LIFELONG LEARNING AND E-LEARING AWARENESS: THE CASE STUDY OF INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE STUDENTS AT SUAN SUNANDHA RAJABHAT UNIVERSITY

Abstract

Lifelong learning is one of the most important skills in the 21st century. The main purpose of lifelong learning is active citizenship which is important in terms of connecting individuals to the structures of social and economic activity in both local and global contexts. Lifelong learning is high on the agenda in the education sector around the world. It has been an important part of many education policies and part of Thailand’s National Education Act since 2012. Skills’ development for lifelong learning has been emphasized within the 11th National Economic and Social Development Plan (B.E 2555-2559). Online learning included MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) such as edX, Coursera and other online course platforms such as Khan Academy, Udemy, etc. These all are efficient, time-effective and cost-effective tools supporting lifelong learning. Many research studies have already provided recommendations on how to accelerate the implementation of lifelong learning supported by online learning.
 The purpose of this study is to investigate higher education student awareness about lifelong learning and online learning. Universities need to take responsibility for preparing students for lifelong learning. Thus, the participants in this study were the students at International College, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University (Bangkok, Thailand); they were selected through random sampling. This study has applied quantitative research methods, namely, an online survey to collect data. The results of this study can be used to improve lifelong learning skills among university students in other countries as well.