under the patronage
University of Florence, 7th-8th June 2021
Beyond the Pandemic Towards the INTALL Project Results International Online Conference
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Re-thinking Adult Education Research
BOOK OF ABSTRACTS
[ RE-THINKING ADULT EDUCATION AND LIFELONG LEARNING RESEARCH. BEYOND THE PANDEMIC Vanna Boffo University of Florence Abstract The INTALL project partners have created a conference which will focus on the role of adult education research in the times of Covid-19 and on the importance of re-thinking lifelong and lifewide learning for the future. “Re-thinking Adult Education Research Beyond the Pandemic. Towards the INTALL Project Results” is organized by the University of Florence, Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology (7-8 June 2021). We must be aware that after fifteen months of isolation, the pandemic has radically and definitively changed and transformed the social, cultural, economic and ethical priorities of the most advanced societies. Europe found itself reflecting on its cohesion and advancement policies with much more urgency than it would have done without what happened in 2020 and continued to happen for the first months of 2021. Thus, the context has sharply and forcibly changed the message. We have all experienced a dizzyingly rapid transformation and, much more than in other historical moments, we do not really have the perception of a future on a human scale. In this condition, we know how much universities, and we could say higher education in general, have reacted with greater resilience than many other segments of formal education, all over the world. From the point of view of learning organizations, the reaction was immediate and positive. However, tertiary education as a whole needs to reflect on the role we can have for the future of our civil societies. Some themes revolve around the categories of well-being, sustainability, quality of education and inclusion. As research operators, what and how can we think in the face of change? How can research on adult education contribute to the spirit of unstoppable technicaltechnological advancement and, at the same time, stop and think about the ethical and social repercussions for human training? Based on the four pillars of 1) Innovation and Future Competences in Adult Education Research, 2) Professionalization in Adult Education, 3) Sustainability, Inclusion and Wellbeing: Topics for Adult Society and Smart Cities, and 4) Learning and Teaching in Higher Education in Post-Covid Times: A Digital Transformation, the sessions will provide the opportunity to build a debate on the results of the INTALL Project. While INTALL Project "International and Comparative Studies for Students and Practitioners in Adult Education and Lifelong Learning" Grant Agreement No 2018-1-DE01-KA203-004272 (2018-2021), funded with support from the European Commission, had already started reflection on the above directions, the intent now is to reflect on them following this very much unforeseen pandemic. The essay will start from the reflections coming out of the conference to trace reference paradigms and detect the epistemologies used. It will offer reflective results, in order to compose a single picture, despite the variety of the four themes chosen to trace future outlooks. Keywords: adult education, research, future 2
References Boffo, V., Fedeli (eds). (2018). Employability & Competences. Innovative Curricula for New Professions. Florence: Firenze University Press. Egetenmeyer R., Schmidt-Lauff S., Boffo V. (Eds) (2017). Adult Learning and Education in International Contexts: Future Challenges for its Professionalization. Comparative Perspectives from the 2016 Würzburg Winter School. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang. Egetenmeyer R., Fedeli M. (Eds.) (2017), Adult Education and Work Contexts: International Perspectives and Challenges. Comparative Perspectives from the 2017. Würzburg Winter School. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang. Egetenmeyer, R.; Boffo, V.; Kröner, S. (eds.) (2020): International and Comparative Studies in Adult Education. Florence: Firenze University Press. Federighi P. (2013). Adult and Continuing Education in Europe. Using PublicPpolicy to Secure a Growth in Skills. Brussels: European Commission Pubblication.
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Beyond the Pandemic Towards the INTALL Project Results International Online Conference
7th June 2021
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Re-thinking Adult Education Research
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[ THE ROLE OF RESEARCH IN POST-COVID TIMES Maria Slowey Dublin City University Abstract Attempts to engage in future forecasting based on present and past experiences are notoriously unreliable. This is not only due to the complexity, but also to the total unpredictability of “real world” developments – of which Covid-19 is one example. Bearing in mind that we remain engulfed in a global pandemic, forecasting has to be even more tentative than ever. So, in this context, I would highlight three issues. The first concerns the role of experts. These are the academics and others whose inputs into the public arena are based on extensive education, scholarship and research. The growth of populism (and associated social media platforms) has facilitated a relativism in relation to the validity of opinions expressed. While critical engagement is one indicator of the health of democratic societies, acknowledgement of the contribution which scientific knowledge can make to the well-being of wider society is also required. All views, in this sense, are not equal. The pandemic has raised the visibility and profile of researchers, widening access to academic research in ways unforeseen even a few years ago. I see this as a positive development which will impact on university research, and researchers, in the future. Second, over recent decades many European countries have placed a priority on research in the STEM areas (Scientific, Technological, Engineering and Mathematics). Undoubtedly, the outcomes can be highly significant – notably, of course, in recent times the medical and pharmaceutical research that led to rapid development of vaccines. However, in the face of a major public health crisis the social sciences and humanities also (perhaps belatedly) came to be recognized as having crucial roles to play. This suggests a major research agenda for adult education for the future in helping to better understand the socio-economic and cultural ways in which individuals and different social groups respond to such transformative events. Furthermore, and importantly from a policy perspective, this research can help to build an evidence base in relation to the relevant educational interventions which might be made at community, workplace, college, university or other levels. Third, prior to the pandemic a good deal of research focused on globalization, raising questions as to whether the role of the nation state might in fact be declining in importance. Arguably, the post-Covid research agenda may prompt a return to a research perspective which reflects long-standing adult education research priorities, namely, one of interrogating the interrelationships between: the global; the national; the regional; the local…and, the individual.
