Transcript University Continuing Education: A North American Perspective

Developing Lifelong Learning
in Canadian Universities
Tom Nesbit
Outline
Some facts about Canada and Canadian higher
education
Factors affecting Canadian universities
Research questions
Results
Implications
Discussion
Canada
2nd largest country in the world (10million km2)
35million people, most living within 200km of the
Southern border
Broad cultural diversity
Sizeable aboriginal population (≈5%)
Two official languages
Federal political structure: 10 provinces & 3 territories
Higher education a provincial responsibility
Canada’s Population
Canadian Universities
Canada’s University System
• ≈ 80 universities (75 public)
- 10 large (research-intensive + medical/doctoral)
- 15 medium-sized (comprehensive)
- 45 small (primarily undergraduate)
• Participation (credit) ≈ 1million students (2/3 full-time;
1/3 part-time)
• Non-credit participation unknown (≈ 400,000/year)
Factors Affecting Canadian
Universities
Facing a period of consolidation rather than growth
• Declining governmental fiscal support caused by slow
economic growth/focus on deficit reduction
• Little anticipated growth in 18-24 year old population
• Caps on enrollment growth, tuition and debt
• Inflation and deferred maintenance costs
• Challenges from other types of institutions
Other Influences
Pressure to attract greater diversity of students
- especially adult, aboriginal and international
Increased business involvement/corporatisation
Technological developments
Enhanced public interest & awareness
Concerns over fiscal and organisational accountability
So?
Universities will need to refocus their efforts to:
• accommodate changing student demographics
• prepare students as engaged citizens and for new kinds
of work
• better demonstrate the value of university education
• be more responsive to students’ needs and concerns
Which means paying more
attention to:
Civic engagement & community outreach
Social exclusion
Cultural renewal
Advancing citizenship, participation and social justice
Becoming more learner-oriented
Lifelong Learning
Research Questions
What are the key aspects of Lifelong Learning in
Canadian universities?
What is enabling or constraining its development?
How are Continuing Education units altering their
work and approaches to accommodate changing
contexts?
Data Sources
Preliminary stage of research
• University websites and mission statements ✔
• Pilot study in British Columbia ✔
• Informal interviews with several Deans/Directors at
Western Canadian Universities ✔
• Comprehensive survey of all Canadian universities
• More structured interviews
Results
Just over half (50/80) universities claim a separate unit
and/or to offer some form of lifelong learning
Although present in university mission statements,
“lifelong learning” has an uncertain role and location
Viewed as an area of innovation and experimentation
AND profit-generation
University policies and procedures discourage or
provide barriers for lifelong learners
A Typical Mission Statement
The University [of Toronto] wishes to encourage
learning as a life-long activity, and is committed to:
•Providing to persons in professional practice and to
members of the community at large opportunities to
study and to use its facilities
•Helping other institutions, professional organizations
and learned societies through the provision of facilities
and expertise.
Lifelong Learning
• Generally used to refer to the broad set of beliefs, aims,
and strategies centred on the tenet that learning
opportunities should be accessible to all, regardless of
age and status.
• No agreed-upon definition/ambiguous and contested
concept
• Synonymous with University Extension or Continuing
Education for personal or professional enhancement
What differentiates LL/UCE
Usually part-time and non-credit
Broadly available to most sectors of society
Highly-flexible and responsive to learner demand
Requires few if any prior credentials
Generally multi- or inter-disciplinary
Operates on an entrepreneurial and cost-recovery basis
Specifically organised upon an understanding of and respect
for adult learners' unique needs and challenges.
Factors affecting UCE
Absence of a commonly-accepted definition of UCE
and uncertainty over its roles, purposes and functions
Dearth of clear policies about continuing education or
any guidelines for its implementation
Ambiguous location within conventional university
systems and structures
Organisational and governance issues
Academic legitimacy and credibility
Limited funding and other resource allocation issues
Competition between the historical social orientation
and mandate and demand for more explicit businessand professional-orientated courses and programs
Little research
Inter-university collaborations and partnerships
between UCE units and other social, business and
cultural organisations.
Barriers for Adult Learners
Cumbersome enrolment procedures
Restrictions on entrance qualifications
Inadequate guidance and support systems
Rigid class and office scheduling
The rise of online registration systems
Slow acceptance of alternative prior learning
assessment policies
Lack of access to a welcoming space appropriate to
adult learners’ lives and approaches to learning
Narrow and unimaginative approaches to teaching
Course content that ignores learners’ experiences
Uninformed or unsympathetic faculty and staff
Fiscal requirements that limit the freedom to
experiment.
What is to be Done?
“The point is not merely to understand the world, but
to change it.” (Karl Marx)
Portray Continuing Educations units as the public face
of the university
Linking with like-minded groups
Remember our history
Periodic and honest self-examination
Thinking educationally
Thinking Educationally
“Any successful educational endeavour has to start with
peoples’ understandings of their own problems and
where they want to get to.”
“The most important single thing is to know what
direction in which to move. Otherwise you go around
in circles.”
(Myles Horton)
Implications for UCE units
Nimble & responsive
Competitive yet collaborative
Cost efficient
Institutionally central
Progressive & imaginative
Bridging boundaries
Accountable
Maintain flexible systems and structures
Keep up to date
Connect internally and externally
Measures of relevance and accountability
Strengthen professional practice and academic
awareness
Develop research capacities
Questions/Comments?