“STRENGTHENING THE SPECIFIC ROLE OF UNIVERSITIES ...

MANUAL ON UNIVERSITY LIFELONG LEARNING

BASED ON THE OUTCOMES OF TEMPUS PROJECT

“STRENGTHENING THE SPECIFIC ROLE OF UNIVERSITIES

AS LLL INSTITUTIONS” (SSRULLI)

(Project number: 544251‐TEMPUS‐1‐2013‐1‐GE‐TEMPUS‐JPHES)

Proceedings of Three International Conferences Organized in the Framework of the Project

“MTSIGNOBARI”

Tbilisi

2016

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EDITORIAL BOARD

Tamar Chakhnashvili

Irine Darchia

Abdul Kakhidze

Nino Kvrivishvili

Maia Shukhoshvili

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

ISBN 978-9941-465-40-6

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SUMMARY

I INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ULLL

(AGENDA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

II INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ULLL (AGENDA) ..... 11

III INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ULLL (AGENDA) ... 19

Andrea Waxenegger (Austria)

THE AUSTRIAN ULLL NETWORK

– LESSONS LEARNED .................................................................. 24

Helmut Vogt (Germany)

UNIVERSITY LIFELONG LEARNING:

WHERE IT COMES FROM, WHERE IT STANDS,

WHERE IT GOES TO! .................................................................... 32

Samvel Karabekyan, Satenik Arakelyan,

Robert Khachatryan (Armenia)

EMERGING PRACTICES OF E-LEARNING AS UNIVERSITY

LIFELONG LEARNING TOOL: CASE OF YSULS ..................... 51

Anush Gevorgyan, Arpine Petrosyan,

Kristine Ghazaryan (Armenia)

LLL CULTURE IN ARMENIA: THE STATUS QUO AND

FUTURE TRENDS .......................................................................... 56

Lia Inaishvili (Georgia)

MAIN ASPECTS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF

ULLL AT BSU ................................................................................. 62

Nino Kvrivishvili, Keti Nemsadze, Salome Kavlashvili (Georgia)

CHALLENGES AND POTENTIALS OF ULLL

AT TSAA AND IN GEORGIA ........................................................ 66

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UNIVERSITY LIFELONG LEARNING IN EUROPE

– WORK IN PROGRESS ........................................................................... 69

Samvel Karabekyan, Ani Mazmanyan (Armenia)

ULLL WITHIN THE SYSTEM OF UNIVERSITY GOVERNANCE:

HOW TO RESPOND TO CHALLENGES? ................................................ 79



ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF UNIVERSITY

LIFELONG LEARNING – VANADZOR

STATE UNVERSITY’S CASE ..................................................... 82

Kadri Kiigema (Estonia)

WHY, WHO AND HOW SHOULD MARKET ULLL? ................. 89


UNIVERSITY LIFELONG LEARNING AS A STRATEGIC

DRIVER FOR ARMENIAN HIGHER

EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS............................................................. 103


MODELS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE OF

UNIVERSITY LIFELONG LEARNING .................................................... 117

Samvel Karabekyan, Gayane Ayvazyan (armenia)

SSRULLI IN YSULS: EXPERIENCE, IMPACT,

LESSONS LEARNED ................................................................................. 127

Nino Kvrivishvili, Keti Nemsadze,

Salome Kavlashvili (Georgia)

LIFELONG LEARNING CENTER AT TSAA ........................................... 132

Sevil Imanova (Azerbaijan)

LIFE LONG LEARNING AT QAFQAZ UNIVERSITY ............................ 135

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Anush Gevorgyan, Arpine Petrosyan, Kristine Ghazaryan (Armenia)

THE SUMMARY OF RESULTS OF THE TEMPUS-FUNDED

SSRULLI (STRENGTHENING THE SPECIFIC ROLE

OF UNIVERSITIES AS LIFELONG LEARNING

INSTITUTIONS) PROJECT ....................................................................... 140


STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT IN UNIVERSITY LIFELONG

LEARNING IN EUROPE – NOTES FROM PRACTICE ........................... 144

Elza Samedli (Azerbaijan)

A VIEW OF TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS

IN AZERBAIJAN WITH A VIEW TOWARD PREPARING

PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS ................................................................... 159

Lia Inaishvili, Tamar Siradze (Georgia)

AN ADULT AS A SUBJECT OF EDUCATION........................................ 167


WHAT IS AND HOW TO CREATE UNIVERSITY’S

LLL BRAND? .................................................................................. 172

Lena Oswald (Germany)

E-LEARNING IN USE – MOTIVATION, DIDACTICS, BENEFITS ....... 179

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I INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ULLL

AGENDA

13 April, 2015

SESSION I

Presentation of Tempus Projects on ULLL Chair: Dr. Irine Darchia

10.00 - 10.30 Presentation of Tempus Project SSRULLI

– Dr. Irine Darchia 10.30 – 11.00 Presentation of Tempus Project LeAGUe

– Dr. Ulf Rosen 11.00 – 11.30 Presentation of Tempus Project ARMAZEG

– Dr. Tinatin Davitashvili 11.30 - 12.00 Coffee break

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SESSION II

Caucasus Regional Network in ULLL

Chair: Keti Tsintsadze 12.00 - 12.30 The Austrian ULLL Network - Lessons Learned

– Dr. Andrea Waxenegger 12.30 – 13.00 The German Association for University

Continuing and Distance Education: Origin, Structure, Main Activity Fields and Challenges

– Helmut Vogt 13.00 – 13.30 Estonian Network for University Continuing

Education – Kadri Kiigema

13.30 – 15.00 Lunch 15.00 – 15.30 Proposal and Declaration for development of

Caucasus Network in ULLL

– Keti Tsintsadze 15.30 – 17.00 Round table on development of Caucasus

Regional Network in ULLL.

Moderator: Keti Tsintsadze

17.00 – 18.00 Meeting of SSRULLI Team on Logistical Issues

Moderator: Dr. Irine Darchia

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14 April, 2015

SESSION III

Declaration on Development of Caucasus Regional Network on ULLL

Chair: Dr. Irine Darchia

10.00 - 10.20 Welcome Speeches: Dr. Merab Eliashvili, TSU Vice-Rector

Dr. Lika Glonti, Erasmus+ National Office Coordinator

Dr. Ulf Rosen, Tempus Project LeAGUe Coordinator

Dr. Ramaz Botchorishvili, Tempus Project ARMAZEG Coordinator

10.20 – 10.30 Signing the Declaration on Development of

Caucasus Regional Network on ULLL 10.30 – 11.00 Challenges and Potentials of ULLL at TSU in the

Context of Georgian Educational System

– Keti Tsintsadze (TSU) 11.00 – 11.30 Coffee break

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SESSION IV

Problems and Challenges of ULLL in Caucasus

Chair: Keti Tsintsadze 11.30 – 11.50 Emerging Practices of E-Learning as ULLL Tool:

Case of YSULS

– Dr. Samvel Karabekyan, Satenik Arakelyan, Robert Khachatryan (YSULS)

11.50 – 12.10 Culture of Lifelong Learning in Armenia: the

status quo and future tends

– Arpine Petrosyan (VSU)

12.10 – 12.30 Adult Education Trends and ULLL Challenges in

Armenia

– Lusine Kharatyan (DVV International Armenia)

12.30 - 12.50 Khazar as a Lifelong Learning Institution

– Ulkar Bayramova (KHAZAR) 12.50 - 13.10 Historical Development and Current Challenges

of ULLL in Azerbaijan: Qafqaz University Case

– Aghabey Asadov (QAFQAZ) 13.10 – 13.30 LLL in Azerbaijan

– Azar Ramazanov (AEAA) 13.30 – 15.00 Lunch

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15.00 – 15.20 Development of Continuing Education in BSMA

– George Chkhartishvili (BSMA)

15.20 – 15.40 Challenges and Potentials of ULLL at TSAA and

in Georgia

– Nino Kvrivishvili (TSAA) 15.40 – 16.00 Impact of Tempus Project SSRULLI on Georgian

HEIs

– Tamar Chakhnashvili, Tamar Nadirashvili (CU)

16.00 – 16. 20 Non Formal Education for Youth

– Pavle Tvaliashvili (AEAG) 16.20 – 17.00 Wrap up, Concluding Remarks

– Dr. Irine Darchia

Venue: I. Chavchavadze ave. 1, TSU

Training: Ground Floor, Room 107 Coffee breaks: underground hall

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II INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ULLL

AGENDA

October 12, 2015, Tbilisi

SESSION I

Inter-Project Collaboration: SSRULLI, LEAGUE, ARMAZEG

Chair: Dr. Irine Darchia 10.30 – 11.00: Registration of Participants 11.00 – 11.15: Inter-project Collaboration: LLL courses

developed at Georgian HEIs in the framework of Tempus Project LEAGUE

– Dr. Marika Kapanadze (ISU) 11.15 – 11.30: Inter-Project Collaboration: LLL courses

developed at Georgian HEIs in the framework of Tempus Project ARMAZEG

– Dr. Tina Davitashvili (TSU) 11.30 – 12.00: LLL courses developed at Georgian HEIs in the

framework of Tempus Project SSRULLI

– Keti Tsintsadze (TSU), Nino Kvrivishvili (TSAA), George Chkhartishvili (BSMA), Lia Inaishvili (BSU), CU (tbc).

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12.00-12.30: LLL courses developed at Armenian HEIs in the framework of Tempus Project SSRULLI

– Samvel Karabekyan (YSULS), Arpine Petrosian (VU).

12.30 – 13.00: LLL courses developed at Azerbaijani HEIs in

the framework of Tempus Project SSRULLI

– Ulkar Bayramova (Khazar University), Tariyel Dovletov (Qafqaz University).

13.00 – 14.30: Lunch Break

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SESSION II

Discussion on Logistics of SSRULLI

Chair: Ms Keti Tsintsadze 14.30 – 16.00: Burning Issues: Implementation of Courses, Teaching Material, Handbook, Equipment, Publications, Visibility of the Project, Future Steps – Dr. Irine Darchia 16.00: Opening of Photo Exhibition by German Art Historian Rolf Schrade: Khevsureti (Mountainous Region of Georgia) – 1960-1977-2012: Past and Present (Optional).

Venue: October 12:

Meeting:

I. Chavchavadze ave. 1, TSU Garden “Good Food” Building

TSU Center of LLL and Academic Development II Floor

Exhibition:

I. Chavchavadze ave. 1, TSU Central Building TSU Exhibition Hall, III Floor

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OPENING SESSION

Chair: Dr. Irine Darchia 09.30 – 10.00: Registration of Participants 10.00 – 10.30: Welcome speeches:

Vice-Rector of TSU – Dr. Joseb Salukvadze

Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Georgia – Dr. George Sharvashidze

Head of National Tempus Office Georgia – Dr. Lika Glonti

10.30 – 11.00: ULLL in Georgian Higher Educational

Institutions: First Results of the Survey by the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia

– Dr. Irine Darchia, Dr. Mzia Tsereteli (TSU, MES)

11.00 – 11.30: Coffee break

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SESSION I

Regional Collaboration in ULLL

Chair: Dr. Samvel Karabekyan 11.30 – 12.00: Inter-Project Collaboration: National and

Regional Network of ULLL: How to organize, how to manage, how to function – Dr. Irine Darchia (TSU)

12.00 – 12.30: Discussion on Development of National and

Regional Network of ULLL – moderator Dr. Irine Darchia

12.30 – 14.00: Lunch Break

SESSION II

ULLL – European and National Dimension

Chair: Helmut Vogt

14.00 – 14.30: University Lifelong Learning in Europe – Work in progress

– Dr. Andrea Waxenegger (KFUG)

14.30 – 15.00: University lifelong learning as a strategic driver in

the Armenian higher education institutions

– Robert Khachatryan (YSULS)

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15.00 – 15.30: The new Teacher Mentoring programme

– Azar Ramazanov (AAA)

15.30 – 16.00: Coffee Break 16.00 – 17.00: Presentation of Estonian Movies done at TU


SESSION III

ULLL – Institutional Dimension

Chair: Ms. Kadri Kiigema 10.00 – 10.30: Models for the Institutional Structure of ULLL

– Helmut Vogt (HU) 10.30 – 11.00: ULLL within the system of University

governance: how to respond to challenges?

– Dr. Samvel Karabekyan, Ani Mazmanyan (YSULS)

11.00 – 11.30: Acting as Lifelong Learning University in

Practice - TSU Experience

– Keti Tsintsadze (TSU) 11.30 – 12.00: Coffee break

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SESSION IV


Chair: Dr. Andrea Waxenegger

12.00 – 12.30: Why, how and who should market ULLL – Kadri Kiigema (TU)

12.30 – 13.00: Conceptualization of LLL at Khazar University

– Ulkar Bayramova (Khazar) 13.00 – 13.30: Main aspects of implementation of ULLL in

BSMA – Dr. Lia Inaishvili (BSMA)

13.30 – 15.00: Lunch Break

SESSION V


Chair: Ulkar Bayramova

15.00 – 15.30: LLL Strategy of Qafqaz University – Tariyel Dovletov (Qafqaz)

15.30 – 16.00: Presentation by DVV Armenia

– Aram Avagyan (DVV International - Armenia) 16.00 – 16.30: Presentation by CU (tbc) 16.30 – 17.00: Wrap up of the Conference by

Dr. Irine Darchia

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Venue:

October 13: Chavchavadze ave. I, TSU

Hall of Aula Magna, II Floor Coffee breaks and lunches underground hall

October 14:

Chavchavadze ave. I, TSU Garden TSU Center of LLL and Academic Development

II Floor

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III INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ULLL

AGENDA

May 23, 2016, Tbilisi

OPENING SESSION


09.30 – 10.00: Registration of Participants 10.00 – 10.30: Welcome speeches

Dr. Lika Glonti, Head of National Tempus Office Georgia Dr. Irine Darchia, Head of Department for Higher Education and Science Department, Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, SSRULLI Coordinator

10.30 – 11.00: Tempus Project SSRULLI: Challenges and

Achievements – Dr. Irine Darchia

11.00 – 11.30: Coffee break

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SESSION I

Organization of ULLL

Chair: Dr. Samvel Karabekyan 11.30 – 12.00: How to plan University Lifelong Learning

– Helmut Vogt (UHH)

12.00 – 12.30: Lessons Learned in Tallinn University LLL Organization

– Kadri Kiigema (TU)

12.30 – 14.00: Lunch Break

SESSION II

Impact of Tempus Project SSRULLI on ULLL

Chair: Helmut Vogt

14.00 – 14.30: SSRULLI in YSULS: experience, impact, lessons

learned (YSLS)

– Dr. Samvel Karabekyan, Gayane Ayvazyan (YSULS)

14.30 – 15.00: ULLL Centre at Tbilisi State Academy of Art

– Salome Kavlashvili (TSAA)

15.00 – 15.30: Life Long Learning at Qafqaz University

– Dr. Sevil Imanova (Qafqaz)

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15.30 – 16.00: Coffee Break

16.00 – 16.30: Tempus Project SSRULLI Implementation at VSU and Sum-up of Results – Arpine Petrosyan, Dr. Anush Gevorgian (VSU)

16.00 – 16.30: Implemented Life Long Learning courses at Seafarer’s Training and Certification Centre – Dr. Abdul Kakhidze, George Chkhartishvili (BSMA)

May 24, 2016, Tbilisi

SESSION III

Regional Networks of ULLL

Chair: Dr. Andrea Waxenegger 10.00 – 10.15: Establishment of Informal Armenian-Georgian

and Azerbaijani-Georgian Regional Networks on ULLL (Mission, Strategy, Memorandum of Understanding) – Dr. Irine Darchia

10.15 – 11.15: Working on proposed documents in two parallel groups

11.15 – 11.30: Conclusions of Working Groups 11.30 – 12.00: Coffee break

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SESSION IV

Conceptual Issues of ULLL

Chair: Dr. Sevil Imanova

12.00 – 12.30: Learning in Later Life at University Level - Quality

– Dr. Andrea Waxenegger (KFUG)

12.30 – 13.00: Motivation for Lifelong Learning: What Drives

Learners When There is No External Motivator

– Raziyə İsayeva (Khazar)

13.00 – 13.30: A View of Teacher Preparation Programs in

Azerbaijan with a View Toward Preparing Professional Teachers

– Dr. Elza Səmədova (Khazar)

13.30 – 15.00: Lunch Break

SESSION V


15.00 – 15.00: Preparing Final Report of SSRULLI

– Dr. Irine Darchia, Dr. Maia Shukhoshvili 15.00 – 16.00: Preparing Financial Report of SSRULLI

– Dr. Irine Darchia, Dr. Maia Shukhoshvili

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16.00 – 16.30: Signing of MoU-s on Establishment of Informal Armenian-Georgian and Azerbaijani-Georgian Regional Networks on ULLL Wrap up of the Conference: final comments from participants

Venue:

Chavchavadze ave. I, TSU Garden TSU Center of LLL and Academic Development

II Floor

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THE AUSTRIAN ULLL NETWORK – LESSONS LEARNED

AUCEN, the Austrian University Continuing Education and Staff

Development Network, was founded in 1996. It is the first

network for University Continuing Education (UCE) / University

Lifelong Learning (ULLL) and staff development in Austria.

AUCEN promotes UCE and Staff Development at universities

‐ at policy level – through involvement and lobbying at national

and European level to establish adequate conditions in these

areas,

‐ at organisational level – through networking and

professionalisation of the experts and persons in charge at the

universities,

‐ at content level – through quality development in continuing

education and staff development.

AUCEN’s development

In March 1996, the then Vice-Rector for Continuing Education

and Human Resources Management at the University of

Agricultural Sciences Vienna invited colleagues from other

universities to a round table to exchange experiences in the

development of UCE and to explore its potential in the context of

the implementation of the Universities Organisation Act 1993. The

round table developed into an informal network with regular

meetings. In 1998 the name AUCEN and the aims and guidelines

were established and a representative as “Spokesperson”

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designated. From October 2002 to January 2005, the AUCEN

Office was provided with staff resources financed by the Federal

Ministry for Education, Science and Culture to coordinate and

advance the network. Up to October 2005, AUCEN continued to

be an informal network of universities for universities. Since then,

AUCEN has been a registered, formal association with its office

financed by the member universities.

It is important to highlight that the founding of AUCEN is also to

be seen in the context of national higher education policy in

Austria. The Universities Organisation Act 1993 further developed

into the Austrian University Act 2002, fully implemented 2004,

changing the relationship between the State and the individual

public universities – universities got more “autonomy” to define

their own strategies, to define priorities. Performance agreements

(contracts to be signed and published) need to be negotiated

between the individual universities and the Austrian Federal

Ministry of Science, Research and Economy, and the individual

universities receive a “global budget” (a lump sum for three

years). These performance agreements include “continuing

education”. Priorities for the State in the area of ULLL (the

“minimum” to be achieved) are to define a ULLL strategy (or to

look at the existing one again); to develop ULLL programmes for

working students; to engage in community education (a new

request for the performance period 2016-2018) and to ensure

quality development and -assurance in ULLL. In this period of

massive change in the university system, at individual as well as at

institutional level, AUCEN was perceived by the universities as an

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important platform for the further development of UCE in Austria

and AUCEN has been serving as this important platform ever

since.

Info box

AUCEN Mission Statement University Continuing Education

After research and teaching, university continuing education is the

third key task of Austrian universities.

Through university continuing education, individuals with

academic and/or adequate qualifications can participate in

universities’ learning processes and can continue their academic

studies, thus stimulating the influence of experience and

approaches from outside on the universities, in the same way the

universities influence various professions and areas of life.

Besides qualifying individuals, university continuing education

contributes to professional cooperation, the formation of groups

with common interests, and networking. Consequently, university

continuing education also stimulates society to react to these

processes.

1. Relation to Research of International Standard: University

continuing education has the advantage of being able to offer a

learning process based on the latest internationally recognised

standards of knowledge and competency in a particular field.

As experts in the field, providers of university continuing

education take part in international research; they are able to

27

offer insights into the development of knowledge and to

impart research competency as required.

2. Reflexivity in a Social Context: Academic knowledge is

critical and reflexive as it questions the conditions of its

formation and effects. This reflexivity asks where the

knowledge comes from and what it is for. Reflexivity is also

the most reliable form of mediation between theory and

practice: the differences between theory and practice are not

rejected or disavowed, but considered a benefit for both

learners and teachers in the learning processes. Reflexivity

requires candour and freedom in situations of teaching and

learning.

