Adult learning presents a tremendous opportunity for entrepreneurs and investors, and the time to be a market creator and leader is now. Developers who create education technology tools built for mobile use; flexible for anytime, anywhere learning; and personalized to the individual goals of adult learners will have the best chance at leading this new market.
Below are resources for conceptualizing and joining the adult learning market.
The DemandWhat is the demand for technology in adult education? How receptive are educators and to what extent is the infrastructure in place to integrate technology into teaching practices?
Tyton Partners, with the support of the Joyce Foundation, surveyed adult education administrators for the first part of their Learning For Life: The Opportunity for Technology to Transform Adult Education study. They found great enthusiasm for the potential for technology to support instruction.
The FundingWhat is the opportunity in the adult education market? What does funding and purchasing look like? What types of partnership opportunities are there?
Accelerating Change: How education technology developers can jump-start a new adult education market delves into these questions and gives education technology developers critical insights to find a pathway into this market.
The SupplyWhat digital learning products exist that target low-skilled adult learners? How are they purchased and implemented in adult education programs?
Part two of the Tyton Partners study, Learning for Life: The Opportunity for Technology to Transform Adult Education, explores issues of market opportunity and efficiency and analyzes the composition of the supplier ecosystem, current use patterns, and opportunities for innovation.
Courtesy EdSurge
What kind of help can new education technology startups get as they navigate the world of business and product development?
EdSurge’s Guide to a Nation of Edtech Accelerators breaks down the incubator versus accelerator difference and provides a great graphical list of the education technology accelerators across the U.S.
The DesignWhat does it mean to design research-based education technology?
Designing Products for Adult Learners outlines five design principles based on the theories of adult learning. These principles can be used to develop quality technology products to provide adults with anytime, anywhere learning.
The Office of Educational Technology’s Ed-Tech Developers Guide addresses key questions about the education ecosystem and highlights opportunities for developing digital tools for learning. Crowdsourced from educators, developers, and researchers, this guide is designed to help developers apply technology in smart ways to solve persistent problems in education.
Adult Learning