Why Cohort-Based Learning is so Effective for Adults
In the realm of online education, a multitude of learning strategies vie for attention, each suited to different needs and times. Yet, there's one particular approach that often flies under the radar, but deserves a spotlight: cohort-based learning (CBL). This method is especially pertinent for adult learners. We, as educators, are always striving for our adult learners to become self-directed learners, and it makes sense with today’s day and age. However, it's also true that solo efforts don't always cut it for many adults, who might benefit from a more structured support system. Drawing from my own experiences, I've seen how, if implemented effectively and correctly, cohort-based learning can be a game-changer for helping adult learners not just succeed, but excel in the online learning landscape.
While I’m excited to dive on in to what makes cohort-based learning effective, let’s clarify by what I mean with the basics of what is cohort-based learning? Cohort-based learning is an approach where learners journey together through a course or program, forming a “cohort”. This isn't just about learning alongside others; it's about creating a vibrant community of learners who interact and support each other. In this setup, each learner brings their unique perspectives and experiences to the table, enriching the learning experience for all. The idea is to create an environment for the learners to progress through the learning experience at the same time and cadence, to create a shared experience.
With all of this said, there are several pros for implementing this learning strategy for your learning experiences. Let’s break these down:
Familiarity
I think it’s safe to say that adults hate change. We stick to the ways we know because it provides a sense of control and comfort. Whether we want to admit this or not, our brains are primed to learn together. We were trained this way all throughout schooling. We’re placed in a cohort starting back from K-12 and this continues in college, even strongly identifying with a graduating year. With this in mind, learning as a cohort provides familiarity. The group-like atmosphere has a sense of nostalgia and comfort that most learning strategies can’t capture.
Community
Adults in general desire a sense of belonging and community. We want to feel like we are a part of something and to find like-minded individuals. This is why I started to call my audience learning nerds because if you are in the field of instructional design, training, education, or anything related, you love to learn. I can’t tell you how many emails and messages I’ve received where folks are thrilled to call themselves a learning nerd and feel like they finally found your nerdy people. Now if we take this mindset and shift it into the online learning environment, we can capitalize on this thinking and have meaningful conversations. These can stem from the breakout rooms, discussions, peer-review based assignments, and more. The more adult learners feel like they found their fellow peers, the more receptive they are to new perspectives, opinions, and feedback. Community and a sense of belonging are key to making a welcoming learning environment.
Friends
You know what’s extremely hard to do as an adult? Make friends. If you think this way, boy oh boy, you are not alone. Just look at how many results came up on Google when I entered in making friends as an adult:
An image of a Google search for how to make friends as an adult. The results are in the billions.
Once again, we thrive in comfort so we naturally make friends by proximity. For instance, if you think about where you sit at work, I guarantee that you are close to the people who sit in your immediate area. Likewise, you are not close at all with anyone who sits on the opposite side of the building as you. This is also true with how we made our friends growing up. You might even still be close with people from your homeroom in high school or roommates from college, but as people move away and settle down, your friendships will seem to fall off the face of the earth. So, how exactly do you make new friends? Well, enrolling in an online course with like-minded people is certainly one way.
Support
This bullet point ties in with community, but it’s important to call out on its own. When adult learners go through an experience together, a sense of wanting to support one another shines through. It’s natural to want to lift others when they are feeling stuck and to move together like a team. This is the true power of cohort-based learning. If all the learners are working on the same problem, it should be encouraged to discuss about strategies and share what’s working and what’s not.
This is something I’ve noticed with each cohort in Instructional Design Institute. The final project in the program is to design a learning experience from start to finish. Each student uses different approaches for how to make their designs and during the live sessions, it’s normal to share about best tips and tricks. I’ve seen some designs that I personally would have never come up with and that credit all goes to the students’ creativity. This creativity can also only flourish with support and sharing ideas. Going through a learning experience together like this binds adults in a unique way and they won’t forget this feeling.
Where CBL Goes Wrong
Now that we’ve talked about how great cohort-based learning can be, let’s talk about how this can go horribly wrong. The absolute worst idea when thinking about cohort-based learning is to just throw people together in an LMS and expect them to figure it out on their own. I’ve often heard sentiments over the years like, “Oh, they are adults. They can figure it out.” Yes, adult learners are adults, but this is exactly why we should be trying to help them instead of asking them to do more. I am 100% guilty of this by the way. I’ve thrown people into a Facebook group or LinkedIn group and I’m like, they’ll just naturally talk with one another, but that’s only going to be the extreme introverts. To make this connective feeling work, there should be a structure and system for how to bring people together.
How do you do this?
Networking Sessions
If you want people to form a community, the first step is giving them a chance to meet one another. This is just proper etiquette that introductions should be in place when working on a new project together, so why wouldn’t we do this for embarking on a learning journey together? The most effective way I’ve found for this is by hosting speed networking sessions for the cohort. If I keep it simple by drafting some common ice breaker questions and place learners into small breakout rooms for 5 minutes at a time and then shuffling learners into the next group, it’s quite effective. Other forms of networking sessions should be considered as well.
Ample Opportunities to Collaborate
With the community presence established, it’s natural for adult learners to want to be able to work together. What should be embedded into the learning experience are ample ways to collaborate together. These are intentionally thought out collaborative assignments where it makes sense to prioritize groupthink over solo efforts. Since the real-world is filled with challenges of working on a team and coming to a joint decision, why not create assignments focused on experiencing these issues?
User Friendly Tools
If I can share with you one critical detail when it comes to adult learners, it would be this last bullet point. You must select a communication tool that is user friendly and convenient. I’ve heard from educators before about their frustration around why students aren’t using the tool they selected for the course, and the answer was obvious in that the tool was clunky and felt like it was created in 2006. Adults expect modern tools that are mobile friendly, look clean, and can be learned quickly. If it’s too hard to use, they’ll simply find their own solution.
One last note to put a bow on all of this: I’ve noticed over the years the rise of community managers. These people are the glue that holds the learning experience together by becoming like a guide for conversations. Yes, if you have an online course with an instructor, the instructor can become this voice. If you don’t have this traditional setup though, having a community manager will be key to not only answering questions, but keeping conversations going. Organic conversations are the goal and they will come in time, but having a facilitator of sorts can provide that pulse check on how the experience is going. It’s one path for having real-time feedback and for determining if changes need to be made in the course.
If these factors are not taken into consideration, the learning experience will suffer and the cohort won’t be as connected.
Well folks, that’s all I have to share today. I hope these tips help when thinking about your learning experiences and for creating cohorts.
Stay nerdy out there.
Luke
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