By Xi Lin
You’re an adult learner juggling a full-time job, family responsibilities, and the burning desire to upskill. You’ve heard the buzz about AI in education, but is it just another tech fad, or can it actually make your learning journey smoother, smarter, and more effective? Let’s dive into the insights from a recent study by Lin and Schmidt (2025) to find out what AI can really do for you—and what you need to watch out for.
The Promise of AI in Adult Education
Imagine a learning experience tailored just for you, available anytime, anywhere. That’s the dream of AI in Adult Education (AIAD). The study by Lin and Schmidt (2025) explores how AI, specifically ChatGPT, can be integrated into online adult learning by aligning with Knowles’ four principles of andragogy: involvement, experience, problem-centeredness, and relevance. Here’s what that looks like in practice:
1. Involvement: Learners Shape Their Own Learning
In one activity, adult learners used ChatGPT to discuss course topics. They crafted their own prompts, interpreted AI responses, and reflected critically on the content. This high degree of involvement not only made learning more engaging but also empowered learners to take ownership of their educational journey.
2. Experience: Building on What You Already Know
Adult learners bring a wealth of life and work experience to the classroom. In another activity, learners assigned ChatGPT roles related to their professional fields and explored those roles through simulated interviews. This experiential learning allowed them to apply AI tools to real-world problems, reinforcing their existing knowledge and skills.
3. Problem-Centeredness: Solving Real-World Challenges
AI can help learners tackle complex, real-world problems. In a third activity, students used ChatGPT to get feedback on their assignments. This problem-centered approach not only provided immediate feedback but also encouraged learners to think critically about how to apply AI-generated suggestions to improve their work.
4. Relevance: Learning That Matters
All activities were designed to be relevant to learners’ academic and professional goals. Whether it was generating discussion content, simulating professional interactions, or improving academic writing, AI tools were used to support practical, goal-oriented learning.
The Benefits of AI in Learning
Efficiency and Accessibility
ChatGPT provides immediate responses, reducing the delays often associated with waiting for instructor feedback or peer interaction. This asynchronous nature of AI tools is a game-changer for adult learners balancing multiple responsibilities.
Engagement and Reflection
AI integration encourages learners to think deeply, reflect critically, and participate frequently. Structured activities with reflective tasks help learners construct knowledge progressively, developing both content knowledge and skills for interacting meaningfully with AI.
The Challenges of AI in Learning
Shallow Responses
While ChatGPT can generate coherent text, it often lacks depth, nuance, or context sensitivity. This can limit its utility in situations requiring personalized or emotionally intelligent feedback.
Overreliance and Trust Issues
Learners appreciate the accessibility of AI but are hesitant about how much to trust its responses, especially regarding accuracy or appropriateness. This highlights the need for critical evaluation of AI’s role as a supplementary tool rather than a replacement for human educators.
Emotional Disconnect
In role-play interviews, some learners found ChatGPT’s simulated human tone unsettling, leading to discomfort and diminished learning value. This underscores the importance of critical reflection on how AI is positioned in the learning environment.
The Role of Educators in the AI Age
The study shows a significant shift in educators’ roles from content deliverers to facilitators of AI-supported and learner-centered activities. Faculty developed new competencies in prompt engineering, AI literacy, and instructional design for critical engagement. This adaptation reflects the need for professional development that supports adult educators in integrating AI tools within asynchronous online learning.
The Future of AI in Adult Education
The study concludes that AI has the potential to enhance adult learning when used to support learner autonomy, experiential learning, problem-solving, and relevance to real-world goals. However, it also highlights the need for careful implementation, ethical considerations, and continuous faculty development.
As an adult learner, you can embrace AI as a powerful tool to make your learning journey more efficient, engaging, and relevant. But remember, AI is your co-pilot, not your driver. Use it wisely, critically, and always with a human touch.
Ready to co-pilot your upskill? Your move.
Reference
Lin, X., & Schmidt, S. W. (2025). Empowering Online Adult Educators: Integrating Artificial Intelligence for Enhanced Instructional Strategies. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.70011
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