Introduction
If you are an adult learner returning to college for higher education, you are faced with many challenges, from having to sit down with younger-generation classmates to balancing work life with your education. While there exist many solutions for all these, one aspect of this adult education misses the limelight. That is, can you learn and obtain an MBA or a Masters at a later age, say 50 or 60? Thankfully, the answer is a resounding yes! Granted it can be hard. But it is possible. Just take a look around and see how many of your colleagues, family members, friends and acquaintances are already doing that. If not, take a look at our Learner Stories! To make matters light, this article provides you 10 learning tips. These learning tips for senior professionals must not be taken lightly. Let's explore 10 of the best learning tips for senior learners that you can use to succeed in your educational qualifications.
Background
Education has become a critical aspect of measuring success in the modern world. It takes higher educational qualifications to achieve higher goals in your career. This is why the modern generation is obsessed with higher education. While globalisation and the education revolution are the driving forces behind this trend, there is also a need for highly educated employees and individuals in the workforce and around the world. The number of students who enrol in higher education is increasing because of the range of opportunities they can get after graduation. According to UNESCO, over 235 million students have enrolled in universities worldwide for higher education.
While this is the case for the younger generation, the older generation is also realising the importance of education. Senior professionals who are looking for promotion or better opportunities are constantly reminded of the advantages of having higher educational qualifications. As a result, hundreds of thousands of senior professionals flock to universities every year. Adult learning has become mainstream with the inception of e-learning and its subsequent popularity due to the measures of COVID-19.
10 Learning Tips for Senior Professionals
1. Stay up-to-date
Learning is not a one-time endeavour but a progressive investment of time in academics over a period of time. You cannot spend all your academic sessions without any effort and succeed in them by pulling an all-nighter before the exam. That kind of learning puts the purpose of education to shame because you are only studying to pass an exam. While most learners do exactly that to obtain a college degree or a certificate, senior professionals as adults are cautious not to enrol in any program that is not appealing to them. Indeed, adult learners enrol in a program only when a need arises for them to do so. This is why you can rarely find an adult learner who is not giving his best efforts to his education.
With that said, the first tip for adult learners is to stay up-to-date with their course content. Generally, every major educational institution compiles its academic syllabus by keeping in mind the number of hours and efforts needed to master a topic. As a result, your academic syllabus will be created by subject matter experts and divided into smaller units, sub-units, and topics. This makes learning easier and makes the massive syllabus look achievable in a short period. Furthermore, if your educator operates their program based on credits, it is even easier for you to plan and keep updated with your academic progression.
Always stay updated about your coursework, assignments, tests, and other academic stuff so that you do not lag behind the learning schedule and heap up stress. This can be a discouraging factor and hinder your growth in your education.
2. Make effective notes.
Note-taking is a critical academic skill. Take short notes in your own words about what you have understood during and after each session. In this way, it will be easier for you to recall that information at a later date by simply looking at your personal notes. With that being said, never rely on others' notes for your academics. Notes are effective when you write them in your own words and summarise them with your understanding. Regardless of your mode of study, make note-taking a habit; it will help you throughout your academic journey.
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3. Test yourself regularly.
It is easy to fall into biases during your education, especially confirmation bias. You might be putting in your best efforts every day and spending more than the required time to learn the subject. However, if you do not pause and challenge yourself on what you have learned so far, you might miss out on a better learning opportunity. Tests, quizzes, assignments, and exams challenge your knowledge and show you where you are lacking in the subject. They provide you with the feedback that you need to grow. The most important purpose of such tests is to bring your academic shortcomings to your attention.
They help you recognise your shortcomings and lead you in the right direction so that you can improve in those areas. Hence, even if it is not mandatory, regularly challenge yourself in the tropics if you have learners so far. While many educational institutions like SNATIKA offer monthly online quizzes to test your knowledge, several online institutions have no such facilities. In such cases, you must rely on online tests or create your own assessment tactics to test yourself. As your education is purely your own responsibility, challenging yourself must be your priority. If not, you will miss out on mastering the subject and simply glide through the program for the sake of it.
4. Work on what you do not know.
Adult learners learn better if they connect the syllabus with what they already know. You have to create connections to make your subject second nature. Without this connection, no matter the efforts, the topics are at risk of being forgotten. Therefore, even before you jump into a new subject, deduce what the subject means for your career and how your experience can be connected to this subject as a framework. Then start building on that foundation. This way, learning becomes easier and lasts longer in your memory.
5. Revise yourself.
Similar to the previous point, make it a habit to review what you have learned so far using tested and proven techniques like flashcards or mind maps. There are several free tools available online for your revision process and to make your learning both easy and enjoyable. Regular revision strengthens your memory and leaves a deeper imprint in your mind. Indeed, your brain is programmed to constantly forget things to keep itself productive. Things you do not review often are at risk of being forgotten spontaneously by your brain. This is why revision is more important than you think.
