Supporting Lifelong Learning Research Articles

Adult learners’ career paths – from IT profession to education within two-year study programme in Finnish university context

ABSTRACT Higher education and lifelong learning projects aimed at adults have become more widespread and have sparked a debate on how to restructure higher education policies and support lifelong learning. In Finland, a recent initiative in higher education policy is based on the theme of continuous learning. Different supporting structures and practices at the governmental level are being sought. During the academic year 2017–2018, the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland funded a project that provided pedagogical studies in teaching for 16 IT professionals. The aim was to enable the participants to focus on the educational field and find new options for their careers. We utilised a narrative research approach to explore the types of adult learners’ storylines and positions that were constructed during these studies, of which we identified three: the storyline of different alternatives, in which participants positioned themselves as a career path builders, the storyline of becoming a teacher, in which participants positioned themselves as a teacherhood reflectors and becoming a teacher was an enriching alternative, and the storyline of looking forward, in which participants positioned themselves as a developers and mainly saw their studies as expanding their ongoing career opportunities.

Obrazovanje o standardizaciji kao osnova za razvoj ekspertize u MSP

Considering that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are seen as the backbone of the global economy and the ones that (against all odds) stand to gain the most from using and developing standards, the study aims at exploring does expertise in standardization exist in SMEs. To collect data, the semi-structured interview via e-mail was used, as it seems to be much more comprehensive than the questionnaire. To analyze data, the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) and the qualitative content analysis method were used as the most suitable methods for analyzing data from subject matter experts. The data collected from a total of 28 experts from 14 countries was analyzed. Finally, five conclusions were determined - (1) expertise resides in all SMEs, (2) ... but not the expertise in standardization, (3) ... so external experts might be needed to support them, (4) education about standardization is crucial for the development of expertise in standardization, (5) ... but only as a support for lifelong learning.

May I have this dance: examining a community based dance program for people living with Parkinson’s disease

ABSTRACT This case study examined the contents and experiences of people participating in a weekly leisure dance class geared towards people with Parkinson’s disease. Using critical geragogy as a conceptual framework, we examine how the conditions of this program support lifelong learning through both the content and the learning environment. Participants performed a variety of dances in seated and standing positions. The class began with a seated warm up followed by standing exercises that eventually moved thorough space. Each session by concluded by standing or sitting in a circle where they connected with one another through a dance-based interaction. This time of physical interaction honoured and supported peer connections. Interpersonal relationships were also enriched in the ‘in-between times’ of sessions, such as the conversations before and after class. Findings from this research demonstrate how designing an accessible environment allowed for participants to move in new, unimagined ways. It also facilitated a positive space for people to feel beautiful and to meet other people who are going through similar experiences.

Designing a personalized educational model while working with digital technologies

The problem and the aim of the study. The transformation of the educational environment identified the following development priorities for the didactic system: support for lifelong learning; personal orientation and taking into consideration the individual students’ personality structure; use of digital technologies to provide training of the sought-after professionals of the future. The authors propose to implement these requirements with the means and capabilities of modern information technologies that maximally take into account the characteristics of personification. Research methods. Theoretical and methodological analysis and generalization of fundamental scientific works on the research problem, processing of test results, problem solving, student’s choice (digital technology, appropriate software, functionality, sequence of tasks) were applied. The pedagogical experiment was attended by 101 students (35% of girls and 65% of boys) of the Law Institute of Vyatka State University of Kirov, Russia. The Fisher's criterion (angular transformation) was used as a statistical processing method. Results. The essence of the concepts "personal educational trajectory", "personal educational route" has been clarified. The challenges associated with the digital educational environment and a focus on training of the required professionals of the future were taken into account. The problems of personalization of learning (awareness of choice, determination of characteristic factors of the educational model, gradation of the task system) are identified, the content of which is described from the standpoint of the formal scheme of information interaction. An example of designing a personalized educational model is presented by studying the technology of processing spreadsheets (a system of educational problems that guide the trajectory of cognitive performance). At the control stage of the experiment, statistically significant differences were revealed between the experimental and control groups in terms of the level of formation of digital skills and skills that are in demand in the information society (φcrit=1.64<φemp=2.492). Conclusion. Work with digital technologies offers the opportunity to take into account the orientation of the modern educational space towards personalization, the continuity of learning due to the implementation of the described formal scheme of information interaction between a teacher and a student in educational and cognitive activities; designing a differentiated system of tasks; supporting the student's informed choice; social and professional orientation of action.

