The overall aims and objectives of this project are to improve the learning experience and environment of adults, particularly non-traditional adults, in higher education. The learning needs of adults in higher education is an area that has largely not been addressed.

Aims

• promote lifelong learning in HE within a European dimension
• raise awareness amongst practitioners and policy makers (institutional and governmental) of the learning needs of adults in HE
• identify the learning experiences and needs of adult students
• promote lifelong learning in HE by developing a pedagogy and curriculum which will appeal to those who feel that HE is not for them
• share good practice at regional and national levels and between countries, especially between institutions and countries which have relatively high numbers of adults students and those who do not
• promote institutional change
• increase knowledge in the field on the learning needs and approaches of non-traditional adults in HE
• identify policy recommendations for EU, national and institutional levels

Objectives

• develop, exchange and disseminate innovative approaches and practices to learning and teaching
• develop strategies for adapting HE systems to the needs of adult learners, in both those institutions at the starting point and those with a relative high number of adults
• development of guidelines, learning and teaching approaches and strategies through a handbook
• disseminate outcomes through national workshops, a European conference and publications for policy makers and practitioners
• produce leaflets on policy recommendations at EU, national and institutional levels
• establish a website to include the handbook and exchange of information and discussion

The following documents are available as PDF files for downloading:

Handbook ( 185KB)

Overview of different National Contexts ( 491KB)

Literature Review ( 294KB)

These are links to the web pages of some of the partners in the project:

Centre for Extension Studies, University of Turku, Finland

Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany

ISEGI, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal

CREA, University of Barcelona, Spain

Department of Education, University of Stockholm, Sweden

 

Please download a copy of the Handbook ( 185KB) by clicking on the cover image shown above