Facilitator of Adult Learning
Welcome, Future Trainers, Educators, and Course Designers!
I’m Jill N. Henry, EdD, and I’m thrilled to introduce you to a transformative learning experience designed specifically for influential people like you. Whether you’re preparing for a conference, training a team, leading a workshop, teaching one-on-one, or developing online courses to sell, CFAL gives you the tools to design and deliver engaging, competency-focused learning experiences for adults.
Master the Art of Adult Learning with CFAL
The Certified Facilitator of Adult Learning (CFAL) is a self-paced, 20-hour online course that empowers you to create impactful training programs, workshops, courses, or in-services.
The course is the culmination of my experiences teaching physical therapy in community colleges and universities, as well as providing professional continuing education to my peers. It also draws on what I learned while developing train-the-trainer programs for business and industry during my doctoral studies in Adult Education at the University of Georgia. CFAL is my way of sharing those insights and practical tools with you.
Whether you’re training employees, teaching students, or guiding professionals, CFAL equips you to engage adult learners effectively and move beyond simply delivering information to building real-world skills and competence.
Turn Information into Competence
In the professional world, simply presenting information isn’t enough. True learning happens when individuals gain the skills, knowledge, and mindset to apply what they’ve learned. Through CFAL, you’ll discover how to break down your content into meaningful learning experiences that help your audience connect new knowledge to their existing expertise.
Tailor Your Teaching to Your Specific Goals
CFAL isn’t just about theory—it’s about action. You’ll create a customized training plan tailored to your professional goals, whether you’re preparing for a conference, training a team, leading a workshop, teaching one-on-one, or even designing an online course you can sell. If you’ve ever thought about sharing your expertise with a broader audience through virtual platforms, CFAL provides the foundation to make that happen. This course ensures your vision becomes reality, with expert guidance every step of the way.
Design Learning Experiences that Engage and Empower
Effective adult learning starts with clear, step-by-step objectives. CFAL teaches you to organize your material sequentially, aligning each step with your learners’ needs and goals. You’ll master strategies to create hands-on, interactive sessions that turn passive learning into active skill-building.
Get Personalized Guidance and Proven Strategies
The CFAL framework is a structured, “plug-and-play” system designed to simplify course creation. Bring your unique content, and we’ll help you integrate it seamlessly into a proven educational design. Plus, you’ll receive one-on-one mentorship from experienced facilitators, ensuring your course aligns with best practices.
Teach Anywhere, with Confidence
Whether you’re presenting in-person workshops, leading virtual sessions on Zoom, or teaching hybrid formats, CFAL prepares you to deliver engaging and effective learning experiences. By the end of the course, you’ll have a complete, ready-to-go training program that works in any setting.
A Process You’ll Use for Life
CFAL isn’t just a one-time solution; it’s a repeatable approach to designing and delivering educational experiences that make a lasting impact. As you apply this process in different contexts, you’ll establish yourself as a confident, adaptable, and trusted educator.
If you’re ready to elevate your training, instruction, or course development skills, CFAL is your next step. Let’s unlock the art and science of adult learning together!
Facilitator of Adult Learning is designed to support educators, trainers, and facilitators in creating effective and engaging learning experiences for adults. Whether you are developing a training program for a business, providing professional CEU training, teaching in an academic institution, or designing a workshop, CFAL will help you craft learner-centered objectives and effective teaching strategies.
Two Learning Paths
You have the flexibility to choose one of two paths:
Facilitator Path – You proceed independently, with complete access to all course materials but without instructor feedback.
Certified Facilitator Path – You receive expert feedback on your course at seven key intervals and, upon successful completion, earn the Certified Facilitator of Adult Learning Certificate, CFAL
Both paths offer full access to all CFAL teaching materials. You may proceed through them in whatever way best suits your learning style. Some people start with learning experiences and build backward to objectives and forward to evaluation. Others follow in logical steps from objectives, to learning experiences to evaluation. In the end, the goal is to develop congruence between all three. That is, to have an appropriate active learning experience for each objective and a way to access (evaluate) whether learning has occurred.
Both paths offer quizzes within the lessons that help you know whether you understand the information or not. Quizzes are optional and the quiz answers are included at the bottom of each quiz. They offer the opportunity for self-awareness indicate whether the previous material requires a bit more study.
In addition as part of the Certified Facilitator Path, you will receive Google Drive access to submit your work and receive feedbacse
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Module 1 - Teaching
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Course Overview and Guidelines
There are two paths through this Course. On the Facilitator path you proceed completely on your own, without feedback. On the Certified Facilitator Path you will be given expert feedback on the course you create at 7 intervals during the course and awarded a Certified Facilitator of Adult Learning Certificate.
