Abstract:

This study’s aim is to explore traditional and non-traditional students’ perceptions about the application and importance of andragogy in online learning at a college in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study also investigates if there is a difference, by gender, among the learners’ point of view about the application and importance of andragogy to the learning environment. A self-administered questionnaire is utilized. Preliminary findings revealed that the importance of the five andragogical assumptions (motivation, experience, need to know, readiness to learn, and self-directedness) for the learners. There are differences due to gender, among the students’ perceptions about the five andragogical assumptions. Preliminary recommendations are that teachers should employ learning strategies that encourage self-directed learning among students in the UAE with proper training on how to be a self-directed learner in an online environment. This study further questions whether students become life-long learners for individual goals or for the betterment of society.

Keywords:

Andragogy, life-long learning, lifewide learning, online learning, UAE.