Lifelong Learning Research Articles

Designing Writing Across the Professions (WAP) programs at the intersection of work-integrated learning and writing transfer research

In our information age, written communication has become increasingly important in many professions. As a result, university faculty and administrators need to develop specific curricula and pedagogies that will facilitate the process of equipping students with the required writing knowledge and skills to meet the demands of their workplace environments. In this article, we argue that Writing Across the Professions (WAP) as a curricular model meets that requirement, particularly in Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) contexts, which we believe are conducive to fostering writing transfer in university students. WAP foregrounds the importance of writing in workplace contexts and aims to facilitate the transfer of students’ knowledge and practices by focusing on rhetorical genre theory and analysis, discourse community theory and analysis, providing engaged feedback on students’ writing, and inviting students to critically reflect on their previous and current writing knowledge and practices. In this article, we propose four conceptual foundations that university faculty and administrators can utilize to implement WAP programs at their institutions. The first concept is that professional (writing) knowledge and practices are contextual and require lifelong learning; WIL faculty and students thus need to be informed about what is involved in learning to write across professions. Secondly, as the transfer of professional (writing) knowledge and practices goes beyond disciplinary boundaries, both faculty and students need to build contextual awareness. Thirdly, as problem-solving is an integral part of writing in the professions, faculty and students need to engage in critical reflection. Finally, professional (writing) knowledge and practices impact identities and therefore require mentoring. In outlining these shared concepts from WIL and writing transfer research, this article offers examples of how they can inform curricular approaches and pedagogical practices in WAP.

Message from the Editor-in-Chief

The IJHE continues to be the choice of journal for many global researchers. As such, the strength of the IJHE journal is reflected in this issue’s eight research articles from South Africa, America, China, and Sweden. This issue has a strong focus on student approaches to learning, language development and developing an understanding of how victims of natural disasters cope post-trauma. Whilst societies and communities are challenged by global events, the IJHE provides an important platform for the development of theory, the addressing of policy questions, and the dissemination of innovative practice in the field of tertiary education, specifically widening participation and lifelong learning.

Continuing professional development in general dentistry-experiences of an online flipped classroom.

Continuing professional development is a lifelong learning process. One pedagogical approach that can be used is active learning. Flipped classroom is a method that has been shown to improve deeper conceptual understanding. In an online setting, the method saves travel, time, and costs. To our knowledge, flipped classroom is rarely used in continuing professional education. This study in general dentistry explored experiences of an online flipped classroom course in continuing professional development. Fifteen dental hygienists, clinically active in general dental care, were interviewed. They were recruited from an online course on the latest classification system for periodontal diseases. The course had been conducted using an active learning and flipped classroom model. The interviews were semi-structured. Data were extracted using qualitative content analysis. The experiences of the dental hygienists could be summarized in three themes: Stimulation of knowledge gain through self-paced studies, The ease of virtual networking among colleagues, and Fostering of direct practical application through collaboration. New and emerging communication technology seems to open new possibilities for continuing professional development in general dentistry. Study participants felt that, in an online environment, mixing asynchronous and synchronous communication in a flipped classroom model facilitated learning in continuing professional development. Online active learning seems to work well in continuous professional development in general dentistry. After the course, the participating dental hygienists stated that they were able to use their new knowledge clinically and felt confident doing so.

Optimal trajectory tracking for uncertain linear discrete‐time systems using time‐varying Q‐learning

SummaryThis article introduces a novel optimal trajectory tracking control scheme designed for uncertain linear discrete‐time (DT) systems. In contrast to traditional tracking control methods, our approach removes the requirement for the reference trajectory to align with the generator dynamics of an autonomous dynamical system. Moreover, it does not demand the complete desired trajectory to be known in advance, whether through the generator model or any other means. Instead, our approach can dynamically incorporate segments (finite horizons) of reference trajectories and autonomously learn an optimal control policy to track them in real time. To achieve this, we address the tracking problem by learning a time‐varying ‐function through state feedback. This ‐function is then utilized to calculate the optimal feedback gain and explicitly time‐varying feedforward control input, all without the need for prior knowledge of the system dynamics or having the complete reference trajectory in advance. Additionally, we introduce an adaptive observer to extend the applicability of the tracking control scheme to situations where full state measurements are unavailable. We rigorously establish the closed‐loop stability of our optimal adaptive control approach, both with and without the adaptive observer, employing Lyapunov theory. Moreover, we characterize the optimality of the controller with respect to the finite horizon length of the known components of the desired trajectory. To further enhance the controller's adaptability and effectiveness in multitask environments, we employ the Efficient Lifelong Learning Algorithm, which leverages a shared knowledge base within the recursive least squares algorithm for multitask ‐learning. The efficacy of our approach is substantiated through a comprehensive set of simulation results by using a power system example.

