此为英文文档 Transforming higher education institutions into lifelong learning institutions

UILPolicyBrief14

Transforminghighereducationinstitutionsintolifelonglearninginstitutions

14

Lifelonglearninghasbecometheoverarching

conceptandvisionforeducation,asreflectedin

theUnitedNations’2030AgendaforSustainable

DevelopmentanditsSustainableDevelopment

Goals(SDGs),oneofwhich,SDG4,explicitly

petitionscountriesto‘ensureinclusiveand

equitablequalityeducationandpromotelifelonglearningopportunitiesforall’(UNESCO,2016).

Lifelonglearning(LLL)isrootedintheintegrationoflearningandliving,coveringlearningactivitiesforpeopleofallages,inalllife-widecontextsandthroughavarietyofmodalitiesthat,together,meetarangeoflearningneedsanddemands.

Inthefaceofthechallengesofthetwenty-first

century,includingtechnologicaladvancements,climatechange,demographicshifts,globalizationandthetransformingworldofwork,higher

educationinstitutions(HEIs)mustbewillingto

expandtheirLLLopportunitiestoreachagreaterrangeofindividualsandrespondbettertosocietalneeds.

Giventheiruniquecapacitytodeveloplearners’

skillsandfosterknowledgeandinnovations,aswellastheirpotentialtomobilizeeducationalresourcesandprovidelearningopportunities(Osborne,

RimmerandHouston,2015;Orazbayeva,2017;

Šmídováetal.,2017),HEIs–includinguniversities,colleges,polytechnicsandtechnicalandvocationaleducationandtraining(TVET)institutions–have

thepotentialtoexpandaccesstoandparticipationinlearningandtransforminto‘lifelonglearning

institutions’.

Thispotentialisfarfrombeingrealizedhowever,partlyduetoalackofawarenesswithinHEIsabouttheroleLLLplaysinequippinglearnerswiththe

knowledgeandskillstheyneedtobetteraddress

currentandfuturechallenges.

ThemajorityofHEIscontinuetopromoteacademicexcellenceinteachingandresearch,remainingintheso-called‘ivorytower’,withlessattentiontothereal-worldchallengesthatLLLaddresses(BrennanandMagnes,2019).ForthoseHEIsthatdo

recognizeandofferLLLopportunities,oftenthereisnounifiednorstandardizedapproachacross

institutions.ThisleadstoadiversityofLLLcurriculathatobscuresitstruepotential(DeVironand

Davies,2015).LLLisofferedviaawiderangeof

learningmodalitiesbyamultitudeofformaland

non-formaleducationinstitutions,leavingthe

specificroleofHEIsinpromotingLLLunclear(Milic,2013;Ratana-UbolandRichards,2016;Johannesen,ØyanandMagnus,2018).

Thethirdmission:Highereducationinstitutionsassocialactors

Onceaccessibletoaprivilegedfew,higher

educationisnowanegalitarianopportunity.HEIs

havebroadenedtheirreachbydiversifying

curriculaandbecomingmorelearnercentred(Allaisetal.,2020).Asaresult,theglobalgrossenrolmentratioinhighereducationhasrisenfrom19percentin2000to38percentin2018(UIS,2020).

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Thisillustratesthemaintrendinthehigher

educationsector:expansion,whichisoften

describedas‘massification’(Altbach,ReisbergandRumbley,2019).Thismassificationhasbeen

generallyconfinedtotraditionalstudents;thatis,post-secondarystudentsunder25yearsoldinfull-timestudyandwithoutmajoradditionalworkorfamilyresponsibilities(Marginson,2016).

OneconsequenceofHEIsservingalargershareofthepopulationistheirincreasedcompetitivenessandexposuretomarketdynamics.Moreover,as

newuniversitymodelsemerge–includingmassonlinetertiaryeducation–thedifferentiationof

highereducation,whereinwhatisbeinglearnedisofvaryingqualityandstatus,hasalsoincreased.

