高等教育中终身学习的国际趋势：研究报告

International

trends

of

lifelong

learningin

higher

educationResearch

reportInternational

trends

of

lifelong

learningin

higher

educationResearch

reportPublished

in

2023

bythe

UNESCO

Institutefor

Lifelong

Learning

and

Shanghai

Open

UniversityThis

publication

is

available

in

Open

Access

under

theAttribution-ShareAlike

3.0

IGO

(CC-BYSA

3.0

IGO)

licence(/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/).By

using

the

content

of

this

publication,

the

users

acceptto

be

bound

bythe

terms

of

use

of

the

UNESCO

OpenAccess

Repository

(/open-access/termsuse-ccbysa-en).©

UNESCOand

Shanghai

Open

UniversityThe

UNESCO

Institute

for

Lifelong

Learning

(UIL),

locatedin

Hamburg,

Germany,

is

a

specialized

UNESCO

instituteand

is

the

only

organizational

unit

in

the

UnitedNationsfamily

that

holds

a

global

mandate

for

lifelong

learning.UIL

promotes

and

supports

lifelong

learning

with

a

focuson

adult

learning,

continuing

education,

literacy

andnon-formal

basic

education.This

report

is

published

as

part

of

a

wider

researchproject

on

the

contribution

of

higher

educationinstitutions

to

lifelong

learning,

which

was

conducted

bythe

UNESCO

Institute

for

Lifelong

Learning

and

ShanghaiOpen

University

from

2020

to

2022.

Key

componentsShanghai

Open

University

(SOU),

approved

bytheMinistry

of

Education

of

the

People’s

Republic

of

Chinaand

subjectto

the

administration

of

the

ShanghaiEducation

Commission,

is

a

new

type

of

institution

ofhigher

education,

providing

open

and

distance

education

of

the

project

include

an

extensive

literature

review,

anto

adults

and

technically

supported

byinformationand

communications

technology.

SOU

is

committedto

providing

all

members

of

society

withmulti-level,diversifiededucation

services

to

meet

their

lifelonglearning

needs,

and

to

serve

the

buildingof

a

socially-just

learning

society.international

survey

on

higher

education

institutions’(HEIs)

engagement

in

lifelong

learning

(LLL),

andcase

studies

on

institutional

approaches

to

LLL.

Theseactivities

are

complemented

bythreethematic

studies,on

(1)

the

roleof

universitiesin

buildinglearning

cities,(2)

universities

addressingthe

needs

of

older

learners,and

(3)

universities’

social

responsibility

and

communityengagement.

Based

on

the

comprehensive

sets

ofquantitative

and

qualitative

data

collectedacross

allworld

regions,

this

research

constitutes

a

major

stepforward

in

buildingan

international

knowledge

base

onthe

roleof

HEIs

in

establishingLLL

opportunities

for

all.The

designations

employed

and

the

presentationofmaterial

throughout

this

publication

do

not

imply

theexpressionof

anyopinion

whatsoever

on

the

part

ofShanghai

Open

University,

UNESCO

or

UIL

concerningthe

legal

status

of

anycountry,

territory,

city

or

area,

orof

its

authorities,

or

concerning

the

delimitationof

itsfrontiersor

boundaries.

The

ideas

and

opinions

expressedin

this

publication

are

those

of

the

authors;

theyare

notnecessarily

those

of

UNESCO,UIL

or

SOU.Theresearch

project

was

overseenbyUIL’s

Director,Mr

DavidAtchoarena,

coordinated

by

TeamLeader

Mr

Raúl

Valdés-Cotera,

and

conducted

byMs

Edith

Hammer,

Ms

Mo

Wang

and

Ms

Nora

Lorenz,with

support

from

Mr

Nicolas

Jonas

and

Mr

Alex

Howells.ISBN

978-92-820-1252-9Editing

byMr

Paul

Stanistreet,

Ms

Cendrine

Sebastianiand

Ms

Jennifer

Kearns-WillerichLayout

and

design:

Ms

Christiane

MarweckiResearch

report:

