Adult Education Academy 2014
1st Adult Education Academy
1st Adult Education Academy
Adult Education Academy 2014 (ERASMUS Intensive Programme)
Comparative Studies in European and International Strategies of Lifelong Learning
9-22 February 2014, Würzburg/Bavaria, Germany
The Intensive Programme ‘Comparative Studies in International and European Strategies in Lifelong Learning’ is dedicated to analysing and comparing international and European strategies in lifelong learning. Based on social policy models, the lifelong learning strategies of the European Union, the UNESCO, and other European stakeholders in lifelong learning, including selected European countries, will be subjected to a critical analysis. Furthermore, selected subtopics of lifelong learning will be considered (e.g. recognition of prior learning, transitions into and out of education) for an in-depth comparison and analysis of the situation in various European countries.
The Intensive Programme is geared towards master’s students at seven universities based in five European countries (Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, and the United Kingdom). Students will come from diverse disciplines and specialisations, including education, adult education, human resource management, education and training, teaching adults and young people, social inclusion and change, as well as public policy.
Participants of the Intensive Programme will discuss theories and approaches to be used for analysing European and international lifelong learning strategies. Furthermore, the programme features direct interactions with key European stakeholders in lifelong learning and with lifelong learning practitioners, especially from the local adult and continuing education context of Würzburg. The interaction will lead to a critical analysis and to a comparison of lifelong learning strategies, as well as to a theory-practice reflection on international policies in lifelong learning. A further activity will be the comparison of subtopics of lifelong learning in selected European countries. In small international project groups (four to six students and one professor), students will represent their home countries and compare their national approaches towards realizing lifelong learning.
After completing the Intensive Programme, students will be able to critically assess international policies in lifelong learning, their influence on national policies, and their impact on educational practice. They will be able to compare the impact of international strategies of learning in different European countries and to interpret the specifics of lifelong learning in their home countries. They will have improved their English language skills, gained experiences in international working groups, and begun to build an international network of fellow students, international lifelong learning experts, international associations, and German practice institutions in adult education.
The project consortium will create a project website featuring information and learning materials (e.g. videos, a blog about students’ international learning experiences, comparative studies). It will create an online workspace on Moodle for all programme participants, online videos of all Intensive Programme lectures, comparative studies on subtopics of lifelong learning, as well as a public poster presentation.