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[ YOUNG ADULTS’ WORK AND TRANSITIONS IN EUROPE. THE RESEARCH VISION Paolo Federighi University of Florence Abstract After a century of projects, research on the transitions of young people towards the labour market has accumulated a rich know-how. The prevailing perspective has been centred on the relationship between employment supply and demand and their mismatch. These mismatches can originate from nonlinear pathways and frequent job changes, alternating with continuous training, unemployment or reskilling processes. This means that the new research question should no longer focus only on “what skills companies need today and tomorrow”, but rather on “what young people will learn after leaving initial training” and how the different occupations that characterize the lives of young adults contribute to the formation of skill requirements for the jobs of the future. The task is also methodological. Analyses of skills requirements carried out during skills intelligence activities show an approach referring to the disciplinary organization of knowledge. On the other hand, where the discussion moves to the perspective of transversal skills, the needs of a bricklayer are similar to those of a high school teacher. This contradiction is overcome with research focused on the learning outcomes achieved by young people after the end of school. The European Graduate Tracking Initiative, which will be promoted by the European Commission starting from 2022, can help research on the subject. The researchers will obtain longitudinal information that can give new impetus to educational research on the transitions of young people towards the labour market.
[ ADULT EDUCATION – CONCEPTUALIZING THE “NEW NORMAL” Katarina Popovic University of Belgrade Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has created the most severe disruption to global education systems in history. There was a need to “bridge” the gaps in educational processes, information flows and work, and ICT offered a “perfect” solution, so the whole world of education and learning moved to the virtual space. Technology-driven practices were adopted for several reasons, while increased needs and time pressure did not allow for much reflection. What is happening now is a “normalization” of these practices: ICT-based learning is widely presented as the “magical solution”. “Normalizing techniques” have been moved from Foucault’s disciplinary technology to another realm, where the limitations imposed by the pandemic are taken as axiomatic, inflexible and unchangeable. 6
Similar mechanisms of normalizing various behaviour practices have been applied during the pandemic, turning them into stable social norms. The set of values behind the universalization of these practices is not challenged or called into question in order to at least address their harmful side effects. The role of adult education is not only to “equip” people with the knowledge and competences needed for the pandemic, but also to take an active role in conceptualizing the “new normal”, challenge its claim to universal functionality and offer critical views on the proposed solutions.
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PARALLEL SESSION WITH REFERENCE TO THE INTALL RESULTS
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Innovation and Future Competences in Adult Education Research
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[ INNOVATION AND FUTURE COMPETENCES IN ADULT EDUCATION RESEARCH Fabio Togni University of Florence Abstract These days, the professionalization idea (or construct) has become an increasingly urgent issue central to educational reflection. This is not only because it is important to ensure that higher education paths favour effective processes of integration (“occupability approach”) in the labour market, but because the profession is closely linked to the path of self-construction (“employability approach”). Indeed, this process has a deep meaning and is one of the fundamental elements of well-being. A truly sustainable society must represent itself as a society of well-being. This is the reason why all educational interventions should always be “professionally oriented” and be considered in their social meaning (Egetenmeyer). Professionalization is, in fact, one of the many names of “social welfare”. For these reasons, the contributions of this panel will focus on the value of “embedded” professionalization in all both formal and informal educational interventions. While this concerns all professions, it concerns the family of educators most of all. They are called upon to activate the training potential implicit and incorporated in the organizations where they work in an innovative way (Torlone), also through narrative and autobiographical strategies (Rienzo), while paying particular attention to the development of employability and entrepreneurship competences (Alves).
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THE INTALL INTERNATIONAL ADULT EDUCATION ACADEMY AND FUTURE
COMPETENCES IN ADULT EDUCATION RESEARCH Regina Egetenmeyer University of Würzburg Abstract Adult education and its research are characterized by close ties with highly dynamic developments in society. Future competences in adult education research can be derived from an understanding of professionalization in adult education which comprises three different aspects: • Multi-level and interdependent perspectives: Professionalization in adult education is integrated at different levels. These levels include adult educators, adult education providers and society, as set out in national and international policies. • Links between academic knowledge and practice: Professionalization in adult education requires links between academic knowledge and practice. Creating links means developing bridges. These bridges have to develop the relevance of research for practice and the relevance of practice for research. 9
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Relationship between professionalism, bureaucracy and the economy: All situations in adult education are situated between the needs of (1) professionalism as the logic of the academic discipline, (2) bureaucracy as the logic of standardized and hierarchical regulations, and (3) the economy as the logic of the market. The INTALL International Adult Education Academy provides a field of study promoting the development of professional competences for both adult education practice and research. The presentation outlines how these competences are developed within the didactical concept of the INTALL Adult Education Academy.
[ ADULT EDUCATORS’ JOB PROFILES AND COMPETENCES Natalia Alves University of Lisbon Abstract Based on the INTALL results (Boffo, Tomei, 2020), we start by discussing the concepts of knowledge, competences and skills. Special attention will be paid to the technical and transversal skills required for adult learners and education professionals. I will also show that various occupational profiles fall under the general label of adult educators and present the most common ones: coordinator of education and training services; educator and trainer; instructional designer and career manager/counsellor. I conclude by discussing the future work skills identified by several international organizations and the challenges for education and adult educators’ career development. Keywords: adult educators, employment, competences References Boffo V., Tomei N. (eds) (2020). Didactical Guide on Employability. A Guide for Teachers to Support Master’s and PhD Students Preparing for Successful Future Work in the Field of Adult Learning and Education. Pisa: Pacini Editore.