Research on Lifelong Learning Tendencies of University Students

Research on Lifelong Learning Tendencies of University Students

What does agricultural science need today?

The article presents some key points of agricultural science existence in the world during the post-pandemic period, the intensive development of digitalization, and the deployment of artificial intelligence. The industry's development is coupled with interdisciplinary sciences, enabling the creation of future scenarios for successful implementation into practice. With tremendous advancement, agricultural science still faces challenges and problems such as outdated agricultural machinery and poor infrastructure in many developing countries. On a global scale, the science addresses sustainable development, soil fertility improvement, and biodiversity conservation in the face of climate change.Many of the solutions to the man-made problems that have been created lead to strong education and reskilling of people on the principle of "life-long learning". Through such approaches, the economic component of agriculture will grow. From the point of view of the research environment, it is necessary to expand research topics in order to close the weak links in the “human-nature” chain. The achievements of agrarian science should find practical application at the local level, involving "farmer-official-scientist" collaboration. There are now many communities, workshops, and platforms promoting educational and practical goals for better agricultural science, combating hunger, nutritious food, and climate change, where one can express personal perspectives and hear from professionals. These events are supported by international organizations such as the United Nations and UNDP, which give a special role to women working in agrarian spheres in order to develop the necessary qualities for practicing agrarian science. Present opportunities have the potential to advance agrarian sciences, drawing from the experiences of advanced countries and adapting them to local conditions, opportunities, and mentalities, with the aim of ensuring high-quality and stable grain production for human food demands.

How teachers support secondary school students to become self-regulated learners in technology-enhanced language learning

Despite evidence indicating the importance of self-regulated learning (SRL) for academic achievement and lifelong learning, there remains a lack of understanding regarding how teachers can effectively support their students in enacting SRL with e-learning tools/resources (SRL e-learning). The purpose of this study is to investigate how teachers can support English as a second/foreign language (ESL/EFL) learners’ SRL e-learning. The participants were 1473 seventh (n = 714, 48.5%, 12–15 years old) and eighth (n = 759, 51.5%, 12–16 years old) grade students in China. The proposed framework of teacher support included five dimensions, namely, SRL strategy instruction, resource support (linking SRL and e-learning practices), capacity support (scaffolding students’ e-learning experience), emotional support (communication of expectations and encouragement), and creating a constructivist learning environment. According to the Multivariate Analyses of Variance (MANOVAs), high, average, and low achievers reported different levels of SRL e-learning, suggesting that SRL e-learning contributes to English learning achievement. The structural equation modeling (SEM) results revealed that teacher support for SRL e-learning plays a crucial role in students’ SRL e-learning in ESL/EFL.

Mobile/VR/Robotics/IoT-Based Chatbots and Intelligent Personal Assistants for Social Inclusion

Chatbots are dialogue systems that utilize computational linguistics (CL), including automatic speech recognition (ASR) and natural language processing (NLP). Artificially intelligent conversational agents combine personalization, interoperability, and scalability with the aim of promoting safe information monitoring, management, and retrieval. AI chatbots offer user-friendly engagement for innovative e-learning, care assistance, and multilingual digital content creation, promoting inclusiveness and AI-enhanced communication. They are a breakthrough for future societies and economies as they can offer cost-effective, tailor-made, and instant exchange of knowledge and skills, including on-site assistance, health monitoring, and e-consultation. AI chatbots are constantly improving to the benefit of their users. Their economic and social impact is expected to rise as individuals, especially vulnerable populations, are trained to use them for lifelong learning, decision-making, and problem-solving.