International

trends

oflifelong

learning

inhighereducationTable

ofcontentsForeword678AcknowledgmentsExecutive

summary1Introduction101.11.21.3Global

trends

and

the

changing

mandates

of

higher

educationMethodology101214Overview

of

the

chapters2Policy

environments

to

promote

lifelong

learning

in

higher

educationNational

legislation,

policies

and

frameworks151517222.12.22.3Strategicinstitutional

approaches

to

promote

lifelong

learningSummary

of

main

findings3Institutional

governance

and

implementationOrganizational

structure

for

lifelong

learningFinancingof

lifelong

learning2425283033343.13.23.33.43.5Quality

assurance

of

lifelong

learning

provisionStrengths

and

challenges

of

lifelong

learning

implementationSummary

of

main

findings4Widening

access

through

diversification

and

flexibilityReaching

out

to

non-traditional

learners

and

vulnerable

groupsDiversifiedlearning

provision353738414750544.14.24.34.44.54.6Flexible

learning

pathwaysTechnology-enhancedlearningSocial

responsibility

and

local

partnershipsSummary

of

main

findings5Concluding

remarks56ReferencesAppendix58653Research

report:

International

trends

oflifelong

learning

inhighereducationTablesTable

1.Table

2.Table

3.Table

4.Table

5.HEIs

participating

in

the

survey

byregionDistribution

of

different

types

and

modes

of

HEIs

represented

in

the

surveyExistence

of

LLL

strategies

in

HEIs1313184546Admissionpathways

available

at

HEIsTransition

pathways

available

at

HEIsFiguresFigure

1.

Lifelong

learning

defined

as

a

mission

of

HEIs

in

national

legislationFigure

2.

Link

between

national

legislation

and

prioritizationof

LLLinHEIs’

mission

statements161920212126Figure

3.

Link

between

national

legislation

and

HEIs’

strategiesFigure

4.

Operationalization

of

LLL

strategiesFigure

5.

Main

internal

and

external

drivers

of

lifelong

learning

in

HEIsFigure

6.

Functions

of

HEIs’

lifelong

learning

unitsFigure

7.

Link

between

the

existence

of

an

institutional

LLL

strategyand

havinga

dedicatedunit

for

LLL27282931323337Figure

8.

Funding

sources

for

institutions’

LLL

provisionFigure

9.

Funding

sources

for

individuals

to

engage

in

LLLFigure

10.

Quality

assurance

procedures

for

lifelong

learning

in

HEIsFigure

11.

Link

between

HEIs’

LLL

strategyand

quality

assurance

mechanismsFigure

12.

HEIs’

strengths

and

challenges

to

implementing

lifelong

learningFigure

13.

Prioritized

target

groups

for

LLL

activities4Research

report:

International

trends

oflifelong

learning

inhighereducationFigure

14.

Delivery

modes

of

degreeprogrammesFigure

15.

Delivery

modes

of

non-degree

programmesFigure

16.

Alternativedigital

and

non-digital

credentials394040Figure

17.

Typesof

policies

to

support

flexible

learning

pathwaysFigure

18.

Objectives

of

flexible

learning

pathwaysin

HEIs424243454849515253Figure

19.

Links

between

institutional

LLL

strategies

and

policies

to

support

FLPsFigure

20.

Link

between

havingFLP

policies

and

availability

of

guiding

arrangementsFigure

21.

Use

of

technology-enhanced

learning

in

LLL

provisionFigure

22.

Link

between

institution

size

and

technology-enhanced

learning

throughMOOCsFigure

23.

LLL

provisioncontributing

to

sustainable

developmentFigure

24.

HEIs’

engagement

with

their

communitiesFigure

25.

HEIs’

engagement

with

the

private

sectorBoxesBox

1.

Examples

of

policies

promoting

LLL

as

a

mandate

of

higher

educationBox

2.

Examples

of

institutional

approaches

to

LLL1719273032464953Box

3.

Example

of

organizational

structures

for

LLLBox

4.

Examples

of

funding

for

LLL

provisionBox

5.

Example

of

quality

assurance

for

lifelong

learning

provisionBox

6.

Examples

of

flexible

learning

provision

and

pathwaysin

higher

educationBox

7.

Examples

of

promoting

LLL

throughtechnology-enhanced

learningBox

8.