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[ NARRATIVE APPROACHES TO THE PORTFOLIO METHOD. PEDAGOGICAL TUTOR FOR THE RECOGNITION OF KEY COMPETENCES IN THE THIRD SECTOR Paolo di Rienzo University of RomaTre Abstract Narrative approaches to the portfolio method strengthen self-knowledge and employability in adult education (Boffo, Fedeli, 2018). In a lifelong learning perspective, knowledge is acquired in a variety of contexts, where the informal dimension is prevalent. This is the case of volunteering, where people learn competences in a tacit and indirect way (UNESCO, 2018). This research focuses on the key competences of third sector professionals and the pedagogical methods to make them visible and encourage their recognition. A device based on a biographical approach is used as the path for the recognition of competences through personalized accompaniment. The experiential dimension of the individual engaged in voluntary work is enhanced by a set of qualitative tools. Learning built through experience is made transparent through reflection and self-assessment activity (Di Rienzo, 2020). In particular, the biographical approach fosters access to people's experiences in career guidance, training, or other forms of accompaniment or support of individuals (Honoré, 2019). Thanks to this method, interest can be focused on the individual’s path as a function of the development and start of an intervention (Pineau, Le Grand, 2003). Reconstructing our own history is extremely important in terms of becoming aware of our potential value, attitudes and learning strategies (Dominicé, 1990). The pedagogical approach has highlighted the importance of the application of narrative tutoring methods to facilitate the recognition of competences and their enhancement for personal and professional development. Keywords: tacit knowledge, volunteering, key competences, biographical method, recognition References Boffo V., Fedeli M. (2018). Employability & Competences. Innovative Curricula for New Professions. Florence: Firenze University Press. Di Rienzo P. (2020). Making Informal Adult Learning Visible. The Recognition of the Third Sector Professionals’ Key Competences. Education Sciences, (10) 9, 1-15. Dominicé P. (1990). L’histoire de vie comme processus de formation. Paris: L’Harmattan. Honoré B. (2019). Le sens de l’expérience dans l’histoire de vie. Paris: L’Harmattan. Pineau G., Le Grand J.L. (2003). Le storie di vita. Milan: Guerini. UNESCO (2018). Recognition, Validation and Accreditation of Youth and Adult Education as a Foundation of Lifelong Learning. Hamburg: UIL.
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[ ADULT EDUCATION RESEARCH SUPPORTING KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT Francesca Torlone University of Siena Abstract The know-how possessed by individuals or organizations is subject to obsolescence in any field, especially in those where knowledge is very much exposed to new challenges, for example concerning new materials, the environment, health and pandemic management or people management. Adults need to access innovative knowledge, that is, they need to know where it is located and who possesses and develops it. Individuals require support to find the necessary knowledge which is created by people with similar problems to their own. In future, adult education research must aim to develop mechanisms and devices that are capable of promoting knowledge production and sharing innovation support. In our experience, we have been working in the following fields of adult education research: - How to identify and encourage individuals to express the demand for innovation (also against the resistance of organizations) - Identification of innovation centres and experts in possession of new knowledge that can be useful to individuals expressing a demand for innovation in any research field (engineering, chemical, health, skills intelligence development) (knowing who knows what) - How individuals can access innovative knowhow in order to respond to transformation and change requirements in their social and working lives (accessibility) - Creation, development and reinforcement of the activities and dynamic learning networks needed to produce new knowledge (mutual learning devices). Keywords: knowledge management, innovative knowledge learning networks, knowledge accessibility
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PARALLEL SESSION WITH REFERENCE TO THE INTALL RESULTS
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Professionalization in Adult Education
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[ EMERGING PROFESSIONS IN ADULT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION. A CHALLENGE FOR EUROPEAN HIGHER EDEUCATION Glenda Galeotti University of Florence Abstract The European planning for the next seven years (2021–2027) aims to guide Europe towards the double green and digital transition and make society and economies more resilient and just (EC, 2020a), further strengthened by the tools and devices to support the post-pandemic recovery (e.g., NextgenerationEU). The European strategy is linked to a political agenda focused on the development of citizens' skills (e.g., Pact for Skills, Skills for Jobs and so on), thus putting into practice the first principle of the European Pillar of Social Rights: access to quality education, training and lifelong learning for all and throughout the European Union (EC, 2020b; EC, 2020c). Overall, the new European framework seems to be based on two founding elements: the adoption of a "mission-oriented" policy that drives innovation across multiple sectors of citizens’ lives (Mazzucato, 2018) and the shift of lifelong learning from a goal of specific strategies to a means to tackle the great European challenges. From this perspective, there are meaningful consequences for those involved in adult and continuing education. These include providing modern and dynamic education and training directly linked to the labour market, societal needs and personal empowerment; devising innovative tools, more flexible and accessible learning pathways; and consequently redesigning the initial training and reskilling of the professionals working in this sector. Therefore, HE and the research on adult and continuing education are called to reflect on the traditional and emerging professions and the professionalization pathway (Federighi, 2020) to train professionals capable of understanding the complexity of phenomena, rethinking organizational forms and acting in diversified contexts to support the development of knowledge and skills in order to transform society.
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NEW CHALLENGES FOR ADULT EDUCATORS WITHIN LIFELONG LEARNING
POLICIES: GUIDANCE AND VALIDATION IN ADULT LEARNING AND EDUCATION OFFERS IN EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES Paula Guimarães University of Lisbon Abstract Adult education and lifelong learning policies was a central topic of discussion within the INTALL Project. From the main international governmental organizations dealing with adult education, in the last two decades the European Union has developed an important role in the promotion of adult learning and education policies in the form of lifelong learning 14
