The Role of Higher Education in Promoting Lifelong Learning; UIL Publication Series on Lifelong Learning Policies and Strategies

The Role of Higher Education in Promoting Lifelong Learning Edited by Jin Yang, Chripa Schneller and Stephen Roche UIL Publication Series on Lifelong Learning Policies and Strategies: No. 3 Jin Yang, Chripa Schneller and Stephen Roche (Eds) The Role of Higher Education in Promoting Lifelong Learning Published in 2015 by UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning Feldbrunnenstrasse 58 20148 Hamburg Germany © UIL 2015 This publication is available in Open Access under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO) licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repository (http://en.unesco.org/open-access/terms- use-ccbysa-en). The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) is a non-profit international institute of UNESCO. The Institute undertakes research, capacity-building, networking and publication on lifelong learning with a focus on adult and continuing education, literacy and non-formal basic education. Its publications are a valuable resource for educational researchers, planners, policymakers and practitioners. While the programmes of the UIL are established along the lines laid down by the General Conference of UNESCO, the publications of the Institute are issued under its sole responsi- bility. UNESCO is not responsible for their contents. The points of view, selection of facts and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily coincide with official positions of UNESCO or UIL. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO or UIL concerning the legal status of any country or territory, or its authorities, or concerning the delimitations of the frontiers of any country or territory. Design & layout: Satz · Zeichen · Buch – Atelier für Buchproduktion Language editing: Natasha Hogarth Front cover images: Andrius Petrucenia, World Bank, Nottingham Trent University, Sandra Calligaro / Taimani Films / World Bank, Asian Development Bank Back cover images: Christopher Connell (www.flickr.com), Zahur Ramji – AKDN (Aga Khan Development Network) – USAID, www.dreamstime.com, Andrius Petrucenia, Rahul Singhi, World Bank ISBN: 978-92-820-1194-2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword 5 Introduction 7 1 Adult access to higher education: An international overview 17 Michael Osborne, Russell Rimmer and Muir Houston 2 From university lifelong learning to lifelong learning universities: Developing and implementing effective strategies 40 Françoise de Viron and Pat Davies 3 The social efficiency of tertiary lifelong learning: Initial insights from a European research project 60 Karsten Krüger, Nestor Duch, Marti Parellada, Michael Osborne, Michele Mariani and Laureano Jiménez 4 Higher education in lifelong learning in South Africa 88 Shirley Walters 5 Higher education and lifelong learning in Japan: Why is it so difficult to promote recurrent education? 105 Yukiko Sawano 6 The role of universities in elder education: The experience of Shanghai and Shanghai Normal University 129 ZHANG Minxuan and XU Jinjie 7 Lifelong learning in practice 147 Allie Clemans 8 The parallel adult education system: A Danish contribution to lifelong learning at university level 164 Bjarne Wahlgren 9 From Marx to Market: Limitations of university-led ‘collaboration’ in the Yangpu (Shanghai) Innovation Zone 175 Roger Boshier Author biographies 196 FOREWORD The idea for this publication emerged from a seminar held in 2012, in collaboration with the University of Hamburg, to mark the 60th anniversary of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. Entitled The Role of Universi- ties in Promoting Lifelong Learning, this seminar brought together scholars and education practitioners to discuss ways of expanding higher education to facilitate lifelong learning in a variety of geographic and socio-economic contexts. The specific objectives of the seminar were to exchange experiences of teaching and learning, to explore opportunities for collaborative research to inform national and regional policies, and to discuss ways to develop the capacities of policy-makers and practitioners to promote lifelong learning. The seminar covered a wide range of topics, including adult education, validation of prior learning, Third Age learning, access to higher education, teacher training and ethics in education. Some of the chapters in this book were written by speakers at the 2012 seminar, while others were solicited subsequently. Together, they address various ways that higher education can promote lifelong learning, paying due con- sideration to regional disparities and specificities. These include responses to the learning needs of senior citizens in China, the challenge of implementing recurrent education in Japan, European efforts to develop a common ap- proach to lifelong learning at university, and how a lifelong learning ap- proach is transforming higher education in Australia. We hope that this book will help the reader gain a better understanding of the theoretical frameworks and practical implementation of lifelong learning in higher education, both within their own regional context and globally. Arne Carlsen Director, UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning 5 INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION Jin Yang, Chripa Schneller and Stephen Roche UNESCO’s vision of lifelong learning encompasses all contexts (formal, non-formal and informal) and ages (‘from cradle to grave’) of learning. The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning and its predecessor, the UNESCO Institute for Education, have promoted policy and practice in this field for more than four decades. The decision to produce this volume was prompted by an observation that lifelong learning – both as a concept and in its many practical manifestations – is becoming a staple of education policy discourse around the globe. At the same time, we noted that understandings of lifelong learning differ widely, not only between countries, but also across the sub-sectors of education systems. The human population of the world is not only larger, but also older than it has ever been. Moreover, the proportion of older adults is still rising. These people have much to contribute to the development of society. Therefore, it is important that they have the opportunity to learn on equal terms with the young, and in age-appropriate ways. Their skills and abilities need to be recognized, valued and utilized. There is no doubt that universities have a vital role to play in promoting lifelong learning, and in recent decades the international education community has discussed the implications of lifelong learning for higher education. In 1997, the Agenda for the Future adopted by the 5th International Conference on Adult Education called for institutions of formal education, from primary to tertiary level, to open their doors to adult learners, both women and men, adapting their programmes and learning conditions to meet their needs. It was stated that they should do this by six principal means: 7 1. Developing coherent mechanisms to recognize the outcomes of learning undertaken in different contexts and to ensure that credit is transferable within and between institutions, sectors and states; 2. Establishing joint university/community research and training partnerships; 3. Bringing the services of universities to outside groups; 4. Conducting interdisciplinary research on adult learning and education with the participation of adult learners themselves; 5. Creating opportunities for adult learning in flexible, open and creative ways, taking into account the specificities of women’s and men’s lives; and 6. Providing systematic continuing education for adult educators (UIE, 1997). The Cape Town Statement on Characteristic Elements of a Lifelong Learn- ing Higher Education Institution, developed at the Conference on Lifelong Learning, Higher Education and Active Citizenship in October 2000 traced the outline of a lifelong learning higher education institution (UIE, 2000). Nine years later, the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education urged investment in higher education to help build inclusive and diverse knowledge societies and to advance research, innovation and creativity. In its communiqué, this conference affirmed the role of higher education in lifelong learning with statements that “the knowledge society needs diversi- ty in higher education systems, with a range of institutions having a variety of mandates and addressing different types of learners” and “the training offered by institutions of higher education should both respond to and an- ticipate societal needs. This includes promoting research for the development and use of new technologies and ensuring the provision of technical and vocational training, entrepreneurship education and programmes for lifelong learning” (UNESCO, 2009). 8 INTRODUCTION Given the on-going process of globalization, demographic shifts in many countries, and the rapid pace of technological advancement, higher education institutions face a strategic imperative to broaden access to lifelong learning opportunities and to move from an elite to a mass system, ensuring that education and learning are available to a diverse student population. Broader access to higher education should not be confined to the continuing professional development required by a fast-changing labour market. It must also respond to a growing demand for the personal development

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