Community‐based data integration of course and job data in support of personalized career‐education recommendations

AbstractHow does your education impact your professional career? Ideally, the courses you take help you identify, get hired for, and perform the job you always wanted. However, not all courses provide skills that transfer to existing and future jobs; skill terms used in course descriptions might be different from those listed in job advertisements; and there might exist a considerable skill gap between what is taught in courses and what is needed for a job. In this study, we propose a novel method to integrate extensive course description and job advertisement data by leveraging heterogeneous data integration and community detection. The innovative heterogeneous graph approach along with identified skill communities enables cross‐domain information recommendation, for example, given an educational profile, job recommendations can be provided together with suggestions on education opportunities for re‐ and upskilling in support of lifelong learning. Note: This work was partially supported by the National Science Foundation under award 1,936,656. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.

Instruments to Support Lifelong Learning – the Context of an Employee’s Career Development

Abstract Research background: The need for lifelong learning should be considered for all categories of labor resources. This study takes into account the context of this process in relation to employees for whom the most important thing is to maintain employment, promotion in the workplace or professional promotion. Lifelong learning, enabling continuous updating of qualifications, ensures a better competitive position on the labor market. Research methodology: The basis of the analyzes carried out in this research are studies conducted in Polish organizations by experts from the Institute of Labor and Social Affairs, including the author. The research was quantitative (interview questionnaire) and qualitative (group interviews). Results: The research work hypothesis was: Most organizations in Poland do not apply statute defined methods of supporting employee careers. This hypothesis has been verified positively. Polish enterprises have a very limited scope, and in most cases do not use tools supporting employee education at all. Novelty: An innovative approach in the development is to indicate the relationship between the possibility of supporting the process of employee education and the course of their professional career.

Cross-Cultural Examination of University Education and Ego Integrity in Late Adulthood: Implications for Policy and Practice

ABSTRACT Studies on education generally find that higher education has a positive impact on various aspects of life. Nevertheless, studies focused on elderly people and their psychosocial health and development seldom view higher education as an important factor. Our aim was to explore the relation between higher education and ego integrity, a measure based on Erikson’s concept of psychological maturity in later life. We used four national samples of non-institutionalized elderly people from Cameroon (N = 238), China (N = 254), Czech Republic (N = 167), and Germany (N = 240). Relationships between ego integrity and several possible moderator variables were tested by multivariate regressions in each sample. Between-subject ANOVA was employed to test differences in ego integrity between university educated and non-university educated people. We found that ego integrity is affected by culture in interaction with gender and the level of education attained. University-educated people reported higher ego integrity than persons with lower education in three of four cultural samples, which suggests a relatively stable relationship between university education and ego integrity when controlling for gender, age, and working status. These findings highlight the importance of education in late adulthood. In terms of policies and practice, they underscore the importance of reduction of educational inequalities as well as desirability of improved access to higher education, expansion of opportunities for the achievement of complete education in later life, and facilitation and support of lifelong learning.