Hence,whilehighereducationhasbecomemorewidelyaccessible,majorinequalitiespersist,

includingbygender,age,socio-economic

backgroundandethnicity.

Onamorepositivenote,HEIshavealsobecome

moreactivesocietalstakeholders.Universities’

traditionalmandatehasbeendefinedintermsofteachingandresearch.Inrecentdecadeshowever,highereducationinstitutionshavebegunto

embracetheirso-called‘thirdmission’,whichinvolvesanactiveroleinlocaldevelopment.

ThecontributionofHEIstotheeconomic,socialandculturalaspectsofthecommunityinwhichtheyarebasedisbecomingjustasimportantastheir

traditionalroleofteachingandresearch(Fongwa,MaraisandAtkinson,2014).TheemergenceofLLLasakeyconceptineducationpolicyhaspushed

HEIs’thirdmissionfurtheruptheagendasofpolicy-makers,whoviewhighereducationasan

opportunitytowidenaccesstolearningfurtherandpromotetheconceptofLLLasacoreprincipleof

sustainabledevelopment.

Strategicapproachesforhighereducationinstitutionstopromotelifelonglearning

Therearemultiplestrategicapproachesthathighereducationinstitutionscanadopttocontributeto

LLL.Firstandforemost,theycanbroadenthescopeoftheirtargetpopulationandofferlearningcontenttoawiderdemographic.Byprovidingskillstraining

andexpandingtheknowledgebasetomorepeople,HEIscanbetterrespondtosocialandeconomic

challengesandsupportsustainablepractices.HEIscanalsopromoteLLLinotherways,forexamplethroughthepublicdisseminationofscientific

knowledge,localpartnershipsandoutreachactivities.

Nevertheless,inorderforHEIstotransformintoLLLinstitutions,theymustundergoafundamentalshift,fromsolicitingtheparticipationofyoungstudentscomingfromsecondaryschoolstowelcominga

diversityoflearnerswhoare(re)enteringhigher

educationatdifferentagesandstagesoftheir

personalandprofessionallives(Sloweyand

Schuetze,2012;Cendon,2018).HEIsarenow

expectedtobemoreresponsivetotherealitiesofworkingadultlearners,helpingthemtonotonly

acquireskillsandknowledgebutalsotobecome

activeparticipantsinsocietyandultimatelyimprovetheirqualityoflife.Offeringmoreflexibleprovisioniskeytoaccommodatingnon-traditionalstudents’diversebackgrounds,professionalandpersonal

commitments,andindividuallearningstylesandlifeexperiences.Thisrequiresmoreversatilepathwaysintoandtrajectorieswithinhighereducation,

promotedbytoolsandmechanisms.

Ontopoftakingactionacrosstheircampuses,HEIsareincreasinglyreachingouttothecommunityandaddressingbroadersocietalneeds.Theso-called

‘engageduniversity’playsaroleinlocal

developmentbyprovidingLLLandotherservices

thatactivelyhelptoshapeortransformthesocial,culturalandeconomiccircumstancesoflocal

communitiesandrespondtothelearningneedsoflocalcitizensinparticulardisadvantagedgroups.

Thisisbasedonamutuallybeneficialandequal

relationshipinwhichHEIslearnfromtheknowledgesystemsandpracticesofcommunitiesandvice

versa.Oneexampleofthisistheemergenceof

‘learningcities’,inwhichHEIsplayastrategicroleinpromotingholisticlearningatthelocallevel.

Anotherisintergenerationallearningand

engagementwitholderadults.

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Keyconceptsrelatedtowideningaccess

Flexiblelearningpathways(FLPs):

FLPsprovideentryandre-entrypointstolearningforallagesandeducationallevels,bridgeformalandnon-formallearningstructures,andpromotetherecognition,validationandaccreditationoftheknowledge,skillsandcompetencesacquiredthroughnon-formalandinformaleducation(UNESCO,2016,p.33).