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Introduction to Module 1 - Teaching
Many training programs still follow outdated models—expecting adults to memorize information without context or sit through hours of video content without interaction. This course is based on you creating your own course, with your own content.
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Pre-test Questions for Module 1 - Teaching
The following are the pre-test questions for Module 1.
Answering them will give you a general idea of the content explored in the module, but remember—these questions are just a starting point. The heart of the module lies in your reflection, experience, and integration of the material. Approach each question with curiosity, and let it open the door to deeper learning and personal insight.
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Lesson 1: Adult Learning and Development
Discover the key principles of adult learning and how shifting from traditional teaching to a learner-centered approach enhances engagement and retention. This lesson explores Malcolm Knowles’ andragogy model, emphasizing self-directed learning, real-world application, and effective facilitation strategies for adult education.
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Lesson 2: Assumptions of Andragogy – Adult Learning
Explore the core principles of andragogy, where adult learners thrive through self-direction, experiential learning, and real-world application. This lesson highlights strategies for engaging adults, fostering participation, and creating meaningful, competency-based learning experiences.
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Lesson 3: Principles of Andragogy – Foundations
Effective facilitation in adult learning environments goes beyond delivering information; it requires creating a dynamic, engaging, and inclusive experience that empowers learners to take ownership of their education. The following components illustrate best practices in adult learning facilitation, supported by examples and research-backed strategies.
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Lesson 4: Adult Learning Practices
Discover key strategies for effective adult learning facilitation, including fostering engagement, self-direction, and collaboration. This lesson explores techniques for creating a supportive learning environment that enhances participation, retention, and real-world application.
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Lesson 5: Transcendent Learning – Creating an Educational Environment for Peak Experiences
Discover the transformative principles of Transpersonal Education, a holistic approach that integrates cognitive and emotional learning for self-realization and growth. This lesson explores Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, self-transcendence, and practices that foster peak experiences, deeper wisdom, and lifelong learning.
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Lesson 6: Learner Centered Objectives Overview
Learn how to create clear, participant-centered learning objectives that enhance engagement and real-world application in seminars and workshops. This lesson explores the domains of learning and effective goal-setting strategies to transform passive instruction into impactful, results-driven education.
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Lesson 7: Cognitive Domain of Learning – Thinking
Explore the Cognitive Domain of Learning and how Bloom’s Taxonomy enhances critical thinking, problem-solving, and skill development. This lesson covers strategies for writing effective learning objectives that move beyond memorization to real-world application and deeper engagement.
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Lesson 8: Affective Domain of Learning – Feeling
Empower learners beyond knowledge by fostering confidence, values, and real-world application through the Affective Domain of Learning—a hierarchy that moves from awareness to internalized action. By creating inclusive learning experiences that inspire self-belief and engagement, educators can transform training into meaningful personal and professional growth.
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Lesson 9: Psychomotor Domain of Learning – Doing
Develop hands-on skills effectively with the Psychomotor Domain of Learning, which guides learners from awareness to mastery through structured practice and real-world application. By integrating demonstrations, guided response, and skill adaptation, educators can ensure learners confidently perform, refine, and innovate within their fields.
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Lesson 10: Writing your Own Objectives
Learn how to create clear, participant-centered learning objectives that enhance engagement and real-world application in seminars and workshops. This lesson explores the domains of learning and effective goal-setting strategies to transform passive instruction into impactful, results-driven education.
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Module 2 - Learning
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Introduction to Module 2 - Learning
Now it’s time to focus on the Learner. How they learn, what motivates them to learn, what teaching strategies help them learn and what prevents their learning..
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Lesson 11: Determining your Personal Style of Teaching and Learning
Each of us has a personal preference or way of viewing our world. We will use in this module a personal style inventory and learning theory based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator which views individuals in 4 dimensions or continuums of personal approaches to learning.
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Lesson 12:PSI Meanings
Explore each of the Personality Type Topics. You may wish to read about yourself first! Then read about the opposite of you to give you insights into someone with a completely different style. Make copies and give this test to your co-workers, family and friends.
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Lesson 13: Introverts -Who they are, How they learn.
Explore each of the Personality Type Topics. You may wish to read about yourself first! Then read about the opposite of you to give you insights into someone with a completely different style. Make copies and give this test to your co-workers, family and friends.
