Connected Understanding: Internationalization of Adult Education in Canada and Beyond

What Does Globalization Mean for Educational Change? A Comparative Approach

Whilst the links between education and poverty have long been understood (Oxaal, 1997), the policy link between adult education and poverty reduction is more fragile. For instance, adult education and lifelong learning have been cited as key to achieving international development targets (UNESCO-IL, 2009), yet adult education itself is not a development target and national poverty reduction papers rarely mention adult education in their strategies (Education International, 2003).

COVID-19 calls for new ways of approaching internationalisation in adult learning and education. Based on experiences gathered during the 2021 virtual Adult Education Academy, this paper identifies challenges in international virtual learning settings in higher education. Such settings involve different levels of digital literacy among participants and moderators, limited access to high-speed internet, different time zones, and difficulties in social interactions. The article presents the didactical and methodological conceptualisation of a virtual setting to overcome these challenges. The concept involves facilitating exchanges between moderators, providing technical support, implementing (a-)synchronous sessions, and establishing a virtual space in which learning materials are created.

Our paper examines the relationship and differences between internationalization and globalization in contemporary development of higher education. Internationalization and globalisation are perceived as central realities of the influence of the 21stcentury on higher education. Moreover, internationalisation and globalisation work together to transform the self-image and organisational activities of research universities and adult education centres. Some even go as far as to claim that the globalization process has produced a new grand model of global universities. We argue that globalization and internationalization of higher education help to bring talents, increase the balanced economic and scientific potential of a given country and shape up the human capital leading to the sustainable economic growth. However, the recent situation with the COVID-19 pandemic puts all these favourable outcomes under threat. More than 1.1 million international students were enrolled in United States colleges in the 2019-2020 school year. After decades of steady growth, that means a decline of nearly 20 000 international students per year. Our study examines against this background the differences between internationalization and globalization in the contemporary development of higher education. We discus the current and future developments of the globalization and internationalization of higher education and make predictions on their impacts on the universities in the United States and other countries.

The article summarizes the experience of modeling comparative pedagogical research and proposes a methodological model in the context of adult education. The study actualizes the issues of comparative pedagogical research in the field of adult education in Ukraine in the context of European integration of social development. It is found that the generalization and systematization of practical experience of the countries of the European community is of particular importance in this aspect. The synergistic methodological model proposed in the study includes several levels – analytical and theoretical, interpretive and methodological, generalizing and comparative and effective. The author identifies the optimal methodological approaches for each of the four levels, as well as methods and tools for their implementation. The potential for applying the proposed methodological model in practice, in particular, for studying the adult education system in the countries of the European community, is investigated. The possibility of using this experience for the purpose of its implementation in the adult education system in Ukraine is analyzed. The potential of informational education, which is a process of self-organized acquisition of certain competencies, is investigated. It is proved that, being not necessarily purposeful and structured, information education actively contributes to the expansion of professional knowledge and skills and is positioned as one of the key competencies of the individual. It has been established that the concept of information education forms the prerequisites for self-realization, acquisition of new knowledge, skills and abilities, increasing motivation and level of professional competence. The policies and programs that should be implemented in response to the globalization of education as a tool for maximizing its potential are identified. The analysis of the national level of internationalization of adult education is carried out, its organizational strategies are considered through the prism of targeted programs and personal motivation of students.

This report outlines a method for learning about the internationalization processes at institutions of adult and higher education and then provides the analysis of data gathered from the researchers’ own institution and from site visits to three additional universities in the United States and the United Kingdom. It was found that campus internationalization requires a deep understanding and appreciation of the institutional context. In addition, although elements of internationalization may be implemented, the findings indicate there is a need to underpin these approaches with (a) a shared understanding of what internationalization is and the ways it should ultimately impact student learning within an institution and (b) a collection of assessment methods for evaluating internationalization efforts and learning outcomes. Implications and recommendations for further research are also offered.

Curriculum globALE (CG) is a cross-cultural core curriculum for training adult educators worldwide. It was developed jointly by the German Institute for Adult Education (DIE) and DVV International. In five modules, it describes the relevant skills needed to lead successful courses and provides guidance on their practical implementation. Curriculum globALE has been applied in many partner countries and in Germany itself. Evaluation results show that CG is a professionalisation tool for adult educators that can be applied successfully world-wide. Graduates confirm a wide use of the newly acquired competences for their educational work. However, the practical application of CG is also faced with a number of challenges.

Applying Culture and Appreciative Education lenses, this qualitative study, eliciting detailed descriptions, examines six North American adult and higher education scholars’ lived learning experiences and insights gained from their academic collaborations in and with the East. Our findings indicate that participants hold unique international collaboration experiences with commonalities. Most participants experienced language and cultural barriers in real-time, on-site collaborations that they would not have considered otherwise without these experiences. Many differences made them realize the fundamentals for intercultural collaborations. They consciously learned to reposition with appreciative mindsets and co-construct goals and solutions with counterparts. All participants indicated that transnational contexts enable profound reflective and authentic learning, renewed understandings of cross-cultural sensitivity, and different ways of thinking and doing. This study demonstrates that international collaborations promote adult learning with self-awareness for a new dimension of global learning and cultural competency in the internationalization of adult education.

