Toward High-Quality Adult Online Learning: A Systematic Review of Empirical Studies

Adult education is a key policy to achieve the sustainable development goals. Large-scale open online courses are gradually increasing with the continued spread of COVID-19 all around the world, which has also attracted more and more adults to participate in such courses. However, despite the fact that the research on adult online learning is abundant, there is still a lack of systematic summaries that can guide the design and selection of course content and instructional methods. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to systematically examine the factors and related strategies that influence adult online learning, and to some extent also provide directions for future research. Using a systematic literature review, with the help of literature visualization software CiteSpace, this study summarized and analyzed 124 SSCI literature of empirical studies. The findings show that although some conclusions of adult online learning research are controversial, there is still some consensus, which is worthy of our attention. First, adult learners have time constraints and more responsibilities, hence life oriented, structured, and flexible online courses are more suitable for them. Secondly, adult learners have less scholastic aptitude and are less ICT skilled than normal students, so preparatory learning is necessary. Finally, in terms of an online instructional approach, integrated online discussions are recommended, as adults are prone to inefficient and superficial discussions in open discussions. This study contributes to theory and practice by expanding the systematic understanding of online learning for adults.