guidelines (Milana, Holford, 2014). In different member states, offers focusing on formal, non-formal and informal adult education have been supported through the development of soft governance tools, such as indicators and benchmarks, qualification frameworks, implementation guidelines, expert knowledge and research, among others (Grek, 2008). The diversification of offers has allowed the establishment of new job tasks, such as guidance, which adult educators have to perform. Additionally, some of these offers have had recognition of prior learning as a main aim provision requiring job tasks related to validation of learning developed throughout life in a wide range of contexts. Therefore, in recent years, tasks such as guidance and validation have received great attention from the European Union institutions, such as CEDEFOP, as well as from national bodies in charge of implementing adult education policies (CEDEFOP, 2018; Dzhengozova, Luomi-Messerer, Richardson, 2019, among others). This presentation will critically analyse guidance and validation procedures and their impact on adult educators’ jobs, namely the trend of contributing to the professionalization of adult educators as lifelong learning technicians (Guimarães, Alves, 2017). Keywords: adult educators, adult learning and education, lifelong learning, European Union, guidance, validation References CEDEFOP (2018). European Inventory on Validation of Non-Formal and Informal Learning. 2018. Final Synthesis Report. Thessaloniki (Greece): CEDEFOP. Dzhengozova M. (2019). European inventory on validation of non-formal and informal learning 2018 update: Bulgaria. http://libserver.cedefop.europa.eu/vetelib/ 2019/european_inventory_validation_2018_Bulgaria.pdf Grek S. (2008). From Symbols to Numbers: The Shifting Technologies of Education Governance in Europe. European Education Research Journal, vol.7, nr. 2, 208-218. Guimarães P., Alves N. (2017). Adult Educators in Portugal: From the European Guidelines to a National Public Policy of Lifelong Learning Technicians. In Egetenmeyer R., Schmidt-Lauff S., Boffo V. (Eds), Adult Learning and Education in International Contexts: Future Challenges for its Professionalization Comparative Perspectives from the 2016 Würzburg Winter School Frankfurt-am-Main (Germany): Peter Lang Edition, pp. 65-76. Luomi-Messerer K. (2019a). European inventory on validation of non-formal and informal learning 2018 update: Austria. http://libserver.cedefop.europa.eu/vetelib/2019/european_inventory_validation_201 8_Austria.pdf Milana M., Holford, J. (Eds) (2014). Adult Education Policy and the European Union. Theoretical and Methodological Perspectives. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. Richardson M. (2019). European inventory on validation of non-formal and informal learning 2018 update: United Kingdom England and Norther Ireland. http://libserver.cedefop.europa.eu/vetelib/2019/european_inventory_validation_201 8_United_Kingdom_England_Norther_Ireland.pdf
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[ EDUCATIONAL PROFESSIONS IN THE FIELD OF PROFESSIONALISM Claudio Melacarne University of Siena Abstract This presentation describes adult education professions through the construct of “professionalism”. The construct of “professionalism” has been used in the scientific literature to outline the idea that the identity and competences of professionals, in general, are linked to a multiple system of legitimation, rather than to single factors like social rules, rights and institutional declarations. The presentation starts from the history of the “professionalism” construct to show the implications of this point of view in planning and designing training and educational programmes for adult educators. Three dimensions of transformations have been defined by looking at the professionalism landscape to understand the evolution of adult education professions: from the idea of competence-based professions to capability-based professions, from specialist skills to vertical skills, from external legitimation to negotiated and situated validation of the professional identity. Keywords: professionalism, adult education, competences, complex skills References Boffo V., Melacarne C. (2019). Employability in Adult and Higher Education. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 163, 163-169. Calaprice S. (2020). Educatori e pedagogisti tra formazione e autoformazione. Identità, azioni, competenze e contesti per educare all’imprevedibile. Milan: FrancoAngeli. Costa M., Strano A. (2018). Boosting Entrepreneurship Capability in Work Transitions. In Boffo V., Fedeli M., Employability & Competences. Innovative Curricula for New Professions. Florence: Firenze University Press, pp. 389–398. https://doi.org/10.36253/978-88-6453-672-9.43 Evetts J. (2009). New Professionalism and New Public Management: Changes, Continuities and Consequences. Comparative Sociology, 8, 247-266. Evetts J. (2011). A New Professionalism? Challenges and Opportunities. Current Sociology, 59, 406-422. Fabbri L. (2014). Università e nuove professionalità. Metis, 1(IV), 174-181. Fabbri L., Giampaolo M. (2021). Prefigurare professionalità future: i piani per l’orientamento e il tutorato dei CdL L-19. Educational Reflective Practices, 1, 5-21. Freidson E. (2002). Professionalismo. La terza logica. Bari: Dedalo.
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THE ROLE OF ORGANIZATIONS IN THE PROFESSIONALIZATION OF ADULT
EDUCATORS Borut Mikulec University of Ljubljana Abstract The adult education research community (see, for example, Egetenmeyer, Breitschwerdt, Lechner, 2019; Jarvis, Chadwick, 1991; Nuissl, Lattke, 2008) and international organizations active in the field of adult and continuing education (ACE) (see, for example, Council, 2011; DVV International, 2013) emphasize the importance of well-qualified personnel working in the field. However, the field is characterized by fragmented training opportunities and a precarious job status, with many adult educators (AE) working in the field lacking formal preparation for teaching, counselling, programme planning, and so on before entering the profession (Andersson et al., 2013). In recent years, especially in the European educational space, a main focus of professionalization studies has been the competences that AEs should have (see Mikulec, 2019), but less attention has been given to the important role organizations play in their professionalization. Organizations not only provide primary spaces for the (professional) development of AEs (Breitschwerdt, Lechner, Egetenmeyer, 2019) but also highlight, from a multi-level perspective on professionalization, the general importance of interdependencies between the state-society (macro), organization (meso) and staff-personnel (micro) levels of professionalization (Egetenmeyer, Breitschwerdt, Lechner, 2019). Therefore, the aim of this presentation is to fill this gap and to argue that ACE organizations play a role in the professionalization of AEs by providing opportunities for primary professional education and continuing professional development. Keywords: adult education, organizations, professionalization of adult educators References Andersson P., Köpsén S., Larson A., Milana M. (2013). Qualification Paths of Adult Educators in Sweden and Denmark. Studies in Continuing Education, 35(1), 102– 118. Breitschwerdt L., Lechner R., Egetenmeyer R. (2019). The “New Professionalism” in Adult and Continuing Education – A Multi-level Perspective. Adult Education and Development, 86, 88–95. Egetenmeyer R., Breitschwerdt L., Lechner R. (2019). From “Traditional Professions” to “New Professionalism”: A Multi-level Perspective for Analysing Professionalisation in Adult and Continuing Education. Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 25(1), 7–24. Jarvis P., Chadwick A. (1991). Training Adult Educators in Western Europe. London: Routledge. Mikulec B. (2019). Competences of Adult Education Professionals in the European and Slovene Context. Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 25(1), 25–44. Nuissl E., Lattke S. (Eds.). (2008). Qualifying Adult Learning Professionals in Europe. Bielefeld: Bertelsmann. 17