3. Common Principle: Learners and teachers see each other as

partners in a common process of teaching and learning: the

experience and the knowledge of both parties involved are

part of the process right from the beginning.

(Source: AUCEN Mission Statement University Continuing

Education 2002)

Membership and organisational structure of AUCEN

Membership in AUCEN is institutional only; all Austrian public

universities are potential members. Each member university

delegates representatives for both themes, university continuing

education and staff development. Membership is subject to a fee.

AUCEN has its own statutes and regulations as required by

Austrian Association law. Its Steering Committee is composed of

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six professionals from different member universities who are

elected by the General Assembly (GA) for a period of two years.

Externally the AUCEN network is represented by a Spokesperson

and a Vice-Spokesperson. The AUCEN GA meets at the AUCEN

Meetings which are held twice a year – at one of the member

universities. AUCEN Workshops are usually held within the

Meetings and can also be held separately. AUCEN has a

permanent office at one of the member universities.

Focus of work throughout the years

AUCEN has been working on important ULLL themes throughout

the years of its existence, for example:

‐ An understanding of ULLL

‐ ULLL strategy development at institutional level

‐ Management of ULLL (organisational models and structures,

funding / business models, cooperation / partnerships,

marketing) – organisational development and

professionalisation / staff development

‐ Programme development / diversity of learners

‐ Evaluation (different approaches and methods, for example

feedback from ULLL alumni) and quality (quality

development, -assurance, -management; “standards”)

‐ Specific issues such as: Recognition of Prior Learning,

National Qualifications Framework, European development

(policy; good practice examples)

‐ Contributions/lobbying at national level: links to relevant

29

stakeholders such as Rectors’ conference, public bodies (e.g.

ministries), contributions to specific external task forces,

contribution to basis policy documents, etc.

It is important to understand that AUCEN depends on the

commitment and the voluntary contributions of its members and

their willingness to share experiences and good practice, for

example by engaging in temporary task forces or working groups,

by commenting on position papers and by contributing to activities

supporting the visibility of the network and UCE. AUCEN might

also collaborate with other networks or bodies to pursue its goals.

Lessons learned since 1996

In 2016, AUCEN is able to look back at 20 years of existence – it

started as an informal “get together” of a very small group of

university people and is now a fully established formal network

open to all Austrian public universities, still covering the fields

“university continuing education” and “staff development”. It is

obvious that it has been seen as “useful”, for those advanced in the

field as well as for the newcomers, otherwise it would not exist.

What have we learned by developing the network?

‐ Although Austrian universities are competitors in ULLL (seen

from a market perspective), there are important issues of

common concern. Among those, the issue of “quality” is one

of the most important ones because the better the quality of

ULLL at every individual university, the better it is for all

ULLL providers.

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‐ AUCEN has been “the voice” of ULLL in Austria, a role one

university alone cannot fulfil.

‐ AUCEN has been playing a very important role in the support

of professionalisation of staff working in ULLL.

‐ AUCEN has had, from the beginning, a coordinator and a

basic infrastructure which was considered as essential for

keeping the network going. Coordination of networks may be

done by volunteers, at least for some period. In the long run, a

membership fee might be needed to cover the costs for some

hours per week (as minimum).

‐ AUCEN has kept institutional membership, relying on

individual commitment of the professionals delegated

/involved.

- AUCEN, as a network, depends on a “give” and “take” of its

members: There must be a balance, over a longer period, of

engagement and contributions of all members, according to

their possibilities.

- AUCEN was an informal network at the beginning; later,

having a legal status was important because a legal body has

its own statutes and regulations, and clear decision making

structures; is able to act as a formal association (also in

financial matters) and can more easily acquire a formal,

recognised position at national level which goes along with

greater visibility. A legal body, which requires a formal

commitment by the rector of the university and member

universities, may be less dependent on individual

professionals’ engagement because if they lose interest, the

university would replace them.

- AUCEN has a nominated delegate in EUCEN-European

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University Continuing Education Network. This delegate is

“the official link” between AUCEN and EUCEN and takes

part in the National Network Meetings at the EUCEN Annual

conferences. A European network opens up a “learning space”

for bigger development questions beyond the day-to-day

business, which is very much bound to national and

institutional regulations, and questions. Access to a shared

European body of professional knowledge is opened; partners

for European projects can be found; and institutions and

national networks become part of the voice for ULLL in

Europe.

It is a common experience among those familiar with founding

and maintaining networks that, generally speaking, it needs a core

group of professionals as driving forces and that the composition

of this group should change from time to time; “insider speak” and

the impression of a “closed group” should be avoided.

Consequently, all those in charge should actively encourage

newcomers to engage in different roles and bring in fresh views. It

is also a widely shared experience that a network has phases of

high activity and less activity, and that endurance is needed; but a

network should only exist as long as it is useful (it can also fulfil a

temporary need…). Members of a network should also be aware

that a network needs success which makes it attractive and brings

visibility and that it needs phases of self-reflection (Are we still

doing the right things? Are we doing things right?). And, finally, a

network needs a “spirit” shared widely among its members.

AUCEN has proven that it has addressed these challenges to the

satisfaction of its members throughout its existence.

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UNIVERSITY LIFELONG LEARNING: WHERE IT COMES

FROM, WHERE IT STANDS, WHERE IT GOES TO!

Outline

A. Preliminary remarks

B. Origin of the Lifelong Learning idea

C. Bologna process and LLL

D. European Universities‘ Charter of Lifelong

Learning

E. Fields of action

F. Consequences for institutions of higher education

This contribution attempts to provide answers to the following

questions:

- Where does the key word Lifelong Learning (LLL) come

from?

- What is the state of play for this item?

- What are the main action fields for Institution of Higher

Education (IHE)?

and

- Which are the dimensions that have to be developed for

IHE by the discussion about University LLL?

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A. Preliminary remarks

There are two meanings of LLL nowadays. The first one refers to

LLL

as part of the biographical process,

as an individual demand.

This is not the definition I work with. I talk about LLL as

realignment and reform of the educational institutions. In this

sense the idea of LLL has consequences for the educational sector

as a whole. But of course it comes as no surprise when I say that

three sectors are affected in particular:

- the sector of higher education (HE)

- the sector of vocational education and training

and

- the sector of adult education.

A very interesting question is if the LLL idea touches or even

tends to tear down the traditional walls between these sectors. I

will come back to this question later.

Nevertheless our common sector is higher education. That is why I

will stick to this sector and mention the others only as far as they

are affected by developments in our sector.

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B. Origin of the LLL idea

Our question now is: When was LLL first talked about and in

which context was the term used at that time?

The term LLL or rather LLL and similar expressions like lifelong

education, éducation permanente and recurrent education first

appeared around the year 1970. Since then through a long-term

development LLL became a kind of guiding principle of the

contemporary discussion about education and learning in modern

societies.

What were the milestones in the beginning?

In the year 1970 the Council of Europe published a report under

the title “Permanent Education”. This report marked the beginning

of a discourse on LLL in Europe and all over the world. The key

issues can be summarized as follows:

- Education is a continuous, lifelong process concerning all

stages of life.

- Education is a permanent process of development of

knowledge, know-how and social skills.

- The acquisition of knowledge and skills is only meaningful if

linked to experience, achievements and practice.

The core of the idea was to state that the times have passed when

we had three phases in life:

Childhood and youth connected with learning and

education

Adulthood connected with professional life and

35

Seniority connected with retirement and permanent leisure

time.

In the year 1972 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and

Cultural Organization (UNESCO) published a report under the

title “Learning to be. The world of education today and

tomorrow”. The key statement of “Learning to be” was that every

individual should have the opportunity to learn during their whole

lives in order to become and remain a well-informed member of

her or his society, able to understand the world and to participate

in decision-making processes of a society. “Learning to be”

focussed very strongly on the individual’s development and the

aspect of active participation in society.

Another vision of lifelong education was promoted by the

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

(OECD). In the year 1973 the OECD published a report under the

title “Recurrent Education. A Strategy for Lifelong Learning”. It

brought forward the idea of an alternation between times of

working and times of learning throughout life and influenced the

discussion of new learning models for a long time. “Recurrent

education” in contrast to “Learning to be” mainly focussed on the

needs of the labour market.

During the decades that followed these three milestones of the

LLL idea became an „all-encompassing concept“, to say it in

Schuller’s, Schuetze’s and Istance’s words1.

1 Schuller, Schuetze und Istance: From Recurrent Education to the

Knowledge Society, 2002, p. 9

36

Let us step forward and ask how LLL merged into the Higher HE

sphere. As a matter of fact, within the first decades of

development of LLL, HE did not play any role in the debate. Apart

from some marginal references in the last decade of the last

century, the involvement of HE in the discourse about LLL is a

result of the Bologna process (BP).

C. Bologna Process and LLL

I assume that the implications of the BP are well known. That is

why I will look at it under the perspective of ULLL in particular.

The BP started in 1999 when 31 ministers of education coming

from 29 European countries signed the Bologna declaration.

Today 50 countries belong to the BP. Armenia, Azerbaijan and

Georgia became full members of the process in 2005.

The key objective of the BP was to build a common European

higher education area by 2010. At first LLL was not even

mentioned as a task of the BP. This changed due to the so called

Bologna follow-up conferences.

There have been six of these conferences between 1999 and 2010:

The first took place in 2001 in Prague2, the last in 2010 in Vienna

and Budapest. I will not go into details, but if you analyse the

communiques of the conferences very carefully you will find that

engagement in LLL as a demand to the IHE becomes a more and

more important issue. In the communique of the Leuven

2 The other Bologna follow-up conferences: 2003 in Berlin, 2005 in

Bergen, 2007 in London, 2009 in Leuven

37

conference in 2009, which was the one to define the aims for the

upcoming decade, we can read under the header

Learning for the future: higher education priorities for the decade to come

“Successful policies for lifelong learning will include basic principles and procedures for recognition of prior learning on the basis of learning outcomes regardless of whether the knowledge, skills and competences were acquired through formal, non-formal, or informal learning paths. Lifelong learning will be supported by adequate organisational structures and funding. Lifelong learning encouraged by national policies should inform the practice of higher education institutions.”3

The last sentence of this quotation is the most important one: “Lifelong learning encouraged by national policies should inform the practice of higher education institutions.” That is what the BP is heading for within the second decade of our century. And of course the question that arises is: What does this mean in practice?

D. European Universities’ Charter on Lifelong Learning

As an effect of the process which made LLL an important issue

for the European universities, the European University

3 Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve Communiqué, April 2009, p. 3

38

Association (EUA) approved in 2008 a European Universities’

Charter on Lifelong Learning. The EUA represents and supports

HE institutions in 47 European countries.

The Charter consists of two main chapters. Each of these chapters

comprises 10 commitments. They are addressed to the universities

on the one hand and to the governments, the political sphere, on

the other hand.

I will focus on the three most important commitments on both

sides. While doing so, I will try to include some aspects of the

other commitments which I think are relevant.

Universities commit to

Embedding concepts of widening access and lifelong learning

in their institutional strategies

This means that Universities have to declare LLL as part of their

mission statements and to define steps within their structural

development strategy to become a University of LLL.

Providing education and learning to a diversified student

population

This commitment aims at new target groups and requires widening

access and offering study programmes suitable for non-traditional

students.

Recognition of prior learning

This commitment refers to the plurality of learning places. What a

student has learned before – no matter whether his competences

are results of formal, informal or non-formal learning – should be

39

recognized and accredited. I will come back to this topic later.

RPL includes vocational training as well as qualifications

achieved abroad or competences gained by voluntary work. It is

obvious that the realization of this commitment makes efforts on

the government’s side necessary as well. According to this you

can find a kind of mirror commitment in the chapter for the

governments.

Let us switch to the second chapter of the Charter now and throw a

glance at the three most important commitments for the political

sphere.

Governments commit to

Recognizing the university contribution to lifelong learning

as a major benefit to individuals and society

LLL Universities will be the result of a paradigm shift. This must

be taken into account by the governments. It changes the role of

universities in society and their relation to individuals. If the

governments don’t recognize the implications of this shift, all

efforts of the IHE to step forward on the LLL field will be in vain.

Removing specific legal obstacles that prevent many potential

learners from returning to higher education

This commitment especially aims at those obstacles that hinder

potential learners to return to universities. We are talking about

financial problems, precariousness of employment, social security,

childcare regulations etc. In some countries the legal situation for

access to HE in case the entrance qualification was gained via

vocational training has to be added to the number of obstacles as

well.

40

Ensuring autonomy and developing incentives for lifelong

learning universities

Universities are autonomous institutions in respect to their

particular fields of action such as research and academic teaching.

This autonomy must be preserved when universities start to

implement their LLL concepts. Moreover, incentives are needed to

enforce and to strengthen the related activities.

We keep in mind that one of the most important demands for the

IHE was

Providing education and learning to a diversified

student population

The key word related to this commitment is: New target groups!

E. Fields of action: a. New target groups

Why is it necessary to address new target groups?

If we go back to the 19th century the target group of universities

were well educated young men from the middle and upper classes

who were taught to become doctors, lawyers, teachers, civil

servants or priests. During the last one hundred and fifty years not

much has changed except that women are allowed to attend

universities and to gain academic degrees.

What happened during the last twenty, thirty years?

41

The great change of all our economies, the internationalization and

globalization together with a permanent modernization and

digitalization makes higher and better education more necessary

for greater parts of our population than in the past. Academic

supply only for the traditional target groups is not enough to keep

our economies going.

The demographic change affects nearly all modern societies. The

number of inhabitants is declining, the population gets older.

Germany is one of the worst cases: Today we have about 81.1

million inhabitants; in 2050 about 76.4 million are expected4. No

matter how big the decrease is: To keep the competitive ability of

the economies in our countries on a high level, it is necessary to

expand the working lifetime and to foster LLL.

We still find that access to IHE is besides other components a

result of social selectivity. Indeed there are great differences

between the countries of Europe. My country is said to be one of

the most socially selective countries when it comes to entrance to

academic education. But all other counties also select under social

aspects who may attend a university and who may not. Of course

this is not written down, but belongs to the so called hidden

agenda. Groups which are affected are e.g. socially deprived

persons, people with disabilities and in some cases ethnic

minorities.

4 http://laenderdatenbank.weltbevoelkerung.de/land-region/deutschland,

last access 06.04.2016

42

To sum up: We need to diversify our student population to keep

our societies on the present level, not to mention improvement of

this level.

Who should be addressed? To answer this question I refer to a

publication by Maria Slowy, Ireland, and Hans G. Schuetze,

Canada5. They identified three aspects to cluster the new target

groups:

the nature of the entry/admission qualification

the access route

the primary motivation for higher education studies.6

Before this background Slowy and Schuetze define the following

new groups:

Second chance learners

Persons without traditional formal entry qualifications like school-

leaving-examinations. Normally they have to pass an entrance test

or something similar and normally they do not belong to the group

of very young people.

Equity groups

People from certain socio-economic, ethnic or other groups, which

are underrepresented in higher education, belong to this group.

5 M. Slowey and H. G. Schuetze (forthcoming, May 2012)'Global

Perspectives

on Higher Education and Lifelong Learners' London and New York:

Routledge. 6 M. Slowey and H. G. Schuetze, in the place indicated, p. 15

43

Particular elements may be: gender, working class, migrants,

disability, from remote areas etc.

Deferrers

Those, who defer entry to higher education. Reasons may be:

getting a good job without academic qualifications, doing

voluntary work, prefer travelling, having to deal with family

responsibilities and others.

Recurrent learners and refreshers

Normally have a degree or a diploma, work in good positions and

need more qualifications or an update of their old qualifications.

This is the key group we deal with when we talk about university

continuing education (UCE).

Returners

Started studying with an IHE but never ended up with a degree,

left the IHE for different reasons; belong to the so called drop-

outs.

Learners in later life

Third age learners from a variety of social, educational and

economic backgrounds. In the face of the demographic

development this group becomes more and more important.

What are the action fields on which we have to work if ULLL is

our perspective?

44

b. Competence orientation

There are at least two terms which belong to the same field of

competence orientation: learning outcomes and employability.

What is the objective here? In former times the constructive

elements of curricula and study programmes were the academic

disciplines or rather what professors and other members of

curriculum development groups thought would be good for the

students to learn. This should now be a thing of the past. The

questions are: What competences should a student have, when she

or he leaves university? What kind of knowledge, ability, social

behaviour and skills are necessary to guarantee employability or –

if we talk about our new target groups – to guarantee that the

learning outcomes are feasible for the special situations of use?

There are two more implications if you consider competence

orientation:

The first one is discussed under the key words of formal, non-

formal, informal learning. The second one refers to the traditional

schism between academic and vocational education.

Not only the kind of formal qualification you obtain is important,

but also what you learn through non-formal and informal learning

processes. The term “non-formal learning” subsumes all learning

processes that do not lead to a formal degree. That means if you

attend a course at an adult education centre and learn how to

pamper babies you will gain a new competence without passing a

formal examination. On the other hand, informal learning is all

learning that happens without being organized, that happens

accidentally, that may even happen without the learners being

45

aware that they are involved in a learning process. The results of

all learning paths define your competences and contribute to your

employability and your ability to master your lives.

The second implication of the competence orientation is that there

is no longer a better or worse way of learning. In Europe we have

a long tradition in valuing academic degrees more than vocational

training degrees. If you focus on competences it doesn’t matter

whether you have achieved your abilities as a student of a

university or as an apprentice in a handicraft business. Here we

can state that competence orientation is a contribution to tearing

down the walls between the sectors of the educational system.

If that is the case you need a benchmark tool to be able to assess

the respective competences. This is particularly important if the

competences were acquired in another country and you are not

familiar with the country’s educational system. To solve this

problem the BP invented the European Qualification Framework

(EQF) and the National Qualification Frameworks (NQF). These

instruments came out as a result of the Bologna follow-up meeting

in Berlin in 2003. In the communique of the Berlin conference you

can read:

“Ministers encourage the member States to elaborate a

framework of comparable and compatible qualifications

for their higher education systems, which should seek to

describe qualifications in terms of workload, level,

learning outcomes, competences and profile. They also

46

undertake to elaborate an overarching framework of

qualifications for the European Higher Education Area.”7

I will not go deeper into the theme EQF/NQF because that could

be the header of another contribution.

c. Flexibility and permeability

What do we mean when we talk about flexibility? A short view on

the new target groups will show that there are a lot of differences

between the members of the new groups and the members of the

traditional target groups, e.g. the financial situation, the

circumstances of living and learning, the family setting. In order to

attract new target groups, several factors are relevant:

new ways of addressing

new learning formats

new paths for financing

new services

new organizational structures

and last but not least

new instructional designs

to mention the most important points only.

It is obvious that the traditional ways of entry to the IHE are not

sufficient for a LLL perspective. Another level of permeability has

7 http://www.bologna-berlin2003.de/pdf/Communique1.pdf, p. 4, last

access 03.04.2012

47

to be achieved. In the recent academic literature two different

aspects are discussed:

Access to IHE

Recognition of prior learning (RPL)

What is meant by “Access to IHE”? Traditionally, you needed an

entrance qualification to attend a university. E. g. in Germany you

need to hold an exam called Abitur – currently passed after 12 or

13 years of school education. Abitur has different names in other

counties: Matura in Austria and Switzerland, baccalauréat in

France, A-levels in the UK and high school graduation in the

USA.

But in Germany and in most of the BP countries this is the

situation that was. To increase the percentage of first year students

and to open the doors for members of the new target groups, new

ways of entry were developed and established. Currently in

Germany university access is possible not only with Abitur but

also via vocational training. But to tell the truth: Until today the

results of opening the doors to HE for persons with non-traditional

entry qualifications are rather poor: Only 2.6 % of the students in

Germany belong to this group, though the trend is intensifying

very slowly.

As far as I know the widest opening of doors for university studies

has been carried out in Great Britain. To study with the Open

University, in the UK, no proof of qualification is necessary. You

have to fulfill one condition only: You must be 16 years old. That

is all!

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F. Consequences for the institutions of higher education

What does all this mean for us, for the IHE?

Changes and consequences, alterations and modifications in

several fields are necessary. But on the way to become a LLL

university no miracles are expected. That means that every IHE

has to discuss and to decide what is possible in its special

situation, what is feasible, affordable and politically achievable.

