Reaching the Adult Learner: Teaching Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) to Practicing Technology Managers

A great deal has been written about adult learning in terms of approaches and strategies. However, very little has been published on best practices for teaching Information Technology Infrastructure Library RTM (ITIL) certification course to IT professionals. This dearth of research, along with five years of experience teaching the course sparked my interest in exploring the research question, "What are the characteristics of an effective ITIL training course that focuses on helping trainers prepare trainees to pass the certification exam and use their new knowledge to implement ITIL in the workplace?" Using a semi-structured interview method, I explore the research question with 15 graduates of the ITIL certification course. This research presents insights from those ITIL course participants on best practices for teaching ITIL to adult learners in the IT field.;Effective teaching is examined through course participants' knowledge and past experiences. An analysis of the results leads to identification of four key categories associated with adult learning theory and seven related themes. Each category and its related theme(s) offer an insight into various facets of curriculum and teaching information technology industry professionals from the perspective of those interviewed.;The results showed that an over-riding consideration in determining effectiveness in teaching adult learners is the extent to which instructors are aware of and remain sensitive to learner needs. Effective trainers know their students, perhaps not individually, but certainly as a group with recognizable traits that reflect some shared learner characteristics; and they place that knowledge of students at the forefront of course design and delivery.