Learning-Style Assessment in Online Courses: A Prerequisite for Academic Success

Gina Cicco*
Associate Professor of Counselor Education, St. John's University, Queens, New York.
Periodicity:July - September'2014
DOI : https://doi.org/10.26634/jet.11.2.2916

Abstract

Educational researchers have extensively documented the benefits of utilizing learning styles in the processes of teaching and learning from early childhood to Adult Education (Burke & Dunn, 2003; Cicco, 2009). This article examines the need to consider and employ learning-styles instruction in the online classroom. Adult learners are unique in that they have already developed strategies to navigate through their academic courses and to succeed, even in adverse conditions. As adult learners enter the world of online instruction, their techniques may or may not prove to be effective in allowing them to master course objectives (Kasworm, Rose, & Ross-Gordon, 2010). Introducing a learning-styles approach to differentiate the instruction in online courses may assist adult learners in recognizing their learning needs and preferences, while providing them with a repertoire of learning options which capitalize on their personal strengths. Implementation of learning-styles pedagogical methods in online courses offers educators and their adult students a new approach to de-mystify successful pathways for academic success (Cicco, 2009; Cicco, 2013; Fearing & Riley, 2005). Five important steps for integrating this proven method of instruction in online courses are discussed as prerequisites in contemporary Adult Education.

Keywords

Academic Success, Adult Learners, Differentiated Instruction, Learning Styles, Online Classrrom, Online Courses, Online Instruction, Virtual Classroom

How to Cite this Article?

Cicco, G. (2014). Learning-Style Assessment in Online Courses: A Prerequisite for Academic Success. i-manager’s Journal of Educational Technology, 11(2), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.26634/jet.11.2.2916

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