Navigating the AI Frontier in Adult Education: International Practices and Perspectives from Adult Learning, Training and Higher Education . Adult Learning for Emergent Jobs and Skills)

The authors take an illuminating exploration of the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in adult education and training, by drawing from a comprehensive international survey.

This groundbreaking project delves into the current landscape and future trends surrounding adult educators’ practices and perceptions of AI technologies. It offers a rich, data-driven analysis of how AI is shaping the field, providing valuable insights into its impact on educators, learners, and educational institutions across the globe. The book synthesizes findings from an extensive online survey conducted across 19 countries, encompassing a diverse range of adult educators. The research focuses on current practices, examining the types, frequency, and purposes of AI applications in adult education and training. It assesses how different AI tools and technologies are currently employed and their roles in various educational contexts. It also looks at educators’ confidence levels in using AI, exploring factors that contribute to or detract from their comfort and proficiency with these technologies. The chapters offer an analysis of the perceived effects of AI on adult educators’ roles, workloads, income, labour markets, and work opportunities. Finally, the book turns to the impacts on learner and educator well-being, including the potential benefits and drawbacks of AI, especially in terms of adult learner engagement, learning outcomes, and overall wellness.

Offering a unique insight into the benefits, challenges, and support needs associated with AI use, and effectively integrating AI into practice, this book will serve as a pivotal resource for educational leaders, teaching and research staff, in adult learning and higher education institutions.

The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Zan Chen is Associate Professor and Principal Researcher in the Institute for Adult learning, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore.

Leslie Cordie is Professor in the College of Education at Auburn University, USA.

Hannes Schröter is Scientific Director of the German Institute for Adult Education – Leibniz-Centre for Lifelong Learning (DIE) in Bonn, Germany, and Professor for “Adult Cognition and Learning” at the FernUniversität in Hagen, Germany.

Xiaodong Zeng is Professor in the Faculty of Education at Beijing Normal University, China.