Please consider the following hints and proposals before this

background. I will stress consequences for IHE in three areas

Organisational structure

Learning formats

Services

a. Organisational structure

I believe that it is necessary to review the traditional structure of

our institutions. Normally universities have a central unit

(president, vice presidents and administration) on the one hand

and faculties on the other hand. The president is responsible for

the policy, the administration for the smooth functioning of the

university and the faculties for research and teaching. The

question is if under the conditions of LLL an intermediate unit

could be helpful. The tasks and responsibilities for such a unit

would be

General management of the development of ULLL offers

and programmes in close matching with the faculties

49

Implementation of the ULLL offers and programmes

including service for the students and participants as well

as marketing and public relations

Evaluation of the ULLL offers and programmes including

quality assurance and further development.

In many IHE in the BP countries these units have already been

realized. E. g. in the University of Hamburg a central unit for UCE

was established in the year 1975.

b. Learning formats

It is obvious that the traditional formats of our study programmes

are not suitable for the needs of lifelong learners. Part time studies,

short offers, distance teaching, weekend courses and the extended

use of digital media are some of the key ideas. To highlight the

core issue: Study programmes must be available whether the

students are able to sit in a lecture hall or not.

c. Services

Last but not least I would like to mention that the spectrum of

services we offer our students and participant has to be reformed

and enlarged. To start with counselling services: student

counsellors for lifelong learners need to be on board beyond

normal office hours and need to be able to answer to the special

needs of e.g. students with family responsibilities, participants

with disabilities or full-time working students.

For the administrative services it is easy to define the necessities. I

can say it in one sentence: We need a change from bureaucracy to

customer orientation.

50

Closing remark

Not all aspects of my topic could be unfolded in depth and not all

side lines could be followed to the end. Nevertheless, I would

finally like to stress one very important point for countries starting

to develop ULLL as a task of their IHE: “The national and

European networks have an important role to play here.”8 The

meaning of this quotation for our context is that to build up a

national or regional network for ULLL as a support structure and a

place for promoting the discourse should not be underestimated.

8 Françoise de Viron and Pat Davies: From university lifelong learning to

lifelong learning universities:

Developing and implementing effective strategies. In: Jin Yang, Chripa

Schneller and Stephen Roche (Eds), The Role of Higher Education in

Promoting Lifelong Learning. UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning.

Hamburg 2015, p. 56

51

Samvel Karabekyan, Satenik Arakelyan,


EMERGING PRACTICES OF ELEARNING AS

UNIVERSITY LIFELONG LEARNING TOOL:

CASE OF YSULS

Since Armenia regained its independence in 1991, it has witnessed

arduous efforts to weather the ups and downs in its education

system. The entire process of building a competitive education

system has been daunting for Armenia, since it had to remodel and

redesign a then-existing system, inherited from the former Soviet

Union, and build a new one. Currently, Armenia is in great need of

reframing and reforming its long-term vision of higher education

reforms. The overarching objective of this paper is to explicate

emerging practices of eLearning as University Lifelong Learning

(ULLL) tool on the case of YSUSL.

As new education systems and infrastructures emerge, new

possibilities arise to better the needs of learners of different

groups. But whatever great potential might exist, success will not

be predicated on the mere existence of this tool. To achieve

eLearning’s greatest potential, deliberate institutional changes

must be implemented through effective leadership, education

management and sustainable strategic plans.

In its broadest context, eLearning may be defined as the strategic

use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs),

especially internet-based technologies, to achieve greater

efficiency of education delivery and more participation from

different groups. More specific objectives are geared towards

52

suggesting relevant learning opportunities. These objectives

include the indoctrination of habits of life-long learning,

expansion and assurance of quality educational experiences for

learners and the possibility to involve learners in ongoing

professional educational opportunities.

The objectives of eLearning stem from the strategic objectives and

goals of a higher education institution. The objectives of

eLearning are consistent with the institution’s strategic plan and

any changes in its strategic direction. Additionally, the objectives

are quite specific because the process of learning is more

individualized. In this context, the formation of learning

environment is designed in a way that learner takes the

responsibility for the process and outcome, assesses the progress

of own achievement and accordingly adapts the learning curve. It

is also instrumental to mention how the institution defines and

fulfills its mission in the particular area of eLearning, how it

develops various strategies and tactics to compete with other

education institutions in the delivery of eLearning, and distinguish

itself from competitors in the provision of related services.

This process is illustrated by the case of Yerevan Brusov State

University of Languages and Social Sciences (hereinafter

YSULS). YSULS has developed quite notable organizational

identity though efficient but not that extensive experience. This

experience is predicated by the existence of relevant

infrastructures and platform of eLearning administration and

supervision, required software package, the availability of faculty

and IT support staff, as well as developed and approved

administrative rules and regulations that warrant the effective

organization of eLearning at YSULS.

53

Predominantly, eLearning has been systematized in the framework

of formal education as a method of teaching and learning. YSULS

implements the model of blended learning that sets up a design for

a learner in terms of both flexible learning scheme and curve and

personalized plan reflecting on the personal needs. Currently,

YSULS has systematized several significant undertakings geared

towards the effective execution and further advancement of

eLearning as a lifelong leaning tool at YSULS. Some of these

undertakings are as follows: the development of eLearning

platform – http://moodle.brusov.am, YSULSS official site and

ULLL home page – http://brusov.am and e-testing platform for e-

assessment. Moreover, YSULS has undertaken several significant

steps at the institutional level for efficient execution of eLearning

at YSULS: learning goals have been identified, corresponding

curricula have been developed and specified with focus on specific

needs of different target groups, and the organization of competent

instruction (consistent with the curriculum design) has been

initiated.

Thus, YSULS has been very proactive in contemplating eLearning

as a lifelong learning tool at the institutional level and has taken

certain limited but steady steps towards this objective. Namely,

YSULS has developed the ULLL goal in eLearning perspective,

has developed several study courses for continuing education

purposes with eLearning. These initiatives will result in develop

part-time study programs at the institutional level, which are

adjusted with eLearning to working students and will, ultimately,

promote the application of media supported programs. To this end,

YSUSL is determinate to undertake forthcoming steps to design

and orientate the developing programs in terms of content,

54

methods and media. The orientation is designed towards

expectations, needs and experiences of people with professional

experience and/or with a career besides their studies require

different teaching and learning approaches.

However, there are some further steps to undertake for further

advancement of eLearning as a Lifelong Learning tool at YSULS:

apply new technological approaches to the design of media-

supported courses and offer the possibility of genuine learning

situations through the multimedia applications. Furthermore, all

varieties of synchronous and asynchronous communication play a

key role and should be combined with face-to-face settings in one

didactic concept. To this end, it is crucial that instead of

implementing programs that are oriented towards “customary

students”, courses are developed to supply tool for learners with

diverse societal and educational demands and to provide flexible

teaching and learning settings of eLearning for learners with

special needs. The demand for flexible and individualized

solutions can be covered with media-supported study forms.

Yet there are certain issues to elaborate, such as identifying and

cooperating target groups / knowing audience (e.g. working

professionals, adults, second chance learners, returners, post-

graduates, seniors), defining time, place and mode of delivery (e.g.

all part-time courses, short-cycle courses, all evening or weekend

classes, open, eLearning/distance learning classes), defining

course characteristics (e.g. mono disciplinary, multi- disciplinary,

interdisciplinary/interdisciplinary links). YSUSL should also

further provide incentives for reaching new audiences and

diversifying target groups and develop structures and systems for

enhancing quality and competitiveness.

55

eLearning is playing an essential role in an alternative approach of

teaching at universities in a lifelong learning approach. The

understanding of eLearning and such distant courses will enhance

the broader curriculum both aiming at added-value of

programmatic and learning-related reasons, such as:

Developing needs skills (e.g. communication, critical

thinking),

Supporting a general component of formal education and

courses,

Providing breadth or depth in subject offerings,

Providing an integrative and capstone experience.

To summarize, YSULS faces the following challenges when

undertaking strategic planning of eLearning component in general

and implementation of curriculum of such courses in particular:

Lack of long history and tradition of eLearning

experience,

Weak institutional capacity of organizing such eLearning

model,

Lack of a purposeful curriculum component,

At different levels of the HEI, shortage of buy-in of those

affected by eLearning. Without faculty buy-in, faculty are

likely to act as free agents with regard to what and how

they teach,

Lack of faculty training and expertise of conducting

eLearning courses.

56


LLL CULTURE IN ARMENIA: THE STATUS QUO AND

FUTURE TRENDS

The post-soviet era in Armenia saw a lot of challenges in the spheres of politics and economy which seriously affected the quality of education and current trends in education and training indicate strong reliance upon formal education. Other kinds of learning activities (non-formal and informal) are more regarded as pastimes than steps towards professional development and social integration [2]. There has also been recorded a marked tendency to stop engaging in organized learning activities after the age of 30, which surely limits the access to further education and training for adults thus leaving out the third age from education, and consequently from the labour market.

However, several factors prove the dire need for rejecting the stereotypes existing in the sphere of education. Among those factors the first one to be singled out is that of education per se. Armenia joined the Bologna Process in which lifelong learning is a priority.

The second factor is of economic character: globalization necessitated some changes in economy resulting in the need for social, educational and occupational mobility. That is another bona fide reason for rethinking the role of different formats of education in producing marketable skills.

57

The third factor refers to the labour market, particularly the inconsistence of skills and requirements for the jobs available in the labour market. A considerably large group f people who were educated several years ago have come to discover their skills are outdated. Still another plausible reason for a change of attitudes towards short-time courses, distance learning and so on.

The social factor is the fourth one: the need for returning certain social groups to the labour market, e.g. women who have been on maternity leave need to be reskilled to be adapted to the labour market.

Because the concept of lifelong learning is still emergent in Armenia, the variety of lifelong learning services is not yet rich. Among the few of them we can single out the following ones:

trainings which are governed by the law and financed from the state budget. Such trainings are meant for employees who need attestation and people who need a state-recognized license to do a particular job and/or occupy a certain post.

Professional trainings which are state-financed and implemented by social support programmes and intended for people of a social certain group.

Trainings which are initiated by employers to adapt employees’ skills for a particular kind of job. The initiators of such trainings include higher, middle and preliminary professional institutions, Armenian

58

offices of transnational organizations, NGOs and private teaching centres [2].

If we take a top-down look at the hierarchy of lifelong learning implementers, we should say that the top of the implementer spectrum is the international community, development agencies and transnational organizations such as DVV International, EU, UNDP, USAID. They have made undeniable investments in adult education, e-learning and VET reforms.

Civil society organizations rank second in the stakeholder spectrum. Armenian Lifelong Learning League is worth mentioning. It was established in 2012 and deals with public awareness raising on lifelong learning and engaging various target groups in lifelong learning.

The youth as well as the corporate business sector rank third in the hierarchy of the stakeholder spectrum. Particularly, the latter has been considerably successful in promoting workplace learning through on-the-job training.

Research institutes are at the end of lifelong stakeholder scale although they are expected to be active.

The Legal Framework

There is said to be a sufficient policy and legal framework for lifelong learning in Armenia, since several key documents (strategic concepts and laws) have been adopted for the recent decade. They include:

59

• Law on Higher Education and Post-graduate Professional Education (2004)

• Law on Preliminary and Middle Level of Professional Education (2005)

• The Strategy and Concept of Adult Education (2005)

• Concept of Non-formal Education on the Republic of Armenia (2006)

• Concept of Lifelong Learning in the Republic of Armenia (2009)

• VET Reform Programme and Action Plan for 2012-2016

The legal framework albeit comprising a considerable number of laws, concepts and so on, does not yet work most effectively in as much as there is apparent discrepancy between policy and practice.

Challenges

Several serious gaps impede effective lifelong learning implementation. On the one hand they are related to the state policy and funding, on the other hand they pertain to the valuation of lifelong learning:

Funding is actually the most obvious challenge of lifelong learning in Armenia. As a rule, state funding for non-formal education is allocated for the preparation and professional development of civil

60

servants. The World Bank and the European Commission are far and away the largest financial institutions funding educational reforms with the EC focusing on higher education and vocational training.

Gaps in the legal framework (some laws and policy documents do not seem to be interdependent).

Social partnership between public institutions, civil society, public institutions and business is not systemic, and consequently the development patterns, management and mentoring of national lifelong learning system are still delicate.

There is also a serious gap between formal qualifications and labour market: employers remain dissatisfied with the qualifications provided by formal education.

Gaps exist not only in the legal framework but also at the institutional level: as LLL service providers universities do not have a sufficient level of necessary prerequisites for investing and developing LLL (most of them do not have corresponding subdivisions). They are not methodologically and professionally well-prepared.

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Rigidity of educational system is still another main challenge to address. However, the above-mentioned gaps can be addressed because society is now more aware of and interested in continuous and lifelong education and the effectiveness of lifelong education can be enhanced due to the application of modern technologies.

References

1. Armenia. National Reoprt on the Condition of Women, 1995

2. Sargsyan Ch., Soghomonyan E., Lifelong Learning Policy and Practice in Armenia: A Policy Paper, 2013

3. http://www.edu.am/index.php?menu1=85&menu2=109&arch=0

62

Lia Inaishvili (Georgia)

MAIN ASPECTS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF

ULLL AT BSU

Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University has an 80-year-long

history. It comprises 9 faculties: Humanities, Education, Business

and Economics, Law, Social and Political Sciences, Natural

Sciences and Health Care, Physics-Mathematics and Computer

Sciences, Technological and Tourism. At present about 6 000

students study at the vocational, Bachelor, Master and Doctoral

programs. There are 43 authorized vocational, 43 Bachelor’s, 23

Master’s, 21 Doctoral, 2 single-level and 2 short-term programs

functioning for students at all the three stages of education at the

University.

Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University has been involved in

TEMPUS project „Strengthening the Specific Role of Universities

as LLL Institutions, SSRULLI” (544251-TEMPUS-1-2013-1-GE-

TEMPUSJPHES) since 2013 through which it solves the

objectives of its main strategic development plan.

The goals and objectives of the University are as follows”

a) To prepare highly qualified and competitive Bachelors,

Medical Doctors/Dentists, Masters and PhD holders

(12.10.2012 N 227/ნ);

b) To accomplish Teacher Training Educational Program;

c) To implement and accomplish the principle of Life Long

Education;

d) To foster mobility of students and academic staff as well

as develop international relations;

63

e) To make thorough integration into the unified European

educational space of teaching, learning and research;

f) To activate and further develop scientific and scholarly

research activities;

g) To accomplish short-term trainings and programs/courses

for raising qualification;

h) To accomplish joint higher educational programs with

other educational institutions and/or higher educational

institutions recognized in accordance with foreign

countries’ legislation. To accomplish joint programs that

need to be accredited in accordance with the acting

legislation only after their accreditation is approved

(www.bsu.edu.ge).

Up to 2015 the following centers used to function at the

University: “BSU Training Center” (Representatives Council

Decision N5, 20 October, 2010); “Teacher Training and

Professional Development Center” (Representatives Council

Decision N1, 30 April, 2012); “Psychological Clinic”

(Representatives Council Decision N2, 27 July, 2015).

At present, within the frames of the present project, a

supplementary educational structural unit of “BSU Lifelong

Education Center” is created by the Academic Council and

Representatives Council decisions. The goals of the Center are: to

accomplish preparatory programs (training programs) in different

disciplines and various branches of knowledge; elaborate and

accomplish short-term educational programs for professional

development of teachers of pre-school, elementary, basic,

secondary, vocational and higher educational institutions;

64

1. The Center serves the citizens of Georgia and other countries

as well as non-citizens, regardless age, who wish to further

develop their knowledge (qualification) in the directions of

the Center;

2. According to the teaching standard requirements, the Center

may provide preparation/publication of textbooks, test

collections, methodological and other types of materials for

the accomplishment of certain training programs.

The following are the directions of the Center activities:

Teaching of preparatory programs (for school-leavers,

MA candidates) in different subjects – Mathematics,

Georgian Language and Literature, General Ability

Test, Foreign Languages, etc.).

Pre-school teaching;

Teachers professional development;

Psychology teaching and service;

Accomplishment of various courses for training,

professional preparation and qualification rising

determined by the BSU Rector’s orders.

The corresponding short-term educational programs/training

courses of the Center are generally approved by the BSU Rector’s

order. The basis for the issue of the order is the positive

conclusion/approval of the Center Coordinate Council on the

accomplishment of certain program/course/training.

The “BSU Lifelong Education Center” accomplishes the following

courses within the frames of the project:

1. Identification of SEN persons and development promoting

strategies at pre-school stage;

2. SEN pupils identification and teaching strategies;

65

3. Promotion of inclusive education at kindergartens;

4. Education in multicultural environment;

5. Education for democratic citizenship and human rights;

6. Democracy and human rights;

7. Reading and writing methods;

8. Conflict management;

9. Assessment, correction and rehabilitation of disorders in

children’s psychic development;

10. Pupils knowledge assessment (formative-summative and

diagnostic assessment, assessment rubrics);

11. Skills and effective communication;

12. Choosing profession;

13. Stress management;

14. Modern information communication technologies with SEN

pupils at schools;

15. Modern information communication technologies with SEN

pupils of pre-school period;

16. Human ecology;

17. Environmental protection and natural resources;

18. Teaching and learning methods for adults

Thus, by accomplishing the programs elaborated at the educational

structural unit “BSU Lifelong Education Center” created within

the frames of the project, all the interested persons can be offered

high quality education that will assist adults to re-integrate into

labor market and in this way fulfill part of the University mission

and strategy.

66


CHALLENGES AND POTENTIALS OF ULLL AT TSAA AND IN GEORGIA

It has not been long since Lifelong Learning gained importance in

Georgia and it can be said that Georgia, as well as most likely its

neighboring countries, is taking its first steps in this direction. Our

aim in stating this opinion is not to undermine the already existing

experience of our colleagues and their success in directing non-

degree courses, which is a huge step towards giving people an

opportunity for professional development or mastering a new

profession within university boundaries. Above all, we are

discussing the necessity of creating the legal ground, which is

essential for courses, trainings and seminars to gain importance in

people’s university and post-university education. We will discuss

this topic in further details. We will use a quote from the statement

of the Ministry of Education of Georgia from 21 October, 2010:

“National Qualifications Framework” will result in

implementation of University lifelong Learning, which is

supported by the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong

Learning- LLL. This system contains eight steps and covers

general, professional and higher education. This will also make the

recognition of education attained in Georgia easier on an

international level, which makes up a large part of an educational

reform. The event will be attended by the representatives of

international organizations, as well as the directors of institutions

providing general, professional and higher education. An

important obstacle in implementation of this system is determining

67

the credits for courses held by university centers and legislative

regulations of their recognition or rejection by university

curriculum all throughout life. By solving these problems, the

work of our center, as well as our partner centers, will gain a truly

university-like nature, which will differentiate them from the work

of other training centers. This was a short discussion concerning

this significant topic, which in our opinion is the most pressing

issue for Georgia, if not the entire region. Today, when we look

deeper into this problem, it can be said that it is necessary for a

legislative base to be created, which would clearly determine the

statuses, which can be awarded by Lifelong Learning Centers. In

case of existence of relevant syllabuses, such centers should be

able to award credits. We think these centers can also play a

serious role in development of professional education. For this to

happen, it is necessary that the certificates awarded by such

institutions have legal power, which in our opinion means issuing

licenses for these centers and recognition of their certificates from

the state. The importance of implementing long-distance teaching

should also be mentioned, which is already an accepted practice in

developed countries of the 21st century. Long-distance teaching

and learning will give people an opportunity to improve their

professional knowledge and skills, or even master a new

profession to become more competitive in the Georgian labor

market without affecting their performance at their current jobs.

We consider it to be essential for university centers and potential

employers to closely cooperate, which will be beneficial for the

employer, as well as for the person seeking his place in the labor

market. It is already a widely accepted practice (in Georgia too),

when an employer pays for the expenses of trainings necessary for

68

an employee in order to attain the needed skills and knowledge. In

our opinion, if such cooperation becomes systematic and the

employers become involved in this subject from the stage of

preparing syllabuses for the courses, their demands will become

clearer. Consequently, they will be able to attract more qualified

staff better suitable for their work. As we have already mentioned,

certain steps towards this direction have already been taken, but

there still does not exist a base that will regulate this cooperation.

69


UNIVERSITY LIFELONG LEARNING IN EUROPE –

WORK IN PROGRESS

For more than 20 years, EUCEN, the European University

Continuing Education Network, has acted as the professional

network for University Lifelong Learning (ULLL) at European

level. The members of EUCEN include not only individual

universities and institutes of higher education, but also

professional networks for ULLL at national level. Every year from

2012-2015, EUCEN conducted a survey of its 17 National

Network members regarding the focus of their activities and the

tasks envisioned and/or planned for the future. The following

questions were asked in the survey:

1. What were the main working themes and what was the

focus of your work in the last year?

