A Journey Through the Digital World - Fostering Digital Problem Solving Among Adult Learners

Oct 15, 2026

Adult literacy education must prepare learners to handle the digital world with sophisticated strategies, especially as online instruction has expanded. This report describes math and science class activities for adult learners that build essential digital problem-solving abilities while supporting content outcomes. It addresses strategic navigation of the internet, assessment of encountered information, and the cognitive and metacognitive traits needed for self-directed learning in technology-rich environments.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Author’s Note

Abstract

Keywords

Digital Curriculum and Learner Needs

Guiding Frameworks

Blueprint for Designing Digital Problem Solving Tasks

PIAAC PS-TRE Framework

ISTE Standards for Students

Frameworks in Action

Exploring and Navigating

Using New Tools

Evaluating Information

ADULT LITERACY EDUCATION FALL 2022 | [http://doi.org/10.35847/TFrank.4.3.41](http://doi.org/10.35847/TFrank.4.3.41) | | | --- | --- | | | Report from the Field | A Journey Through the Digital World: Fostering Digital Problem Solving Among Adult Learners Tyler H.J. Frank, Clark College Author’s Note: My thanks to Dr. Jill Castek who taught me everything from the importance of learning in the digital world to the (non)existence of the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus. My work in this area would not be possible otherwise. Abstract To meet the demands ofthe 21st century, adult learners must display a range of sophisticated strategies for dealing with the digital world. With the switch to online instruction over the last months this need is only greater. In this article, I describe specific activities I implement with adult learners in a math and science class to help them develop these essential abilities while also enhancing their learning toward the content outcomes. Keywords: adult basic education, digital literacy, digital problem solving, problem solving in technologyrich environments Since switching to completely online classes because of the pandemic, more than ever I have noticed my students leaving the learning management system (LMS) in my courses to explore the internet for additional information on the topics we’re learning. My department, whose classes serve as both high school equivalency and developmental education, has committed to using only open educational resources, which means that students do not buy a textbook, and for fully online classes all the information for the class is located on the LMS. Many students simply go where they find the information that makes the most sense to them; they are learning from the curriculum I have placed on our LMS, but they’realso learning from information they discover on the internet. In a sense the internet has become apart of the curriculum of my classes whether I like it or not. And if that’s the case then I must help my students wrestle with and make sense out of this new expanded curriculum: the entire internet. The students who can do this are demonstrating motivation and metacognitive awareness of their own level of understanding. Those traits are necessary for becoming self-directed learners, something that needs tobe fostered among adult learners. Some students, though, are not searching the internet to answer their questions [Correspondence: TFrank@clark.edu](Correspondence: TFrank@clark.edu) 41 about the class’s content. Many of these students may not have the experience, confidence, or even skills to do that. Some don’t own a computer and are borrowing one from the school just to be able to take online classes. Consequently, these students would benefit the most from a focus on how to navigate the internet strategically and assess the information they encounter. In the 21st century, everyone must navigate the digital world, learn new tools and platforms on demand, and parse out the fake, from the misleading, from the biased, from the authoritative . To successfully confront these challenges, which may feel like just one more demand on already overwhelming to-do lists, teachers need manageable ways to address them. I am going to share relevant frameworks that inform my teaching in this regard and then activities I use in one of my classes to help my students grow more sophisticated and adept in three pivotal, but overlapping, types of interactions with the digital world: (1) exploring and navigating,(2) using new tools, and (3) evaluating information. Relevant Frameworks I identified these three interactions as pivotal for my own work with adult learners not only through my teaching experience but also through participating in research around adult digital problem solving and reading relevant literature and frameworks. As a graduate student I participated in the research project called Advancing Digital Equity in Public Libraries.

FAQs

Why is digital problem solving especially important for adult learners in 2022?

Online instruction increases the demand for adult learners to develop strategies for navigating and understanding the digital world. Adult learners need skills to manage learning tasks and information access effectively.

What instructional approach is used in the author’s classes?

The author implements specific activities in a fully online math and science course. These activities target three overlapping interactions: exploring and navigating, using new tools, and evaluating information.

Which frameworks inform the activities described in the report?

The report draws on the “Blueprint for Designing Digital Problem Solving Tasks,” the PIAAC PS-TRE framework, and ISTE Standards for Students. Together, these support goal setting, monitoring progress, planning, acquiring and evaluating information, and adopting expert problem-solver roles.

Oct 15, 2026

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