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Lesson 14: Extroverts -Who they are, How they learn.
Extroverts make up approximately 75% of the population and are highly attuned to their external environment, including culture, people, and activities. They make decisions based on social expectations and external demands, often seeking engagement and variety.
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Lesson 15: Intuitors-Who they are, How they learn.
Intuitors make up approximately 25% of the population and prefer to focus on possibilities, theories, and big-picture thinking rather than concrete facts and details. They are drawn to invention, abstract concepts, and imaginative exploration, often becoming bored with routine tasks or information that lacks a broader conceptual framework.
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Lesson 16: Sensors-Who they are, How they learn.
Sensors make up approximately 75% of the population and prefer to focus on the concrete, real, and tangible aspects of life. They value structure, factual accuracy, and the here-and-now, often becoming impatient with abstract theories or intuitive thinking.
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Lesson 17: Feelers-Who they are, How they learn.
Feelers make judgments about life, people, and situations based on empathy, warmth, and personal values. They prioritize emotions and human connection over impersonal logic and analysis, seeking harmony and understanding in their interactions.
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Lesson 18: Thinkers-Who they are, How they learn.
Thinkers excel in careers that require logic, analysis, and structured decision-making. They thrive in roles that emphasize problem-solving, critical thinking, and objective evaluation.
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Lesson 19: Perceiver-Who they are, How they learn.
Perceivers are natural gatherers of information, always seeking more knowledge before making decisions. They are open, flexible, and adaptive, able to see multiple perspectives and appreciate all sides of an issue.
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Lesson 20: Judgers-Who they are, How they learn.
Judgers are decisive, firm, and goal-oriented individuals who prefer structure, order, and clear plans. They value closure and completion, setting goals and sticking to them with determination.
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Lesson 21: 16 Personality Types - Implications for Teaching
Find Your Tribe! Teach with Compassion for Everyone. Teaching strategies for 16 different personal learning preferences.
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Lesson 22: Teaching Methods that Facilitate Adult Learning and Development
18 Teaching Methods to Inspire Engagement, Deepen Learning, and Create Success Effective teaching isn’t just about delivering information—it’s about creating a natural flow where learning happens effortlessly, and both instructors and learners stay fully engaged. The right preparation allows facilitators to guide discussions, structure activities, and adapt methods in ways that build confidence and competence in learners.
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Lesson 23 - Designing Your Course – Integrating Objectives, Content, and Learning Experiences
Now, with the new information you have, it’s time to determine your learning experiences and how long each experience will take the learner to complete in your course. The time sets the contact hours and is necessary if you are to submit your course for professional CEU approval or if you are training in your business and industry.
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Lesson 24 - Experiential Learning Cycle
In the Experiential Learning Cycle, the instructor determines in advance questions to facilitate discussion for each stage in the cycle. These questions help learners develop a sense of ownership over what is learned and guide them through all the higher forms of learning. Guidelines for developing facilitation questions are presented in the next three units.
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Lesson 25: Personalizing Facilitation Questions
Experiential Learning Cycle offers a time-tested approach to meaningful learning. It honors each learner’s subjective experience and builds knowledge from the inside out.
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Chapter 3
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Introduction to Module 3 - Evaluating
The simplest test in adult continuing education is a pre-test/post-test. This can be written or just done verbally. The pre-test allows the learner to get an idea of where his/her knowledge is in relation to the topic at hand. It piques his/her interest and involves the learner immediately in wanting to find out the answers for the questions that are unknown.
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Lesson 26 - Feedback and Evaluation in Adult Learning
Feedback and evaluation are integral parts of daily communication between adult instructors and supervisors that help learners and employees learn and grow. This section will describe how to use feedback and evaluation effectively using the Carkhuff model for helping relationships interpreted by Jill Newman Henry.
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Lesson 27 - Objective Testing Methods
During workshops and online training, the most common evaluation instruments, when evaluation is necessary, are written pre and post test. Pre-tests may be given to participants with their information packages prior to the start of the learning experience.
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Lesson 28 - Measuring What Matters: Developing Participant Course Evaluations
Finally, you have completed your workshop, tested your participants, and now its time to receive their feedback and evaluation. This information is important for you. It provides the specifics you need to improve your workshop or course the next time you present it. Many CEU approval programs require course participant evaluation data as part of their renewal of CEU approval.
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Meet your Course Developer
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Meet your Course Developer ✳
Dr. Jill Henry, EdD
Imagine we are sitting together on my porch in the Smoky Mountains just talking. Here’s how I arrived at the creation of Certified Facilitator of Adult Learning and why I am offering the course to you now.
