Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging's online learning model focuses on developing students’ education through learning that incorporates both theoretical knowledge and relevant experience.  Students' education evolves through a continuum of interaction and practical application.  The model emphasizes collaboration: learners with peers and learners with instructors.  Both learners and instructors move along the continuum, reflecting together on their experiences, building and applying knowledge, participating in communities of learning, and making theoretical and practical contributions to their students.