Regional higher education institutions and the labor market in the context of globalization

The article shows the socially useful activities of higher education in accordance with the needs of society at all times. The service of training highly qualified personnel to ensure the intellectual, cultural, spiritual development of the individual, deepening and expanding education was emphasized. Projects that have a positive impact on the labor market of our country in the regions and in general were investigated, explained and the positive aspects of the “lifelong learning concept” corresponding to the country's labor market were disclosed. In addition, efforts have been made to investigate the place occupied by regional higher education institutions and their activities in providing the country's labor market with competitive personnel, which has an impact on the socio-economic life of the country in modern times. In accordance with the development of Science and technology, an explanation was given about the new compotes of knowledge. The ranking of employment of graduates of the best universities in the world has been noted. The final part contained the scientific novelty and practical significance of the problem.

Utilizing Wordwall.Net on the Improvement of Students’ Vocabulary Mastery: An ICT-Based Lesson

The utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) holds an important role in language learning, as it stimulates students’ enthusiasm for studying, encourages lifelong learning, enhances critical thinking skills, grants learners more autonomy, confidence, and motivation. In the EFL classroom, vocabulary mastery is one of the most important yet difficult language components especially for young learners to master. This study aimed to examine how vocabulary mastery of 7th grade students in one of public junior high schools in east Java, Indonesia were affected by ICT-based learning through wordwall.net. The study employed a one-group pre-test-post-test experimental design, with the numbers of 32 students. The participants were chosen through the purposive sampling technique. Pre-test and post-test were used to measure a student's vocabulary mastery before and after the treatment using wordwall.net. SPSS 21.0 was used for data analysis to find out whether the students’ vocabulary mastery get improved or not. The findings indicated that after using wordwall.net as the ICT based learning media, students' vocabulary mastery significantly improved. The improvement can be proven through the average pre-test score of 57.03 to the average post-test score of 77.34. In terms of the implementation, the usage of appropriate learning media, and student enthusiasm during the learning process are the reasons for the improvement of their vocabulary mastery.

Examining the Relationships Between Lifelong Learning and Self-Confidence of Women Working in the Public Sector

The aim of this research, which emphasizes the importance of the concept of self-confidence in being a lifelong learner and tries to explain the place of self-confidence in the context of lifelong learning, is to reveal the relationship between the self-confidence levels and lifelong learning levels of women working in the public sector, the lifelong learning levels of working women and To examine their self-confidence in terms of various variables (age, profession, marital status, educational status, years of service). The research was conducted with the relational scanning model, one of the general scanning models. Data were collected with the Women's Self-Confidence Scale and the Employees' Lifelong Learning Scale. The sample group consists of 396 female employees working in the public sector in the center of a province located in the Western Black Sea Region. As a result of the research, it was determined that the self-confidence levels and lifelong learning levels of working women were high. While there was no significant difference between women's self-confidence levels and the variables of age, marital status, education level, professional group, and years of service; It was observed that the only variable that had a relationship with self-confidence was income level. A significant relationship was found between the lifelong learning level of women and the variables of age, education level, occupational group, years of service and income level; It was revealed that there was no significant relationship with the marital status variable. There is a moderate positive relationship between working women's lifelong learning levels and their self-confidence. It has also been concluded that the self-confidence of working women makes it easier for them in their working lives and has positive effects on their lifelong learning competencies.

Unified Lifelong Technical Learning Integration with Structured Framework for The Technical Education System to Foster Expertise Using Academic Bank of Credit

Unified Lifelong Technical Learning Integration with Structured Framework for The Technical Education System to Foster Expertise Using Academic Bank of Credit

The Role of Continuing Education in Lifelong Learning: A Quantitative Study in Two Universities in China