My Initial Training
I graduated from The Ohio State University as a physical therapist. After spending two years in clinical practice, I was asked to teach in a community college physical therapist assistant program. I had no teaching experience. And to this day I have no idea how the students that first year learned anything from me. I’d give a lecture, have a quick discussion, demonstrate a technique, and then give an exam. It was all about me. I prepared the lecture. I got the equipment ready for the demonstration. I made up the exams. My students had to sit and listen to me and then respond to my negative energy when they didn’t understand or do well on their exams.
One day several of my students, came into my office and asked me why I didn’t like them. Didn’t like them? Where did that come from? I didn’t understand and asked them how they got that idea. Their response changed my life. I realized that I was not teaching them, but talking at them and expected them to learn from what I said. (I later learned that retention rate 2 weeks after a lecture is only 5%.) When students did poorly on their exams I considered it their fault for not listening to me. I was putting stress and blame on them for my poor teaching style, which was not a style at all, just me trying to figure out how to teach.
I asked the students for their ideas, for what they thought would help them learn. And wow did they have them. They wanted field trips – to a rehab center to see how patients worked to build strength, to a hospital and even to observe a surgery. They wanted case studies to figure out what they could and could not do with certain patients. They wanted to be involved in the learning process. I am to this day grateful for the courage it took for those students to talk with me.
Second teaching position
Two years into teaching at the community college level I attended a workshop at a major university and during the workshop the Director of the Physical Therapy program asked me to join the faculty as an instructor. Here we go again – I had a bachelor’s degree, two years experience teaching, and I still didn’t really know how to teach. I took the position.
Best career decision I ever made. The director became my mentor. Bella was her name. During her doctoral studies, she worked with Malcom Knowles, the Father of Adult Learning and frequently brought him to campus for faculty workshops.
Bella J. May, EdD
Malcom Knowles, PhD
From Bella and Malcolm I learned that:
• Learning procedures by “show and tell” does not prepare students for a profession or career or job.
• Facts change. Procedures change. What prepares students for the future is learning how to think, solve problems, and apply critical thinking skills in different situations.
• Knowledge alone is not enough to be successful in any field.
• Developing attitudes and values are just as important as memorizing information.
• To be effective, teaching must be competency-based and learner-centered, not teacher-centered. It’s easy to prepare a lecture. It’s more difficult to write an objective that tells the learner specifically what they will be learning and design experiences so they can reach the objective.
I remember late-night faculty meetings where I would present learner-centered objectives for the next course I was going to teach and those objectives would be reviewed, modified, and eventually approved BEFORE I wrote the first lecture or planned the first learning experience. Objectives were so important to the curriculum that every course objective from every professor was reviewed by the entire faculty before being accepted for teaching.
Along came the meeting with Dr. W. Edwards Deming
Dr. W. Edwards Deming, the Father of Total Quality Management was a statistician and business consultant. By the time I met Dr. Deming I had attained my Doctorate Degree in Adult Education from the University of Georgia and moved on from my faculty position to corporate training in local business, industries, and school systems. As a member of my city’s Chamber of Commerce, I attended several of Dr. Deming’s workshops and became highly involved in TQM (Total Quality Management) training in the city. Dr. Deming’s approach was about empowering the worker to participate in the work process. This approach integrated perfectly with adult learning. Education is all about empowering the learner to learn.
Then to Now
During the 1980 and 1990’s I traveled across the USA and Canada teaching college teachers and clinical therapists how to teach, and teaching trainers how to organize business and industry training based on Active Adult Learning. My husband and I moved to the Smoky Mountains and I brought the culmination of my experiences online as Certified Facilitator of Adult Learning course. Over the years I’ve been teaching teachers how to teach by helping them improve their courses through online study and personal feedback. My participants have ranged from Judges and Lawyers to Corporate Development Teams. From Nursing and Allied Health Educators to Girl Scout Leaders, from Math Teachers to Telecoms Trainers and from Hospice workers to Shamans. All have learned how to design their own unique training courses and workshops using adult learning techniques.
I hope I have piqued your interest. I’d love to work with you to create an exceptional learning experience for whoever you are teaching!
What you’ll learn
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Adult Learning Theory, Competency Based Instruction using Behavioral Objectives
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Designing active learning experiences for different learner preferences and facilitating learning experience for all learners.
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Performance evaluation and testing.