Examples

of

HEIs’

community

engagement5Research

report:

International

trends

oflifelong

learning

inhighereducationForewordIn

the

context

of

fast-pacedtechnological

developments,the

climate

crisis,

persistent

social

inequalities

anddemographic

shifts,

there

is

a

need

to

rethinklearning

forpeople

of

all

ages

and

to

transform

educationsystems.With

increasinglyunpredictable

labour

markets,

reskillingand

upskilling

throughout

life

becomes

an

essentialpart

of

people’s

professional

pathways.

In

addition

todigitalization,

robotics

and

automation,

the

shift

towardslow-carbon

economies

is

expected

to

reshape

labourmarkets,

resulting

in

a

growing

demand

forskills

tosupport

thisgreen

transition.

These

changes

will

alsodeepen

the

inequalities

between

population

groups,disproportionally

impacting

those

whoare

alreadyata

disadvantage.Against

the

background

of

a

global

education

crisis

anda

growing

recognition

of

the

importance

of

lifelonglearning,

the

UNESCO

Institute

for

Lifelong

Learning(UIL)

conducted

a

comprehensiveresearch

project

thatincluded,

among

other

components,

an

internationalsurvey

on

the

contribution

of

higher

educationinstitutions

to

lifelong

learning,

theresults

of

which

arepresented

in

this

report.These

novel

data,

includingresponsesfrom

399

highereducation

institutions

worldwide,

offer

important

insightsinto

the

ways

in

which

lifelong

learning

is

integrated

intothe

structures

and

practices

of

higher

education.

Selectedsurvey

findings

were

presentedat

several

internationaland

regional

events

throughout

2022,

includingHigher

education

institutions

(HEIs)

have

a

vital

role

toplayin

buildingthe

knowledge

and

skills

that

are

neededto

ensure

healthy,

prosperous

and

inclusive

societies.Nevertheless,

respondingto

the

world’s

challengesrequires

HEIs

to

evolve

into

lifelong

learninginstitutions,reflectinga

strong

commitment

to

flexibility

andresponsiveness

to

meet

the

needs

of

diverse

cohorts

oflearners.

To

address

thisdiversity,

HEIs

need

to

undergoa

transformation.

First,byoffering

moreflexible

learningprovisionand

assessmentfor

adult

learners.

Second,

bycultivatinginnovative

pedagogies

that

recognize

andmake

use

of

learners’

prior

work

and

life

experiences.And,

third,

byestablishingflexible

learningpathways,which

includes

the

strengtheningof

informationandguidance

services.

To

ensure

the

relevance

of

skillsdevelopment

and

employability

and

respondto

pressinglocal

challenges,

partnerships

with

the

private

sector

andcommunity

organizations

are

equallyvital.the

UNESCO

World

Higher

Education

Conferencein

Barcelona.

Theresults

of

the

studywere

receivedwith

great

interestfrom

the

audience,

reflectingtheimportance

of

the

topicin

the

higher

education

sector.Withinthe

current

global

debate

on

transformingeducation,

the

idea

of

recognizing

a

universal

entitlementto

lifelong

learning

is

gaining

traction.

The

call

toestablisha

rightfor

lifelong

learning

was

made

in

theUN

Secretary-General’s

report,

Our

Common

Agenda(United

Nations,

2021),

and

further

echoed

at

the

SeventhInternational

Conference

on

Adult

Education

(CONFINTEAVII)

in

June

2022

and

in

the

UN

Transforming

EducationSummit

inautumn

2022.

Universities

and

other

HEIs

areessential

stakeholders

for

lifelong

learning.

In

its

report,Reimagining

Our

Futures

Together,

the

InternationalCommission

on

the

Futures

of

Education

arguedthathigher

education

institutions

‘must

be

active

in

everyaspect

of

buildinga

new

social

contractfor

education’(International

Commission

on

the

Futures

of

Education,2021,

p.

5)

and

were

destined

to

become

‘more

involvedin

adult

educationpractices’

(ibid.,

p.

156).It

is

important

to

note

that

the

roleof

higher

educationextends

far

beyond

work

skills.