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CURRICULUM
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PROFESSIONALIZATION
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EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS Thomas Lichtenberg DVV International Abstract Curriculum institutionALE is one of several tools and instruments which DVV International has developed in adult learning and education. Curriculum institutionALE is an orientation framework for strengthening Institutions of Adult Learning and Education. It provides basic guidelines for managing capacity and organizational development, and suggests indicators and means of verification for organizational change and capacity development. It offers the basics for defining goals and criteria for capacity and organizational development, collecting reliable baseline data, designing and implementing processes of capacity and organizational development, and assessing progress. Addressing leaders of Institutions of Adult Learning and Education and external advisors, it can be adjusted to fit various contexts and institutions across the world. Curriculum institutionALE provides neither an exhaustive account of change processes, nor a one-size-fits-all roadmap to organizational change. It invites to engage in a reflection on change management in Institutions of Adult Learning and Education, and to adjust objectives and processes to a specific context. Curriculum InstitutionALE has been implemented in a number of DVV International partner countries and has received positive feedback. Keywords: organizational development, adult education institutions, capacity development References DVV International. Curriculum institutionALE. Orientation Framework for Strengthening Institutions of Adult Learning and Education. Bonn. 2021. https://www.dvv-international.de/en/ale-toolbox/organisation-and-management/curriculuminstitutionale https://www.dvvinternational.de/fileadmin/files/Inhalte_Bilder_und_Dokumente/Microsite_A LE_Toolbox/Curriculum_institutionALE/Curriculum_institutionALE_EN_new.pdf
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Beyond the Pandemic Towards the INTALL Project Results International Online Conference
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Re-thinking Adult Education Research
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COVID AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION: CHALLENGES
AND OPPORTUNITIES Monica Fedeli University of Padua Abstract For teaching in higher education institutions, the process of returning to the “new normal” will not be a simple transition from distance learning to face-to-face teaching. New processes and plans must be thought and developed to guide the transformation. The challenge will be to integrate what emerges from this pandemic in a new teaching and learning approach. Among the most common challenges and opportunities is the need for flexibility and attention to the new requirements of students, teachers and society in terms of education and change. It is a great opportunity for inclusion and diversity management, to make the most of differences and diversity and open teaching to perspectives that favour broader and more inclusive contexts. Social and educational sustainability means promoting an educational paradigm and teaching that is equitable, visible, achievable and attentive to differences. Sustainability, therefore, is meant as a shared value created for people and institutions. The challenge posed by the globalization of teaching and learning thanks to digitalization is to create an educational programme that goes beyond the local level while enhancing its uniqueness. Universities can offer unique and unrepeatable opportunities to students and adults outside the local context and in a global dimension. The overcoming of physical barriers has opened the doors of classrooms and de-privatized knowledge, allowing teaching to travel around the world. The panellists will try to promote a critical approach to reflect on these themes.
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CONFRONTING COVID SCEPTICISM: THE ROLE OF RELATIONSHIPS AND
TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING Edward Taylor Penn State Harrisburg Abstract Covid scepticism/hesitancy is “the delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite availability of vaccine services” (World Health Organization, 2021) and it is having a significant impact on countries reaching herd immunity and returning to normalcy. Due to this hesitancy it is projected that potentially 25% of the habitants in Europe will choose not to take the vaccine. Much of this hesitancy is due to fear, conspiracy beliefs and the lack of faith in science. A typical response has been through education (providing accurate information), although this approach has proven to be far from adequate. In response, this presentation argues for a more social psychological approach to confronting Covid scepticism, drawing on the power of empathy and the role of relationships, theoretically 20
informed by transformative learning. Engaging in empathy, which is foundational for critical reflection, reveals a relational approach for change that is first about understanding, followed by the means for change among the undecided.
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AN ECOLOGY OF THE RESEARCH ON LIFELONG LEARNING: EXPANSION,
INTERCONNECTION AND NEW EVOLUTION Soonghee Han Seoul National University Abstract As Peter Jarvis confessed, from a lifelong education perspective, “the 1980s and 1990s are a paradoxical period. Many of the longer-established forms of adult education, deprived of state support, were in recession; while new forms of adult learning were emerging” with a market-driven concept of “lifelong learning”. Since then, while the global turns were generally observed, academics found the Republic of Korea to be like the “Galapagos Islands”, where the original notion of lifelong education and the learning society have been well preserved, with a strong attachment to the authentic idea of major educational reforms. In this presentation, I will introduce a result of my article published in Korea last year, entitled “Conceptual Ecology of ‘Lifelong Learning:’ Expansion, Interconnection and Evolution”, written by myself and two of my colleagues, which analyses Scopus and RISS database meta-data. While the notion of lifelong learning has today come to be a “new academic ecology”, that is, a general and transdisciplinary concept that shares more connectivity and alliances in collective research to shed “new” light on the “old” phenomena of human learning in a new epoch, Korean academics still strongly believe in the value of the original spirit of “lifelong education” and keep struggling to build a learning society led by the reformation of educational systems. This topic is worth being revisited and compared with the global stream.
