Research
We explore how adult education can be made inclusive, digital and effective.
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Digital tools, specialist portals and data – for teachers, researchers, students and interested parties.
Institute
We offer research, transfer and infrastructure for lifelong learning.
Current political strategy to reform career guidance systems in Europe is regulated by subtle practices. Using the governmentality perspective, the purpose of this article is to make sense, in theoretical terms, of governmental reason and mechanisms in reshaping of career guidance systems. The investigation draws attention to mechanisms and practices such as monitoring and evaluation which indirectly operate in the policy process to make career guidance systems amenable for management. Drawing …
The aspect of relations in the relationship between teacher and learner as resource and determinant for lifelong learning In addition to the work with the subject being studied there also exists a personal relationship between the learners and their trainers. The communication science has shown the relevance of relationships in every type of interaction. Therefore, it has to be assumed that the quality of relationships has impacts on learning success. This means for the idea of lifelong lear…
From the principle of the regulated occupation to the supremacy of certification: fields of conflict en route to the German qualifications framework (DQR) This article addresses the central difficulties observed in the search for consensus during the current development of a national German qualifications framework (Deutscher Qualifikationsrahmen, DQR). As well as the difficulty in blending in the German national “dual system” of vocational training with the EQF, the main difficulties identi…
Management of transition in further education of Bochum Consultancy, qualification and education at the transition between school and vocational training The contribution describes, from the perspective of a scientific practical guidance, how a communal further education information centre (in the Ruhr area of Bochum) engages in the transition between school and vocational training in terms of offering help and orientation to school children concerning their choosing of a profession. In a qu…
Working at companies in old age – problem or opportunity? Company strategies for dealing with demographic change Demographic change usually confronts companies with a double challenge. Enterprises have to work with ageing staffs, while a veritable “war for talent” is underway to attract young skilled staff. This article explores the different strategies German enterprises are adopting to meet this challenge. At the same time, it distinguishes between tried-and-proven staff strategies whic…
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 …
Teachers and trainers can only act on what they notice. In line with use-inspired basic research, the question pursued in this book is how teachers’ and trainers’ competence to perceive, analyze, and diagnose situations of learning and instruction can be enhanced resulting in long-term effects. The present state of research with regard to adult education science’s professionalization discourse, teacher education research, competence as well as expertise research is drawn upon in order to gain a…
In the context of lifelong learning, the validation of prior learning has become a contested topic. Views differ about whether procedures should be oriented to (work) requirements – verifying that people match a defined competence profile – or be designed to support people in their personal development. In the latter case, the procedures mainly involve self-evaluation while in the first case they are concerned with external evaluation. In this paper a validation procedure is analysed that inclu…
This book provides information on the current situation of Adult and Continuing Education in Switzerland, on the legal basis, the institutions and their staff, range of courses and participation rates, methods of financing and international contacts. The book also contains a historical overview of the development of adult education. A final chapter outlines trends and perspectives that will shape the further education sector in the coming years. This is a revised edition of the portrait. Since …