5. Don't rely solely on reading.
Reading is a passive learning skill. If you are not vigilant, you may keep on reading volumes without even comprehending anything from the material. If you do not actively engage with the content and create connections, your brain is most likely to forget the material you have just read. Use other learning modes, like listening to podcasts, watching videos, attending live classes, teaching others, and applying what you learn. In this way, your learning process will be strengthened.
6. Implement a feedback loop
For every learner, strong feedback is crucial. You must actively seek out a positive feedback loop from your education at every step of your learning. Feedback opens you up to our shortcomings in your learning process, just like tests and quizzes. As self-learning individual lacks a support system, this makes them vulnerable to overconfidence and confirmation bias. As a result, they focus on what they’re learning without giving thought to what they are lacking.
Only external validators can identify the loopholes in our learning process. Only they can test your knowledge, see your ability to understand the subject and assess your mastery of the subject through a control system. Such a system will be time-tested and followed by the education industry for a long time. Such a feedback loop can be used in exams, tests, and quizzes to find flaws in your learning. These evaluation systems might be different from country to country. However, it does what needs to be done and gives the learner the ability to improve their learning without sacrificing the quality of learning.
7. Ask for help.
If you do not understand something, do not hesitate to reach out to your educator. This can make a world of difference in your learning process. Often, senior learners are too busy to seek support from their educators. This puts them in a disadvantageous position because they are missing out on one of the most important aspects of the learning process. Asking for help can minimise your learning time and efforts. It can also give academicians fresh perspectives.
8. Apply what you learn.
The best way to understand the subject is to apply what you learn in real life. Individuals learn and understand better when they put their learning into practice. Rote learning can improve your understanding and memory to only such a degree. But putting your learning into practice daily will keep it familiar in your memory and leave a deeper imprint on your learning process. As a result, you are very unlikely to forget the topics. It makes you a better learner than those who follow the same system of reading textbooks or rote learning.
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9. Keep on developing yourself.
What you're learning depends on other aspects of your life as well. If you are not emotionally or mentally strong, then your learning process will suffer as well. All areas of your life are interconnected, and any area that lacks your efforts will cause spillover into other areas. Hence, improve yourself in your social, academic, financial, and professional lives. Don't neglect your mental and physical well-being. Together, all these areas facilitate a better and stronger learning process. Here are some tips on improving your overall quality of life.
Sleep for at least 8 hours every day.
Never go more than 3 days without exercising.
Eat high-quality food and avoid junk food.
Spend quality time with your friends and family.
Don't neglect your profession, but don't become a workaholic either.
10. Join SNATIKA.
SNATIKA is an online destination for all your UK higher education needs. We offer UK Masters degrees, PhDs, diplomas, and certification programs through our state-of-the-art online LMS. The programs are shorter in duration, rich in course content, and provide you with two distinct UK qualifications in the case of PhD and Masters degree programs. If you are a managerial professional with years of experience, then you can easily apply for SNATIKA's prestigious UK Master's degree programs. These programs are completely online, which gives you immense flexibility in learning and the ability to continue working on your career without compromising program quality.
As an exclusive, senior professional-only educational platform, SNATIKA offers and takes care of all the above-mentioned aspects of senior professional learning. Our syllabus has been developed by subject matter experts who have decades of experience in educating senior professionals. The pedagogy itself is senior professional friendly and easy to consume for those who are busy, committed, and ambitious. All your needs are taken care of with SNATIKA. You can also earn dual academic qualifications within a year at a reasonable cost.
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Conclusion
As was mentioned, senior professionals are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of education and its effects on their careers. As a result, they are seeking out online platforms that understand their specific problem. They need a solution that provides them with learning opportunities as well as tips, guidance, and help to reach their potential. Learning itself can be difficult when you have several commitments. Learning strategies you might have used at a younger age may or may not help you now. General memorization techniques cannot supplement the advanced learning process of higher education. It is up to you to understand the subject rather than memorise it.
For all these reasons, keeping up with the syllabus and making effective notes will help you more than anything else. Along with these, you should ask for help from your educators whenever there is a doubt you cannot clarify on your own. Take quizzes or tests to understand where you are lacking and improve in those areas. Create a positive feedback loop with your educators so that they can mentor you when you struggle with a topic. As a senior learner, applying your learning is most important to supplement your knowledge. Memorise wisely. Remember that your brains are wired to forget things to become more productive. Hence, connect what you learn with what you already know. This is why applying what you learn is important. While you can use your work to apply what you have learnt, you can also teach others online or offline.
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