2. What will be, in the future, the main issues in the field of

Lifelong Learning at universities? What challenges do we

have?

3. Our perspective on LLL: What would we be able to

contribute to the key issues of European Universities in

the future?

A short summary of the results will be presented here. At this

stage, however, it is necessary to make a point regarding the

validity of the survey results. Not all the Networks took part in the

survey each year. And, as always at European level, the

70

educational terminology afforded a linguistic challenge. The

following summary is based on the evaluation of the

questionnaires and aims to present a compact and clear overview.

Info box

The 17 National Networks in EUCEN – European University

Continuing Education Network taking part in the survey were

‐ AT | Austrian University Continuing Education and Staff

Development Network (AUCEN)

‐ BE | Commision Education tout au long de la Vie (ETALV)

‐ CH | Swiss University Continuing Education (Swissuni)

‐ DE | The German Association for University Continuing and

Distance Education (DGWF)

‐ EE | Estonian Network for University Continuing Education

(ENUCE)

‐ ES | Spanish Universities Network of Graduate & Continuing

Permanent Education (RUEPEP)

‐ ES | Catalan Association of University Continuing Education

(ACECU)

‐ FI | University Continuing Education Network in Finland

(UCEF)

‐ FR | Conférence nationale des Directeurs de Service

Universitaire de la Formation Continue (CDSUFC)

‐ HU | Hungarian University Lifelong Learning Network

(MELLearN)

‐ IT | Rete Universitaria Italiana per l’Apprendimento

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Permanente (RUIAP)

‐ PL | Polish Universities for Lifelong Learning Network

(PULL)

‐ PT | Portuguese Association of Universities for Continuing

Education (AUPEC)

‐ SK | Slovak Academic Association for Lifelong Learning

(SAALL)

‐ TR | Turkish Universities Continuing Education Centres

(TÜSEM)

‐ UK | Universities Association for Lifelong Learning (UALL)

‐ UK | Scottish Universities Association for Lifelong Learning

(SUALL)

In the focus of the National Networks

In the aforementioned time period, the National Networks were

concerned with the following issues:

The National Network as a player in political development and

linked to (further) consolidation of inter-university cooperation at

national and European level

Many of the Networks reported that one of their most important

activities was the development of their relationship to the

government Ministries responsible for Higher Education, Labour

and Social Affairs; including, in addition, contributions regarding

government policy. This involved, for instance, consultations

relating to legislation or collaboration in activities relating to the

72

implementation of the EQF-European Quality Framework. In this

context, the networks also mentioned the building-up and further

development of ties to other organisations and bodies working in

the area of ULLL at national level. This involvement of the

National Networks is linked to one of the fundamental issues of

ULLL: what position does ULLL have in the Higher Education

sector? What overall position does it have in a system of LLL?

The (by all means intended) side effect of being active at national

level is to increase the visibility of one’s own Network and to be

recognised as the voice of ULLL. Many of the Networks reported

that a further important area of activity was the reinforcing of links

to other (university) continuing education networks and increased

cooperation at European level.

Individualisation

Many of the themes reported by the National Networks can be

listed under the heading of “individualisation”, meaning that

ULLL in particular is striving to be aware of the individual

educational goals of the learners and to open (new) pathways into

the higher education system. A great deal of flexibility in teaching

and learning (in relation to time, place and content) is required, as

well as a policy for dealing with the following issues:

the recognition of prior learning and the admission of adults to

university programmes and/or ULLL when they have related

work experience but do not otherwise fulfil the regular

admission requirements;

recognition of informal learning;

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the necessity of creating part-time programmes and other new

forms of study;

module courses;

admission to programmes throughout the whole year

(including summer programmes);

use of new technologies;

the necessity of accompanying guidance/other services.

A critical question here is whether ULLL – in regard to

“flexibility” – raises expectations that it cannot meet. There are

legal obstacles; it requires considerable organisational effort

(hand-in-hand with increased costs); and extensive accompanying

services would be needed.

Quality and (further) Institutionalisation

Another area of activity most often reported by the National

Networks is “Quality”, with all its aspects, including for instance,

the selection and implementation of quality management systems;

“Teaching and Learning” (qualifications of the teaching staff;

“Train the Trainer”); a common ULLL vocabulary; standardising

the length of programmes and certificate courses and statistics on

participants in LLL at higher education institutions. The numerous

replies to the questionnaires have also shown that the National

Networks, from the time they were created, have been an

important forum for an inter-university exchange on the question

of how LLL/ULLL can be anchored at the individual universities

(keywords “strategy development” and “positioning within the

74

university”), and what structures and what kind of management

are needed for the best possible implementation. The question of

financing – in the sense of a business model to be established at

the university – was also mentioned in this respect. In addition, the

questions of increased cooperation with organisations representing

(possible) target groups and with local and regional businesses can

also be included under this heading.

Looking ahead – what will be the focus of ULLL in the future?

Challenges?

The general tenor was that the National Networks will continue

dealing with the fundamental questions of ULLL in the future,

with particular attention to the following issues: the Networks

view “expanding the possibilities of admission / addressing new

target groups of learners” as a critical issue. This touches on the

question of pathways in education and also on current societal

developments regarding “migration”, “unemployment” and the

“increase in numbers of older learners”. Another important point

in this regard is the financing, not only of the courses/programmes

themselves, but also of the (extensive) accompanying services

required, such as counselling. Many Networks regard the strategic

development of ULLL and raising the awareness of ULLL within

their own institutions as fundamentally important. The relationship

between “Lifelong Learning” and “University Lifelong Learning”

needs to be defined. The Networks expressed concern in their

answers regarding the socio-political objectives relating to ULLL

– that too much emphasis was placed on the labour market and

75

that more emphasis should be placed on “equal opportunity”. It

was further emphasized that a more intense cooperation should be

sought with the target groups regarding learners’ needs and

programme development; content and format have to be suitable;

new formats are needed; new technologies have to be better used;

ULLL programmes have to be suited to different generations and

the instructors must also re-think their roles. The National

Networks state that it will be even more important to build up new

networks and stay competitive: in order to achieve this, it is

necessary to have an even closer collaboration between higher

education institutions, business and industry, and civil society, and

strong networks at all levels. It is imperative that

universities/higher education institutions stay active / become

active due to the competition from other – also private –

institutions offering continuing education. They must continue to

be competitive providers. In this context, national and

international recognition of LLL programmes was also addressed.

From the point of view of LLL, what can ULLL contribute to the development of HEIs?

First of all, in the view of the National Networks, ULLL can be

seen as a contribution to fulfilling the “Third Mission”. In many

countries today, civil society and the State expect the universities

to develop a “Third Mission” which defines – and with a certain

commitment develops – the relationship between the universities

and civil society. ULLL, of course, sees itself as part of this

relationship, as a well-established and functioning contribution of

the universities. Secondly, ULLL demonstrates already today how,

76

in the future, universities will probably have to react to societal

developments already taking place now: it is continuously

developing new and flexible forms of study to provide LLL at

university level for personal and professional development. It is

certain that ULLL “focuses” more on the learner than the regular

undergraduate programmes (Bachelor’s and Master’s), as long as

these are not specifically tailored to continuing education

participants. ULLL has also set high pedagogical goals: special

attention is paid to supportive learning environments; and the

course structure and the instructors take into account the

importance of prior knowledge/experience of the learners and its

transfer to their daily (working) life. ULLL programmes are often

developed as “integrated programmes”, meaning that research,

continuing education and innovation go hand-in-hand in

interdisciplinary settings. Thirdly, the National Networks have

also reported that for years – in some countries even for decades –

an expertise has been developed, which is becoming more and

more important in regard to the current developments in the higher

education sector:

‐ extensive experience in dealing with learners from – for the

universities – non-traditional target groups such as “adults in

employment”, unemployed or poorly qualified individuals, or

also “older learners”, in regard to programme planning,

development and teaching (keyword “heterogeneity of the

learners”);

‐ tried and tested application of recognition of prior learning;

‐ extensive experience with quality development and quality

management;

77

‐ tried and tested models for personalised counselling;

‐ tried and tested models for the meaningful use of modern

technologies;

‐ implementation of the principle of “entrepreneurship” over

many years. The method of financing ULLL varies from

country to country. On the whole, the different ULLL

institutes/departments are run as a business; in many

instances, they are self-funded with a mixture of contributions

from the university, their own revenue, and subsidies.

What conclusions can we draw from the results of the

surveys?

Over the years to come, the National Networks will continue to be

concerned with the themes reported in the surveys. When looking

at the developments in civil society today, it must be asked not

only whether the higher education institutions are willing, but also

able, to contribute to this thriving development in society. Many

of the questions regarding the actual implementation of LLL (not

least the question of financing “lifelong learning” over the

lifespan) have not yet been resolved and require an overall view

from a socio-cultural perspective. The results of the surveys have

also definitely shown how important it is

‐ to have, at national level, a professional network to represent

ULLL beyond one’s own university. The Networks serve as

an important instrument for a dialogue not only within the

member institutions (where they are also an important forum

for professionalization), but also with important players in

civil society; and

78

‐ to break out of the “same old routine”, to have a look at the

broader (also European and international) picture and to define

one’s own position in the field.

Universities are complex organisations faced with enormous

challenges: with ULLL, these institutions have a tried and true

“treasure trove” of experience, knowledge and competencies at

their disposal, which will prove invaluable for the future

development of the universities.

79

Samvel Karabekya, Ani Mazmanyan (Armenia)

ULLL WITHIN THE SYSTEM OF UNIVERSITY

GOVERNANCE:

HOW TO RESPOND TO CHALLENGES?

Governance of University Lifelong Learning (ULLL) structures may vary from one university to another in terms of organization, efficiency and success. Nevertheless, several aspects common to all institutions can be identified. Strategy formulation, implementation and control is the aim of strategic management, through which the mission, vision and the strategic goals of the institution are defined, policies, procedures and plans are developed and implemented to achieve strategic goals, and the needed resources are allocated forthe effective implementation of policies, plans, projects or programs.

Lifelong learning is often initially developed as a response to local and regional demands. In the existing organization model of the universities, ULLL requires flexible organizational environment to respond to the needs of the learners. Flexible and transparent learning paths need to be in place for all learners to access and succeed in all different forms of higher education. It is an essential responsibility of universities to ensure that this education offer is always of high quality.

For the organization of ULLL universities should imply and combine two aspects of university governance: formal and cultural (informal procedures).

Formal aspect of university management assumes flexible operational, financial and methodological approach to the organization and implementation of ULLL. Cultural aspect

80

(informal procedures) of university governance in terms of ULLL assumes more concentration on values and approaches of lifelong learning with more collaboration of motivated partners. To ensure the achievement of appropriate learning outcomes and to meet the demands of the learners a learner-centered approach is of utmost importance.

Within the framework of TEMPUS SSRULLI (Strengthening the Specific Role of Universities as LLL Institutions) project Yerevan Brusov State University of Languages and Social Sciences (YSULS) has developed strategic plan of YSULS Center for Continuous Education for the better organization and promotion of lifelong learning at the University. However the experience shows that ULLL cannot exist in a rigid, hierarchically organized system. Thus flexible approach has to be applied. A change of attitudes towards education can help to build new learning systems that will help to move forward the concept of lifelong learning and meet the needs of contemporary society.

Among the current challenges for ULL the following should be mentioned:

the nature of university governance is basically administrative and instructive.

the adopted approach is not process-based. the object of the management is not the education process

but the parties involved in the education system, i.e. lecturers and students.

as a result the increasing formal requirements for the education process do not take into account its real capacity.

the stricter the non-realistic demands, the larger the distortion.

81

The education system can develop efficiently only in case

the requirements for ULLL and capacities are balanced

new mechanisms are examined systematically

the components of the updating system are introduced package by package.

This should be done through open discussions within the academic community with the involvement and participation of the academic staff and students in decision-making process. All the members of the university should share the orientation towards the same values to have the desired outcome. If the described principles are not kept the new values, declared by the leadership will not be accepted by employees. Consequently they will not be applied in education practice or will be applied formally, which is actually the case.

Two years’ experience within the framework of TEMPUS SSRULLI project shows that stereotypes in University Management (operational, financial, methodological) can be broken. ULLL can serve as a kind of touchstone, a litmus paper, and at the same time a real innovative tool for change.

82



ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF UNIVERSITY

LIFELONG LEARNING

VANADZOR STATE UNVERSITY’S CASE

Armenia joined the Bologna Declaration in 2005, and the

education system of the country has undergone many serious

changes since then. Among other things, lifelong learning has

been particularly prioritized. The accent upon it has actually

contributed to the improvements in education differently: first of

all, the number of international projects targeted at lifelong

learning (mainly Tempus-funded) has increased, and due to them

and through exchange of experience, European best practices have

been and are being adapted and invested in many universities in

the country.

Secondly, the policy of transparency and intensive dissemination

campaigns of lifelong learning projects have strengthened the role

of universities as lifelong learning providers and the attitude of

different stakeholders (employers, employees, society at large)

towards short-term courses has changed tremendously.

Before the SSRULLI project Vanadzor State University had a

certain amount of experience in offering LLL courses. Namely, it

organized trainings for the headmasters and teachers of the schools

in the region, police staff special unit, internal staff (with the

Department of Supplementary Education offering courses in IT,

English, Labour Code, as well as professional training). The

Language Centre of Vanadzor State University offered language

83

courses in English, Spanish, French and Russian (to students and

external beneficiaries).

However, the University needed a special subdivision and

regulating documents for lifelong learning to follow a regular and

dynamic pattern of organization and management and attain

sustainability. And the Tempus-funded project SSRULLI came to

help address the above-mentioned issues.

By investing ULLL Vanadzor State University sets out to fulfill

the following tasks and pursues the below-mentioned goals:

design of strategy and innovative models of LLL

investment and development of LLL

provision of formal and non-formal education to various

target groups:

employees for personal development and career

advancement

vulnerable social groups

returning students

different age brackets

Contribution to the acquirement and enhancement of

professional skills in compliance with the labour market

Training of the university’s human resources

Provision of courses to people with special needs (people

with disabilities)

Partnership with other LLL offices

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At Vanadzor State University the organization and management of

ULLL (within the frameworks of SSRULLI) has followed the

pattern below:

1. PLANNING

This phase consisted of the following stages:

general activities which included the analysis of the internal

staff trainings, participation in SSRULLI trainings, which

resulted in the development of ULLL Strategy and Strategic

Planning

the establishment of a special University subdivision,

namely the Department of University Lifelong Learning (the

former Department of Supplementary Education and

Language Centre merged into the Department of University

Lifelong Learning).

course identification preceded by a dissemination campaign

and labour market analysis which indicated that skills and

knowledge acquired in the following courses were in

demand: Human Resource Management, Problem-solving in

Biology, English for Professionals with the following target

groups respectively: internal staff and personnel of

municipalities; Biology teachers; doctors.

development of educational materials which included the

development of the curricula, course descriptions, study

materials (lectures, power point presentations, literature, etc.).

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2. IMPLEMENTATION

This phase comprised the following steps:

recruitment

organization of courses, seminars, practical lessons,

teamwork

assessment of results

quality assurance

3. MONITORING

This stage has not yet been implemented. However, the University

envisages the use of the following tools:

Surveys (see the Appendix)

Discussions with students and staff

The feedback targets will include the study materials,

curricula, methodology, teaching staff, logistical issues

(recruitment, duration of studies, etc.).

4. ANALYSIS

For the analysis of the results Vanadzor State University staff will

apply SWOT and PEST analyses. The University emphasizes this

phase because only by revealing the advantages and drawbacks of

ULLL organization and management will it be able to record

improvements, pass on to the next cycle, attain sustainability).

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APPENDIX

Questionnaire

Dear learner,

This questionnaire aims to improve the quality of the courses

offered by the University within the frameworks of lifelong

learning. We kindly ask you to participate in the survey and be

objective because your unbiased opinion will help us be more

consistent.

Course Name----------------------------------------------------------------

Evaluate the course with the following criteria:

(The evaluation is done on a 1-5 scale with 1 point being the

lowest and 5 points being the highest. Tick (v) the corresponding

box).

1 2 3 4 5

It’s

difficult

to say

Contents

Logical

succession of the

topics

Teaching

methods

Applicability of

the material

Skills and

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knowledge of the

teacher

Manner of

teaching

Feedback

Assessment

objectivity

Technical

equipment

Organization

level of the

course

Evaluate your attendance in the course.

1. Up to 20%

2. 21-40%

3. 41-60%

4. 61-80%

5. 81-100%

How much time a week on average have you spent on the course

(besides the lessons)?

1. Up to 1 hour

2. 1-3 hours

3. 4-6 hours

4. 7-9 hours

5. 10 and more hours

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Would you like to attend another course at our University?

1. Yes

2. No

3. It’s difficult for me to answer

Would you recommend your friends to attend this course?

4. Yes

5. No

6. It’s difficult for me to answer

What did you like about the course most of all?

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

What would you like to change?

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

What other courses would you like to attend?

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

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WHY, WHO AND HOW SHOULD MARKET ULLL?

1. Why to market ULLL – purpose of marketing

"Marketing is not the art of finding clever ways to dispose of

what you make. It is the art of creating genuine customer

value." Philip Kotler

Marketing is needed if university wants:

- to be a considerable actors in society

- to influence the better future

- to attract most talented students and emplyees

- to sell the education services

- to find best partners and clients

Myth’s that holds us back

1. Public university don’t have to market / promote itself

because of the traditions, our nature and position in society.

We are in a constant competition and universities

compete not only in states, but global (for people,

investments, raitings etc)

2. Hich quality and right timing is enough.

Being open increases our credibility and trust towards

high quality education and reasearch, using modern

methods, having infrastructure etc

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3. It needs too big investments and we will never know has it

payed off.

Investment is needed (and not only money), but most of

all – strategy, plan , very accurate indicators and

analyse (monitory).

Marketing analytics and communication monitory

gives very valuable feedback (proof) not only about the

results of investments, but also to strategic

management (processes, the need of CE courses)

Conclusion

Marketing and communication is one key process of strategic

management which:

1. Strenghtens university position in society as a opinion leader,

influencer and actor

2. Gives very valuable feedback for developing processes and

services (management, service design, curriculum

development, client relations etc)

3. Helps to attract most talented students and emplyees, most

valuable clients and partners

2. Who are involved into marketing – marketing organisation

We are all marketers - every member of university starting from

top management to door keeper represents the organisation every

day. Marketing and communication in its diferent forms are part of

every process in university.

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For real results:

- Marketing and communication system in university (central

office, specialist’s in units, inhouse network)

- Network of professional partners

- Brading (united, strong, clear) – agency/branding experts,

designer

- Marketing – IT, media and ad agencies, partners who have

same interest towards our target group

- Communication – journalist’s, national broadcast, publishers

etc

- Very strong support and understanding from top managers:

Understanding how marketing and communication helps

to achieve the aims in university strategy (supportive

process for management)

Involvement of completing and implementation the

tactical plan, having analytic reports

Willingness for financial investment

Conclusion

1. Cooperate, educate and inform systematically top

managers about marketing and communication (establish a

system)

2. Recruit specialized staff

3. Build up professional partner’s Network

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3. HOW to market ULLL

Marketing strategy and planning

Key questions to be answered for completing the marketing

strategy and tactical plannes:

- What is our aim?

- How we want to achieve it?

- Who are your target groups?

- What channels they use?

- How much money we are willing or can invest?

1.University’s

vision,

strategic aim

and LLL

objectives

2.LLL

strategy

and

marketing

strategy

3.LLL

strategic

initiatives

(finance,

participants

etc)

4.LLL

marketing

plan

5.Marketing

activities

6.Data

collection,

analyse and

monitore

effectiveness

1 2 3 4 5 6

Define what

you aim to be

Evaluate

markets

and

geographic

regions

Review

business

performance

Build brand

awareness

Design and

agree

creative

Review

success

against

objectives

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1 2 3 4 5 6

Define who

you are

relevant to

Evaluate

customer

segments

and needs

Review

existing

customer

insight

Acquire and

convert

prospects

Agree

messaning

and call to

action

Review

messaging

and creative

Define how

and why they

benefit

Review

competitor

landscape

Understand

drivers and

barriers

Retain and

grow

customer

value

Design

testing plan

and KPIs

Adjust

investment

weightings

Define why

they will be

interested

Define

brand and

positioning

Define

target

objective

and action

Improve

marketing

effectiveness

Build and

test

marketing

channels

Revise plans,

test and

optimise

Summarise to

concise

statements

Evaluate

credibility

and

identify

gaps

Define

objectives

upfront

Launch

campaigns

MARKETING FUNNEL

The marketing channel purpose in your marketing funnel is to

build and manage your customer database. It is a consumer

focused marketing model which illustrates the theoretical

customer journey towards the purchase of a product or service. It

is also referred to as the „purchase funnel“, “customer funnel“,

“sales funnel” or „conversion funnel“.

