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QUALITY IN ACADEMIC LIFELONG LEARNING, THE CASE OF FINLAND EQUIPE PROJECT OUTCOMES

QUALITY IN ACADEMIC LIFELONG LEARNING, THE CASE OF FINLAND EQUIPE PROJECT OUTCOMES. Kari Seppälä Director, University of Turku, Centre for Extension Studies DGWF Karlsruhe 13.9.2006. University of Turku Founded 1640 and 1920 ”Multidisciplinary research university” Six faculties

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QUALITY IN ACADEMIC LIFELONG LEARNING, THE CASE OF FINLAND EQUIPE PROJECT OUTCOMES

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  1. QUALITY IN ACADEMIC LIFELONG LEARNING, THE CASE OF FINLANDEQUIPE PROJECT OUTCOMES Kari Seppälä Director, University of Turku, Centre for Extension Studies DGWF Karlsruhe 13.9.2006

  2. University of Turku Founded 1640 and 1920 ”Multidisciplinary research university” Six faculties 18000 students, 1100 graduates, 120 doctors Staff 3000, budget 164 m. € Second biggest university in Finland Quality University in LLL Centre for Extension Studies Founded 1985 ”Multidisciplinary, new, learning, attractive” Sections: OU, CPD, RD Students: 9300+2200+1900 Staff 90, budget 7,2 m. € Over 100 international projects from 1990’s WHERE I COME FROM

  3. THE THREE TOPICS OF TODAY • Lifelong learning in Finnish universities • Quality initiatives for LLL in Finnish universities • EQUIPE Project Outcomes

  4. LIFELONG LEARNING IN FINNISH UNIVERSITIES

  5. TYPICAL CONTEXTS OF LLL • Open University/University Extension: University ~ Liberal adult education • VIP: Student • Continuing Professional Development: Scientific ~ Professional sphere • VIP: Client of our student • Regional Development: University ~ Region • VIP: People and firms in the region

  6. OPEN UNIVERSITY • Corresponds to faculty courses • No formal educational requirements for admission • Credits without degrees • Pioneering ODL, IT • Virtual OU

  7. OPEN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS • The main fields are education, social sciences and humanities (over 70%). • 3/4 are women. • 2/4 are 30 years or below, 1/4 between 30 and 40, 1/4 over 40 years old. • 3/4 are secondary school graduates. • Geographical differences exist.

  8. CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION • Non-Degree • Multidisciplinary • Flexible, Tailor-Made • Course Fees, Contracts • Intensive and extensive programmes

  9. CONTINUING EDUCATION IN UNIVERSITIES • Great variety of courses and programs • For academic professionals, people who are training for a new profession, experts in need of research results • More and more often courses are arranged on demand and planned together with the organization that ordered them. • CE also includes training for the unemployed and those who are in danger of losing their jobs

  10. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT • Many universities are active in the development of learning regions. • From 1.8.2005 the third mission is a legal task of the universities. • The main aim is to construct ”a regionally innovative milieu”. • Typically funded by European Commission.

  11. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT SUPPLY • RD had its roots in training for the unemployed and later in courses for entrepreneurs • Regional development is implemented in (ever larger ) projects, where universities act as coordinators and partners. • Projects often include service research, continuing education and training, consultation, networking and marketing.

  12. Typical statements University as the provider Services for university graduates Making use of knowledge production Making use of research approach Our way of saying it In search of the new Research-based education Multidisciplinarity Realizing university values: ethicality criticality creativity communality WHAT MAKES UCE ACADEMIC

  13. THREE QUESTIONS OF BALANCE • In Volumes:  Growth till late 1990’s  Decrease in early 2000’s • In Strategic Development:  Outreach - Mainstreaming • In Profiles  Task Expansion – Core activities

  14. KEYS TO SUCCESS • Student/Customer Orientation • Teamwork of Scientific and Professional Experts • Continuous Quality Improvement • Flexibility • Mixture of Government and Private Funding

  15. Academic standard Business skills Individual expertise Learning organisations Regional impact Renewal of working life Content Production & Delivery Learning at work Information service e&b-learning International cooperation Innovations CHALLENGES FOR ACADEMIC LLL

  16. QUALITY INITIATIVES FOR LIFELONG LEARNINGIN FINNISH UNIVERSITIES

  17. EXAMPLES OF QUALITY INITIATIVES • National study of adult education at universities in 1992-1994 • Accreditation of professional courses from 1999 onwards • Evaluation of adult education at the University of Turku in 1999-2000 (+follow-up) • National evaluation of the open university in 2001-2002 (+follow-up) • Selecting adult education quality units in 2003 (on-going 2005)

  18. ACADEMIC ADULT EDUCATION SURVEY • National inquiry in 1992-1994 • Focus: university adult education • Because of Min.Ed’s need for a general view • Themes: Transition of offer, progress of procedures, new tasks • Outcomes: report and andvanced knowledge

  19. by FINHEEC Board from 1999 Focus: CPE programs in HEIs Min.Ed aim to assure quality Voluntary, consultative expert review Process: application, further data, site visit, expert statements. registration Criteria: working-life orientation, contents and objectives, process, pedagogy, practices, quality assurance Outcomes: accreditation, register, curriculum improvement Polytechnics more active than universities ACCREDITATION OF CPE

  20. Part of institutional evaluation in 1999-2000 (Min.Ed.) Focus: external impact Aim: institutional development International peer review Process: request, working plan, themes, data, self-evaluation, independent evaluator, peer review Themes: quality, cooperation, networks, innovations, evaluation, future Report, new strategy, actions Follow-up 2002 EVALUATION OF ADULT EDUCATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TURKU

  21. National 2001-2002 By Min.Ed: “Clarification of basic values” development in the university sector Focus: entirety of open university “Tailored, transparent, embedded” Themes: equality, access, equivalence, functionality of the system Process: data collection, self-evaluation, mutual evaluations, national hearings, peer review Report  Strategy, profile, allocation Follow-up 2005-2006 EVALUATION OF OPEN UNIVERSITY

  22. ”FINNISH ACADEMIC LLL QUALITY APPROACH” • Development orientation • Using international networks • University autonomy • Linking evaluation and strategy work

  23. TOPICAL: AUDITS OF HEI QUALITY SYSTEMS • International pressures • All the HEIS to introduce a (total) quality system • Aim: to enhance quality assurance • Also covers the third mission and LLL • FINHEEC institutional audits by 2011 • Construction on the way > internal audit > external audit

  24. EQUIPE PROJECT OUTCOMES

  25. EQUIPE STEPS • EUCEN interaction • Expert exchange • EQUAL 1998 - 2000 • EUCEN Quality Task Force • EQUIPE 2002 - 2005 • EQUIPEPlus 2005 - 2008

  26. EQUIPE OUTCOMES • Case Studies • Quality links with introductions • Expert Pool • Consultancy Tool • Benchmarking Tool • EQUIPE Quality Learning Tool

  27. EQUIPEPlus • Dissemination • WWW-pages • National Quality Reports • Universities in Grundtvig • Indicators: examples, do’s and don’ts, a set

  28. Welcome Page Welcome Home Page Q in LLL Materials EQUIPE QUALITY LEARNING TOOL

  29. VIRTUAL BENCHMARKING TOOL

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