When Learning Matches Work and Life, Students Appreciate Their Education More

workplace photo

In college, relevance matters. A new survey of consumers found that the more tied their college courses are to their work and daily lives, the greater they believe they’ve received a “high-quality education” that was worth the cost.

Among respondents to a Strada Education Network and Gallup survey, those who “strongly” agreed that the courses they took are directly relevant to what they do at work and that they learned important skills during their education that come in useful day-to-day were nearly three times more likely to strongly agree that they had received a high-quality education, compared to those who strongly disagreed.

And the same group was five and a half times more likely to strongly agree education was worth the cost, compared to those who strongly disagreed.

Review the complete article at Campus Technology.

CoP note: The importance of connecting adult learning to existing experiences, like workplace habits and daily activities, has been documented in adult learning theory (see the Knowles and Andragogy post; Fenwick, 2008; Mirriam, 2001; Knowles, 1975) and adult development theories (see Hoare, 2006). This differs significantly from traditional student learning, where little professional or life experience can be mustered to connect to learning outcomes and methods.

Daniel Hocutt

Web Manager and Adjunct Professor of English for the University of Richmond School of Professional & Continuing Studies.