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In 1898, E. St. Elmo Lewis developed a model which mapped a

theoretical customer journey from the moment a brand or product

attracted consumer attention to the point of action or purchase. St.

Elmo Lewis’ idea is often referred to as the AIDA-model, an

acronym which stands for Awareness, Interest, Desire, and Action.

This staged process is summarized below (Wikipedia):

Awareness – the customer is aware of the existence of a

product or service

Interest – actively expressing an interest in a product

group

Desire – aspiring to a particular brand or product

Action – taking the next step towards purchasing the

chosen product

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MARKETING CHANNELS

ONLINE CHANNELS

1. Website (usability, SEO/ Search Engine Optimization,

CTA/Call to Action) + social media

2. Google (adwords, retargeting)

3. E-mail (newsletter to „warm“ and activate client contacts,

partners etc)

Other options: landing- and micropages, PPC (pay-per-click) ad-s,

online advertisement, webinars, video, mobiile, display

advertisement, blogs, infographics.

Positive aspects Negative aspects (risks)

Reach, far greater

exposure

Cost effective

Accurate targeting

Analytics, simple to

measure

Quick and easy to

update

Personalized content

Access 24/7

Level playing field

Real time results

Brand Development

Viral

Greater engagement

Consumer can’t

interact with your

product / service

Time consuming.

Posting content to

social, editing audio

and video clips,

learning how to use

new software and

hardware, staying up

to date - these things

take time.

Very heavy copetition

(inc media companies

& friends in social

media)

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Website

Website is your showroom. Control questions for having the

website that really works:

Is it responsive? Is it userfriendly?

Does it call to action (CTA)?

Is it well structured and designed?

Is there high-quality content? (inc short, simple,

understandable and useful texts, pictures that tell a story,

videos that add value to your brand)

Can you print, share and download the content?

Is it easy to find contacts?

Are there social media links?

See and analyse great examples:

Insead www.insead.edu

Gröningen University www.rug.nl

Utrecht University www.uu.nl

Aalto University Executive Education www.aaltoee.com

E-mail marketing

The success of e-mail marketing lies in the quality of your contact

list (managed through CRM).

- Collect contacts from interested, potential and existing clients.

- Ask their permission to send your information.

- Depending on whether you are B2B or B2C organisation,

collect different information from your contacts.

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BSB: name, business title, company name, industry,

business address, phone nr, email address

B2C: full name, gender, age range, home address, phone

nr, personal interests, education, email address

WEB + seminar = Webinar

A webinar is a presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar that is

transmitted over the Web using video conferencing software. A

key feature of a Webinar is its interactive elements: the ability to

give, receive and discuss information in real-time. Using Webinar

software participants can share audio, documents and applications

with webinar attendees. This is useful when the webinar host is

conducting an lecture or information session. While the presenter

is speaking they can share desktop applications and documents

(Webopedia).

For marketing purposes you can use it for infosessions, press

conferences, course introductions („samples“), workshops,

collecting contacts, getting more familiar with your target group,

meetings with clients, team, agency etc.

Social media marketing

Pam Dyer, 12 steps to SM marketing success:

1. Research and know your audience.

2. Use the same social networks as your audience.

3. Identify your KPIs (key performance indicators)

4. Write a social media marketing playbook.

5. Align the people at your company with the plan.

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6. Set aside 30-60 minutes at the beginning of each week to

prepare.

7. Develop a content marketing calendar.

8. Post content that is relevant to newsworthy topics and

events.

9. Treat all of your social channels differently.

10. Assign someone to act as a customer service rep.

11. Schedule metrics reporting.

12. Reanalyze your plan on a regular basis.

Social media is all about connecting people through valuable

content.

Introduce your staff (lecturers, guest lecturers,

administrative staff etc)

Share Students blog’s (don’t miss the oportunity to share

your students feedback)

Create your own content (recommendations, articles)

Create events (course as an event)

Entertainment and Networking (share pictures, videos)

Other’s relevant content

Important activities (example partnerships)

Great example of Aalto University Executive Education:

1. Instagram: www.instagram.com/aaltoee

2. Twitter: www.twitter.com/aaltoee

3. Youtube: www.youtube.com/AaltoEE

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4. Facebook: www.facebook.com/aaltoee

5. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/groups/Aalto-University-

Executive-Education-Aalto-3143119

Videomarketing (examples from Tallinn University)

One Minute Lectures (with the coopeation of national

broadcast)

Series to prospective students

Series of TU 2020

Stories and interviews with our staff (academics, students,

alumni, TSS/TWS participants)

Ad and image videos

Students.TV

OFFLINE CHANNELS

1. Media (marketing communication)

2. Client events (collecting contact’s) and networking

(involving key partners)

3. Physical visual presence (roll up’s, posters, flyers, printed

materials)

Other options: radio, telemarketing, TV advertisement, adverts

and articles (newspaper/magazine), outdoor advertisiment,

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infoseminars, speaking in partners events, guerrilla marketing,

direct offerings, exhibitions, (dropping) visitcards, gift certificates

or products as prizes

Positive aspects Negative aspects (risks)

Customer focus is the

King

Real time, real life

Personal influence

Easily achieved

Physically perceptible

(adds authenticity and is

more trustworthy)

Personal experience

Building visibility for

your business and

showing your

commitment to the

community

Possibility to meet new

people, share your ideas

and build brand

awareness

Design, printing and

postage can be very

time consuming

Since it takes time you

are less able to react to

seasons and trends as

quickly as you could

online

Not very cost effective

Needs very careful

timing

Slower reaction rate

Analytics and

measurment is very

hard challenge,

sometimes impossible

Eventmarketing (examples from Tallinn University)

- Entering events: samples, preparation trainigs for highschool

students, Students Shadow Week

- Studia Generalia open lectures

- Training Cinema

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- Tallinn Summer & Winter School (TSS / TWS)

- Client and partners events (Open Doors Day)

- Adults learner week (lectures in organisations)

- Infosessions (Open University)

- Short lectures and classes in the fields of university studies

- Workshops during the science week and

The Night of Scientists

- Face to Face series (topic based meetings between academics

and partners/clients)

Conclusion

1. There are no boring or too conservative brands – only lack

of creativity!

2. Be hounest, open and operative! Create quality content

which is connected with your target groups, is interesting

and helpful.

3. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication!

4. Involvement! Our members are our best marketers. Our

friends (and competitors) are best critics.

5. Policy of three flies! Multichannel marketing (in Tallinn

University - offline, online, english).

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The future of marketing (and us) is (Michael Brenner, Is

Content Marketing The Only Marketing Left?, NewsCred.com,

Nov 5, 2014):

1. Extreme customer-centrisity, brands acting like

publishers.

2. More visual as brands follow traditional media publishers

into visual content production.

3. Owned media and branded content hubs, driving social

engagement that fuels paid distribution. Content is the

fuel.

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UNIVERSITY LIFELONG LEARNING AS A STRATEGIC

DRIVER FOR

ARMENIAN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Globalization entails increased competition among countries in a

more intertwined world that is increasingly global rather than

regional or national. The after-effects of globalization entail major

implications for national education systems to adapt to new

realities and shifting demands for transmitting knowledge and

developing skills in both domestic and world labor markets. This

impact also unequivocally affects economic growth and economic

productivity, as well as the potential of countries to hone the

competences of human capital, among others. In this context, it is

instrumental how countries respond to globalization and

strategically transform and reform their education systems at

different levels to the new globalized environment and newfangled

requirements and needs. Generally, countries consider three key

factors in designing structural adjustments of education systems to

globalization: ideological stance regarding the role of education

and current state-of-the-art situation, the objective interpretation of

that situation and the objective assessment of financial situation of

the country.

In a globalized and networked world, education systems should be

flexible to rapidly respond to the objectionably new changes in

labor markets, to foster knowledge- and innovative-intensive

educational practices and to adopt information and

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communications technologies (ICTs) to produce knowledge goods

and services. Furthermore, globalization vastly impacts the

organization and design of the work that workers perform.

Increasingly, workers transform the kinds of jobs they perform

over their professional careers, and their jobs tend to be

multitasked. This translates into pressure for higher education

institutions to provide more opportunities for adults to return to

learning activities to obtain new or hone existing skills.

This veracity leads to a fundamental need for a more educated

labor force in ever more competitive global markets. To be

capable to respond to this need, education systems necessitate a

matrix of competences to extend educational opportunities to new

target groups. This is predominantly true in the case of higher

education. However, it is worth mentioning that globalization

further marginalizes different groups unequipped for efficiently

functioning in knowledge-based economy and society. In this

context, globalized demand for certain types of higher-level skills

puts increasing pressure on higher education systems around the

world in terms of equitable access. The issue of equitable access to

higher education has attracted the attention of policymakers and

practitioners across the world thus contribution to the promotion

and development of university lifelong learning (hereinafter

ULLL) in Armenia.

Armenia has systematically attached significant importance to the

formation of a functional education system, has formulated and

implemented the strategy of revitalizing the country through

science and education and has been mainly concerned with the

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internationalization of higher education. Armenia has adopted the

policy of integrating to the outside world. Thus, the process of

internationalization of higher education in Armenia has designed

several new constructs that in the long will run create competitive

advantage. The overarching objective of this paper is to provide

the conceptual framework for developing University Lifelong

Learning as a strategic driving force for higher education

institutions in the context of globalization and its impact on higher

education system in Armenia.

Nowadays, a number of RA universities are involved in a range of

strategic initiatives and partnerships with different kinds of

stakeholders for causes related to LLL development, and in

particular ULLL development, such as the analysis and forecasting

of training needs, the identification of target groups, and

marketing, promotion, delivery and evaluation of courses. One of

the most essential strategic drivers for HEIs is the upsurge in the

organizational objective of transforming from traditional

university into becoming a learning organization and upsurge in

modernizing the ULLL system that assumes:

institutional (contextualized) experience and strategic

understanding of ULLL

advancing concepts of ULLL in institutional strategy.

Advancing concepts of ULLL in institutional strategy is a

fundamental ingredient for success for higher education

institutions in particular. Advancing concepts of ULLL in

institutional strategies embodies four elements: well-defined and

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long-term goals on ULLL; profound understanding of the external

environment; functional assessment of internal resources and

specific capabilities; and effective implementation. More

importantly, developing a ULLL strategy for a higher education

institution requires a combination of purpose-led planning

(rational design) and a flexible response to changing

circumstances of external environment.

Stemming from the need of profound understanding of the

external environment and taking into account the formation and

development of knowledge-based economy, key external drivers

for the development of ULLL are identified as follows:

Pace of Change

Technologies (advancement and dissemination of information

and communications technologies)

Markets (globalisation of labor, education and financial

markets)

Education Paradigm (massification of higher education,

increasing demand for modernization in higher education)

Knowledge Economy

Insufficient state funding for higher education

Deficiency in quantity and quality

Possessing inequities in the public funding of learning

Diversification of financial inflows

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Diversified demographics

Homogenous vs. heterogeneous population

Inflows and outflows of population

Accentuated brain drain in a global economy

Diversified needs from Diasporan Armenians

Declining Student Body

Decline in student enrollments

It should be mentioned that the existence of a culture of ULLL

based on previous experience could act as an internal driver, and

those internal changes in the organizational structure or in the

provision of educational services could therefore be a positive

factor in the process of developing ULLL strategy. Furthermore,

ULLL strategy can also contribute to the further advancement of

knowledge-based economy by integrating the specialized

knowledge of target groups into the production of knowledge

goods and services.

Thus, there are two key internal prerequisites for better

organization and implementation of ULLL at higher education

institutions in Armenia: formal institutional ULLL strategy and

flexible HR practices. Flexible HR practices embed competitive

current teaching staff, flexible HR recruitment practices of the

required professionals (based on demand), and established

networks with labor market (though not a holistic approach).

The efficient and regulated implementation of ULLL strategy can

insinuate not only its institutional but also social and economic

benefits.

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Social Benefits include but are not limited to:

increase of civil engagement (values of civil society,

environment of learning society),

support to different groups to participate in learning

experiences (learners with special needs, underrepresented

groups, new groups of Diasporan Armenians, etc.),

higher social rate of return on an investment in ULLL and

attraction of globalized finance capital,

formation and development of new learning culture (ULLL –

focus on the individual as an active learner, Adult training –

focus on institutions and instructors), and

personal development (core of liberal education, emphasis on

personal autonomy and independent, critical thinking).

Economic Benefits include improved skills and competences of

labor force, better employment of the workforce and improved

quality of the current workforce that are of utmost importance. –

Institutional Benefits are viewed as a part of strategic goals of the

institutions. They include

(1) recruiting and retaining international students from new

geographical areas and new markets (e.g. Information

Technology, Armenian Studies (Armenology), Tourism

(Ecotourism, Agrotourism, Mountainous Tourism) among

others)

(2) commercialization of the product (design and

implementation package of ULLL),

(3) responding to the employment needs of the labor market

(employability, growth in workforce skills),

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(4) further developed academic teaching and learning

strategies,

(5) encouraging participation of non-traditional learners,

attracting new groups into the university and other benefits

that can foster the development of the university services to

a larger society.

The way ULLL is organized and managed varies among

universities even in the same country. Nevertheless, a number of

different models can be identified. Some universities have their

own special ULLL unit, in others a particular department or

faculty is responsible. This diversity at all levels reflects the fact

that universities usually intend to have more than one purpose in

offering LLL and that purposes vary from institution to institution.

Common purposes include responding to the needs of the labor

market, stimulating personal development by providing personal

development programs for postgraduates and interested groups,

encouraging the participation of non-traditional learners, attracting

new groups into the university, meeting the needs of citizens in all

aspects of life, supporting the social, cultural and economic

development of the region, and/or seeking new sources of revenue

and attraction of globalized finance capital.

YSULS example of developing ULLL culture in Armenia

Established in 1935 Yerevan Brusov State University of

Languages and Social Sciences (YSULS) is one of the well-known

state universities in RA. YSULS mission is to contribute to the

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country’s socioeconomic development and to ensure integration

into the international education environment through delivering

qualified and competitive education, contributing to the

individual’s lifelong learning through knowledge generation in

humanities and development of intercultural communication

competences and skills.

Being the leading university among RA higher education

institutions in the fields of linguistic education, higher education

management, teacher education and training, intercultural

communication and humanities, YSULS has always established

new and diverse study programs enrolling students and creating

new learning environment and methods. Since 2005 YSULS has

moved into three-tier education system and integrated ECTS

system, as well as established an internal quality assurance system.

Currently, YSULS has 4 faculties and 19 educational departments.

The University has qualified and professional teaching staff for the

provision of the formal academic programs and ULLL courses

effectively. The University is authorized to perform educational

activities with 38 professions 14 of which are in the Bachelor (240

ECTS credits), 17 Master (120 ECTS credits) and 7 PhD (180

ECTS credits) levels. Both part-time and full-time modes of

studies are applied at the University to respond to the students’

needs.

YSULS is the only state university in the South Caucasus that

implements European Voluntary Service projects, thus combining

formal and non-formal education, and giving the students and

graduates the possibility to get new skills and experience, be

competitive in the labor market. In order to maintain the

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sustainable development of its activities and the provided

education services, YSULS always responds to the newest and

innovative developments in the education area by developing and

applying new teaching and learning methods.

As YSULS strategic directions include not only teaching and

research but also service to the society, YSULS offers to the

general public

Diversified language course packages taught at varied

times for a number of languages, thus enlarging the scope of

the beneficiaries of its main educational service –

improvement of language competences,

A preparatory package for university applicants in the

subject fields,

Practical specialized packages, proposed to the public and

private sectors,

Armenian language courses offered to foreign citizens,

Preparatory language training packages for international

certificate exams,

Packages for additional (second, third) languages envisaged

in the main curriculum,

Strategic management and human resources management

(HRM) courses for both professional and non-professional

groups,

Special multicultural and bilingual programs aimed at

language minorities,

Informative courses about the legislative and organizational

framework for PhD studies,

Other courses and program packages upon the need.

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Without a strategic vision, feasibly embodied by a strategic

document and related implementation plan, it is unlikely that

comprehensive change would have been brought at YSULS. To

this end, YSULS has developed and adopted a strategy on ULLL

as a fundamental commodity. Thus, the execution of LLL at the

University has been a new step towards the requirements of a

global demand. The specialized unit, i.e. the Center for University

Continuing Education (hereinafter CUCE) is the very unit dealing

with the function of ULLL at YSULS. The stages of ULLL

development at YSULS include introductory, contextual and

transformational periods during which a substantial work has been

performed in terms of the development of YSULS ULLL strategy,

LTA (Learning, Teaching and Assessment) practices and

customization to specific ULLL context, among the fundamental

ones.

CUCE has its own regulation that includes its goals, functions and

also regulates the issue of accountability. The indication of the

Center’s development is a set of diversified services provided to

different groups, the growth in the number of attendees and

lecturers involved in the courses, as well as the increase in the

income.

However, there is still much work to do and YSULS future steps

in terms of improvement of ULLL culture include the following:

Development of further strategies and policies that focus on ULLL, mainly

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o Strengthening the provision of ULLL, catering to the needs of adult learners,

o New forms of assessment linked to learning outcomes (e.g. e-portfolios),

o Sustainable organizational structures for embedding ULLL in the University (i.e. establishment of Regional ULLL Center for the region of South Caucasus),

o Credit transfer agreements. Development of partnerships and networks o At local level (community members and CSOs,

businesses (employers)) o At national level (national network between ULLL

providers, RA Government, acting as a role model for lifelong learning institution and socially-engaged target groups

o At regional level (regional networks of ULLL and LLL providers)

o At international (global) level (international networks of ULLL and LLL providers)

The implementation of ULLL strategy has been fraught with

certain challenges and typical constraints that each higher

education institution providing ULLL courses can face:

o Offering same courses from formal education without adapting to other types of learning and the needs of learners,

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o Strengthening the relationship between research and teaching in a perspective of ULLL,

o Low buy-in from ranked academic staff, o Time constraints, o Financial constraints, o Widespread lack of awareness and understanding of the

potential and possible benefits of ULLL, o Low participation rates (socio-economic disadvantage).

The above-mentioned typical constraints are amplified by the

existence of different types of higher education institutions in

Armenia as each of them serves some specific targeted areas.

Higher education in Armenia is provided by the following types of

higher education institutions (hereinafter HEI):

University: higher education institution providing higher,

postgraduate and supplementary education in different branches of

natural and sociological fields, science, technology and culture, as

well as providing opportunities for scientific research and study.

Institute: higher education institution, conducting specialized and

postgraduate academic programs and scientific research in a

number of scientific, economic and cultural branches.

Academy, institution is aimed at the development of education,

science, technology and culture in an individual sphere; it

conducts programs preparing and re-training qualified specialists

in an individual field, as well as postgraduate academic programs.

Conservatory: higher education institution preparing specialists in

the field of music, providing qualification development and

postgraduate academic programs.

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Suffice it to mention the immense achievements in the areas of

general and higher education system reforms in Armenia if one

considers the overall achievements in operational fundamental

reforms in the education system and institutional reforms of the

Armenian higher education institutions.

The educational reforms on University Lifelong Learning in

Armenia should be transformed into a more competitive reality,

especially in times of the growing scarcity of the professional

workforce. This is further convoluted by the fact that education is

an integral component of the knowledge-based economy of

Armenia, contributing relatively large portions of the gross

domestic production and employment. And, consequently, higher

education system is forced to improve itself in the directions of

both efficiency and competitiveness.

Ever-increasing shifts in the education realm have created

uniquely contemporary problems that are global in impact and,

therefore, pose challenges previously unrivaled in complexity. On

the whole, globalization is a driving force in the development of

higher education reforms, rather than a process within itself.

Understanding the impact of globalization and the context of the

emergent trends of ULLL might influence the design of strategies

and models that are applicable to Armenia with its transitioning

higher education system.

To conclude, the process of globalization in the higher education

context in Armenia has designed several new constructs that in the

long will run create competitive advantage for Armenia. These

constructs include new balance in government-university

relationship, institutional and academic autonomy, expansion of

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access to higher education, new external pressures of

accountability, expansive access of universities to different

groups, and support to academic staff in the changing context of

higher institutions.

