Guidelines for Designing AI Technologies to Support Adult Learning
For researchers and developers of AI educational technologies, this work addresses the gap in design guidelines specifically for adult learning contexts, which are often overlooked in favor of K-12 settings.
This paper identifies challenges in designing AI learning technologies for adult learners and proposes 19 design guidelines based on longitudinal deployment data from a national research institute. The guidelines are validated through heuristic evaluation and a tool for ideation.
AI-powered educational technologies have demonstrated measurable benefits for learners, but their design and evaluation have largely centered on K-12 contexts. As a result, many AI-supported learning systems remain poorly aligned with the needs, constraints, and goals of adult learners. To better understand how AI systems function in adult education, this paper examines the deployment of several AI learning technologies developed within a multidisciplinary, national research institute in the United States focused on adult learning and online education. Drawing on longitudinal deployment data, we conducted a reflexive thematic analysis to identify recurring challenges and design considerations across systems. These insights were synthesized into a set of 19 design guidelines intended to inform future AI-supported adult learning technologies. We demonstrate the utility of these guidelines through a heuristic evaluation of the deployed systems. Lastly, we present a guideline exploration tool that aids in the ideation of technologies by connecting the guidelines to stakeholder statements surfaced in the analysis process.