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PARALLEL SESSION WITH REFERENCE TO THE INTALL RESULTS
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Sustainability, Inclusion and Wellbeing: Topics for Adult Society and Smart Cities
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SUSTAINABILITY, INCLUSION AND WELLBEING:TOPIC FOR ADULT SOCIETY
AND SMART CITIES Giovanna Del Gobbo University of Florence Abstract The current epidemiological emergency linked to the spread of the SARS-Cov-2 virus has brought the need to foster awareness of the profoundly ecological dimension of social wellbeing. We assist to a stress test of the social pact: some structural weaknesses have become more evident as growing inequalities, of income, of access to welfare services and opportunities, between territories; educational poverty of children and adults; polarization between "guaranteed" (by work, home ownership, family network, …) and "not guaranteed" (precarious, single-parent households, isolated elderly, migrants, ….). The concept of "sustainability" has demonstrated the urgency to be considered in its forms: environmental, social, economic and cultural. Sustainability concretely represents a long-term goal that finds a reference framework in the SDGs in addressing global problems such as poverty, unemployment, growing inequalities, unequal distribution of wealth and power, environmental risks. The need for a cultural change, for an overall and pervasive orientation towards sustainability is evident: a change in mentality that includes values, attitudes and behaviours, a new "sustainability mind-set" to modify habits, work routines, individual behaviours, the way of "living" the life-space and workplace. Sustainability-oriented and sensitive citizens and workers have become those who “are able” to actively participate in an global improvement process. These skills require a lifelong oriented approach to educational processes that cannot be exhausted in formal contexts, but require to be supported and strengthened in a plurality / continuity of learning experiences and environments, including life contexts, local communities, work contexts. Social and community based learning, holistic approaches to exploit individuals potential, innovative forms of governance, based on shared responsibility and able to involve community in its different expressions can be ways to deal with this ecological dimension of social well-being. References CEDEFOP e OECD (2015). Green skills and innovation for inclusive growth. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union EEA (2019). Sustainability transitions: policy and practice. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union Fahlquist J.N. (2009). Moral Responsibility for Environmental Problems–Individual or Institutional? Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 22(2): 109-124 Hermes J., Rimanoczya I. (2018), Deep learning for a sustainability mindset . The International Journal of Management Education, 16/ 3, pp. 460-467 Hermes J., Rimanoczya I. (2018), Deep learning for a sustainability mindset . The International Journal of Management Education, 16/ 3, pp. 460-467 Kassel K., Rimanoczy I. (a cura di) (2018 ). Developing a Sustainability Mindset in Management Education. New York Routledge Mieg H.A. and Töpfer K. (2013). Institutional and Social Innovation for urban sustainable development. New York: Routledge Peeters W., Dirix J., Sterckx S., 2015, The capabilities approach and environmental sustainability: the case for functioning constraints. Environmental Values, 24(3), 367– 23
389 Rimanoczy I. (2021), The Sustainability Mindset Principles. A Guide to Developing a Mindset for a Better World, New York Routledge Vare P., Arro G., de Hamer A., Del Gobbo G. et al. (2019). Devising a Competence-Based Training Program for Educators of Sustainable Development: Lessons Learned. Sustainability, 11: 1890-1910
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BALANCING THE SMART AND THE INCLUSIVE: LEARNING CITIES FOR
SUSTAINABLE URBAN COMMUNITIES Balazs Nemeth University of Pécs / EUCEN Abstract Since 2012, the UNESCO Global Learning Cities programme has become a successful network-based movement, demonstrating not only the linkages, but also the dependencies between community development, adult learning and active citizenship for sustainable development (UNESCO, 2017). The examples of Cork, Espoo and Belgrade have recently highlighted (Nemeth, 2020) that communities are unable to develop successful learning city and learning community models unless they cement their actions on bottom-up formations to signal a participatory focus and citizen well-being combined with the development of basic to work-based skills and competences in a digitalized world. This means that a combination of smart and inclusive ways of community-based learning can better reach out to underrepresented groups or adults who may want to develop and improve well-being in their neighbourhood or district by collecting and sharing knowledge and experience via community-based learning activities (O’ Tuama, 2020). Some other examples from communities in India, Palestine and the UK demonstrate that it is not necessarily the label itself, but that smart learning can be successfully combined with engaging citizens in urban learning settings for the cohesion of their communities (Németh, Diba, Issa, Tuckett, 2020). Therefore, I will argue the importance for adult learning and education initiatives and programmes to build on learning cities and communities in order to promote lifelong learning in contexts of employability, active citizenship and beyond. Keywords: inclusion, community engagement, adult learning, well-being, active citizenship References Nemeth B. (ed.) (2020). Learning Cities – an Influential Topic for Adult Education and Learning, Drawing Attention to Inclusion, Collaboration and Innovation Studies. Adult Education and Learning, Vol 26 No 1. Ljubljana: University of Ljubljana. Németh B., Diba F., Iossa O., Tuckett S.A. (2020). Learning Cities and Learning Communities: Analysing Contextual Factors and Their Impacts on Adult and Lifelong Learning in Urban Settings. Andragogical Studies, No 1. Belgrade: University of Belgrade, pp. 17-53. 24
O’ Tuama S. (2020). Learning Neighbourhoods. Lifelong Learning, Community and Sustainability in Cork Learning City In. Learning Cities – an Influential Topic for Adult Education and Learning, Drawing Attention to Inclusion, Collaboration and Innovation Studies. Adult Education and Learning, Vol 26 No 1. Ljubljana: University of Ljubljana, pp. 53-65. UNESCO (2017). Learning Cities and the SDGs: A Guide to Action. Hamburg: UIL
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THE ROLE OF ADULT LEARNING PROVISION IN BUILDING FAIR AND
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES Alexandra Kozyra European Association for the Education of Adults Abstract During her input, the speaker will put the concepts of sustainability, inclusion and well-being in the larger context of “life skills”, or “skills for life”, as they are called in the newly launched European Skills Agenda. Looking at the challenges facing European societies during and post-COVID 19 crisis, such as a just and green recovery, the speaker will briefly introduce several grassroots or local initiatives in which adult learning provision has played a significant role in building healthier and more sustainable communities. Exploring the challenge of sustainability, the speaker will present an adult learning programme run by an EAEA member in Turkey, which supports adults in becoming “earth citizens”. She will also introduce the concept of sustainable cities, focusing specifically on the role of adult learning providers. Turning to the concept of inclusion, the speaker will discuss how public spaces can encourage more inclusive and participatory learning approaches, and the potential of community outreach in diversifying the profiles of learners. This will be supported with examples of two local initiatives from Vienna, Austria and Ledine, Serbia. Finally, the speaker will briefly discuss wellbeing as a key topic in adult learning as Europe enters a recovery period from the COVID-19 crisis. The importance of introducing content relating to mental health in adult learning programmes will be brought to the fore, as illustrated by case studies from folk high schools in Denmark and community education centres in Ireland. Keywords: life skills, resilience, sustainability, inclusion, mental health References Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe. (2020). EPALE Community Conference 2020. Adult education for democracy and values – workshop [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEsVpmageFo European Association for the Education of Adults. (2019). Policy paper: Life skills and participation in adult learning. https://eaea.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Lifeskills-and-participation-in-adult-learning_December-2019.pdf European Association for the Education of Adults. (2019). Life skills approach in the Danish context: building a community spirit and creating flexible learning pathways. https://eaea.org/2019/05/22/life-skills-approach-danish-context-building-communityspirit-creating-flexible-learning-pathways/ 25