We

need

to

ensurethat

all

people,

inparticular

vulnerable

groups,

canbenefit

equally

from

learning

opportunities.

Makinghigher

education

moreinclusive

and

equitable

requirescommitment

from

governments

(whose

jobit

is

toestablishpolicy

environments

and

funding

mechanismsthat

are

conducive

to

lifelong

learning)

and

HEI

leaders(who

are

responsible

for

mainstreaming

lifelong

learninginto

universities’

everyday

operations).

Buildingstrongties

between

the

higher

education

sector

and

schools,technical

and

vocational

education

and

trainingWithinthe

broader

framework

of

these

internationaldevelopments

and

the

2030

Agenda

for

SustainableDevelopment,

UIL

will

continue

to

promote

researchand

capacity-building

in

lifelong

learning,

includinginthe

higher

education

sector.

This

report

provides

salientevidence

and

thoroughreflections

on

the

contributionsthat

higher

education

institutions

can

and

alreadydomake

to

lifelong

learning.

I

hope

that

itprovides

readerswith

inspirationand

impetus

for

further

researchandpractical

advancements

in

the

field.institutions,

employers

and

communities

is

alsoessentialforensuring

lifelong

and

life-wide

learningprovision.DavidAtchoarenaDirector

of

the

UNESCO

Institute

for

Lifelong

Learning6Research

report:

International

trends

oflifelong

learning

inhighereducationAcknowledgementsThis

survey

report

is

theresultof

the

efforts

of

manyindividuals

and

institutions

from

aroundthe

world.Above

all,

UIL

would

like

to

thank

the

staff

of

the

399higher

education

institutions

who

took

the

time

tocomplete

the

online

questionnaire,

thus

informingthisreport

with

comprehensive

data

and

insights.Theresearch

project

alsobenefittedfrom

collaborationswith

several

partners

who

helped

to

widely

promote

thesurvey,

includingthe

Associationof

AfricanUniversities(AAU),

the

Continuing

Education

Network

of

LatinAmerica

and

Europe

(RECLA),

the

EuropeanUniversityAssociation(UA),the

EuropeanUniversity

ContinuingEducation

Network

(eucen),

the

UNESCOInternationalInstitute

for

Educational

Planning(IIEP–UNESCO),

and

theUNESCOInternational

Institute

for

Higher

Education

inLatin

America

and

the

Caribbean

(UNESCO–IESALC).The

report

was

developed

withinthe

broader

frameworkof

UIL’s

research

on

the

contribution

of

higher

educationinstitutions

to

lifelong

learning,

which

has

been

madepossible

as

a

resultof

funding

from

Shanghai

OpenUniversity

(SOU),

People’s

Republic

of

China.

Wewould

like

to

thank

Mr

Wei

Jia,

President

of

SOU,

andMs

Wen

Yuan,former

President

of

SOU,

as

well

asour

colleagues,

Ms

Zhuhua

Weng,

Ms

Yu

Han

andMs

Xiaojie

Xue,

for

their

continuous

support

andtireless

collaborationover

the

past

three

years.Throughout

its

different

phases,

the

project

wasaccompanied

byan

advisory

group

that

contributed

tothe

development

and

implementation

of

the

survey,namely:

Mr

Uwe

Elsholz,

Mr

Etienne

EhouanEhile,Ms

Nadia

Gamal

el-Din,

Ms

Margarita

Guarello

de

Toro,Ms

Michaela

Martin,

Mr

Balázs

Németh,Mr

Michael

Osborne,

Mr

Séamus

Ó

Tuama,The

International

Associationof

Universities

(IAU)assisted

Mr

Francesc

Pedró,

Mr

Johnny

Sung,the

Institute

with

the

development,

administration

andprocessingof

the

survey.

It

is

because

of

IAU’s

globalnetwork

and

engagement

that

the

survey

could

beconducted

with

success.

Thanks

go

especially

toMs

Hilligje

van’t

Land,

Secretary-General

of

IAU,

wholedtheprocess.