Along with the economic globalization and speeding up and continual readjustment of the industrial structure and employment structure education internationalization advancement, society's demand to the adult education increases day by day, the schooling running mode of adult education is facing the daunting challenge, is facing also the recent development opportunity. In order to adapt to the new situation of adult education development by leaps and bounds, must ponder the adult education by the idea of innovation, explores the reform of schooling running mode, strengthens the adult education talented person's quality request, making it adapt to the society to need with the historical development. This research union current adult higher education situation and my school reality have carried on the thorough exploration to the adult higher education schooling running mode, and to the reform and work together practice positive result of my school adult higher education schooling running mode recent has carried on the comprehensive summary.

Previous article FreeContributorsPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreELIZABETH BUCKNER ([email protected]) is an assistant professor of higher education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. She studies how global trends affect higher education, with a focus on privatization and internationalization. Her recent publications have appeared in Sociology of Education and Higher Education.ROSWITA DRESSLER ([email protected]) is an associate professor and director of Teaching Across Borders in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary (Canada). Her research interests include second-language teaching and learning in a variety of contexts, including K–12 settings and study abroad.COLLEEN KAWALILAK ([email protected]) is a full professor and associate dean international and chair of Educational Studies Adult Learning in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary (Canada). She holds a PhD in adult, community, and higher education. Her current research focuses on internationalization in higher education, fostering intercultural capacity, adult learning, and relationality as pedagogy and practice.TARO KOMATSU ([email protected]) is a professor in the Department of Education at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. He previously worked as an education specialist for the UNESCO Sarajevo office. His research focuses on education and social cohesion in postconflict contexts. Recent publications include Education and Peace, Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education (Oxford University Press, 2017).LUANA MAROTTA ([email protected]) is a consultant in the Education Division of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Her work focuses on issues of teacher contracts and teacher sorting in Latin America.WILSON ALVES DE PAIVA ([email protected]) is a full professor at the Federal University of Goiás (Brazil). He holds a PhD in philosophy of education, with postdoctoral work in cultural identity at the University of Calgary, Canada. He develops research in the areas of philosophy of education, philosophy for children, culture and education, as well as multiculturalism.FRANCESCA SALVI ([email protected]) is a sociologist focusing on transitions between childhood and adulthood. She has worked prevalently in sub-Saharan Africa and Lusophone countries. Her research looks at how global discourses of teenage pregnancy are constructed in opposition to education and employment imperatives. Through her case study of Mozambique secondary schools, she argues for a disruption of the education-pregnancy binary.DAVID M. SCOTT ([email protected]ca) is an assistant professor and director of student experiences for the community-based program in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary (Canada). His research explores how educators interpret and pedagogically respond to officially mandated curriculum shifts.JANA STRAKOVA (jana.[email protected]cuni.cz) works at the Institute for Research and Development of Education, Faculty of Education, Charles University, Prague. Her research interests include education inequalities and education policy. She has been involved in numerous large-scale assessment surveys, both national and international.ARNOST VESELY ([email protected]cuni.cz) is a head of the Centre for Social and Economic Strategies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, Prague. His research interests include educational policy and governance, public administration, and policy design. He has been involved in numerous research-oriented and practice-oriented projects in education policy. Previous article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Comparative Education Review Volume 63, Number 3August 2019 Sponsored by the Comparative and International Education Society Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/704104 © 2019 by the Comparative and International Education Society. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Contributors

Challenges of Internationalisation of Adult Learning and Education through Learning Cities and its Global Networking:

Internationalization has increasingly become an integral part of higher education in the past few decades. This process has posed both opportunities and challenges for adult education in higher education settings. This paper reflects on the implications of internationalization of higher education for adult education. A brief overview of the meanings, purposes, and approaches of internationalization is presented to provide some background to the shifting context of higher education. By looking at the emerging forces shaping the reality of research and practice in higher education, this paper proposes that teaching and learning in universities could dedicate more concerted efforts to sustainable student mobility, internationalizing curricula for intercultural understanding, and enhancing international collaboration. Depuis quelques décennies, l’internationalisation fait de plus en plus partie intégrante de l’enseignement supérieur. Ce processus s’accompagne tant de possibilités intéressantes que de défis pour l’éducation des adultes dans le milieu de l’enseignement supérieur. Cet article porte sur les incidence qu’a, sur l’éducation des adultes, l’internationalisation de l’enseignement supérieur. Un aperçu du sens et des objectifs de l’internationalisation, ainsi que des approches à ce phénomène, offre un contexte à l’évolution des études supérieures. En posant un regard sur les forces émergentes qui façonnent la recherche et la pratique dans l’enseignement supérieur, cet article propose que l’enseignement et l’apprentissage dans les universités soient davantage axés sur la mobilité durable des étudiants, l’internationalisation des programmes d’études de sorte à promouvoir la compréhension interculturelle et l’amélioration de la collaboration internationale. Mots clés : éducation des adultes, internationalisation, enseignement supérieur, enseignement et apprentissage, mobilité des étudiants, collaboration internationale.

Mapping Comparative Education after Postmodernity

Ten Years of Adult Education Academy: Contributing to Internationalisation in Higher Education