European Association for the Education of Adults. (2018). Background paper: Adult education and sustainability. https://eaea.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/AE-andsustainability_with-cover-and-logos_12_2018.pdf Kil M., Dasch B., Henkes M. (2013). Outreach – Empowerment – Diversity Collection, Presentation and Analysis of Good Practice Examples from Adult Education Leading towards an Inclusive Society. https://www.oed-network.eu/wpcontent/uploads/2018/06/oed-collection-of-good-practice-report_26-04_final-2.pdf Sönmez O. (2015). How to become an Earth citizen? Adult Education and Development, 82, 38-43. https://www.dvv-international.de/en/adult-education-and development/editions/aed-822015-global-citizenship-education/articles/how-tobecome-an-earth-citizen
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RE-THINKING LEARNING PRACTICES IN THE COVID ERA: INDICATIONS FOR
TEACHERS AND EDUCATORS Maria Luisa Iavarone1, Francesco Vincenzo Ferraro2 1 University of Naples “Parthenope” 2 Derby University, United Kingdom Abstract During the Covid era, we rethought our lives. The pandemic produced profound changes in the organization of the socio-economic fabric. The educational system, in particular, underwent a forced reconsideration of classroom space and lesson time (Save The Children, 2020). We are currently going through a sort of “educational atopy” since the traditional coordinates of “space” and “time” have changed. In essence, new digital educational ecosystems have emerged (Basri, Husain, Modayama, 2021). This makes it necessary to monitor the educational sustainability of these novel ecosystems, for a digital civilization (Iavarone, 2021) that reduces inequalities, prevents the risk of exclusion and protects the democracy of knowledge. In order to preserve opportunities for inclusion and well-being in adolescence, our research team worked on embodied theories and reported the effects of the education system on young adolescents (age range 13-19 years old) before and during the pandemic, providing educators and teachers with effective indexes on how to support educational and didactic practices that can compensate for the lack of body-cognitive experiences during distance learning. What emerged from our studies is the necessity to help students and teachers to cope with phenomena of isolation, boredom and bullying caused by a lack of physical interaction and cognitive experiences (Ferraro et al., 2020; Ferraro, Ambra, Iavarone, 2020). These gaps required us to integrate embodied theories and physical activities into asynchronous emergency teaching. The aspects necessary to enhance postCOVID education and regain positive cognitive interactions can be approached with unstructured sport-based interventions as demonstrated with bodytasking (Aruta, Ambra, 2020). References 26
Aruta L., Ambra F.I. (2020). Coreo-grafie di corpi vissuti. Danza narrativa di un'esperienza educativo-terapeutica. FORMAZIONE & INSEGNAMENTO. Rivista internazionale di Scienze dell'educazione e della formazione, 18(2), 144-153. Basri M., Husain B., Modayama W. (2021). University Students’ Perceptions in Implementing Asynchronous Learning During Covid-19 Era. Metathesis: Journal of English Language, Literature, and Teaching, 4(3), 263-276. Ferraro F.V., Ambra F.I., Aruta L., Iavarone M.L. (2020). Distance Learning in the COVID19 Era: Perceptions in Southern Italy. Education Sciences, 10(12), 355. Ferraro F.V., Ambra, F.I., Iavarone M.L. (2020). Evaluation of Health-Habits with the S.M.A.R.T. Questionnaire: An Observational Study. Education Sciences, 10(10), 285. Iavarone M.L. (2021). I problemi del sistema educativo nella complessità della Covid-Era. Nuova Secondaria, 2021(10). Save The Children. (2020). Riscriviamo il futuro. Rapporto sui primi sei mesi di attività.
[ EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY: THE POTENTIAL OF LEARNING CITIES Roberta Piazza University of Catania Abstract The role that cities play in fostering lifelong learning is increasingly recognized as an engine for developing the resources needed to build inclusive and equitable cities. This vision has led to the spread of city models aimed at supporting well-being and sustainable development - healthy cities, child-friendly cities, smart cities, age-friendly cities, resilient cities and so on. Whatever model we want to consider, the possibility of development is centred on the learning possibilities offered to citizens in formal and non-formal contexts. Especially as a result of COVID-19, it has emerged that learning represents the key element to deal with crises, that is, learning based on collaborative and action-oriented approaches in order to work on the various challenges related to the sustainable development of cities. Cities must undertake to find opportunities of lifelong learning for all, especially those adults who are often cut off from chances to update their skills and who suffer from multiple forms of disadvantage and discrimination. This contribution, built on activities internationally supported by PASCAL Learning Cities Networks (LCN), underlines the importance of sustaining community-based learning processes that enable the development of sustainable cities. A holistic approach and governance structures able to guide change processes are needed to make ESD part of cities’ strategic plans. Keywords: learning city, sustainability, change processes, community-based approaches, disadvantage
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PARALLEL SESSION WITH REFERENCE TO THE INTALL RESULTS
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Learning and Teaching in Higher Education in Post-Covid Times: A Digital Transformation
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THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF FUTURE ADULT LEARNING AND
PROFESSIONALS’ CONTINUING EDUCATION Daniela Frison University of Florence Abstract The contribution proposes a reflection and insight for discussion on the digital transformation of future adult learning and professionals’ continuing education in higher education and training. Due to the Sars-Cov-2 health emergency and the forced stop to regular training activities, digital work-integrated learning models have been widely proposed to higher education students in Italy as well as internationally. Blended practices and experiences referred to as virtual or simulated work-integrated learning (Fong, Sims, 2010; Sheridan, Gibbons, Price, 2019), or digital workplace learning (Littlejohn, Margaryan, 2014) are emerging as instrumental in achieving several educational outcomes, such as the development of employability skills (Jackson, 2015) and professional identity (Bowen, 2018), the exploration of career opportunities and the facilitation of students’ transition to the workplace (Billett, 2009), as well as the encouragement of a positive attitude towards professional learning and development. The contribution intends to reflect on the main issues that the higher education systems have faced during the pandemic, with a specific focus on the management of traineeships and work-integrated learning activities and projects.