Portfolios come full circle in the world of work

Electronic portfolios become increasingly visible in the workplace. Students graduate with portfolios and are in a good position to continue with portfolio practices. Additionally, organizational or professional competency frameworks and registration requirements lend themselves to be evidenced by portfolios. Waitematā District Health Board, the largest in Aotearoa New Zealand, piloted an electronic portfolio at the end of 2018 with 90 nurses and started implementing the new ePortfolio organisation-wide for nurses in 2019.
 In this presentation, we will provide an overview of the pilot and position it within the organisation's commitment to learning and development. We will outline the advantages for all involved: nurses, peers, managers, and assessors, and discuss the challenges and future directions for the initiative.
 Early results indicate that the portfolios allow for a shift in conversation with staff and in the development of practice. They encourage nurses to consider additional training and studies to advance in their careers and have the evidence available to discuss with their manager to set clear goals.
 The nurses go full circle: They started out with their studies, became professionals, and are going back to university for postgraduate studies documenting their learning in portfolios along the way. Portfolios in this context support lifelong learning and make that learning visible to the individual nurses and their organisation.

Development and Implementation of Training Actions in Health Services

The purpose of this study is to investigate the way the Hippocrates Hospital staff is trained, the principles of learning implemented in the programs of the particular hospital unit, and the impact of the training on the participants themselves. The quantitative methodology was chosen for the collection of data, whereas the population - sample consists of 70 doctors and nurses participating in hospital training programs either as trainers or as trainees. According to the research findings, trainers take into account the needs and interests of trainees and feel capable of educating them. The question-answer technique is mainly used, while the lecture technique is less used. After having completed the training programs, participants state that they feel more confident, they recognize the value of education and training, support lifelong learning and express great interest in participating in new training programs.

Challenges of Regional Development in the Context of Population Ageing. Analysis Based on the Example of Opolskie Voivodeship

Demographic changes, primarily the problem of progressive ageing, are one of the key challenges to development in Poland. The Opolskie voivodeship belongs to the regions characterised by extremely unfavourable demographic phenomena. This is because some population changes here have a broader dimension than on average in Poland and in the EU. Thereby, they have far-reaching as well as complex economic and social consequences in the region. Due to the fact that demographic processes are determined in the long term, and it is extremely difficult to influence them in the short term, the adaptation of social and economic spheres and, at the same time, the use of specific opportunities resulting from these changes, seems a useful strategy for regional development policy. Therefore, in the context of senioral policy, complex, coherent and diversified activities in the sphere of growth of professional activity of elderly people, support for life-long learning, improvement of seniors’ living conditions, including the development of health infrastructure, and seniors’ integration in society prove to be necessary. The multidimensional concept of the ‘silver economy’ creates specific opportunities for using the possibilities resulting from population ageing, and minimising the unfavourable consequences of this process, in the Opolskie voivodeship. However, the implementation of this concept demands the consideration of several determinants and barriers, that consequently affect its effective functioning. The direct objective of the paper is to present the current and projected demographic situation of Opolskie voivodeship, and on its basis, to determine the challenges resulting from the ageing of society for regional development.

Social Semantic Web-Based Analytics Approach to Support Lifelong Learning

Social Semantic Web-Based Analytics Approach to Support Lifelong Learning

TRANSFORMING PUBLIC LIBRARIES INTO DIGITAL KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION CENTRE IN SUPPORTING LIFELONG BLENDED LEARNING PROGRAMMES FOR RURAL YOUTHS

