FINAL+Sabine+Remdisch

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Building sustainable university-business partnerships

with tailored research and teaching programmes

A lifelong learning case study from Leuphana University

Prof. Dr. Sabine Remdisch · EUA Annual Conference, Warwick · March 23, 2012



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Socioeconomic incentives to becoming a lifelong learning university

! Demographic shift

- Older workers must keep learning to keep up with rapid change

! Growing shortage of skilled workforce

- SMEs are especially affected, representing Leuphana‘s key business community

! Businesses are setting higher demands for qualifications

- employed graduates seeking master‘s degrees

- vocationally qualified workers seeking bachelor‘s degrees

Building sustainable university-business partnerships · Prof. Dr. Sabine Remdisch 22 März 2012 1



Socioeconomic incentives for becoming a lifelong learning university

Current education needs inGermany

- Workforce needed by 2020in the different qualification

levels.

! The need for qualified

employees, especiallyacademically qualified

employees, will continue to

grow in the near future.


Source: IZA Research Report No. 9, 2007



How universities can respond to the socioeconomic challenges

! In order to close this gap, there must be

- an increase in the number of university graduates and

- the integration of non-traditional target groups by drawing the vocationally qualified

into academic types of education.

! We must build pathways between Germany’s internationally renowned vocational training

system and higher education.

! We must pursue an open university concept

- a facilitation of university entrance for those with vocational qualifications

- the recognition of professional or non-university earned competencies.




Defining new target groups

! Demographic shift means many employees will work longer in their lives and still have tokeep up to date, requalify or develop their skills

! Businesses requiring higher qualifications means many employees will return to education

to update their knowledge

! Professionals moving into leadership roles need new/higher qualifications

! People changing professions need requalifying

! Working professionals getting university qualifications for the first time (holding vocationalqualifications)

à These new target groups need LLL / academic education,

but it must be available parallel to their jobs.




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Restructuring to become a lifelong learning university

! Leuphana chose to offer opportunities for study parallel to work and to overcome

the cultural divide and communication

barriers between academia and

business.




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Restructuring to become a lifelong learning university

! Leuphana’s four unit model:

- College – holistic, transdisciplinary

bachelor’s education

- Graduate School – interdisciplinary,highly practical master’s/PhD

degrees

- Research institutes – methodological

rigor with practical relevance

- Professional School – dedicated

to lifelong learning programmes

offering continuing education

parallel to work




Leuphana’s solution: lifelong learning at three levels

1. Concrete opportunities for those in employment

Offering successful study programmes for students in full-time employment.

2. Research on the theme of lifelong learning

Learning how to meet the needs of the new target groups with relation to lifelong learning

and knowledge transfer

– to understand demand

– to create new learning environments

– to develop an open university concept (flexible entryways, RPL)

3. Lifelong learning for the community

Building partnerships with businesses and organisations and creating networks and

opportunities for knowledge transfer.




Leuphana’s solution: 1. Concrete opportunities for those in employment

Leuphana‘s concept for meeting learners’ needs

! Scheduling fits into rhythm of working life.

! Application-oriented programmes ranging

from 3 to 5 semesters.

! Open access allows advanced placementbased on assessment of prior learning.

! Scientifically based, trans-disciplinary

studies transferable to students’ work, e.g.

using authentic case studies.! Teaching staff, experienced in professional

fields as well as academics and research.

! Blended learning methods and after-workcontact hours, IT support for e-learning and

a supportive learning environment.

! Individual coaching available.

! Quality assurance through regular evaluations and accreditation procedures.

Building sustainable university-business partnerships · Prof. Dr. Sabine Remdisch 8



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Leuphana Professional School: Open Master’s programs and Bachelor’s programs

! Bachelor’s programs

- Integrated Care Management

- Music in Childhood

- Social Work for Educators

! Master’s programs

- Auditing (M.A.)

- Construction Law and Construction

Management (MBA)

- Manufacturing Management (MBA)

- Management of Prevention and Health

Promotion (MPH)

- Performance Management (MBA)- Sustainability Management (MBA)

- Social Management (MSM)




Leuphana’s solution: 2. Research on the theme of lifelong learning

! The project ‘Open University Lüneburg’


Opening to new target

groups

Opening the university to new target groups that

conventionally do not have access to higher education.

Interchangeability

between educational

systems

Facilitating the transitions between vocational and higher

education through the recognition of prior and

experiential learning.

Integration

of different educational

opportunities

Bringing together agents in vocational and academic

education at the university.



Leuphana’s solution: 3. Lifelong learning for the community

! Challenges faced by the community

- The region has a preponderance of SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises)

- SMEs face serious competition from large companies in the search for qualified staff

- SMEs usually lack human resource departments/qualified human resource personnel

- SMEs face financial pressures which often result in low priority for training needs

! Leuphana’s strategy: ensuring a transfer of knowledge

- Leuphana is helping provide urgently required training in retention management skills

by creating a long-term innovation network of SME managers and owners to support

them in developing personnel and management strategies.

- The Professional School’s “Knowledge Transfer Center” and “Innovation AssistanceUnit” enable the transfer of knowledge to companies in the region on an individual

basis.

!Leuphana’s strategy: Building sustainable business-university partnerships

- Tailoring and running continuing education programmes especially for organizationsand so developing long-term, strategic partnerships.




Success factors for building sustainable partnerships

! A university can only be open to its community if it first commits to the principles of lifelong learning and makes the necessary changes to its structure.

! A commitment to lifelong learning bringsdiversity and therefore new challenges.

! Successful lifelong learning programmesrequire new teaching values.

! Committment to lifelong learning requires

a university-wide shift in values.


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! A university can only be open to its community if it first commits to the principles of lifelong learning and makes the necessary changes to its structure.

! How did Leuphana tackle this task?

- With the creation of the Professional School the university has been able to offer

lifelong learning to professionals and companies in the region:

- special types of programmes and entrance procedures- specially designed teaching content and methods

- special quality assurance and accreditation arrangements


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! A commitment to lifelong learning brings diversityand therefore new challenges.

! How has Leuphana adapted to meet the needs of these new student groups?

- Leuphana provides the working students with a flexible and supportive learning

environment:

- Open access allows advanced placement based on assessment andrecognition of prior learning.

- Learning is designed to be tangible and directly transferable to their worke.g. using authentic case studies.

- Blended learning methods and after-work contact hours.

- Individual coaching available.


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! Successful lifelong learning programmesrequire new teaching values.

! How has Leuphana adapted its teaching values?

- The Professional School teaching staff have both academic and professional

experience.

- All staff accept and understand the service-oriented nature of providing flexiblelearning, and seek to serve students’ needs.

- The university has a whole must understand the goals of lifelong learning.


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! Committment to lifelong learning requiresa university-wide shift in values.

! How has Leuphana overcome traditional cultural barriers?

- Lifelong learning is understood in many different ways. We are working to create

a shared understanding of what lifelong learning means throughout the

university.

- Leuphana’s commitment can be seen in the types of cooperations that now existwith other universities and with businesses and organisations in the region.


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