Research
We explore how adult education can be made inclusive, digital and effective.
Services
Digital tools, specialist portals and data – for teachers, researchers, students and interested parties.
Institute
We offer research, transfer and infrastructure for lifelong learning.
Bildung im Alter zielt auf Orientierung und erweiterte Handlungsspielräume sowie auf Vernetzung in der realen und digitalen Welt – um den Herausforderungen und Chancen beim Älterwerden positiv begegnen zu können. Als erfolgversprechend erweist sich der Ansatz, dass das Bildungspersonal in Einrichtungen der Erwachsenenbildung als Lern- und Engagementbegleitung engagierte Digitalpat*innen weiterbildet und in deren Praxis fachlich unterstützt.
Institutionally organized adult education has traditionally seen the integration of social strata and groups as its most important task. However, in recent years an increasing disinterest of general adult education in integrative work is to be observed which goes along with the emergence of a specialised andragogical approach and institutional compartmentalization: people with disabilities are increasingly catered for by care facilities and financed by social welfare institutions. The emergence…
Communication competences of adult educators are challenged intensively. Successful learning largely depends on the subject matter’s mediative aspects: rhetoric and vocal processes prove to be significant for the learning atmosphere, group dynamics, understandable knowledge communication and setting group and feedback processes in motion. As a result, a sound and comprehensive repertoire of communicative competences is essential, which can be acquired in close relation to linguistics and speech…
Little is known about the qualifications of trainers in further vocational education. Some hold a degree in educational sciences. At the same time prospective trainers seem to be part of the target group of programs that specialize in adult education. The study focuses on which contents are intended in these programs and whether they could qualify for a later occupational activity as a training professional. For this purpose the course descriptions of 32 programs were analyzed and 10 responsibl…
During the last decade, the configuration of international-comparative research in adult and continuing education has been interwoven with influences of stakeholders of (inter-)national educational policies and their agendas. This paper works with a broad understanding of international-comparative research in adult and continuing education. This understanding includes the interpretation of similarities and differences as well as studies which focus on the cultural interrelationship networks of …
In February 2009, a national association of guidance practitioners and scientific experts, known as the German National Guidance Forum for Education, Career and Employment (nfb), presented a widely recognized key issues paper. The following report comments on the paper from the perspective of continuing education research with a special focus on the following issue: Will the structural improvement of continuing educational counselling lead to an increase of participation in adult education? Due…
Constructive approaches to the EQF and DQR - Basic and advanced certificate model for further education teachers This article presents a specific qualifications framework for the sector of further education, consisting of a two-stage model (basic and advanced certificates). This touches on the discussion about the EQF and DQR as a motivation and opportunity for the professionalisation of further education. The model takes up examples from Austria and Switzerland and is aligned toward prelimi…
For various reasons adult participation in lifelong learning does not measure up to expectations tied to the agenda of lifelong learning. The article suggests that adults relate learning activities to their conceptions of life stages. Therefore, participation in institutionalized continuing education must rather be linked to life-stage-dependant decisions based on sociocultural patterns than to the acceptance of lifelong learning in general. Specifically in the stage of professional life, these…
Je kleiner ein Unternehmen, desto geringer fällt die Weiterbildungsquote der Beschäftigten durchschnittlich aus. Weiterbildungsverbünde sind geschaffen worden, um KMU dabei zu unterstützen, Weiterbildungsbedarfe zu identifizieren und geeignete Angebote zu finden. Die Autor*innen berichten anhand von Ergebnissen der wissenschaftlichen Begleitung über förderliche und hinderliche Faktoren in der Errichtung der Verbünde.