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MODELS FOR THE INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE OF

UNIVERSITY LIFELONG LEARNING

Outline

Preliminary remarks

Action fields and institutional structure

General solutions

Central academic unit

Central institution as an intermediate service unit

Centrally located unit as part of the university administration

Affiliated institution

A. Resume

A. Preliminary Remarks

Discussion and decision-making about the institutional structure of

University Lifelong Leaning (ULLL) as a task in institutions of

higher education (IHE) normally happens if one of the following

initial positions is given:

ULLL is added as a new task/responsibility/field to the

traditional "mission" (teaching and research) of the

institution.

A realignment process has been initiated and ULLL is

affected.

The transfer of project structures into a sustainable

organization is on the agenda.

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As I see it, the last mentioned initial position is the one we are

talking about facing the end of our SSRULLI project. So it might

be a good idea to consider the future institutional structure of what

has been built up during our project. My contribution is to enable

you to see the alternatives and find your way.

Of course the conditions and prerequisites of any organizational

structure in universities are the legal basis which is given in the

country the IHE belongs to. In my contribution I mainly refer to

the situation in Germany and partly to the situation in other

European countries. To do the transfer to the legal ground in your

own countries is a task you will have to fulfil.

B. Action fields and organizational structure

At first, we have to ask which action fields need an institutional

structure in order to be pursued. This is a very important step as

you will see that it is not necessary, maybe we can even say it is

not advisable in many cases, to find a common "roof" for all

action fields. These are the core action areas of ULLL:

1. strategic orientation and all-over responsibility

2. development of programmes

3. implementation of programmes incl. student support

4. evaluation and quality assurance

5. marketing, public relations and representation

6. administration of programmes and stakeholders incl.

financial management.

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Let me now try to find an answer to the question where these

action fields should be located in terms of the organizational

structure.

I guess that there are very few cases in which the first mentioned

point does not belong to the tasks of the administrative and

academic upper management level. We are talking about the

rectorate and/or the central academic board. In Germany and in

many other countries this board is called the Academic Senate.

But it is crucial that the strategic orientation and the structural

framework for ULLL are not defined without the involvement of

the stakeholders on the lower levels. It is important because the

work has to be done on these levels. This means that acceptance is

necessary and the rectorate’s demands have to be realistic. To

guarantee a link between the strategic level and the operational

levels, in many cases a member of the rectorate (pro-rector) or a

particular committee of the central academic board is responsible

for ULLL.

C. General solutions

In general for all the other above-mentioned action fields, there are

four different possible solutions. The organizational structure for

ULLL can be

central

decentralized

combination of central and decentralized

affiliated institution.

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About ten years ago, an international comparative study on

structure and organization of University Continuing Education

(UCE) in Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain and the

USA was carried out by a consortium of German researchers and

financed by our Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

According to the results of this study the solutions for the

institutional structures in the countries involved vary.

Nevertheless, in Austria, Finland, France and Germany central

solutions are prevailing while in the UK and in the USA

decentralization is on the rise9.

Let us now have a look at the possible general solutions and

discuss their pros and cons against the background of the above-

mentioned activity fields of ULLL. I will do this in utter

conviction that there is a range of ULLL specifics which require

special solutions. To give three examples:

Programme development for ULLL, in particular for UCE,

is not only a question of content, state of the art in the

discipline and available manpower in the university but

also a question of market demand and supply, of living

and working conditions of the target groups and of being

able to implement study formats for working students.

Marketing for ULLL programmes does not stop once the

leaflets have been printed and the homepage has been

launched but also means to develop and realize particular

9 cf. http://www.fachportal-paedagogik.de/fis_bildung/volltextlink.html? FId=796320&link=http%3A%2F%2Fedok01.tib.unihannover.de%2Fedoks%2Fe01fb07%2F540307149.pdf, last access 02.05.2016

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marketing concepts for every group to be addressed and

every single event or offer to be placed in public.

And last but not least: Support for university lifelong

learners goes far beyond to what is normally provided for

traditional students. On the one hand, all administrative

demands have to be minimized. On the other hand, all

services to support the learning process of the LLL

students (and if necessary their personal situation) have to

be maximized.

Let us now look on the main central institutional structures that

can be found in Europe. As said before, the above-mentioned

activity fields can also be located on the faculty level. But if you

think through to the end it would mean to realize that there are as

many organizational structures for ULLL as faculties in the IHE. I

think there is no need to follow this strand because it is not

fundable. We can say that as long as ULLL plays a minor role in

the field of university tasks, an institutional structure on the

faculty level is a no-go. In fact, faculty solutions are quite rare.

Only in cases where close connections between a faculty and the

related practice are, you can find organizational structures for

ULLL on the faculty level.

D. Central academic unit

All academic institutions are obliged to teach and to research. This

means that in general professors belong to the staff. In most cases

a discipline orientation can be found which means that a close-to-

faculty position is quite common.

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What are the pros?

Research and teaching are closely linked. The transfer of

knowledge happens without detours.

To get engaged in the ULLL field can be attractive for

professors because they work for their own institutions.

The unit itself benefits from being an academic institution

which means more prestige in public than a service unit

usually gets.

What are the downsides of this construction?

The discipline-orientation normally means that a single

ULLL unit is not sufficient for the university.

Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary questions cannot

easily be worked on without other units in or outside the

IHE.

As research is possible and research is ranked higher than

ULLL there is a risk of neglecting the second and

preferring the first.

E. Central institution as an intermediate service unit

Intermediate means not to belong to the central administration of

the university and not to belong to one of the faculties. The unit

can be headed by a professor of the university or by a managing

director or similar. In the first case there is a stronger focus on

academic activities. In the second case service orientation is prior.

What are the pros?

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The unit benefits from a good reputation particularly if it

is directed by a professor.

The full range of services can be provided for all ULLL

activities no matter whether they are allocated at faculty or

whether they are part of their own activities.

Independence as an intermediate unit is important for

being able to participate in projects like EU projects.

What are the cons?

For a non-faculty central unit there is a high risk to

become subject to political capture. It happened in the past

at a few places in Germany that every new elected vice-

rector responsible for ULLL started to reorganize the unit

which left it in a never ending reform process not being

able to do the real job properly.

If there are both an academic director (professor) and a

manager leading such a unit a good relationship between

the two is crucial. There have been struggles between the

two positions at German universities which in some cases

lasted for years and paralysed the business.

F. Centrally located unit as part of the university

administration

Universities prefer this option if there is an intention to connect

ULLL closely to the leading management. The access of the vice-

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rector responsible for ULLL to the unit is easy and vice versa the

access of the unit to the vice-rector is simple as well.

Administrative services are the focus of the activities of such a

unit. Some small IHE decided on this format because other

solutions would have been to cost intensive for them.

What are the pros?

The close-to-the top situation is beneficial when e. g. there

is a need to get quick decisions from the university top

management.

Necessary internal support like IT-support or support from

the accounting department is easy to get.

The basic requirements of space and equipment for the

unit itself and for all ULLL activities the unit is involved

in can be easily satisfied.

What are the cons?

As part of the university administration it is not easy or

even not possible to build up a reputation for the ULLL

unit neither inside nor outside the university.

There is a high risk that a specific understanding of ULLL

and UCE cannot be developed in such units.

As administrations in these units are said to be inflexible

and too focused on management processes.

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G. Affiliated institution

Besides these central solutions for the organizational structure of

ULLL units in universities you can find institutions with an own

legal personality at universities. These units are affiliated to their

universities to a greater or lesser extent. It seems to me that to

establish affiliated institutions as an organizational structure for

ULLL and UCE is a more or less typical German phenomenon.

This is why I will not go into further detail. Let me just say how I

see it. As long as ULLL and UCE belong to the responsibilities

defined by law or any other legal basis they have to be performed

within the IHE itself and not outside.

There are very few cases where the legal situation within the

university impedes ULLL activities or even prevents them. In

these cases it is acceptable to find a solution for the institutional

structure outside the university as long as the actors do not lose

sight of the over-all goal to remove the obstacles.

H. Resume

Let me summarize my remarks in form of recommendations:

There are specifics of ULLL as programme development,

services and financial management which demand an

individual institutional structure for its activities.

Between the possible solutions within the faculty or on the

central level the second one is preferable because the first

one is too cost intensive and tends not to serve the

particular demands of ULLL sufficiently.

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Between the central solution within and outside the walls

of the university the first one is preferable because ULLL

has to be treated as any other university responsibility to

become a fully integrated part.

Between the three main central solutions within the walls

of the university an emphasis lies on the independent

intermediate central service unit because this solution

meets the specific requirements of ULLL best.

Final remark: My statements are based on my knowledge and my

experience about the topic. There is no question that my

knowledge and my experience have a Western European and a

German bias. This is why I say: It is up to you to find the right

solutions for the institutional structures in your universities against

the background of your legal frameworks and the specifics of your

institutions.

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Samvel Karabekyan, Gayane Ayvazyan (armenia)

SSRULLI IN YSULS: EXPERIENCE, IMPACT, LESSONS LEARNED

There are new segments in the mega-system of continuing

education at the intersections of formal university education and

specialized training programs, which are conditioned by public

demand for short-term targeted courses aimed at complementing

the knowledge and development of existing and new skills. This,

in its turn, gives rise to the problem of proper systematization of

educational activities in such environment, as well as supports the

credibility and recognition of its results.

The structure of the formal educational program has limited

capacities for offering courses of different durations and

intensiveness, due to the strict schedule of learning activities

defined during the semester, whereas within the structure of

supplementary education students (incl. those who are not

involved in the regular formal education) can achieve skills and

competences not only to complete requirements of the major

programme in more convenient mode, but also to meet individual

interests and needs to acquire generic competences that are

demanded in continuously changing competitive environment.

Thus, the segment of supplementary education acquires an

important function of responding to educational needs of the

sector of society, which is not involved in the formal education

system; at the same time, being part of a university environment,

providing these services with qualified professional resources.

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Meeting educational needs of the general public is crucial also for

the reason that, involving them into the university system, the unit

of supplementary education focuses not only on proper

professional training, but also on transmission of civic values,

thereby participating in the development of civil society and, as a

reverse effect, in the development of a favourable environment for

the development of the university as such.

Before SSRULLI

Previously, in Yerevan State Linguistic University a few key elements of the supplementary and continuous education were functioning:

• retraining sessions for university and school teachers, researchers,

• preliminary or foundation courses,

• additional language courses,

• international and inter-university seminars / workshops / master classes,

• methodological seminars and workshops at the departmental level

It is obvious that these scattered elements and the existing

procedures that regulate their functioning do not constitute an

effective, sustainable and interconnected system of continuing

education. Such system requires specific conceptual approaches

and could not be able to rely on a mechanical combination of the

mentioned elements.

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SSRULLI: driving force for new opportunities

SSRULLI Project has created promising opportunities for the

solution to the issue, as well as the tasks of developing a format

and procedure to organize education with continuing/life-long

learning programs, and designing mechanisms to increase the level

of participation of students and teaching staff in the continuing

and life-long initiatives. At the same time it was a serious

challenge for the recently established Centre of Supplementary

and Continuing Education (CSCE), created in February 2010 on

the basis of the Language Centre which should enlarge the scope

of the services for the public and to raise the quality.

During the last two years:

YSULS has developed and adopted ULLL Strategy as a separate document linked to the general strategy of the university aiming at introducing an efficient system of continuing education, as well as worked out documents and procedures purposing on regulation of these activities at University level.

The University Continuing Education Centre was restructured on the basis of three Programmes - Development of Language Competences, Skills Development, and Professional Development and Retraining

According to the methodology two courses have been designed, developed and successfully piloted. Both courses are included into the university curricula for the next academic year as a regular ULLL courses

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o The course on Human Resource Management in Higher Education is designed as a blended course with a significant part of e-learning activities; special training on e-learning methods was organised for trainers.

o The training course on legislative framework and practical aspects of awarding doctoral degrees for students, supervisors, respective administrators of different universities and other awarding bodies is designed as series of workshops.

Considering the relatively autonomous status of the centre, and bearing in mind the importance of collaboration with different stakeholders, a board consisting of representatives of expert community, employers, union of graduates and career centre, has been established.

Where are we now?

Development of efficient mechanisms of continuing education is

closely related to the liberalization of the education system and

reducing of administrative interventions into the process of

diversification of forms of educational activities, development of

academic autonomy and responsibility, embedding and gradual

prevalence of the quality education culture.

A two-year analysis of the Project implementation has identified

the following obstacles to the establishment and sustainable

development:

1) rigid and centralised governance model of University

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2) the desire of the Government to control the internal processes at the universities, which has negative impact on the formation of creative and innovative environment

3) lack of experience in collaboration with other departments and chairs, as well as the necessity to see and set the joint aims of mutual work.

4) lack of tradition/culture of "learning to learn" and difficult social-economic situation.

Despite these unfavourable factors, as a result of the SSRULLI Project - the Centre managed to:

a) raise awareness of the students, teachers and administrative staff on ULLL

b) create the academic environment in the Centre which gives teachers opportunities to be creative, free, and innovative.

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LIFELONG LEARNING CENTER AT TSAA

Tbilisi State Academy of Art was founded in 1922. It combines 5

faculties: Fine Arts; Architecture; Design; Media Arts;

Restoration; Art History and Theory. Each faculty has a number of

creative directions and TSAA counts more than 1600 students

overall, introducing them a three-stage system of education –

Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral Degree levels in various

directions.

In 2013 TSAA joined the project funded by Tempus

“Strengthening the Specific Role of Universities as LLL

Institutions, SSRULLI“ (544251-TEMPUS-1-2013-1-GE-

TEMPUSJPHES).

Tbilisi State Academy of Art is the one and only institution in

Georgia offering almost all kinds of visual art degree courses: fine

arts, architecture, design, media arts, restoration, art history and

theory. With the help of material and intellectual resources and

experiences, Tbilisi State Academy of Art has a big potential to

become a leading Life Long Learning Center in our region in the

arts department. With the rising demand for employment oriented

educational centers, TSAA offers individuals the opportunity to

raise their qualifications and acquire new skills and a new

profession. LLL courses are both for beginners as well as qualified

learners, with the goal of professional development.

Taking the current labor market requests into consideration, it

offers a number of creative courses. Anyone can study art, master

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different crafts, and use the acquired knowledge and skills, as an

additional source of income, a new specialty, or even a realization

of their lifelong dreams.

At the very beginning of the project, there was no Life Long

Learning Center in TSAA. This project contributed to the

establishment of the center, the development of the plans for its

strategic growth and its progress. The main strategic goals that

were set out for TSAA are the following:

To offer educational trainings and seminars to students,

administration and academic staff, with the goal of their

professional development and career growth

To plan and provide different courses for general public that

can be held in the TSAA, taking into consideration the

human, material and professional resources of the institution

To develop courses in foreign languages (e.g. English)

To introduce and establish inclusive learning at the center,

which will greatly benefit the development of people with

disabilities, contribute to their employment and integration

within the society

To arrange different Certification Preparation Courses in

different fields

To widen partnerships on national, as well as, international

level

To popularize the TSAA LLL center

Long-term plan:

o To create a summer school

o To develop e-learning

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Live Long Learning Center has already administered the following

courses: Felt Making, Tour Guide, Computer Graphics

CorelDRAW and Photography. Additionally, the following

courses have been approved: Enamel Making, Ceramics, Interior

Design, and Architectural Sketching. There is a high demand for

the following courses: Fashion Design, Furniture Design, drawing

and silk painting.

Based on considerable intellectual and material recourses of

TSAA, the University Lifelong Learning center can provide the

choice of different required programs.

Life Long Learning has found its niche at TSAA, and in future

will most likely become an important part of its strategic

development.

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Sevil Imanova (Azerbaijan)

LIFE LONG LEARNING AT QAFQAZ UNIVERSITY

The Centre for Sustainable Development in the Qafqaz

University has begun its activity since 2003-2004 academic

year and has been continuing its activities in the Narimanov

district of Baku, Ashiq Molla Juma street 138 address, by

widening the scope of its services since 2015-2016 academic

year and deriving benefits from experiences of one of the

world’s leading universities’ centres for sustainable

development (Continuing Education Center) in Oxford,

Harvard and Cambridge universities. Our centre began its

activity with the purpose of developing relations with the

University-Business world. Besides regulating relations with

business world of university, also organizing courses for public

service and master degrees, high-quality training and consulting

services, foreign languages, applying some functional projects

and publishing “Business World” bulletin are among the

activities of center.

In addition to International certificates on English language,

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and IELTS

(International English Language Testing System), our centre

has been accredited as an official ECDL (European Computer

Driving Licence) test centre and has been awarded to be the

center of official exams and courses on Microsoft. Currently,

the Center continues its activity to develop relations with

University-Business world.

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Our goal is to turn into regional model development center in

the Industry-University relations forming and provide qualified

services to the community. Since its establishment, our centre

has conducted training and seminars by signing contracts with

international companies (BP, SAIPEM, Deloitte, EY, etc

operating in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan and as

well as local holdings Holdings (Azersun, Gilan, Nurgun, etc.)

Based on desires of companies, seminars are being held within

the university or at our test centre.

ECDL (European Computer Driving Lisence)

The European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) is a

computer literacy international certification programme is

being managed by ECDL Foundation in Ireland. The Centre for

Sustainable Development is the official partner of ECDL in

Azerbaijan. ECDL training and testing centres have been

established in the Centre for Sustainable Development in

Qafqaz University.

Participants can take part in the training sessions but also be

able to get an international certificate in passing the official

exam.

Thanks to ECDL certificates you may emerge 1 step ahead of

your competitors in the labor market proving the skills of

applying the most basic computers easily and effectively.

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ECDL (European Computer Driving License - International

Certificate of Measurement of Computer Level) certified skills

improve your workforce and allows you to move forward in

different situations.

ECDL certificates are recognized in 149 countries and 24,000

training and examination centers have been created.

As a result of project for the establishment of “Test and

Training Centres” in Qafqaz University, 5 distinctive module

examination and training package has been developed since

October 2012 within the framework of Tempus ENOTES

(530340-TEMPUS-1-2012-1-AZ-TEMPUS-JPHES) "ECDL

(European Computer Driving Licence).

The training and exam packages are as follows:

Modules

Modul 1- Computer Essentials

Modul 2- Online Essentials

Modul 3- Word Processing

Modul 4- Spreadsheets

Modul 5- Presentation

Project goals keep the focus on training and certification

packages gained through european experience in order to offer

in Azerbaijan’s education and professional sector.

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Modules

ECDL helps you develop your computer skills at desired level

in the workplace and provides certificate.The candidates can

create their personal ECDL profiles by choosing module

combinations based on their majors. The ECDL help candidates

to use computers effectively and strengthen the existing

knowledge. Each module at the basic level covers fundamentals

of computer which is required for 90% at workplaces.

Certification exams

Certification exams are made up of each module. The

candidates are informed at least 5 business day in advance of

the exam date. The registration for exam is carried out by

online. Exams are computer-based. The candidates can view

their results through the online portal. The candidates shall be

deemed to have passed the exam successfully at least 27 correct

answers out of 36 questions. The certifications of successful

candidates are sent by post to the address specified through the

portal.

Exams determining the level of knowledge

In order to measure the computer knowledge and skills of the

candidates, exam to determine the level of knowledge

(diagnostic test) is recommended during the recruiting process.

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The passing scores of candidates who has successfully

completed diagnostic test are sent to the client company's

Human Resources Department as a report. In this case, the

candidates do not obtain a certificate.

Conclusion

Due to the location of the Qafqaz University at the edge of

town, a new building of Sustainable Development Centre has

been given to utilization at the new address, Narimanov district

of Baku, Ashiq Molla Juma street 138 since it has created

obstacles to the comings and goings of those who want to use

our services. Although the new centre has been open for about

5 months, more than 100 students, 1 winning tender for a

project, 1 performing project to win the tender, 3 addressed

applications for international exam and 1 ongoing training have

been experienced so far.

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THE SUMMARY OF RESULTS OF THE TEMPUS-FUNDED SSRULLI (STRENGTHENING THE SPECIFIC ROLE OF UNIVERSITIES AS LIFELONG LEARNING

INSTITUTIONS) PROJECT

The present article is a sum-up of the activities that Vanadzor

State University has been up to within the frameworks of the

Tempus-funded project SSRULLI (Strengthening the Specific

Role of Universities as Lifelong Learning Institutions).