This quantitative study explores the role of continuing education (CE) in fostering lifelong learning among students in two universities in China: Hunan University of Science and Technology and Changsha University of Science and Technology. The research investigates students' attitudes, perceptions, and engagement levels towards continuing education, aiming to provide insights into the effectiveness of existing CE programs and identify areas for improvement. A structured questionnaire was administered to 300 undergraduate and graduate students, utilizing Likert scale responses. Results indicate a balanced representation across gender identities, with varying levels of engagement across academic years and fields of study. The majority of respondents report prior experience with CE, indicating proactive engagement in lifelong learning activities. Findings also reveal a generally positive outlook towards lifelong learning, with high levels of agreement on the importance of self-directed learning, adaptability, and openness to new ideas. Engagement with CE activities is predominantly positive, with strong participation in industry conferences, online courses, and additional certifications. Participants perceive CE as positively influencing academic performance, career prospects, and personal growth. The study underscores the significance of integrating CE initiatives into educational frameworks to support holistic student development and promote lifelong learning. It emphasizes the importance of addressing barriers to access and enhancing skills development within CE programs to empower students for success in today's dynamic job market.

The vital role of the BSDHT in lifelong learning

The vital role of the BSDHT in lifelong learning

The influence of personality traits on engagement in lifelong learning

ABSTRACT Today, adult individuals must be able to continuously learn and adapt to the rapid changes occurring in society. However, little is known about the individual characteristics, particularly personality traits, that make adults more likely to engage in learning activities. Moreover, few studies have longitudinally and objectively investigated the influence of personality on engagement in lifelong learning throughout working age. This study therefore used longitudinal data (15 years) to examine which personality traits predicted level and long-term changes in learning activities among 1329 Swedish adults aged 30–60. The results from growth curve modelling showed that over the follow-up period, novelty seeking and self-transcendence were both positively related to overall level of engagement in learning activities, although not to rate of change. Regarding specific activities, novelty seeking was related to higher levels of engagement in attending courses, taking on new education, and making occupational changes, while harm avoidance was negatively related to the likelihood of changing occupation. The results of this study underscore the importance of considering personality in relation to engagement in lifelong learning activities. Insights from this study can potentially increase the likelihood of finding methods to promote lifelong learning, which can be beneficial for educators, policymakers, and companies.

Lifelong Learning System in the age of Artificial Intelligence: Change, Opportunity and Reconstruction

Artificial Intelligence advances the offline and online education, digital education and virtual education, eventually all the way to lifelong education with online, digital and virtual Characteristics. In the era of “Artificial Intelligence” (AI), computer technology, Internet technology, big data technology, and cloud computing technology have been widely used in all life and work, making the information dissemination space broader and faster. Information Space provides a platform for new knowledge acquisition and learning for education. The lifelong learning system for the whole population has been updated to break through the modes and limitations of traditional education and meet the needs of all people. This paper first analyzes the connotation and characteristics of lifelong learning for all and points out the current policies and opportunities. Finally, it proposed to build a high-quality, efficient, and sustainable comprehensive lifelong learning system to form an excellent social learning situation in which "everyone can learn, everywhere can learn, and always can learn.” To enhance lifelong learning, efforts focus on expanding the main body responsible for learning, building intelligent learning environments, and providing precise guidance based on educational needs. It is also essential to improve feedback mechanisms, service places, and create an integrated online platform, alongside establishing knowledge-based organizations. This research focus on accountability and quality in lifelong learning since it is evolving with new technologies and opportunities. At the same time, it can expand learning, create an intelligent environment, improve feedback, and establish an online educational platform. This will provide inclusive and high-quality educational opportunities to all learners.

Decreasing employability with age? The role of automation risk, lifelong learning and occupational mobility

PurposeAs aging populations lead to longer working lives and increasing automation threatens job security, maintaining lifelong employability is becoming a fundamental challenge for many individuals. The purpose of this study is to examine how lifelong employability can be maintained. Design/methodology/approachBased on the theoretical perspectives of both movement capital and selection, optimization and compensation (SOC) theories, we used large-scale survey data (N = 2,256) from three European countries to investigate strategies for preserving employability among aging workers. Specifically, we explored the perceived risk of automation, lifelong learner characteristics and self-efficacy for occupational mobility as boundary conditions that may shape the negative relationship between age and employability.FindingsWe found a negative relationship between age and employability, which was more pronounced when the perceived risk of automation was higher. Furthermore, lifelong learner characteristics and self-efficacy for occupational mobility mitigated the negative relationship, so that age was not related to employability if people possessed lifelong learner characteristics and were ready for a career change.Originality/valueOur study implies the importance of investing in enhancing lifelong learner characteristics and self-efficacy for occupational mobility for older employees.

