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Most learning activities in continuing education are assigned to enterprise-provided continuing vocational training. There is wide-spread interest in this field and its development. But many researchers point out that the theoretical and conceptual foundations for researching and shaping this field are not adequately unfolded. The variety of enterprise-provided continuing vocational training requires approaches, which allow for differentiation between diverse realities and interests of actors. …
The book provides an overview of the current situation in Adult and Continuing Education in Austria. At the beginning stands an introduction into the Austrian education system together with a delineation of the historical evolution of Adult and Continuing Education. The portrait thoroughly informs about the legal foundations, governance approaches as well as institutions, quality assurance, financing, provision and participation. Moreover, the occupational field and strategies for professionali…
Main pillars of professionalisation. The “qualification framework for teachers“ and the “core curriculum adult education and continuing education” Here two initiatives are being compared, which want to contribute to the professionalisation of the continuing education area. The “qualification framework for teachers“ is a German derivate of the European Qualifications Framework. It creates a grid in which the manifold qualification possibilities for teachers of the continuing education area can …
In consideration of the omnipresent commitment to the significance of lifelong learning, the article analyses the role of continuing education within public education funding. Over the past 20 years, public continuing education funding has been reduced by 41 %. The low participation rate in continuing education, particularly among the less qualified and atypically employed, encourage an increase in public investments. Funds should enhance staff counselling, qualification and professionalism as …
How can the performances of continuing education become more influential in the German Qualification Framework (DQR)? The author presents concrete recommendations derived from a cross-provider work group: presentation of key competences across all levels; classification of qualifications acquired in continuing education to individual levels (example of level 6). With regard to the inclusion of non-formal and informal competences in continuing education, the author refers to the potential of EU …
Was leisten virtuelle Welten für das Lehren/Lernen? Chancen und Grenzen virtueller Bildung und Vorausschau auf mögliche zukünftige Entwicklungen für die Erwachsenenbildung sind die Themen dieses Heftes. Der Medienphilosoph Sandbothe erläutert im DIE-Gespräch das zukünftige Verhältnis von virtuellen und realen Welten. Daran schließen sich Fragen an wie: Wozu ist Virtualität gut (Thiedecke)? Was sind die Ergebnisse lernpsychologischer Forschung hinsichtlich virtueller Lernumgebungen (Reimann) und…
The article deals with cooperation under the perspective of governance from an organisational view. According to the variety forms of cooperation in the field of adult education, cooperation can be seen as a medium that adult educational organisations can use for their reproduction and coordination in different institutional environment. Based on empirical findings from a case study, it can be shown that organisations initiate cooperation for collecting resources and legitimation. So, organisat…
This article discusses the consequences of increasing access of non-traditional students to higher education (HE) in Sweden for society, individuals, and HE. The findings are based on a recently finished European Research Project called Access and Retention: Experiences of Non-traditional Students in Higher Education (RANLHE) with seven countries involved. First, an introduction about opening access to HE is presented, followed by a review of Swedish HE policy. Next is a presentation of the RAN…
Departing from the variety of understandings of “region” both in general and in Adult Education, the author aims at a new definition of the term against the backdrop of current discussions on space. Based on a geographic approach, the author analyzes recent literature in the field of Adult Education. He identifies a shift in both politics and research. He, suggests, with Schöning, to evaluate the concept from a variety of perspectives – from the point of view of the subject, of the organiz…