The design of a training course for adult learners on a new and not so common topic as blockchain should be led by 4 main elements: 

• To support adult learners’ motivation 

• To provide simple and practical information on how to access and use blockchain that adults can easily put into practice 

• To provide much more practical sessions than theory 

• To adapt the training to the practical needs of adult learners 

Among the different instructional design models available, the adult learning theory also known as andragogy, seems to help us more than others to achieve these objectives. 

This theory, developed by Malcolm Shepherd Knowles in the 1970's and still relevant today, focuses on the differences between adult and children's way of learning, highlighting the main elements make the adult learning paths relevant and effective. 

The main strategy here is to make connections between blockchain and adult learners’ life and work visible. 

To do this you can implement simple activities or training sessions: 

1. Ask your learners to talk about their work or interests taking notes of the sectors emerged by the discussion. 

2. Based on the different sectors and activities highlighted in discussions you can make some example of the benefits of blockchain application at the workplace and daily life 

3. Furthermore you can find the benefits based on concrete elements such as: 

   1. case studies 

   2. Success stories of previous learners 

   3. data or statistics on blockchain diffusion and opportunities

   4.  news on newspapers or official media 

4. To invite Guest speakers confirming the benefits of the knowledge, skills and competences learner will acquire is a powerful strategy for improving the readiness of adult learners. 

It is much easier to do if you have a homogeneous target group (learners working in the same sector, experiencing the same condition, etc…). On the contrary, you can also find some common everyday activities (to use bank services, to sign a contract, etc…) everybody are experienced of. 

You can apply a scenario-based instructional design model that link the training with the real context experienced by the learners. Scenario-based learning (SBL) uses interactive scenarios to support active learning strategies such as problem-based or case-based learning. It normally involves students working their way through a storyline, usually based around an ill-structured or complex problem, which they are required to solve. In the process, students must apply their subject knowledge, and critical thinking and problem solving skills in a safe, real-world context 

Intrinsic motivation in adult learners is improved a lot by the connections they can do with their own life and work environments and the perceived advantages that the training can have for them. 

This process is transversal to all the principles listed here and can be facilitated by applying some techniques: 

1. When you have one specific topic to work on the Me-We-Us Framework can help create a common understanding of the topic. 

2. If you foresee discussion sessions can be useful to apply the Group memory technique to record conversations on a flipchart, post-its or whiteboard. Writing down what people say is important, writing it down on a wall so that everyone can see it, is motivating. It helps empty our minds and make space for new thoughts. 

3. If you have multiple topics and you want to discuss them collaboratively, you can use the World Café Model. 

The learners can need to use blockchain for a specific activity or in a specific working context. 

They will certainly prioritize those contents that are closer to their immediate needs. To do this you can apply different strategies or actions: 

1. You can involved learners in the definition of the training programme, deciding collaboratively the more relevant contents. This is something not so easy to do from the organisational point of view and requires a certain degree of previous competences owned by the learners. 

2. A modularised training structure allows learners to focus on the modules they consider relevant based on their needs and skip the others. Each module should be a stand alone set of contents. 

3. Using mind maps for making the entire training structure clear can help learners making their choices. 

4. To create short contents can be very appreciated by adult learners who usually have a limited amount of time to be spent on training. Some techniques such as Nano learning or Micro learning can help you to create short contents for adult people.  

Most of the training courses on blockchain are actually structured with a lot of theoretical sessions and only few hours dedicated to the practice. Adult learners need to immediately put into practice the knowledge received being able to access blockchain services and actively operate with this technology. 

The strategies you can use are different: 

1. You should implement simulators or real tools in order to give adult learners the possibility to have practical sessions. Keep in mind that the learners should practice different blockchainbased applications or services focused on different sectors. 

2. Problem-based learning approach can be a powerful strategy for combining problem solving with practical learning. This methodology can be very effective with adult learners helping them to solve practical problems in using blockchain technology