Task Force University Strategies and Business Models (USBM)

Chair: Carlos Reis (Universidade Aberta)
Lifelong Learning (LLL) is about developing structures for continuing education that can fit the realities of professional life and help complete the knowledge that people acquire during their careers and renew or develop their existing knowledge. It is about all those phrases we use in speeches like "unlocking the knowledge of universities" and "making university education responsive to the needs of business”.

Although LLL is as a concept broadly supported and strongly recognised by universities, governments and the EU, it is still in the starting phase of actually being implemented. LLL is not yet organised sufficiently at most universities which can easily be explained when looking at their principle task and target groups. In general universities are bound to their conventional business models focussing on research and innovation and educational programming in the BA/MA structure. This is the right strategy for the target group of traditional students. Entering the field of the LLL-student means developing new strategies and business models and consequently entering a partly unknown area. This explains for the bigger part the hesitation of most universities to take the next step in organising LLL.

In the EADTU Task Force USBM we identified this lack of development in the field of LLL. On the other hand we clearly see that there are many European universities that already fulfil conditions for a successful implementation of these new approaches. Also, they have built comprehensive learning environments comprising interactive software and features for guided independent learning. However, they lack the right LLL policy, the right LLL strategies and the right business models for a scalable and sustainable approach. The focus of TF USBM is to share and compare successful strategies and business models in LLL.

Task Force on Research in Lifelong Learning (LLL)

Chair: Peter Sloep (Open Universiteit Nederland)
The EADTU members being universities dedicated to LifeLong Open and Flexible (LOF) learning are the frontrunners in operating LLL. This position is related to the technological and didactical knowledge developed through longstanding experience with students who combine study and participation in the labour market. Relevant experience of LOF learning universities is constantly updated by daily practice and confrontation with students, by technological innovations allowing better guidance, and by applied as well as fundamental research. The interweaving of technological innovation and LLL is offering promising results. Scope and activities of the new EADTU Task Force shall comprise of the writing a position paper describing the contours of a broad and coherent, interdisciplinary R&D programme on LLL, addressing issues, solutions and measures that are relevant for the EU and member state societies and economies, and also the exploration of the possibilities for a European network regarding research in LLL.