The document discusses how gender differences can impact success in online education. It suggests that catering courses to different learning preferences could increase achievement rates. Specifically, it notes that females tend to prefer social and collaborative learning while males tend to like independent and competitive activities. The document recommends designing online classes and technologies to suit these gender-based preferences in order to boost outcomes and meet the needs of a growing adult learner demographic.

1. What if you could guarantee a higher rate of achievement for your post graduate clientele?

3. A little history. Three generations of distance education Correspondence Teaching Mail Phone Multi-Media Teaching Print Broadcast Media Cassettes Interactive Communication Computers Internet

4. Who Provides distance education? The priority for distance education occurs most often in … Home Schooled Children Secondary Education Colleges and Universities Business

5. The new Business of education Colleges now have to compete to be profitable.

6. The new demographic for colleges and universities is the Adult Learner. Nontraditional Working Families

7. Having the advantage What gives Universities an edge? Online courses Less money spent on facilities More enrolment from adult learners Learning focused on around growing use of technology Most traditional colleges now offer online courses.

9. Research in early education has shown a difference in the way students learn based on their gender. Females are said to be more social, calm learners. Males are said to be more competitive, active learners

10. Research in Post Secondary Education Women prefer a learning style that has been called “social learning” Women tend to be motivated by social approval.

11. Research in Post Secondary Education Men like competition during learning. Men tend to be motivated by mastery, striving and achievement

12. An equitable learning environment. Allow students to learn according to their preferences. Online students prefer to learn the same as traditional environments where If you can mold your academic courses to the learning preferences of a student, they can in turn have higher rates of academic success.

13. Barriers Females have more barriers to deal with when continuing their education. Male dominance in discussions Additional responsibility with family/children. Lower confidence in the use of computers.

14. Influences on Educational technology The population of adult learners in distance education is growing, but the barrier of a woman’s confidence in using computers, can be a stumbling block for progress in educational technology. Molding programs and technology to better suite the learner could be an additional advantage in the ever growing competitive market of post secondary education

15. Adult learners typically like to learn in a separate or connected manner. Separate Learners (Males) Associated with separation, certainty, control, and abstraction. Males tend to control the online environment Responses tend to be more brief, certain, not tempered with polite words. Connected Learners (Females) Places emphasis on relationships, empathetic in nature, and cooperation is stressed instead of competition Responses tend to be tempered with polite words, acknowledged the original sender. Cooperation used as a learning tool.

16. Gender habits in online courses Studies have shown Men exhibit higher participation rates The proportion of men to women in groups can influence interaction. Men will generally have a higher rate of discussion post Women receive fewer responses from others in discussions Women do not control topics of discussion unless the majority of participants are women.

17. In a situation of classes designed for females what would be good practice? Collaborative project More open dialog in discussions Additional resources on technology use. In a situation of classes designed for males what would be good practice? Independent projects Discussion More competitive assignments How to use gender in our favor.

19. Can Gender become a new factor in determining success in online education?

20. Georgia World Congress Center March 1 - 5 GENDER THE NEXT GENERATION IN SUCCESS

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