Course FAQ
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Past Certification graduates include: Adjunct Professor, Attorney-Administrative and Criminal Law, Banking Team Manager, Clinical Information System Specialist, Confidential Secretary to the Commissioner, Corporate Development, Program Manager for Leadership Development, Certified Medical Assistant, Director of Education, Director of Healthcare Education, Early Head Start Manager, Hospice Care Consultant, Math Teacher, Marketing Manager, Mobile Communications Trainer, Massage Therapist/Instructor, Pharmaceutical Sales, Physical Therapist Assistant, Realtor and Adjunct College Professor, Regional Clinical Coordinator, Regional Audit Manager for Southern African Countries, Registered Nurse, Trauma Nurse, Telecoms Trainer, Training and Development.
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Our classes are online. Design CEU classes and courses in the comfort of your own home or office, at your own pace and at your own times!
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This course to improve training effectiveness is completely online and may be accessed from any browser platform, including Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer and more.
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This is a self-paced class for teaching adult learners. There are 3 modules and a total of 30 individual units designed to improve training effectiveness. Each unit contains relevant content and provides either a self-test or a submission test, depending on the track you have chosen. Self-tests or quizzes all contain the answers below the quiz. Assignments in the Certification Course are written in Google Docs, reviewed by Dr. Henry and written feedback is given to the participant.
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On the Certificate track you will be submitting 7 "tests" to Dr. Henry. The tests include descriptions of your adult learning strategies, your specific course objectives, details of your course content and planned learning activities, questions you will use to facilitate your learners, course pre and post tests and course evaluations. Dr. Henry will personally review and provide feedback when you design CEU classes and courses. She may suggest changes and revisions or ask questions to help you clarify your workshop. In order to obtain your certification, you must submit all course information and make revisions as appropriate to meeting CFAL course objectives.
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This is a 20 contact hour course, that is, the average person will take about 20 hours of actual work on the course to complete it. The time it takes you will be individual to you. The course is self-paced, so you may dive right in, or you may spread it out over several months. The recommended time frame is approx. 6 weeks, however you may complete it in shorter or longer periods of time. If you have taken the certificate track we will honor your registration fee for 3 months. If you have not completed the course within 3 months, you may ask for and may be granted an extension. Once completed on the Certificate track you have lifetime access to course materialsl (as long as the website is online) If you have not taken the Certification track the course materials will be available to you on-line for 6 months. You may upgrade to Certificate at any time during the courseItem description
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INo refunds are awarded if taking this course as Independent Study, If you are taking the Course for Certification and decide the certification is not for you, you will be refunded the additional cost for certification prior to your first submission. No refunds for certification are available after your first assignment submission. tem description
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IHere are just a few of the reasons participants (in their own words) signed up for this course:
I am a new trainer for my company and I want to improve training effectiveness, giving my students the best learning experience that I can.
I have taken on a new role of providing computer training to our Clinicians. I know that Adults learn differently and I am really excited to learn all about it!
I'd like to become certified as an adult learning facilitator so that I may start and run a training department at my company.
I'm taking this course because I teach adults at a career college.
I facilitate a monthly Leadership Training for employees of Social Services.
I'm the manager of Corporate Development where I work and know about adult learning methods but want to learn more.
I will be setting up a College Graduate Onboarding program and I want to be sure that I'm being as effective as possible in my role.
I have applied for a position helping to train judges in the State of Florida.
I am taking this course to better myself as an instructor and it is a requirement for our accreditation for the college.
I am the Director of Education and an R.N. I need a background in Adult Learning techniques to better determine our training processes.
I have just started a new job as a trauma nurse consultant that involves delivering education to nurses and other staff at all levels.
I'd like to have a more detailed understanding of how adults learn in order to design CEU courses to better meet the needs of my students.
In running an Early Head Start Program, it is my responsibility to train staff to do the best they can to help the families in our program. I want to be able to train adults more effectively so we have the most impact possible in a child's life
I want to become a professional trainer and facilitator from knowing the theory of teaching and best practices.
The course is one that I view as a refinement and enhancement to the self-developed presentations I currently offer.
I am taking this course to better my understanding of Adult Learning Principles and how to apply them to my job. This will help me be more productive, and also will provide my students with a better way of learning their material crucial to their job.
I am taking this course to further my career in Nursing Education.
I was asked to present an in-service on Adult Learning for the purpose of educating our own methods that our clinic might modify/ change our patient teaching activities
I am working toward a new job. This job will allow me the opportunity to continue teaching but at multiple levels of education and age.tem description