Project-based Distrubuted Learning and Adult Learners

Abstract

Adult learners participating in a project-based distributed learning environment, the MBA Without Boundaries (MBAWB) program at Ohio University, reported that project-based learning in a distributed learning environment is meaningful for adult learners because of the active involvement in the projects and transferability of the learning issues to the work place. According to the adult learners, important advantages of the project-based online environment are time and place flexibilities, maintaining everyday activities while attending a graduate program, diverse backgrounds of the adult learners, experience with authentic problems of the projects, applicability of learning issues to real life, active participation in the learning process, and combination of online interactions with residencies. However, the learners reported teammates who do not make enough contributions to a team project as the most common problem. Some learners complained about the distance barriers, family and work responsibilities, and technological failures during the online interactions.