Transforming Public Libraries Into Digital Knowledge Dissemination Centre In Supporting Lifelong Blended Learning Programmes For Rural Youths Abstract: This research aims to examine how commissioning, transforming and maximum utilization of the digital technology infrastructure in public libraries through blended mode digital education platform could support open and distance lifelong learning in upgrading knowledge, livelihood and human capital for the constant improvement and upgrading of knowledge/skills among village youths. Mixed-method research design was implemented including administration of survey, interviews and observation. The five dimensions of enhancing the innovative open and distance digital platform to support a blended-mode dissemination of knowledge were examined, including demographic, digital technology availability, Open Education Resources in public libraries, learning culture and corporate support. Findings show that there are significant differences among factors stated above which will upgrade the potential of village youths technical and livelihood knowledge to be relevant and competitive in building human capital. The use of a blended digital education platform in public libraries could be beneficial to village folks in upgrading their knowledge and skills. This model could be used as framework of practice for enhancement of life skills among developing nations as well as under-developed countries in line with SEAMEO’s Education Agenda to promote lifelong learning and 21st century skills. If such technology-enhanced skills development programme could be implemented from earlier stages in educational settings in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Malaysian Education Blueprint, more skilled workers could be produced to raise the performance in the workplace and contribute to the worldwide improvement of human capital. Legal and policy issues on digital facilities will be discussed as to advocate lawful and ethical application of this initiative. Future direction of studies to develop a comprehensive structural model will also be deliberated.

GeoS4S - Second Generation Geospatial Education: Principles and Design

The first generation of geospatial education was implemented in two flavours: full-fledged dedicated programmes like Surveying, Cartography and (to a limited degree) in Geoinformatics. More frequently, a range of geospatial methods and technology courses like mapping, remote sensing and image analysis, spatial analysis or geostatistics were inserted as curricular elements into traditional programmes like Geography, Resource Management or Planning. The emerging 'second generation' of geospatial educational strategies addresses previous shortcomings: outreach into a wider set of disciplines (healthcare, public administration, construction engineering and journalism, to name but a few), support for lifelong learning, and full leveraging of opportunities afforded by online elearning. The modular approach to learning resources development implemented in GeoS4S aims to enhance all of the above through a set of Open Educational Resources.

The Importance of Information Literacy to Support Lifelong Learning in Convergence Era

In this information technology world today, information plays a prominent role every one relies on it. Information come from paper, sound, visual, images-based material and also it may be in the form of oral, written or image. This paper describes a meaning of Information Literacy (IL) and Lifelong Learning (LL). It also emphasis on relationship between IL and LL in convergence era. In education, it is supported as the backbone to every happening. In the age of LL, IL is an important skill to move ahead across the globe, flooded with information in an unprecedented way. The information literate, has an ability to take informed decisions or solve their problems and know how to learn. IL is an enabler to touch all the dimensions of learning and it is the key to success of anyone’s life in the information society. This paper describes the relation between IL in support LL among society. Information skills are needed for creating information literate culture. IL is a continuously learning process from early age until older. Information Professionals (IP) are responsible to encourage community in implementation of IL. Because it can help the expansion of knowledge and creation of new knowledge, whether it is for educational or personal reasons.

Short learning programme provisioning in nursing: An evaluative case study

In support of lifelong learning and redressing past inequalities the provision of short learning programmes and courses was encouraged in South African Higher Education. A school of nursing responded by establishing an academy wherein a range of these programmes was developed and presented. In this article the effectiveness of the initiative is evaluated in comparison to the national purposes for short learning programmes envisioned by the Council on Higher Education. These are to: enable access to higher education; support continuing professional development and generate third stream income for higher education institutions. A single evaluative case study design was employed by use of in-depth individual interviews with academy management team members, as well as a document analysis. The findings indicated that the academy, having navigated complexity, succeeded to a large extent in achieving the purposes. The continuing professional development needs of a wide range of health professionals in different settings were addressed. Regretfully, professional nurses cannot yet earn continuing professional development points in South Africa. Enabling of access to higher education is context bound. Subcategory nurses, for example, are not yet accommodated and applicants for formal academic programmes still need to comply with institutional requirements. A steady third stream income is currently generated in support of scholarship development at the school. Considering that the academy originally aimed “to enable nurses to adapt to the first and third world realities in South African healthcare,” it is advisable that this aspect be specifically explored.

