Lifelong Learning in Greek Universities: policies, practices and prospects

Abstract

Lifelong learning provision is a recent development in higher education in Greece. It is the result of wider national policies of educational reform in the context of socio-economic change. This article summarises the results of an empirical research project on lifelong learning (LLL) policies and curricula in Greek universities and points to lessons and prospects for its development. More specifically, we shall attempt to identify and analyse the extent and nature of LLL provision in four Greek universities and delve deeper into the problems and implications it may have for Greek universities at large. In this context, we shall examine the relationship between international and EU LLL policies and national and institutional policies and set them as a background for special types of curricula that have been introduced in the last five years or SO. The research is based on the hypothesis that the introduction of LLL at university level entails changes in the conception and structure of knowledge and a shift of emphasis from teaching to learning, i.e. from traditional, disciplinebased knowledge to domains, which start with problems to be solved and then choose disciplines to tackle them. LLL provision in this sense is demand- rather than supply-led and focuses on the needs of the learner. This has direct implications for areas such as access, modes of delivery, quality assurance, and certification and accreditation. At the institutional level, LLL provision may also entail changes in organisation and certain shifts in power structures and power relations, as well as the establishment of partnerships with other academic institutions and non-academic bodies. In this context, the universities may become involved in market relations. We shall provide a summary of findings and discussions in these areas and, since lifelong learning is an ambiguous and multifaceted concept and varies according to the educational system of each country, we shall also present a profile of the specific characteristics of the Greek higher education system.