| Scope and method of study. This study described the relationship and interaction between adult learners' learning styles, learner characteristics, and their preferred instructional activities within Computer-Based Technical training. The population of this study was adult trainees who were enrolled in the Computer-Based Technical Training Cisco Certified Network Academy (CCNA) Program at Richland College in Dallas, Texas. The two instruments used to gather data from the participants were Kolb's Learning-Style Inventory (LSI) and the Learning Questionnaire that was designed by the researcher.; Findings and conclusions. The CCNA's instruction was more interactive in nature than non-interactive. All nineteen instructional strategies identified in this Computer-Based Technical Training Program were liked by all four learning styles of respondents. The instructional strategies were especially appealing to Accommodators, females, respondents who were 35 years old or younger, respondents with a college degree or below, minority respondents, and respondents in the first semester of the CCNA. Based on the data, participants preferred instructional strategies such as simulation exercises or guided learning activities that allowed them to be actively engaged in the learning. Non-interactive learning strategies such as the audio feature and drag and drop activities were least favorably appealing to the respondents. However, contrary to adult learning theory, adults did not prefer the interactive learning strategies much more than the non-interactive strategies. |