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LEARNING AND TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN POST-COVID TIMES: A
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION Sabine Schmidt-Lauff University of Hamburg Abstract Learning and teaching in higher education can help to face the rapidly changing demands in social, professional and individual life. Multiple dynamics in our globalized modern age, worldwide crisis, migration movements and accelerative technological and digital innovations cause profound changes in people's lives and being. As Rampelt, Orr and Knoth (2019, 6) state: “Digitalisation is not only an additional challenge but also an effective means to address key challenges for higher education in the 21st century”. On top of this, in the current scenario, the pandemic emergency is “sand in the world gears” (Arte TV-Documentation) generating current and future, as yet unforeseeable upheavals, with no exception in any area of education. 29
The digital practices in higher and adult education enforced by the Covid-19 disruption are challenging educational processes at every level: the institutional context and need for a technological base, the curricula, the teachers and the learners’ interaction and communication, as well as the tools available to meet students’ expectations and enhance their learning experiences (García-Morales, Garrido-Moreno, Martin-Rojas, 2021). Digitization is here no longer just about the technical dimension, for example, programmed algorithms, Educational Technologies (EdTech), AI-assisted assessment of student work, or simply blended-learning pathways, but about the structural interweaving and relational co-constitution of the digital with the social, the cultural and the individual. This gives rise to the INTALL@home vision of learning international comparison without being physically mobile. Based on the needs of physically non-mobile learners and using the potential of Open Educational Resources, we created a sophisticated methodology to engage in international comparative analysis from home. During my presentation, I will introduce the instructional design (different self-directed, guided online learning pathways) and envelope the didactical methodology (three comparative topics as work packages). A potpourri of tools, materials and quizzes, etc. becomes visible, underpinned by users’ interim evaluation. INTALL@home combines digital material and support for self-encouragement as a future vision and not just digital adaption (Wannemacher/Bodmann 2021). References Garcia-Morales V.J., Garrido-Moreno A., Martin-Rojas, R. (2021). The Transformation of Higher Education After the COVID Disruption: Emerging Challenges in an Online Learning Scenario. Frontiers in Psychology, 12: 616059. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.616059 Rampelt F., Orr D., Knoth A. (2019). Bologna Digital 2020. White Paper on Digitalisation in the European Higher Education Area. Hochschulforum Digitalisierung Wannemacher K., Bodmann L. (2021). Künstliche Intelligenz an den Hochschulen – Potenziale und Herausforderungen in Forschung, Studium und Lehre sowie Curriculumentwicklung. Arbeitspapier No. 59. Hochschulforum Digitalisierung Sitography Arte TV-Documentation https://youtu.be/RAe2oGo09Hw [11.05.2021]
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[ THE ADULT EDUCATOR AS A CRAFTSMAN. ONGOING TRANSFORMATIONS FOR A “LEARNING BY DOING” PROFESSION Francesca Bracci University of Florence Abstract The contribution proposes a reflection on the new challenges for adult educators, elicited by the radical transformations happening in the labour market, which is becoming more and more digitalized, and undergoing ubiquitous, constant and rapid change. What do these profound and radical transformations require professionals to do? What questions do they pose to higher education systems? How can professionals be trained to pass through uncertain working scenarios and to do so with imagination and creativity? The key concepts underpinning this contribution include neo-professionalism (Butera, 2020); study on practices (Gherardi, Lippi, 2000; Wenger, 2006); reflexivity (Schön, 1987; 1992); organizational research (Weick, Sutcliffe, 2010); and practical creativity as sociocultural participation (Glăveanu, 2011; Sennett, 2008). A discussion of the constructs of practical thinking and creative learning enriched by success stories in which the protagonists transform conventional working environments allows the introduction of the idea of an adult educator as a craftsman.
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DESIGNING TEACHING (AND DISTANCE LEARNING) FOR THE ADULT
UNIVERSITY POPULATION IN POST-COVID TIMES Antonella Nuzzaci University of L’Aquila Abstract Over time, there have been many interpretative approaches to the design and evaluation of the effectiveness of adult education in university contexts. Current trends focus mainly on the analysis of higher education contexts characterized by a high variety of learner characteristics and highly variable learning conditions. For the growth of learning outcomes as a significant quality factor, however, attention must be paid to the design process features and appropriate use of assessment criteria and forms. In addition, the adult learners must take full part in the teaching-learning processes, which are the main creators of these outcomes. Starting from these considerations, the contribution focuses on some problems related to distance learning which emerged during the health emergency but in reality rekindle old issues related to teaching and its different functions. These teaching issues concern both the methodological and didactical training of the university teacher. They also concern how to define adequate strategies to allow the "adult" population attending university to reach the training objectives; how to choose metrologically appropriate tools in line with these objectives; how to select adequate evaluation methods, techniques and tools 31
and how to align them with the planning; how to use technologies in a didactically and strategically integrated perspective; and so on. If what has been learned from distance learning during the emergency period is not taken into consideration in the post-COVID-19 phase, these problems could risk undermining the very meaning of university education “for all”, and continue to compromise the quality of higher education processes, especially when other kinds of obstacles are added to these difficulties.
[ THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION: FROM SOME INTALL PROJECT RESULTS TO PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR THE NEW NORMAL Concetta Tino University of Padua Abstract Introduction: The Covid-19 pandemic has shaped every area of our lives in just a few months, and the consequent effects at the personal, professional and organizational level are unprecedented. Specifically, the field of education is one of the sectors that have most felt the consequences of this forced change. In fact, higher and adult education systems have used the emergency to transform learning and teaching processes and provide responses to learners’ new needs. Purpose: The aim of the paper is to present the output of an INTALL project comparative group discussion, and to show how it supports reflection on some practical implications for the new normal. Method and results: By reflecting on the output obtained in a comparative group discussion on “Re-thinking teaching and learning during the pandemic Covid-19”, the paper aims to present the main issues that the education systems have faced during the pandemic, and to provide insight into the practical implications for the new normal in higher and adult education. Conclusion: This paper provides some contributions to the debate on teaching and learning in higher education for the new normal. Keywords: Covid-19, higher/adult education; new normal; learning, teaching.
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INTALLJUNE2021@UNIFI.IT WWW.INTALLJUNE2021.ORG 33