Adults have a readiness for their learning.
Tap into adult learners’ motivation by quickly identifying the WIIFM, or what’s in it for me. Share a real-world example of how the content will help the learner by applying it to their profession or hobby. Tease the topics that will give the learners some expertise and explain how they are invited to learn more through self-discovery. Relate how assessments look at their progress and thinking strategies overall versus knowing a single output. Feedback about the content’s relevance from participants in the course deployment and previous iterations could be shared with new learners to build enthusiasm, as well.
 

Adult learners have a specific view of learning.
Adult learners are more do-ers than absorb-ers. They crave problem-based tasks that allows them to see the applicability of information quickly. Instructional designers have a plethora of active learning options to choose from whether doing a live or virtual course: debates, presentations, writing reports, case studies or scenarios, letting each student lead one session on a topic related to the course of their choosing, creating multimedia to explain a topic, or simulation trainings.
 

Adult learners are affected by motivation.
An adult learner’s intrinsic motivation is a powerful factor, and, fortunately, it is one suited to eLearning. Not only does one’s intrinsic motivation likely lead them to taking a course, but that motivation can also be measured in online courses published to xAPI. xAPI offers a detailed way to review learner analytics by measuring key metrics like total time spent in the course, time spent on activities or knowledge checks, learner progress, and assessment scoring, all of which speak to a learner’s motivation.