Observation & Interview

Observation
I observe Adam on Zoom over the course of several hours.  During this time he watches all three lectures, makes notes on a nearby scrap paper, and occasionally checks a keyword in a lecture against the definition in the slides.

Adam fidgets for most of the lecture. He listens to it in 2x speed and uses the Youtube playhead to frequently scrub ahead and see what is coming. Very occasionally, he skips sections altogether.  As a learner, he is passive with the exception of sporadic note-taking. When asked, Adam reports that this is specifically based on the emergence of a keyword in the lecture. Because he is aware of the upcoming assessment in the discussion forum, he knows what to pay special attention to.  Otherwise, Adam’s physical presence while learning can best be described as a bit trapped.  He is seated and attentive, but it seems his body would prefer to be elsewhere.

When the lectures are completed, Adam switches his tab to the discussion board. He begins typing and approximately 50 minutes later, has completed two of the three questions. 

Throughout this process, he is much more physically engaged. He leans into his screen, sighs, and curses in exasperation over his typing.  His writing approach involves frequent drafting and erasure of sentences. He stops and starts and likely feels the weight of my silent observation. This portion seems to challenge Adam. A great deal of uncertainty characterizes his writing process. 

For our purposes, I note that the content of what he is writing does not always seem to be the subject of scrutiny, but rather how he is communicating it. While I did not want to disturb the process, his drafting suggested the idea has gestated long before its final iteration in the submission box.  If you had stopped him, it seems likely that he would comfortably verbally articulated what he was going for. In this way, his learning process involves a somewhat brief absorption of content, and far longer assimilation and reproduction of said content.

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Interview 

After observing Adam for some time, I switch to a more active position. In our interview (again, over Zoom) I attempt to assess how he is feeling about his course.  Because the course is an elective and not related to his Biochemistry coursework, I am curious to learn how that affects his motivation.

He cites his biggest challenge around this course as “finding the gumption to do it when it doesn't really relate.” He does see the value, however, and calls out the course's ability to “opens your eyes to a more worldly view than you’re used to” (Personal communication, June 20, 2021).

“It doesn't really relate to my degree,” he tells me, “it’s more like a life course. Expanding your broader knowledge.”

While the day-to-day may be tedious, Adam’s perspective as an older learner seems to allow him to recognize the course’s value in his overall development. In his words, it allows him to “see how things work outside of our little bubble in America.”

While he identifies the discussion environment as “sterile” and repetitive (“it's just everyone doing their three posts and it all kind of ends up being the same”) he also notes that he can see the value add of viewing other people’s perspective.

“Even if when you're doing it doesn't feel that important, you do end up digesting a lot of different things because you’re reading everyone else’s aspect on it.”

I am also curious if a lack of specific feedback affects his motivation. He laughs. “Yeah, I markedly put less and less into each one of them.”

And yet, as mentioned, Adam received a 92% for his assignment. His overall grade is great, and he is on pace with his syllabus.  In the face of potentially detached and repetitive learning, he has shown up and manage to excel. I want to learn more about what creates this effect.  I start with how he views himself as a student.

“I am away more equipped student now than I was in High School that's for sure. The biggest things being doing my homework (well and on time), the organization of the work I am doing, and when I need to do it. I've also become more able to reach out and ask for help if I need it…The student I am now and the one I was in my late teens might as well be two totally different people.”

His ability to streamline, prioritize and locate his work into the larger picture of his learning is clearly a contributor to his success. These cultivated aspects are notable in the mature learner. I suspect he also has a fair degree of intrinsic motivation at play as well.

“What keeps me motivated sometimes is as simple as ‘Well I'm this far in I can't fudge it all up now.’ More big picture, I have goals, hopes, and dreams for my future that probably wouldn't be possible with the number of money people in the roles I was working in make. Sometimes it's as simple as not wanting to let my Mom down.” He laughs.

Later, he reflects on his reason for returning to school again. “I've always had that little dream of being a scientist…I would never be able to accomplish that without the proper schooling. I didn't like the idea of leaving it unfinished.”

Adam’s return to school is a decision that created friction in his life. His income, current career, personal life, and health are all the subjects of some neglect while he studies.  And yet, it’s the goals mentioned above that allow Adam to preserve. Gifted with the proper motivation and maturity, he makes the challenge look easy. 

In many ways, he’s the perfect example of a learner’s ability to progress when equipped with the right foundational tools and energy.

Scroll on for an excerpt of our conversation.