The

project

benefittedimmenselyfromMs

Stamenka

Uvalić-Trumbić,

Ms

Hilligje

van’t

Land,Mr

Peter

Wells,

Mr

Lizhong

Yu

andMs

Thérèse

Zhang

Pulkowski.We

wouldalso

like

to

thank

Mr

Francesc

Pedró,Mr

Jaime

Félix

Roser

Chinchilla,

Ms

AlepBlancas,her

outstanding

expertise

in

thefield

of

higher

education.

Mr

Balázs

Németh

and

Ms

Thérèse

Zhang

PulkowskiUIL

also

thanks

Ms

Lianne

Guerra,

who

provided

greatsupport

during

the

development

and

implementationof

the

survey.for

taking

the

time

to

review

andprovide

much-valuedfeedback

to

the

draft

report.In

addition

to

the

survey

findings,

the

chapters

of

thereport

are

informedbya

set

of

thematic

backgroundpapers,

which

were

prepared

byMr

Sergio

Cardenas,Ms

NoraLorenz

and

Ms

Stamenka

Uvalić-Trumbić.In

addition,

the

initial

drafting

process

was

supportedbyMs

Ashley

Stepanek

Lockhart

and

UIL

internsMs

Kirstin

Sonne,

Ms

Pauline

Crepy,

Ms

Nilakshi

Dasand

Ms

Marta

Borg-Rodriguez.In

the

spring

of

2020,

the

questionnaire

was

pilotedamong

18

higher

education

institutions

from

all

UNESCOregions,

namely

the

Universidaddel

Salvador

(Argentina),the

University

of

Abomey-Calavi

(Benin),

the

Universityof

Turku

(Finland),

FernUniversitätinHagen

(Germany),the

University

of

Pécs

(Hungary),

Alma

Mater

Studiorum–

University

of

Bologna

(Italy),

the

University

of

the

WestIndies

(Jamaica),

Tokai

University

(Japan),

the

Universityof

Duhok

(Iraq),

East

China

Normal

University

(People’sRepublic

of

China),

Qatar

University

(Qatar),

AjouUniversity

(Republic

of

Korea),

the

University

of

Rwanda(Rwanda),

the

University

of

South

Africa

(South

Africa),the

Open

University

of

Catalonia

(Spain),

Gulu

Universityand

Makerere

University

(Uganda)

and

Swansea

University(United

Kingdom

of

Great

Britainand

Northern

Ireland).The

pilot

was

key

to

the

development

of

the

surveytool

and

we

would

like

to

thank

those

respondents

forcompleting

the

questionnaire

and

providing

comments.7Research

report:

International

trends

oflifelong

learning

inhighereducationExecutive

summaryTheresearch

report,

International

Trends

of

LifelongLearning

in

Higher

Education,

provides

a

comprehensiveoverview

of

the

development

of

lifelong

learning

(LLL)

inthe

higher

education

sector

worldwide.

It

examines

howhigher

education

institutions

(HEIs)

havecontributed

toLLL

and

shows

the

levels

of

advancement

in

differentareasof

implementation.

The

report

is

based

on

theresults

of

an

international

survey

conductedin

2020,which

was

led

bythe

UNESCO

Institute

for

LifelongLearning

(UIL)

in

cooperation

with

the

InternationalAssociationof

Universities

(IAU)

and

Shanghai

OpenUniversity

(SOU).•There

is

a

positive

relationship

between

supportivenational

legislation

and

the

existence

of

institutionalstrategies

for

LLL,

highlightingthe

importance

ofnational

policy

environments

and

the

promotion

ofLLL

withinHEIs.Institutional

governance

and

implementation•Institution-wide

approaches

to

implementingLLLrequire

organizational

structures,

sufficientresource

allocationand

stakeholder

management.These

institutional

practices

determine

how

LLLis

organized

anddelivered,

and

what

learningopportunities

are

ultimately

available

to

learners.Valid

responses

to

the

survey

were

submittedby399institutions

from

96

countries

in

all

regions

of

the

world.The

report

considers

three

main

aspects

of

lifelonglearning

institutionalizationin

higher

education.

Theseare

supportive

policy

environments

to

promote

LLLin

higher

education;

institutional

governance

andimplementation;

and

how

and

to

what

extent

HEIs

arewidening

access

throughdiversification

and

flexibility.••The

establishment

of

a

central

coordinatingLLL

unitcan

be

helpful

to

streamlineimplementation.

