Creating Courses for Adults: Design for Learning

Preface

The big idea of this book is that education for adults has to be designed. Whether it's a one-hour class on wine tasting or a four-month language course, there are some key decisions that must be made as the course is crafted. One striking thing about teaching is that people tend to see it as easy—until they have to do it. This is not a mistake that we make about skydiving or baking a cake. I think that this often happens because people's favorite teachers have done a pretty good job and did not seem to struggle too much. By its very nature, good teaching conceals all the thinking, planning, and decision making that goes on behind the scenes in order to present participants with a seamless and natural-feeling process. This is impressive, ...