Lifelong guidance: How guidance and counselling support lifelong learning in the contrasting contexts of China and Denmark

Due to the effects of globalisation and rapid technological development, traditional linear life course patterns of the past are gradually disappearing, and this affects education and learning systems as well as labour markets. Individuals are forced to develop lifestyles and survival strategies to manage job insecurity and make their skills and interests meet labour market needs. In modern attempts to develop and implement institutional provision for lifelong learning, guidance and counselling play an important role. The current Danish guidance system is well-organised, highly structured and professionalised. By contrast, Chinese guidance is still fragmented and “sectorisational”. This paper explores whether elements of the highly structured and professionalised Danish guidance system and practice might be applicable to the Chinese context. The author begins by outlining international and national factors which are affecting citizens’ life and career planning. She then presents and discusses the evolution of guidance and the different elements of provision in each of the two countries. Next, She compares the concepts and goals of “lifelong guidance” in Denmark and China, pointing out their similarities and differences and their respective strengths and weaknesses. The paper concludes with some suggestions for the further development of guidance in China.

“It’s like stickers in your brain”: Using the Guided Inquiry Process to Support Lifelong Learning Skills in an Australian School Library

The Guided Inquiry Design process (GID) is a model of information seeking behaviour emphasising elements of autonomy and reflection throughout students’ research process and based on Kuhlthau’s (1989a; 2004) Information Search Process (ISP). GID is timely in the Australian context as a way to support the new Australian curriculum emphasising inquiry learning but omitting a practical framework for implementing it. This study sought to investigate the experience of students engaged in two GI research projects in Year 7 History and Geography at an independent girls’ school in an Australian urban area. Analysis of the data indicates rich and diverse interpretations of the GID process across participants. Freddo’s comment “It’s like stickers in your brain,” the title of this paper, highlights the memorability of the stages of the GI process. The girls also noted rewarding responses through their learning of the content and skills and “had fun” in this project.

LIFELONG LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN VIDZEME REGION

In today’s rapidly changing environment, lifelong learning is becoming an important part of education system. There is no comprehensive strategy or technological support for lifelong learning in the Latvian regions which could upgrade people’s competences and allow them to combine learning with workand family life. It is significant to develop a framework encompassing identification of required competencies, technological support for lifelong learning and make it as part of an ongoing process. The goal of the paper is to create a theoretical framework lifelong learning management technological model and prototype for the Vidzeme region. The focus of the paper is identifying the major steps and elements required to design and incorporate latter mentioned lifelong learning process and particularly adult education perspective supporting technological model in the Vidzeme region. Theoretical framework has been conducted regarding different adult education supporting technological platforms and adult education processing in European Union’s regional context. The paper represents the theoretical preconditions for qualitative development of lifelong learning in the region and presents a technological model prototype which would provide the lifelong learning process with ongoing technological support.

Defining the Key Competences and Skills for Young Low Achievers’ in Lifelong Learning by the Voices of Students, Trainers and Teachers

Europe has stressed the importance of lifelong learning as a way for its citizens to enrol and to engage fully in day-to-day demands of work and citizenship life events. Support is more urgent for those who are at risk of social and educational exclusion. This paper presents an overview on the goals of the European project LIBE “Supporting Lifelong learning with Inquiry-Based Education”, that aims at designing, developing and trying out an innovative e-learning management system devoted to develop key information processing skills for ICT with an inquiry-based approach to learning, focused on the young adult population (16-24) that have low levels of competences regarding literacy, numeracy and ICT skills. Additionally, it presents the results of a content analysis of focus groups sessions, carried out with Portuguese teachers, trainers and students, aiming to identify the key competences and skills most needed by young low achievers. The Portuguese results integrate the alignment of the proposal of the LIBE framework for the learning outcomes, instructional objectives and ICT key information processing competencies. Results highlight literacy skills and social competence as the most relevant for the target audience, adding ICT competences as very important in developing literacy skills and self-efficacy. Pedagogical support is considered a significant part of the students’ successful learning, both in face-to-face or e-learning environments.

Lifelong Learning Support Committee

Lifelong Learning Support Committee