Aroundhalf

of

the

HEIs

reported

havingan

LLL

unit,

withvarying

functions.Against

the

backdrop

of

a

general

decline

in

publicfunding

forhigher

education,

HEIs

reported

thattuition

fees,

along

with

on-demand

services,

are

themost

relevant

institutional

fundingsources

for

LLLactivities.

Nevertheless,

lifelong

learners

most

oftenrelyon

personal

resourcesto

participatein

LLL.

Whiletheseresults

are

in

line

with

general

trends,

theyare

important

to

note

in

relation

to

the

widening

ofaccess

that

should

go

handinhand

with

LLL.Key

findingsPolicy

environments•National

legislation

and

frameworks

reflect

politicalsupport,

and

incentivizeinstitutional

implementationandresource

allocationfor

LLL.

Roughly

two-thirdsof

the

HEIs

surveyed

reported

that

their

countryhas

national

legislation

pertaining

to

LLLin

place,indicatingstrong

national

commitmentsto

wideningLLL

opportunities

in

higher

education.•Another

key

aspect

of

LLL

implementation,

qualityassurance

(QA),

shows

a

promisingdegree

ofinstitutionalization,

even

if

QA

mechanisms

for

LLLare

not

yet

comparable

to

what

theyare

for

regularstudy

programmes

in

HEIs.

Roughly

half

of

theinstitutions

surveyed

reported

havingsystematicQA

procedures

for

LLLin

place.

There

is

a

positiverelationship

between

quality

assurance

proceduresand

institutional

strategies,

underlining

the••For

many

of

the

HEIs

surveyed,

lifelong

learningis

a

priority,

which

is

reflected

in

their

missionstatements.

This

suggests

that

institutions

take

LLLseriously

as

a

responsibility

of

HEIs.importance

of

a

conducive

policy

environment.At

the

institutional

level,

strategies

and

policiesare

drivers

for

LLL

development,

and

demonstratecommitment

and

purpose.

A

clear

majority

ofHEIs

havean

LLL

strategyin

place,

with

the

largestproportion

respondingthat

this

strategyis

at

aninstitutional

level.

Moreover,

the

majority

of

HEIsindicateda

strong

intention

to

put

policy

intoaction.8Research

report:

International

trends

oflifelong

learning

inhighereducationWidening

access

through

diversificationand

flexibility••Institutions

show

a

high

commitment

towardsthe2030

Agenda

for

Sustainable

Development,

with270

HEIs

statingthat

their

LLL

provisionaims

tocontribute

to

the

achievement

of

the

agenda.

Outof

theseHEIs,

nearly

all

alsoindicatedthat

their

LLLprovision

contributes

either

‘strongly’

or

‘to

someextent’

to

achievinginclusive

and

equitable

qualityeducation

and

lifelong

learning

opportunities,

whichencapsulates

Sustainable

Development

Goal

(SDG)

4.•Making

lifelong

learning

a

core

mission

of

HEIsmeans

opening

up

to

a

wider

target

group

andincorporating

moreinnovative

and

flexibleforms

oflearning

provision

to

meet

the

diverse

educationalneeds

of

non-traditional

learners.•In

terms

of

access

andinclusivity,

the

two

mostimportant

groups

targeted

for

LLL

activities

byHEIsare

(1)

working

people

requiringupskilling

andreskillingand

(2)

individuals

working

in

public

andprivateorganizations.

Theseresultsindicate

a

focuson

professional

development,

with

relatively

lessattentiongiven

to

vulnerable

groups

and

non-traditional

learners.Essential

to

widening

access

and

diversifying

learningopportunities

is

engaging

with

the

wider

community.The

HEIs

in

the

sample

do

this

to

a

considerableextent,

primarily

byhosting

public

lectures

andworkshops

and

bycollaboratingwith

otheruniversities

andHEIs.

There

is

also

high

engagementwith

the

private

sector,

suggesting

that

reaching

outto

wider

society

is

a

key

priority

for

HEIs.•To

address

the

diverse

needs

of

lifelong

learners,moref