Nurturing lifelong learning in communities through the National University of Lesotho: prospects and challenges

This paper analyses one aspect of a pan-African action research project called ITMUA (Implementing the Third Mission of Universities in Africa). This particular paper draws on the data from that project to explore the National University of Lesotho’s contribution to lifelong learning in its communities. It provides background information on the ITMUA initiative and analyses interview and focus group responses to two case studies in terms of their contribution to lifelong learning. It uses, as its analytical framework, a modified version of Mbigi’s African perspective on the four De Lors’ ‘pillars’, by adding a fifth pillar, courtesy of Torres. The paper argues that community engagement is a two-way process between universities and their wider constituencies with opportunities for mutual lifelong learning. But there are also challenges of understanding and process which must be addressed if the full range of these lifelong learning pillars is to be accommodated within African contexts. The paper provides an introduction to the history of community engagement in Africa as a university mission, followed by a brief discussion of lifelong learning within African perspectives. After describing the particular context of Lesotho, the concept of community service and community engagement in contemporary African contexts introduces the action research project and the case studies. The final part of the paper presents and discusses the research findings

Why not empower knowledge workers and lifelong learners to develop their own environments?

In industrial and educational practice, learning environments are designed and implemented by experts from many different fields, reaching from traditional software development and product management to pedagogy and didactics. Workplace and lifelong learning, however, implicate that learners are more self-motivated, capable, and self-confident in achieving their goals and, consequently, tempt to consider that certain development tasks can be shifted to end-users in order to facilitate a more flexible, open, and responsive learning environment. With respect to streams like end-user development and opportunistic design, this paper elaborates a methodology for user-driven environment design for action-based activities. Based on a former research approach named 'Mash-Up Personal Learning Environments'(MUPPLE) we demonstrate how workplace and lifelong learners can be empowered to develop their own environment for collaborating in learner networks and which prerequisites and support facilities are necessary for this methodology

Meeting the potential for mentoring in Initial Teacher Education: mentors’ perspectives from the Lifelong Learning Sector

The Lifelong Learning Sector’s very diversity has produced a variety of mentoring practice, contested notions of subject pedagogy, and a continuum of mentoring from the ‘jobsworth’ to the master mentor. This article reports on two linked action research projects which investigate the context and challenges of mentoring in the Lifelong Learning Sector (LLS) following a raft of reforms to Initial Teacher Training (ITT) (DfES, 2002; DfES, 2004; Ofsted, 2003). In the research, mentors were asked to reflect on their experiences, interpretations of and training for their role and how they support subject pedagogy. The conclusion suggests that the government’s and regulatory bodies’ conflation of subject knowledge with subject pedagogy adds to the lack of coherent policy towards mentoring teacher trainees in the LLS; that mentor training should be re-focused; and that mentoring should be as well funded and supported in the LLS as it is in the schools sector

DOES DEMOGRAPHICS MATTER IN LIFELONG LEARNING? A RESEARCH CONTEXT OF VIETNAM

Objective: Lifelong learning (LLL) has lately attracted significant attention from the society in general, universities and corporations in particular. For the case of Vietnam, the Government has pledged to create a Lifelong Learning Society. A number of initiatives have been launched to help achieve this goal, including the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Centre for Lifelong Learning (SEAMEO CELLL) and "Book Day", a day dedicated to encouraging reading and raising awareness of its importance in the development of knowledge and skills. Lifelong learning (LLL) programs are also being adopted at libraries, museums, cultural centers, and clubs in Vietnam. In addition to the effort done by the Vietnamese government, a number of non-governmental, non-profit organizations and educational institutions have started to take action to encourage literacy and lifelong learning. It can be said that education and educational reforms are always the top concern of each country. This study is to investigate about lifelong learning of community with 4 aspects: (1) Learning Competencies; (2) Learning Contexts; (3) Learning Contents and (4) Learning Goals as well as examining the differences in the opinion about lifelong learning between categorical variables. The second purpose of the study is to examine the relationship between an individual's perspective on lifelong learning and their actual learning capacity, as well as learning motive. Methods: The paper deploys primary data collecting from 270 people in different sectors and different occupations. Standard statistical techniques such as mean analysis, OLS multivariable analysis are used to find the answer for proposed hypotheses. Results: Using a sample of 270 respondents varying in age, gender, and employment status, the authors found that there are differences on the attitudes towards lifelong learning, the motivations and skills needed for this “journey”. Conclusion: From the findings, researchers proposed recommendations to promoting and fostering lifelong learning of community with the case of Vietnam

Achieving synergy through combining action learning and action research

This is why Ortrun is a vital energy in shaping the evolution of the 'Action' family of scholarship, now including PALAR and LAL (Lifelong Action Learning)

Lifelong Learning and Higher Education: Future Perspectives

Institutional partnerships point to an action agenda for developing a system for lifelong learning in America

Networking lifelong learning: making it happen, an implementation plan

Presented by the FEILT committee Chair - Jenny Scribbins In April 1999 the Council’s FEILT committee (FEILTC) published its proposal information learning technology (ILT) development strategy for the sector entitled Networking Lifelong Learning. The sector response was very positive. In June 1999, FEILTC recommended to FEFC a high-level action plan to take the strategy forward. That plan was endorsed and two implementation task groups were set up with a remit to make detailed implementation proposals. This report summarises the main recommendations of the two task groups to form an implementation plan. FEILTC formally advises the Council to accept this plan as an appropriate implementation route for the ILT development strategy

LIFELONG LEARNING AS THE CATALYST IN HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT IN MALAYSIA

In Malaysia’s National Higher Education Strategic Plan (NHESP): 2007-2020 with its emphasis on higher education excellence, lifelong learning is recognised as one of its seven strategic thrusts. In the ensuing National Higher Education Action Plan Phase 2: 2011-2015, lifelong learning is identified as one of its 23 Critical Agenda Projects (CAPs). Each CAP sets its direction, implements its plans, formulates its key performance indicators, measures and monitors its performance for benchmarking purposes. As for the Lifelong Learning CAP, a Blueprint for the Enculturation of Lifelong Learning in Malaysia: 2011-2020 was officially launched in November 2011. In the blueprint, the status of lifelong learning is elevated to be the Third Pillar of Malaysia’s Human Capital Development System alongside the First Pillar (School System) and the Second Pillar (Tertiary System). The Blueprint focuses on upgrading the productive segment of the society, aged between 15 to 65 years. This is in line with the national aspiration to be a developed and high income nation in the year 2020. To achieve this vision, among others, there is an urgent need to transform our nation’s workforce into knowledge workers. As the largest higher education lifelong learning provider of the country, Open University Malaysia (OUM) needs to play its role effectively in this national agenda. This paper will highlight the focus of the National Lifelong Learning Blueprint and the role of OUM in it. (Abstract by authors