Recognition,validationandaccreditation(RVA):

Recognition,validationandaccreditationofallformsoflearningoutcomesisapracticethatacknowledgesandvaluesthefullrangeofcompetences(knowledge,skillsandattitudes)thatindividualshaveobtained.

.Recognitionisaprocessofgrantingofficialstatustolearningoutcomesand/orcompetences,whichcanleadtotheacknowledgementoftheirvalueinsociety;

.Validationisconfirmationbyanofficiallyapprovedbodythatlearningoutcomesorcompetencesacquiredbyanindividualhavebeenassessedagainstreferencepointsorstandardsthroughpre-definedassessmentmethodologies;

Accreditationisaprocessbywhichanofficiallyapprovedbodyawardsqualifications(certificates,diplomasortitles),grantsequivalences,creditunitsorexemptions,orissuesdocumentssuchasportfoliosofcompetencesafterhavingassessedlearningoutcomesand/orcompetences.Insomecases,theterm‘accreditation’appliestotheevaluationofthequalityofaninstitutionora

programmeasawhole(UIL,2012).

Policyrecommendations:Howtomakethetransformationhappen

TransformingHEIsintoLLLinstitutionshas

implicationsforallaspectsofinstitutional

implementation,includingnationalpolicies,

institutionalcommitmentsintheformofstrategies

andmissionstatements,andfundingand

organizationalstructures.Italsocallsforupdated

curriculaandpedagogies,flexiblelearningpathways

andcommunityengagement.Ultimately,

embeddingLLLinhighereducationandviceversaisaboutfosteringaculturewherebyLLLisnotonly

viewedasadultlearningorcontinuingeducationbutencompassesalleducationandprioritizesalltypesoflearners.

Thefollowingthreestatementsandrelatedpolicyrecommendationslayoutthestepsneededto

transformHEIsintoLLLinstitutions.

Enablingpolicyenvironmentsformthebasisforlifelonglearninginhighereducation.

1.Nationalgovernmentsshouldcreate

comprehensivenationalpoliciesand

frameworkstoestablishLLLasacoremissionofHEIs,showpoliticalwillandsupportthe

institutionalizationofLLL.

TheseactionswillencourageindividualHEIstodevelopstrategiesbasedontheirspecific

profilesandinlinewithnationalregulations.Throughtheirimpactoninstitutionalization,fundingandqualityassurance,properly

formulatednationalpolicieshaveareinforcingeffectinsupportofLLL.

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2.HEIsshoulddevelopinstitution-wide

approachestoLLLthatadheretoallthree

missionsofhighereducation:teaching,researchandwidersocietalengagement.

Strategiesmustthereforebeoverarching

enoughtoencompassthisdiversitybutstilldefinesoundprinciplestorationalizeLLL

throughouttheinstitution.Strikingtherightbalancebetweenflexibilityandrules-basedprofessionalizationofLLLinHEIsrequires

engagingallstakeholdersandreflectingtheinterestsofprofessors,learners,academicleadershipandthestaffresponsiblefor

implementingprogrammes.

Institutionalstructuresandmechanismssupporttheestablishmentoflifelonglearninginhighereducationinstitutions.

3.DedicatedLLLunitsthattakethe

operationalleadofLLLimplementationcanbeausefulstructureforcoherentLLL

institutionalization.

LLLunitsallowforinstitution-wide

implementationasopposedtodecentralizedmodelsandarethusabletoestablishasharedunderstanding,engagedifferentstakeholdersanddevelopspecificexpertise.

4.Fundingschemesforhighereducation,

bothinstitutionalandforlearners,shouldextendtoLLLopportunities.

Redesigningfundingtoreflectthegrowing

importanceofmoreflexibleformsofLLL

provision,includingnon-accreditedcoursesandshort-termcoursescharacteristicofLLL,canstructureandprofessionalizeLLLinhighereducation.Publicorinstitutionalfinancial

supportforlearners,suchasmeans-tested

grants,shouldbeextendedtonon-traditionallearners.

