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
2
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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Andrea Waxenegger (Austria)
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
Anush Gevorgyan, Arpine Petrosyan,
Kristine Ghazaryan (Armenia)
ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF UNIVERSITY
LIFELONG LEARNING – VANADZOR
STATE UNVERSITY’S CASE ..................................................... 82
Kadri Kiigema (Estonia)
WHY, WHO AND HOW SHOULD MARKET ULLL? ................. 89
Robert Khachatryan (Armenia)
UNIVERSITY LIFELONG LEARNING AS A STRATEGIC
DRIVER FOR ARMENIAN HIGHER
EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS............................................................. 103
Helmut Vogt (Germany)
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
Andrea Waxenegger (Austria)
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
Kadri Kiigema (Estonia)
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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October 13, 2015, Tbilisi
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
October 14, 2015, Tbilisi
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
ULLL – Institutional Dimension
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
ULLL – Institutional Dimension
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
Chair: Dr. Irine Darchia
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
Chair: Dr. Irine Darchia
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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Andrea Waxenegger (Austria)
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.
30
‐ 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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Helmut Vogt (Germany)
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?
33
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.
34
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!
48
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,
Robert Khachatryan (Armenia)
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,
inter- disciplinary/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
Anush Gevorgyan, Arpine Petrosyan, Kristine Ghazaryan (Armenia)
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
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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;
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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;
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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;
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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.
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Nino Kvrivishvili, Keti Nemsadze, Salome Kavlashvili (Georgia)
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
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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
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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.
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Andrea Waxenegger (Austria)
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
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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
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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
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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;
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‐ 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
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‐ 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.
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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
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(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.
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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.
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Anush Gevorgyan, Arpine Petrosyan,
Kristine Ghazaryan (Armenia)
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
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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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Kadri Kiigema (Estonia)
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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Robert Khachatryan (Armenia)
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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Helmut Vogt (Germany)
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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Nino Kvrivishvili, Keti Nemsadze, Salome Kavlashvili (Georgia)
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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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
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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Andrea Waxenegger (Austria)
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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Kadri Kiigema (Estonia)
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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