defining the Learning Environment 
• Assignment      2: Planning the Training 
• Assignment 3:      Presenting the Training Plan 
• Assignment      4: Reflection: Theories into Practice