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.
In this article, the dialogue between young and very old people is examined structurally and with regards to contents in the context of education and learning. Topics, interpretations and motivations are the factors which decide how educational and learning processes of different generations can be shaped and understood.
The following article focuses the neglected relation between identity and learning by reconstructing foreign language learning efforts by adults. In spite of educational policy’s proclamation of (continuous) lifelong learning, real learning processes are characterised by various discontinuities. Adults deal with these discontinuities by perceiving, describing and structuring them dependent on their self-images as learners. Interpretations of interviews with adult language learners supply eviden…
Immigration countries such as Germany require legal, social and educational measures to organize migration. Both, the immigrant as well as the host population need to be the concern of educational and training activities. Linguistic, intercultural and political educational programmes are particularly relevant. The REPORT on “Continuing Education and Migration” focuses on empirical research findings and implemented concepts: What are the key issues in continuing education to be tackled within th…
The author presents examples of good practice and defines central tasks and processes of modern libraries, which are regarded as central learning spaces for adults. Using the criteria »shortage – surplus«, »consumption – co-creation« and »product – process«, the relevant social challenges for libraries and adult education are described. It becomes evident that libraries and adult education are in a period of transition, which requires suitable architectural solutions.
This article, which emanates from the KLASSIC project funded by the Federal German Ministry for Education and Research, explores whether the conveyance of metacognitive techniques effectively boost confidence in one’s own learning effort, thus helping escape the vicious cycle of expectations of failure and failure itself (in this case: older adults in everyday settings void of problems). The empirical study shows that tools such as self-surveys, paired problem-solving, learning diaries or portf…
European countries, North America and Japan are strongly affected by demographic change and ageing populations. In these countries a discourse emerged about using the potentials of older people and the role of lifelong learning in this process. This text focuses on international results of further educational participation of older people and outlines concepts of learning in later life in Germany.
Intergenerational learning can be considered as a chance for institutions of adult education. Besides explicitly planned courses for different generations, intergenerational learning opportunities also take place incidentally in the educational work in seminars and courses, when the participants belong to different age groups. In both cases, the question arises how to arrange those courses didactically in order to support intergenerational learning processes. Based on systematic considerations …
The concept of support-networks is currently finding its way out of the theoretical discussions into practical application. This is not only due to the zeitgeist of reduced governmental investments in education policy but also because the concept of support takes into account the social embeddedness of learning costs and thus contributes to the discourse of the „learning society“. Networks are propagated as an alternative to either the state or the market, on the other hand they are likely to c…
The internet is increasingly used as a space for learning. Guidance platforms, blogs, and video tutorials are available online. Self-made is not only the subject but also the designed communication process. The authors pursue the issue of possible reactions of the institutionalised adult education to the proceeding development and potential contributions.