As per working package one, Vanadzor State University team took

part in the project kick-off meeting held at Tbilisi State University.

This was followed by practical visits (envisaged by working

package two) to the Universities of Hamburg and Graz.

Working package one also envisaged “recommendations and

strategic planning for the development of ULLL in PUs”. Deriving

from this, Vanadzor State University team participated in the two

seminars devoted to the development of ULLL Strategy. As a

result, the University team designed the Strategy for ULLL and

had it approved by the Scientific Council in February 2015.

The development of the Strategy was followed by the

establishment of the Centre of University Continuing Education.

Originally, Vanadzor State University had the Department of

Supplementary Education which delivered trainings for internal

and external beneficiaries, as well as the Language Centre which

delivered courses in English, French, German, Spanish and

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Russian. In February 2015, these two centres merged into one, the

Centre of University Continuing Education.

The Centre established, the University team started working on the

website of the centre and the project (www.ssrulli.vsu.am), which

now includes detailed information about the project, content-wise

and logistical information about the courses and schedules.

Working package three envisaged the following activities:

market/needs analysis to find out what courses could be in

demand, and, not less importantly, to whom these courses should

be delivered. What I mean, is the identification of TGs as well.

The next step should be the dissemination of content-wise and

logistical information about the courses in order to attract potential

learners via TV channels, University and project websites, social

networking sites and newspapers.

So, the University administration commissioned market analysis

and revealed the following target groups: University internal staff,

personnel of municipal institutions; biology teachers and

professionals from different spheres. The courses for the above-

mentioned target groups were as follows: Human Resource

Management for the University internal staff, personnel of

municipal institutions; Practicum of Problem-Solving in Biology

for Biology teachers; English for Specific Purposes for

professionals.

The identification of the target groups and courses was followed

by the development of study materials (curricula, lectures, power

point presentations, literature, etc).

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Feedback collection followed the recruitment and organization of

the courses. The feedback tools were questionnaires, surveys,

discussions with the learners and staff. The feedback targets were

the study materials, teaching methodology, logistical issues, etc.

Below, we expand on some statistics on the ULLL learners at

Vanadzor State University:

Gender - 88% of the learners recruited were women leaving

behind male learners with only 12%. So, we can see that

ULLL is far more popular among women than men.

Age – 30,9% of the recruited learners were aged between 20-

30; 34,5% were aged between 31 and 40; 20,9% were aged

between 41 and 50; and 13,6% were aged over 50. The last

figure is a real achievement for the University because in

Armenia people aged over 50 do not usually tend to engage in

organized learning activities.

12%

88%

male

female

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20-30 31-40 41-50 over 50

Education - 10% of the learners had only secondary

education, and, consequently, the rest, 90% had higher education.

The reason why we paid particular attention to the learner’s

education background was to reveal the purpose of them taking

the course. Thus, for the 10% the course was either for filling in

the gap of free time or enhancing their job opportunities, for the

rest it was for professional development and for climbing the

career ladder.

Thus, from the statistics we can see that although university

lifelong learning is still an emergent concept, it is becoming more

and more popular.

0

10

20

30

40 30.9% 34.5 %

20.9 %

13.6 %

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

90%

10%

Higher Education

Secondary Education

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STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT IN UNIVERSITY

LIFELONG LEARNING IN EUROPE – NOTES FROM

PRACTICE

To develop a strategy for University Lifelong Learning is an

important process a higher education institution needs to engage in

if it wants to develop into a relevant player in the field of lifelong

learning. Some material on how to develop a strategy (including

the so-called “strategizing process”) has been developed by

European organisations; however, longstanding practice in ULLL

strategy development shows that many questions come up when

actually planning, starting and doing developmental work in that

area. This paper offers some reflections with regard to this work.

1. What kind of document are we going to produce? A

“policy”, a “strategy”, a “strategic plan” or an “action plan”?

One of the first questions when starting is what kind of document

should come out at the end of the process: Is it a “university

policy” document? Is it “a strategy paper”? Is it a “strategic plan”

or an “action plan”? Clarification right at the beginning is needed

to define what university management (often the level

commissioning a group or task force to develop such a document)

is expecting. It should be determined whether there are common

university guidelines available so that the university’s common

approach and guidelines for policy papers or strategies are taken

into account right from the beginning. Experience shows that such

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guidelines rarely exist. So the most important question at this stage

is: What is the purpose of the document? Which basic approach

should we choose in order to write a useful document for

developing ULLL successfully within our institution with regard

to the next 3 to 5 years?

2. Why do we also need a “strategizing process”?

Before considering the outline and the content of the document, it

is important to think about the “production process” itself: How

are we going to do it? Based on experience, we might state that the

process of how the document is going to be produced is as

important as the document itself (if not more important as the

institution learns how to find common ground, how to develop a

vision, how to work together in that area – all activities developing

ownership in ULLL in the long run…).

Some guiding questions:

‐ Who actually decides that there is a need for a ULLL strategy?

What is the “cause for action”?

‐ Who actually writes the draft of the ULLL strategy and the

revised versions?

‐ Who is part of this process (“ownership”)? Who needs to be

involved? From inside our institution, involvement of external

stakeholders, experts for strategy development?

‐ How is this process set up – what is the timeline? What should

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be accomplished when and by whom?

‐ Who decides on the strategy? On the very “final” version?

‐ How will the strategy be communicated, internally, externally

‐ Who monitors the progress of the process of development?

An important point when developing a strategy is to make use of

the strengths of both formal consultation and informal discussions,

as widely as possible within the institution.

Case study University of Graz

As part of the strategy development process covering all areas of

university development, the University of Graz decided to proceed

as follows in the area of university continuing education

(procedures June 2000 - June 2003):

‐ Internal survey of the State-of-the-Art of UCE (2000/01)

including strengths and weaknesses

‐ Research on models in Austria and abroad

‐ Project “Profile for Services and Products in University

Continuing Education”

‐ Involvement of relevant internal stakeholders

‐ Establishment of a project group “University Continuing

Education”

‐ 3 internal Workshops with participation of Vice-Rector for

Research and Knowledge Transfer

‐ Internal feedback, work in progress

‐ Link to the “formal system” (University commission for

Research, Rectorate, integration in management by objectives

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catalogue)

‐ Final workshop with external consultant (resulting in the final

profile)

‐ Implementation

As “positive” experiences in this process, it was seen:

‐ Organisational development is participative, link to strategy

development process at University level

‐ Professionalism (workshops)

‐ Productive working atmosphere, participation of the Vice-

Rector

‐ Linked to but also independent of formal boards

‐ Taking scepticism and concerns into account

‐ Vision: capacity to act and commitment

Critical aspects:

‐ Long process, parallel: management by objectives for the

whole university

‐ In general: not all are familiar with organisational

development processes; “waste of money”

‐ Raise expectations and not be able to fulfil them

‐ Organisational development is not a “serious” business

(compared to “top-down”)

To summarize the most important steps in the process:

‐ Summer 2000: Definition of roles and tasks in strategy

building

‐ Winter 2000/01: Project group “Strategy Building” and

Project group “Management by Objectives”

‐ Summer 2001: Kick-off event and future search

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‐ Autumn 2001: Work in progress (results, developmental plans

of faculties)

‐ Winter 2002/02: “First reading” in Senate, “counter current

process”

‐ Summer 2002: Strategy Conference, decision-making process

in Senate

‐ Autumn 2002: Management by Objectives – Final paper

And these steps and actions (in the period June 2000 to June 2003)

resulted in

‐ a new organisational unit “Center for Continuing Education” –

having a clear profile

‐ involvement of all relevant internal stakeholders

‐ internal network and building of trust

‐ new products (courses).

3. What should be included in a ULLL strategy?

Many institutions experience the same fear of the white sheet of

paper as other “authors” – what should be the first sentence of a

“ULLL strategy paper”? It is certainly helpful to read ULLL

strategy papers of other higher education institutions; the “best”

strategy paper, however, does not exist, as it must match the needs

of one’s own institution, must be relevant to it, and shape and

content must be based on an internal communication and decision-

making processes. (Already at this stage, it might be a “relief” to

bear in mind that a strategy is never “finished” once and for all…).

In general, a ULLL strategy is developed for a university. This is

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the level where different visions and strands of developments

should be made visible and put together. However, experience

shows that this might depend on the university system in different

countries. Of course a ULLL strategic paper can also be useful for

a faculty or for a Centre for Continuing Education.

Setting the scene…

It might be helpful to start the document by briefly outlining the

context at international / national and regional level as well as

within the university itself. What regional, national and

international context we are operating in?

Keywords are:

‐ Higher Education Policies

‐ Societal developments - changes in our societies:

demographic, cultural, economic, political, social; the need for

active civic engagement

‐ Labour market - the need for employability

‐ Lifelong learning policies; LLL strategies at national and

regional level; relevant national regulation for ULLL; related

policies.

‐ Financing lifelong learning: Who is financing lifelong

learning in our country?

‐ ULLL at international/ European and national and regional

level (documents, policies, approaches, standards…)

‐ European networks / European body of professional

knowledge

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Having “set the scene”, the following basic guiding questions

might be helpful when drafting a ULLL strategy:

1. the “Why” & the “What for”

2. the “What”

3. the “How”

4. Stakeholders

5. “Money matters”

6. “It’s all about people”

7. Quality

8. “Action”

The “Why” and the “What for”

‐ The institutional context: What is the general profile of the

University? What is the overall university strategy? Do

strategic papers for other areas with relevance to ULLL

already exist (e.g. internationalisation)?

‐ What do we, in this document, understand by ULLL? What

can be understood and what is our focus? Is there a vision of

becoming a “Lifelong Learning University”? How does this

understanding / definition fit into the overall university profile

and strategy – does it “match”?

‐ Why does the university want to engage in ULLL? (internal

and external reasons) What is the added value we can offer to

others with ULLL? (dimensions: demographic, cultural,

economic, political and social; employability and active civic

engagement; responsibility of individuals and the society)

Does ULLL bring an added value not only to others but also to

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the university? What are the institutional expectations? Why

do we want a ULLL strategy now – the cause for action is

what? To which problem(s) / challenge(s) is ULLL the answer

(in the region)? Is it one of our responsibilities in our society?

‐ What are our more general aims? What are our organisational

strategic objectives and goals in ULLL (the “objectives”

implement the “aims”)?

‐ What is our vision/mission of ULLL?

‐ Who are our target groups in general?

‐ What do we want to achieve short-term, mid-term, in the long

run?

‐ Do we need more coordination in the university? Do we need

to further integrate what we are already doing? What should

be centralised? Decentralised? (visibility of ULLL, location,

equipment, staff)?

The “What”

‐ What do we have already in ULLL (or in related areas) or

what could be seen as ULLL (courses, services, procedures,

rules…)? What is the state-of-the-art of these (strengths –

weaknesses)? What can we build on when it comes to

resources, to alliances (internal and external)?

‐ What do we want to offer (designing our portfolio)? General

education at university level and continuing professional

development / training including formats at different ULLL

levels (threshold, advanced)

‐ Our (main) target groups (here in more detail); What does “a

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diversified student population” mean (for example university

graduates and graduates of the universities of applied sciences;

experts and managers; individuals interested in continuing

education; people in employment/self-employed or un-

employed; people in “transition periods”; specific professional

groups such as teachers; students; the “general public” and

those interested in “Learning in Later Life”)? How do we

respond to it?

‐ Our potential? Needs analysis – what are adequate methods?

‐ Possible orientations / up-to-date approaches to adult learning:

life-span, learner-centred (didactical challenge); implementing

new technology; guidance & counselling; competence-

orientation – learning outcomes; access to learning

programmes (eLearning), lifelong and lifewide; what learning

do we – specifically in ULLL – want to support (e.g.

interdisciplinary)?

The “How”

How are we going to implement the ULLL strategy / ULLL in our

institution? Some guiding questions are:

‐ What is the organisational structure / what are the decision

making structures we need to operate efficiently and

effectively? How can we develop the (further)

“institutionalisation” of ULLL? There are many organisational

models for ULLL in Europe; often mixtures of centralised and

de-centralised models are in place, all having their strengths

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and weaknesses. The “best” model does not exist. However, it

can be observed that in all institutions, there is some need for

overall coordination within the institution.

‐ In many institutions, several units exist which could play a

role in implementing ULLL. The question might be raised –

should they stay separated or be united/merged? In the long

run, a “cooperative system” might not be sufficient to develop

ULLL systematically and coherently for one university. But as

these processes take time, setting up such a “cooperative

system” might be realistic to get ULLL started; and the

experiences of internal collaboration could also serve as an

example on how to collaborate with other ULLL relevant

centres within the university, such as career service or

business development. Organisational learning might take

place and the developed “transferable skill” can be used for

other collaborative settings.

“Stakeholders”

Internal and external cooperation is central for successfully

developing ULLL. What are our “environments” (term as used in

organisational theory)? Who are our key internal (for example

Career Services, business development unit) and external

stakeholders (for example profit/non-profit, public organisations

and companies; adult education centres and other universities;

policy makers, ministries, regional government, municipalities,

technology centres)? Which structured partnerships/alliances

should we focus on when developing ULLL? Is (more)

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permeability between educational sectors our aim and who are

relevant partners? Do we consider joint development work as

essential for the increase of quality and for the acceptance and

recognition of lifelong learning programmes outside the

university?

“Money matters”

A ULLL strategy should at least give some indication regarding

the financial matters / management (resources, logistics) of the

activity. It might also help to reach some commitment on the part

of the university for additional resources/investment at the

beginning of its engagement in ULLL.

“It’s all about people”

A ULLL strategy should give some indication about human

resources / staff (academic staff, technical-administrative staff) to

be involved in implementing ULLL according to the strategy. It

should also state which measures are to be developed to enable

staff to fulfil what is required to successfully implement ULLL.

Quality

The institution needs to, based on international standards, define

what it understands by “quality” in ULLL and it needs to set up

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mechanisms for quality development and quality assurance. There

is some danger that institutions starting with ULLL, specifically in

the first urgency to put together a programme, include courses in

the portfolio, which do not fulfil ULLL standards. Institutions

should avoid an undermining of ULLL standards from the

beginning, a crucial question also when programmes are

collaboratively developed with external partners.

“Action”

Should an “Action plan” be included in the strategy? It might be

helpful to include some concrete steps and measures linked to a

time frame to guide the implementation of the strategy - what

should be achieved when and by whom and what are the

indicators? However, this might also be part of a separate

“implementation plan” or “business plan”.

4. How to implement a “ULLL strategy”

One challenge institutions face once they manage to produce a

well-formulated, ambitious ULLL strategy is that they do not

know how to begin its implementation. The following points need

to be considered here:

‐ Internal change agents and their role

‐ Service units and their role

‐ The importance of Action plans and concrete projects

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‐ The importance of indicators

It is important to set clear priorities for new developments – not

everything can be done at the same time. Concrete projects could

be a helpful tool to enhance the implementation of a ULLL

strategy, for example: to establish an information and guidance

service for university teachers who want to develop courses and

programmes; to coordinate and/or develop new courses and

programmes; to establish a Board for ULLL (internals/externals -

for consultation in the area of developmental work, for monitoring

the implementation of the ULLL strategy); to set up a data system

for ULLL; to develop a university-wide marketing concept and

strategy for ULLL; to develop a more concrete business plan for

the next 3 years; to do market research and to develop a concept

for quality assurance. The implementation process should be

accompanied by a monitoring / reporting system.

5. Reflections on the evaluation of strategies

A ULLL strategy paper does not last forever: It is a document

valid for a certain period of time. It depends on the internal

regulations of the institution when it should be revised; in many

cases, an “expiry” date was included in the document in the formal

decision-making process, as part of the quality management

system of the university.

Nevertheless, it is obvious that a ULLL strategy most likely needs

updating.

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Some guiding questions might be:

‐ Did the document help us in our institution to (further)

develop ULLL? In what way?

‐ What does “revision of the document” mean (content and

strategizing process)? What is expected by whom?

‐ What are our indicators for the “success” of the ULLL

strategy and were we successful? Specifically in which areas?

‐ Was it possible to achieve sufficient commitment from

stakeholders – internally, externally?

‐ Were we able to build adequate organisational structures and

to reach an adequate level of institutionalisation incl. financial

resources?

‐ Did we pay enough attention to our own learning to become

professionals in the field? What have we learned? What

conclusions do we draw?

‐ Is our quality development approach up-to-date regarding the

standards in the ULLL field? Are we engaged in

“benchmarking” processes with other higher education

institutions, at national and international level?

‐ Is our provision, are our services useful for our learners? Are

they really “in the centre” of our efforts and concerns?

A ULLL strategy can be an important institutional document

boosting the further development of ULLL. And to develop such a

strategy document, including the setting up of a strategizing

process resulting in such a document, can be a very rewarding

activity, enabling organisational and personal learning. Many

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institutions in Europe have developed a relevant stock of

knowledge and gained important experience – it is important to

share this knowledge and experiences widely to also support other

institutions in this developmental work.

Further reading and resources

The European Universities’ Charter on Lifelong Learning, EUA

2008

EUCEN EU Project ALLUME – A lifelong Learning University

Model for Europe (EUCEN Publications 2011), www.eucen.eu

Engaging in Lifelong Learning: Shaping Inclusive and Responsive

University Strategies (SIRUS), by Hanne Smidt and Andrée

Sursock (EUA Publications 2011)

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Elza Samedli (Azerbaijan)

A VIEW OF TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS IN AZERBAIJAN WITH A VIEW TOWARD PREPARING

PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS

Introduction

In the last two decades, not only in our country but also in various countries of the world, reforms to the education system have been carried out. Different approaches to the philosophy of education and functions of schools have been discussed. In the past, schools were considered to serve the function of teaching reading/writing and to give academic knowledge. However, in the modern world, society’s expectations on schools have changed. These expectations are much higher and very different from what they were in the past. The main expectation of society on the school is to enhance students’ skills and competences such as problem solving, creative and critical thinking, communication, decision-making, and research skills. Schools should also teach students how to learn.

In addition, it is reality that in the modern world parents do not have enough time to spend with their children. Because of that, they also expect the school to teach their children all social and leadership skills, change their behavior, and organize more social, cultural, and sports activities

.

Problem and discussion

The schools which strive to meet this expectation by the society and families also expect that their teacher candidates will be

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graduates of higher education institutions who will meet high demands such as having enough knowledge, sufficient teaching skills and teaching experience.

Generally, the competencies, range of vision, character and personality of teacher candidates are the quality indicators of their education. Quality in education is a very complicated and nebulous task. What does quality mean? There are a plethora of varying and controversial definitions in the body of literature. It varies from one person to another, as well as from one organization to other. Although it is difficult to define what quality in education is, at the same time there are plenty of indicators that are accepted as quality in education in the published research such as high moral values, excellent examination results, the support of parents, business and the local community, plentiful resources, the application of the latest technology, strong and purposeful leadership, the care and concern for pupils and students, and a well-balanced and challenging curriculum (Sails, 2012, p.3-4). Researchers who make a study of quality in schools emphasize four quality imperatives: moral, professional, competitive and accountability (Sails, 2012, p.3-5). These principles that are peculiar to the European Higher Area or US education system need to be established as values in the Azerbaijani education system. In fact, the results of a survey among school directors held by Khazar University within the scope of different projects that deal with higher education show us that though schools have implemented new standard-based curricula since 2008, newly graduating teachers don’t possess enough theoretical or practical knowledge to realize the standards. They also lack teamwork skills, organizational behavior, and any experience about how to plan, manage lessons, or communicate with students, colleagues

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and students. These results show us that teacher preparation schools fail to satisfy the market and employers’ requirements.

In this study we would like to look at teacher preparation programs in terms of the aspect of professionalism, one of the 4 qualities that are imperative for schools.

At first it should be highlighted that recruiting professional personnel is essential to prepare professional teachers, and schools should provide professional development of personnel. If teacher candidate doesn’t have any idea about a professional teacher image or has never met a professional teacher, it is impossible to expect that he or she will become a professional teacher. Then who is a professional teacher? What features should he or she have, or which criteria measure teachers’ professionalism?

The following items express the indicators of professionalism that schools expect from teacher candidates:

- To understand and feel students’ needs; - to encourage students in the school or classroom; - to endear yourself to others; - to have high expectations of success from students; - to effectively manage their classroom; - to be a positive role-model; - to give ample and effective feedback to students about

their achievements; - to give information to students about their strengths and

weaknesses; - to arrange an ordered and well-disciplined classroom

environment; - to organize suitable physical conditions, a motivating and

convenient learning environment; - to be able to prepare a well-organized lesson plan;

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- to be able to observe the teaching-learning process, - to refer students to high level cognitive process and define

what they know (Can, 2013, 246)

We can add to the above list some general competencies which have been accepted as a requirement of the European Higher Education Area. These general competencies consist of the following:

- to determine a need for professional development; - to accept lifelong learning theory; - to be able to collaborate with colleagues and teamwork; - to be able to take responsibility; - to possess professional morals; - to be able to protect democracy and human rights.