Design and Application of a Credit Bank Based on Blockchain Technology

Credit banks are an important way to build a lifelong learning system and a learning society. At present, various types of credit banks in China generally have limitations such as low efficiency in learning achievement certification and conversion, difficulty in ensuring the quality of learning achievement certification, and vague identification of credit banks. Blockchain technology has the characteristics of openness, consensus, transparent transactions, anonymity, tamper resistance, and traceability, which can effectively solve the centralized governance problems faced by the current construction of credit banks. This article elaborates on the current development status and characteristics of credit banks at home and abroad, analyzes the feasibility of combining credit banks with blockchain, and designs a blockchain based credit bank system architecture and processing flow to address the challenges of inconsistent credit conversion standards, low conversion efficiency, and data security risks in traditional credit banks. It proposes using block structure design to achieve secure and tamper proof credit data, proposes a smart contract based credit recognition and conversion method to achieve decentralized governance of credit banks, and establishes a blockchain based credit bank certification, conversion, and other application design models, which can provide technical support for the large-scale application of credit banks in the future.

Blended learning and augmented employability: a multi-stakeholder perspective of the micro-credentialing ecosystem in higher education

PurposeProponents of micro-credentials envision them as vehicles for upskilling or re-skilling individuals. The study examines how integrating micro-credentials in the higher education ecosystem enhances employability. It aims to offer insights from the perspective of stakeholders who may benefit from these credentials at an institutional or individual level.Design/methodology/approachOnline in-depth interviews are conducted with 65 participants from India, Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom to explore how micro-credentials can be a valuable addition to the higher education ecosystem. A multi-stakeholder approach is adopted to collect data.FindingsThe analysis highlights two possible methods of integrating micro-credentials into the higher education ecosystem. First, micro-credentials-driven courses can be offered using a blended approach that provides a flexible learning path. Second, there is also the possibility of wide-scale integration of micro-credentials as an outcome of standalone online programs. However, the effectiveness of such programs is driven by enablers like student profiles, standardization and the dynamics of the labor market. Finally, the study stipulates that micro-credentials can enhance employability.Originality/valueThe study's findings suggest that, for successful integration of micro-credentials, an operational understanding of micro-credentials, their enablers and strategic deliberation are critical in higher education. Institutions must identify the determinants, address technological limitations and select a suitable delivery mode to accelerate integration. However, micro-credentials can augment employability, considering the increasing emphasis on lifelong learning. An overview of the findings is presented through a comprehensive framework.

Comparative Assessment of the Mountainous River Basin in Kyrgyz-Kazakh Region of Central Asia with River Basins in Australia, Canada and USA

Central Asia is among the most heavily affected regions worldwide by climate change and water shortages. Impacts include changes in precipitation patterns, more frequent temperature extremes and increased aridity causing a negative impact on agricultural production, food availability, and environmental security. To combat this threat, it is important to enhance information literacy among all water users. This can be done through awareness campaigns, blended learning by providing the proper Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs and utilizing all available facilities. This will address relevant issues, such as miscommunication, complexities of transboundary water sharing issues, overexploitation of water resources, and poor flood-drought mitigation techniques. Proper and user-friendly lifelong blended learning for scientific information dissemination focusing water issues can provide stronger support to increase awareness among water users and decision policy makers. Worldwide, especially in North America and Australia, information literacy campaigns have proven successful. This strategy can be replicated in the Mountainous Kyrgyz-Kazakh Chu-Talas transboundary river basin. The issues concerning the Mountainous Kyrgyz-Kazakh Chu-Talas transboundary river basin is elaborated and compared with Australian, Canadian, and US river basin management programs. The foresight analysis is presented, as to what would be a rationale to improve water resources more sustainably in Central Asia. Methodologies, programs, technologies, communities-based river basin committees, snow-water collection with agroforestry, and basin-based water market opportunities were analyzed to assess potential applications in Central Asia region.