THERE is a myriad of academic and training courses for working adults but is the investment of time and money worth it.  

Currently, all courses approved by the National Accreditation Board (LAN) must follow a set requirement of hours to be allocated for lectures, tutorials and practicals, which are then converted into specific credit hours.  

There is generally little or no difference in the teaching methodology and approach for full-time students and part-time adult learners.  

On top of that, most of these classroom contacts are lecture-centred where the lecturer speaks almost all the time and learners listen with little interaction or input from the latter.  

We must bear in mind that adult learners are different and have different needs compared with young learners. Adult learners are not blank pages.  

They usually bring with them a wealth of background knowledge and experience from their workplace which could be useful to the learning process of the entire class.  

Allowing learners to share their treasure chest of ideas as part of the classroom instruction can help boost their self-esteem and self-worth, qualities that are just as important in personal development and upgrading. 

For many adults, they are being taught in theory what they may already know in practice. 

Bearing this in mind ?it is necessary for lecturers and instructors to come from an industrial background. Otherwise, the teachings may be too theoretical and irrelevant to the learners?needs. Many lecturers who currently teach working adults, though, come from purely academic backgrounds. 

With the introduction of the Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF), the outlook of adult education may take a positive turn.  

Expected to be implemented later this year, MQF will emphasise learning outcomes and accept different modes of instruction as well as prior learning experiences ?so long as these add up to 40 hours of learning time to constitute one credit hour.  

Educational institutions can use the opportunity to create different approaches to learning, but based on the same learning outcomes, for full-time and part-time courses. This would allow research time, fieldwork, group discussions and presentations to constitute part of the credit hours.  

Adult learners can now use time spent on assignments, private study hours and practical activities to earn their credit hours. This flexibility will indeed be a welcome change to the existing system for adult learners.  

The challenge here could be ?would our institutions of higher learning take the opportunity now to devise different approaches for different sets of learners? Or would they continue to adopt the “one shoe fits all?system? Those who will lose out the most are adult learners if improvements are not made along this line.  

On top of their many financial commitments, they also sacrifice a big part of their hard-earned incomes to upgrade their qualifications.  

The paper chase is not just about getting a diploma or a degree. It is also about getting a complete learning experience and making each ringgit count. 

Datuk Clement Hii is executive deputy chairman of LLL Lifelong Learning Network Sdn Bhd which promotes and coordinates lifelong learning among Malaysians.