5.QualityassuranceproceduresthatregularlymonitorandevaluateLLLopportunitiesinHEIsshouldbeimplemented.

Sincefundingisoftentiedtomeasurable

outputs,amechanismtodefineandmonitortheseoutputs,includingfornon-formalLLL,is

essentialtoensurerecognitionand

effectiveness.Well-establishedqualityassuranceprocedurescontributetotheprofessionalizationofLLL,thusrepresentingatooltopromotetheexpansionofacademicandfinancialresourcesforLLLinHEIs.

WideningaccessandincreasingparticipationinLLLopensHEIstosociety.

6.Tomakeeducationalopportunitiesandcontentrelevantfornon-traditional

studentsinhighereducation,HEIsshoulddiversifycurriculaanddecolonize

knowledge.

Thisrequiresaglobalperspective

ofepistemologiesandopeningupknowledgesystemstoincludeknowledgesfromIndigenouspeoples,minoritiesandculturesfromtheGlobalSouth.HEIsshouldfollowaconceptofopen

sciencethatisrelevanttothesocietiestheyserveandcreatesspacesforunderservedcommunitiesandknowledgesystems.

7.Learningformatsmustaddressdiverselearningneedsandincludedegree-andnon-degreegrantingformatsaswellasdifferentdeliverymodalities.

Enablingavarietyoflearningexperiences

encourageslearners,especiallydisadvantaged

learners,toengageinhighereducationbutalsotoconsiderfurthereducation,employmentandcertification.Offeringbothcomprehensivestudyprogrammesandshort-termcoursesindifferentareasbeyondthetraditionalstudyfieldsis

necessarytostrikeanappropriatebalance.

Differentmodalities,includingthepossibilitytoswitchbetweenfull-andpart-timestudyandtotakebreakswhenneeded,enableparticipationin

HEIswhilerecognizingfamilyandworkresponsibilities.

8.Flexiblelearningpathways(FLPs),includingtherecognition,validation,and

accreditationofpriorlearning(RVA),shouldbeintroducedandexpandedacrossHEIs.

FLPsallowlearnerstoenterandre-enterhighereducationatvariouspointsoftheirlivesand

promoteindividualizedandlearner-centred

education.RVAcanincludealternativeformsofaccreditation,suchascertificatesandbadges,industrycertificationbyemployersandmicro-credentials.Moreover,flexibilityshouldbe

enhancedthroughvariousarrangementsthatguidelearnersonFLPs.

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9.Thepotentialoftechnology-enhancedlearningshouldbefurtherdevelopedinaninclusiveway.

Onlineteachingandlearning–recentlyacceleratedbytheCOVID-19pandemicaswellassophisticatedmethodologies,suchaslearningdrivenbymobiletechnology,socialmediaandartificialintelligence,provideenhancedopportunitiesforadaptiveandself-ledlearning.Thedemocratizinginfluenceof

technologythatis,theincreasingpossibilitytolearnanywhereatanytimegivesstudentsgreater

autonomyfortheirownlearning,allowingthemtodecidewhat,whenandwithwhomtheylearn.Thisshouldcomewithsupportmechanismsbothforlearnersandeducators,however,astheyadaptto

changingpedagogicalmethods.

10.HEIsshouldexpandtheirengagementwithlocalcommunitiesthroughlocalizedapproachestobenefitwidersocietyandfulfiltheir‘thirdmission’throughLLL.

HEIscanassumedifferentrolesforcommunityengagement,includingasstakeholders,strategic

partnersandadvocates,serviceprovidersofteachingandlearning,andasinstrumentalstakeholdersincitydevelopment.Collaborativepartnerships,whereinHEIsandcommunitiesworktowardsacommongoal,turncommunitiesintopartnersinvolvedinknowledgeproduction.Itisalsoinstrumentalfor

ensuringtheparticipationofnon-traditionallearnersandparticularlydisadvantagedgroupsinsocieties,includingmigrantsandrefugees,olderadultsandpeoplewithdisabilities.

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