It is essential to organize well-balanced and challenging curriculum to educate professional teachers who possess this knowledge, skills and competencies mentioned above.

First of all, a challenging curriculum has to meet the needs of a modern and dynamic society and be open to improvement and change. Challenging curricula are prepared by plural groups that consist of members of all stakeholders and all segments of society, furthermore answering to the needs and interests of society and being aware of international experience.

A challenging curriculum helps learners to do the best they can and teaches them how to learn. The key point of preparation of a challenging curriculum is to develop clear, measurable, observable and accessible learning outcomes. It is crucial that teacher preparation programs should be developed to be student central and especially practice-based. Furthermore, the internal quality

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assurance system has to provide for effective implementation of the challenging curriculum.

Conclusion

Data analyses of teacher preparation programs in Azerbaijan show us that first of all that it is compulsory to develop challenging and outcome-oriented curriculum and to provide a highly efficient internal quality assurance system.

It is also important for Azerbaijani universities to arrange content or prepare teaching materials that help realize learning outcomes.

Generally, the traditional teaching style, which includes lectures (in other words, direct instruction) is used in Azerbaijani universities and schools. In this case, the teaching strategies used in Azerbaijani schools should be changed toward inquiry–based or research-based instruction, both of which are more effective for student learning than direct instruction.

Pedagogical and psychological courses must be developed in more practical ways; for example, different types of teaching methods should be used, such as micro lessons or case analysis instead of theoretical knowledge.

Methodological courses and internship programs that are the most important part of teacher preparation curricula need to be reformulated in Azerbaijani pedagogical schools.

Alternative assessment policy and strategies are also a newer concept and activity ratio is very low in the higher education system in Azerbaijan. Thus teachers and instructors should be

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trained in how to give more and better feedback to students about their achievements.

In conclusion, if we want to improve teacher preparation curricula in Azerbaijan, we must discuss the following:

- To revise and improve knowledge, skills and competencies that are covered by state standards in teacher preparation curricula in Azerbaijan to make them realizable;

- To stop standardizing courses, credits, syllables, hours, contents, and teaching materials;

- To develop flexible, dynamic and challenging curricula;

- To enhance the teaching and learning process;

- To discuss how to effectively apply practice-based curriculum.

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Reference:

Afe O. John, Reflections on becoming a teacher and challenges of teacher education, http://www.uniben.edu/inaugurals/reflections-becoming-teacher-and-challenges-teacher-education

Ball, D. L. & Cohen, D. K. (1999). Developing practice, developing practitioners: Toward a practice-based theory of professional education. In G. Sykes and L. Darling-Hammond (Eds.), T e aching as the learning profession: Handbook of policy and practice (pp. 3-32). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Cynthia Nicol& Sandra Crespo, learning in and from practice: Per-service teachers investigate their mathematics teaching, https://www.msu.edu/~crespo/learning_practice.pdf

Can Niyazi (2013), Kuramve Uygulamada Eğitim Yönetimi, Editor. Niyazı Can, 2-ci baskı, Ankara, Pegem/ Akademi yay.

Demirel Özcan, Eğitimde Program Geliştirme ( Kuramdan Uygulamaya), 20.baskı, Pegem/ Akademi yay. Ankara 2013.

Educational Law on Azerbaijan Republic, Baku, “Qanun”, 2009

Policy, Practice, and Readiness to Teach Primary and Secondary Mathematics in 17 Countrieshttp://www.iea.nl/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/Electronic_versions/TEDS-M_International_Report.pdf

OLOLUBE , Nwachukwu Prince, The relationship between funding, ICT, selection processes, administration and planning and the standard of science teacher education in Nigeria, Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 8, Issue 1, Article 4 (June,

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2007)http://www.ied.edu.hk/apfslt/v8_issue1/ololube/ololube3.htm

Robert J. Marzano John S. Kendall, Designing & Assessing Educational Objectives, Applying the New Taxonomy, California, USA, Corwin Press, 2008

Sails Edward (2012), Total Quality Management in Education, London, UK, Kogan Page Ltd.

State Standards of Higher Education in Azerbaijan, Curriculum for Bachelor Levels, Ministry of Education in Azerbaijan, 2014

Türkiye, Finlandiyave Güney Kore`de Öğretmen Yetiştirme Programlarının İncelenmesi, Selda Aras, Sinem Sözen, http://kongre.nigde.edu.tr/xufbmek/dosyalar/tam_metin/pdf/2527-31_05_2012-11_40_01.pdf

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Lia Inaishvili, Tamar Siradze (Georgia)

AN ADULT AS A SUBJECT OF EDUCATION

Lifelong education has undoubtedly become one of the priorities

in unifying mankind on the basis of certain background values and

target guidelines.

For determination of the category of the lifelong education the

international professional-teaching association is using a number

of terms. In modern literature one can meet such set expressions as

Adult Education, Continuing Education, Further Education,

Recurrent Education meaning acquisition of education “in parts”

during all life by means of alternation of education with other

types of activities, mostly with work; Permanent Education,

Lifelong Education, Lifelong Learning.

Technological development of the present day production, active

implementation of information technologies in all the walks of

society put new demands and requirements to the professional

competences of modern personalities.

Necessity of constant renovation of knowledge, skills, aptitude,

abilities as well as acquisition of additional educational experience

is preconditioned by:

- Permanent occurrence of problems in the lives of adults,

solution of which demand additional knowledge, skills,

aptitude and experience, change of guidelines;

- Presence of own informational requirements in people of all

ages;

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- Ability of men to learn regardless of age, by force of natural

dynamics of structures responsible for information updating

in organisms and enabling compensation of consequences

of age decline;

- Accumulation of experience that can become an essential

background of education for others and one’s own self.

Unfortunately, there still exist social stereotypes in our society to

understand the concept of education as something for others, for

external representation (on the level of certificates, diplomas or

other types of documents). In fact, the very origin of the word

shows the first and foremost it is the way to create one’s own

unique image. This way is spread all through the space of lifelong

activities for all of us.

At different stages of activities different people face similar tasks:

self-preservation and development as a natural creature (life

continuation, health, producing posterity); realization as social

creatures (adaptation and mobility at labor market), cultural

(correspondence with cultural development of civilization, modern

outlook on the world), spiritually active (existential problems,

self-realization, spiritual development).

The circle of topics intended for necessary development during

lifelong activities is preconditioned by generality for all the people

of:

Age problems (age crisis, hormonal stages);

Consecutive shift of educational situation (kindergarten,

school, college, etc.);

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Adoption and alteration of similar family roles (children,

grandchildren – spouses – parents – parents-in-law - (great)

grandparents, etc.);

Existential crises (quest for essence of life);

Typical social and social-psychological or stressful situations

(change of work place, moving, migration, death of close

relations, retirement, etc.);

Accomplishment of social missions of indicative nature (army

service, governmental position);

Solution of moral problems of universal and eternal nature

(good, evil, responsibility, welfare, etc.);

In the universe with avalanche-like growth of information

everything taught ten or even five years ago becomes obsolete

today. Contemporary schoolchildren or students appear to be more

informed and advanced in a number of issues than their parents,

the more so their grandparents. Adults become unarmed and

defenseless against the fact of their incompetence, functional

ignorance, in most cases without realizing that it is a natural

situation demanding reasonable constant educational movement.

However, there are still obstacles here. Learning and self-teaching

skills had been developed in the adults in completely different

situations. New centuries are accompanied with the changes in the

strategies of working with information.

The older is an adult, the more difficult it becomes for him/her to

get involved into the educational processes in the force of

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numerous internal barriers formulated for years. The following are

the more or less widespread obstacles: psychological, social-

psychological, social and psychological-pedagogical. As long as

education becomes one of the means for self-realization in

profession or in life generally for adults of all ages, they always

want to know why they should learn this material and not other

ones. Thereby, unlike children, their notional purposes and

motivations of education are far more conscious and are

distinguished by clarity and manifestations.

The quality of subjectivity can be characteristic to an individual as

well as a group of individuals unified with common notional and

purposeful strives. Being a social creature, consisting of “other

people”, individuals can periodically enter communities of various

scales focused on educational activities. With this, the

comprehension and educational abilities of each of us undergo

considerable alterations.

There are different subjects/individuals of “various scales” in the

contemporary educational practice, such as: team (or pair),

corporate (collective), frontal, integrative, networking, etc.

Adults usually give priority to certain forms of education. There

are those loving to choose individual routes, sometimes in virtual

regime. And on the other hand, there are others willing to learn in

the groups of colleagues, having chances to exchange life

experience and learning outcomes. There are still others, who

prefer frontal methods of education. They feel more comfortable

with frontal forms of teaching, for example, lecturing.

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To sum up, assisting adults in educational process, several factors

should be taken into consideration at a time: existential problems

of people of certain age categories; psychological peculiarities of

age considering gender belonging; contextual-notional direction of

educational activity (learning, re-learning, raising qualification);

content of the previous socio-cultural experience; existing

stereotypes of teaching/learning and relations; status (social,

economic, office); specificity of individual information

requirements and needs; educational demands of time.

Reference:

1. Gromova M. T. Theory and Practice of Adult Education –

M., 2005

2. Maslou A. Psychology of Being – M., 1997

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WHAT IS AND HOW TO CREATE UNIVERSITY’S LLL BRAND?

THE BRAND

Brand is an accumulation of emotional and functional associations. Brand is a promise that the product will perform as per customer’s expectations.

Brands usually have a trademark which protects them from use by others. It gives particular information about the organization, good or service, differentiating it from others in marketplace.

Brand carries an assurance about the characteristics that make the product or service unique. A strong brand is a means of making people aware of what the company represents and what are it’s offerings.

Brand includes: name, attributes, image, personality, positioning, identity, awareness, loyalty, association, equity, extension, co-branding.

Brand management

Brand management begins with having a thorough knowledge of the term “brand”. It includes developing a promise, making that promise and maintaining it. It means defining the brand, positioning the brand and delivering the brand. Brand management is nothing but an art of creating and sustaining the brand.

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A strong brand must have following attributes (managementstudyguide.com): Relevancy- A strong brand must be relevant. It must meet

people’s expectations and should perform the way they want it to. A good job must be done to persuade clients to buy the service; else inspite of your service being unique, people will not buy it.

Consistency- A consistent brand signifies what the brand stands for and builds customers trust in brand. A consistent brand is where the company communicates message in a way that does not deviate from the core brand proposition.

Proper positioning- A strong brand should be positioned so that it makes a place in target audience mind and they prefer it over other brands.

Sustainable- A strong brand makes a business competitive. A sustainable brand drives an organization towards innovation and success.

Credibility- A strong brand should do what it promises. The way you communicate your brand to the audience/ customers should be realistic. It should not fail to deliver what it promises. Do not exaggerate as customers want to believe in the promises you make to them.

Inspirational- A strong brand should transcend/ inspire the category it is famous for.

Uniqueness- A strong brand should be different and unique. It should set you apart from other competitors in market.

Appealing- A strong brand should be attractive. Customers should be attracted by the promise you make and by the value you deliver.

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Creating the brand with 8 steps (based of the case study of Tallinn University)

1. Find and involve leaders

Who are the key actors needed to be involved?

Assemble the brand group (university managers, experts, students) and define, what is our goal, why we need the brand conseption, who is our target group, what we want to say, what will it mean, do we believe it ourselves, too, can we prove it, how we will going to say it.

2. Identify the brand

What are we characterized by? What are our strenghts, what makes us unique, what do we believe in?

Collect and analyse existing data - relevant documents, results of the workgroups (inc SWOT, slogans), image surveys, feedback

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(clients, students , partners etc). Analyse the environment and data to conclude who are our competitors, what is our competitiveness comparing with them, how we distinguish, HEI, social and demographic trends in your country etc.

3. Choose the target group

Who we like to get connected with? What are their motives, needs and beliefs that we should answer?

Describe your target group(s) as detailed as possible. Don’t forget also interested groups and the groups who might have an influence to the choises of your target group makes (example: highschool students and their parents and teachers).

Generalize their motives to come to study to university.

4. Describe the brand position

What is our competitive advantage comparing with the organisations offering similar services? Why should our target group prefer us?

Brand positioning refers to target consumer’s reason to buy your brand in preference to others. It is ensures that all brand activity has a common aim; is guided, directed and delivered by the brand’s benefits/reasons to buy; and it focusses at all points of contact with the consumer Brand positioning must make sure that (managementstudyguide.com).:

Is it unique/distinctive vs. competitors?

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Is it significant and encouraging to the niche market? Is it appropriate to all major geographic markets and

businesses? Is the proposition validated with unique, appropriate and

original services? Is it sustainable - can it be delivered constantly across all

points of contact with the consumer? Is it helpful for organization to achieve its financial goals? Is it able to support and boost up the organization?

For positioning the brand you should define most important arguments (which are all important to get the full picture of the brand):

Priority arguments – unique, common only to you, help you distinguish from others. Are most visible signals for your target group.

Secundary arguments – important, are common only with some competitors.

Tertiary arguments – usual, "me, too!", needed for convincing your target group that your level is the same as your competitors.

5. Create the value proposal

What is the realistic, but ambitional promise we make and fulfill to our target group? What is believeble to them and to ourselves, too?

Motives of the target group + our uniqueness = value proposal

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A value proposal (proposition) is a statement which clearly identifies benefits consumers get when buying a particular product or service. It should convince consumers that this service is better than others on the market. This proposition can lead to a competitive advantage when consumers pick that particular product or service over other competitors because they receive greater value. The phrase “value proposition” (VP) is credited to Michael Lanning and Edward Michaels (1988).

6. Phrase and test the slogan

What slogan cover brand identity, position and value proposal?

Phrase different slogans based of the brand identity, position and value proposal and test it in focus groups (target and involved/interested groups). Clarify their expectations, interpretation of the slogan and find alternatives if necessary. Restult is a common share of values and expectations. And the best slogan that is needed to communicate shortly your value proposal that addresses your target group.

7. Create visual identity

What visual solutions delivers most efectively our slogan and identity?

Create corporite visual identity with professionals: logo, typography, photos, videos, print and digital materials, guidlines to website and social media.

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8. Launch the brand

To whom, where and how to spread „the word“?

Launching the brand should be visible to in and out of the organisation. Complete the launching plan for strategic actions among your target group (a campain) and in your organisation (presentations to managers and units, communication, trainings to the staff who are involved in communication and marketing, directions to master the web, templites (documents, presentations), souvenirs, printed materials, roll up’s and digital solutions (banners) etc.

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Lena Oswald (Germany)

E-LEARNING IN USE – MOTIVATION, DIDACTICS,

BENEFITS

The relevance of digital media in teaching and learning has been

increasing over the past two decades. Especially in the field of

university continuing education an increasing demand of flexible

study formats and the compatibility of work and study led to study

programmes with a high percentage of e-learning. The idea of the

distribution of study content by means of media is not new e. g.

broadcasting via radio already took place in the 1960s. The

evolution of new technologies and the shift from Web 1.0 to Web

to 2.0 introduced a change also in the ways of teaching and

learning with new media. The distribution of study content

changed to more interactive forms. With the World Wide Web the

sources of information and data became multiple. Subsequently by

Web 2.0 new possibilities of teaching and learning emerged such

as discussion forums, wikis, blogs etc.

E-learning definitions

In this context one of the leading professorships of media didactics

in Germany Prof. Dr. Michael Kerres stated ‘E-learning are

learning services that use digital media (a) for the presentation and

distribution of learning contents and/or (b) for supporting

interpersonal communication.’10 The definition of the e-learning

10 Mission statement of the University of Duisburg-Essen professorship of media didactics, Prof. Dr. Michael Kerres, 2015

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initiative of the European Commission goes even further

‘Therefore e-learning is the use of new multimedia and web

technologies for improving the learning quality through access to

resources and services as well as the cooperation and exchange

through long distances.’11 Both quoted definitions give several

hints about the specific quality of e-learning and the manifold

reasons why e-learning is useful especially in university

continuing education.

EAU Survey

The European University Association (EAU) conducted a survey

on e-learning in higher education institutions in 2013.12 A

questionnaire was sent to institutional leaders who were asked to

consider the position of e-learning from the perspective of the

institution as a whole. In total, 249 answers from higher education

institutions, in their majority universities, were received,

representing almost one third of EUA‘s institutional memberships.

Apart from higher education institutions of European member

states Georgia Ilia State University took part in the survey. The

results of the survey are not related to students of university

continuing education but to all types of students of the

participating institutions. Asked for the motivation of students to

11 Glossary of the E-Learning-Initiative of the European (EU) Commission 12 Gaebel, M. et al. (2014): E-learning in European Higher Education Institutions – Results of a mapping survey conducted in October-December 2013, European University Association

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participate in online learning programmes, people who are

responsible for e-learning in their institutions named a variety of

reasons.

New target groups

The use of e-learning allows higher education institutions to

address new target groups. These new target groups include

persons who live in remote areas, persons with disabilities and

persons who need to combine work and study. Apart from the fact

that these target groups do not need to continuously attend the

university, e-learning offers specific advantages for professionals.

They can stay at their workplace and study at the same time. This

learning situation has high impact on problem solving on the job e.

g. they can check solutions for problems in the study material or

discuss problems with their peers.

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Improvement of quality

An advantage for the providers of e-learning as well as for the

users is the possibility to update learning content easily and to

integrate various sources of learning material (clarifying

compliance with copyright legislations). The application of a

learning management system facilitates the documentation of

learning outcomes as well as the evaluation. This promotes the

implementation of a quality management for study programmes.

Innovative solutions

The emerging of the Web 2.0 or the so called social media

suggests new forms of interaction among teachers and students as

well as among the students. The use of forums, wikis, blogs and

other applications to communicate and collaborate fosters the

discussion of ideas and concepts. This is even more applicable for

university continuing education because of the different

professional backgrounds of the participants. The interchange of

ideas of participants with different academic traditions as well as

from various business sectors implies the potential to boost

innovation. In addition teaching and learning with digital media

promotes transversal competencies such as media competency and

self-learning competence.

The data of the EAU survey correspond to evaluation results of the

university continuing education study programmes of Hamburg

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University ‘Online Learning in Management’ and Train the E-

Trainer13.

From lecturer to learning coach

Teaching and learning with digital media demands new

competences on the side of the teachers or professors. An e-

learning course requires a didactical design that consists of a

corresponding system of learning targets, study content, didactical

methods and assessment. The didactical design includes different

levels: the technical level (e. g. e-mail vs. learning management

system), the media level (e. g. text vs. multimedia-based learning

13 http://www.aww.uni-hamburg.de/weiterbildung/management-bwl-recht/olim.html http://www.aww.uni-hamburg.de/weiterbildung/paedagogik-psychologie-beratung/train-the-e-trainer.html

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unit), the didactical level (e. g. target group, timing, learning target

taxonomies), and the social level (e. g. self-study vs. group work).

Beyond conceptual skills lecturers in e-learning courses need

specific teaching competences. Moreover in university continuing

education lecturers need to combine research results with relevant

tasks for professionals. They need to support the participants in

transferring theoretical models into situations at the work place.

The role of the teacher or professor changes to a learning coach

who supports the participants in their individual learning path.

Teaching and learning with digital media implies the potential of

the individualisation of learning.

Scalability

The design of a didactically complex e-learning scenario that

integrates research results with tasks for the transfer and tools for

collaboration implies an investment time wise and money wise.

But in the long run the scalability of courses leads to more cost

efficiency. The e-learning courses can be attended independent

from location and time. Not least teaching and learning with

digital media permits higher attendance rates than classroom

teaching.

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Success factors for implementation

Asked about the institutional experience with the implementation

of e-learning, responsible people in the institutions named the

following aspects.

These statements show that the implementation of e-learning

implies changes on various levels. A process of institutional

change cannot succeed without a commitment of the steering

committee of the institution. This signifies the integration of

teaching and learning with digital media into the institutional

strategy, accompanied by an allocation of resources for technical

infrastructure and the qualification of staff. Employees need to be

qualified on various institutional levels: for the didactical design,

for teaching and student support and for technical support. The

change process can only succeed if the employees of the

institution are involved.

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