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LifelongLearning:HolisticandGlobalEducation

byUlf-DanielEhlers

1. Lifelong Learning: RethinkingHigherEducation

It is clear today: theprosperity inboth socialandeconomictermsofhumansocietiesaroundtheglobewilldependontheopportunities individualshaveto learnanddevelopthroughouttheirentirelife. Individuals,organisationsandnationshave toask themselveshow suitable learningecologies toallowthisgrowthcanlooklikeandcanbeachieved.Lifelonglearning1(LLL)isnotaclear-cutconceptbutrather a leitmotiv which comes with a multipleforms,shapesandrealities.Wecannotcreateitbutwillnoticeifitisnotsupported.

A recent UNESCO report (UNESCO, 2016)shows that, although considerable efforts can beidentifiedtocreateLLLpoliciesonnational,regionalandinstitutionallevelwearestillinthebeginningtounderstandhowbesttosupportcontinuouslearn-ing for individuals,organisationsandregions.Spe-cifically, inthefieldofhighereducationaLLLturnhasnotyettakenplacenorhasitevenbeguntotakeshape.Therefore, it is an importantquestionhowwecanturnthebigtankerofacademiagloballyintorevolutionaryleadersofthisfield–howwecanre-thinkhighereducation.Insocietiesinwhichthema-jority of a cohort of young persons will soon bechoosing some kind of higher education, they arethe gatekeepers which are leading graduates thewayintotheirLLLcareer.

1 Schuetze already talks about LLL since the early 1970s(Schuetze,2006)othertermsusedinthepastare‘recurrented-ucation’,‘lifelongeducation’and‘permanenteducation’.2The scholarshipofdiscovery that includesoriginal researchthatpushes theknowledge frontiers;Thescholarshipof inte-grationthatinvolvessynthesisofinformationacrossdisciplines,

Oneimportantaspectistostrengthenthethirdmission ofHEIs (HEI).WhereasHEI have focussedpredominantlyon“mode1knowledgeproduction”with a focus on discipline-based, curiosity-driven,individualpursuitofnewknowledge,theyarenowevolvinginresponsetothechallengesofachangingsocietyandeconomyanddevelop their thirdmis-sion (Gibbons,Limoges,&Nowotny,1994). In linewithBoyer’sideaofthefourrolesofhighereduca-tionhighlightinguniversityengagement,thenotionof HEI engagement has become connected withwidening participation, outreach, university-busi-nesscollaborationandotherthirdmissionactivities(Boyer, 1990).2 Typical of the new HEI model is‘Mode2knowledgeproduction’:amutuallybenefi-cialapproachtouniversity-business/societycollab-oration, which is problem-oriented and solution-driven, and is typically conducted by interdiscipli-naryteams,activelyengagedwithsociety(Gibbons,Limoges,&Nowotny,1994).

However,despitetheemergingdebateontheuniversities’thirdmission,ifwetakealookatHEIsthefieldofLLLisstillunderdeveloped.Inourbook,Changingculturesinhighereducationscholarsandacademicpractitionersexpressedtheneedtorevo-lutionisehighereducationandtospeedupchangesin the higher education landscape (Ehlers &Schneckenberg,2008).

SomeHEIswillcontinuetostayastheyareto-day, while many others are likely to transformthemselvesintodifferenttypesoforganisations,tobeapartner tosociety, so thatglobalandholisticLLL can become more a reality than a gap. Thistransformation will be visible in several aspects.Fromtheoutside in theway institutionsofhigherlearninglooklike,howtheyrelatedtostudents,or-ganizethemselves,inthewaytheydefinestructuresanddetailspecificfunctions,andhowtheyrelatetocivic and community engagement, as Watsonphrases it (Watson,2007).Thetransformationwillalsobevisiblefromtheinsidewherechangeischar-acterized through the evolution of organizationalculturesandaffects values,believesandeveryday

placediscoveriesinalargercontextandcreatemoreinterdisci-plinary conversations; The scholarship of application (or thescholarshipofengagement)thatreferstotheservicewithinoroutsidetheUniversityandinvolvesapplicationofresearchre-sultsthatcanbesharedwithand/orevaluatedbypeers;andThescholarshipofteachingandlearning.

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practicesofallstakeholdersinthefieldofhighered-ucationandsurroundingLLLcommunity.NewformsofHEIsarelikelytoappearwhichwillchallengebothourexperienceswithandourconceptsforuniversi-tiesasinstitutionsforresearchandteaching,infa-vourofastrongerdevelopedthirdmission.

2.LearningforLifeandBeing:StateoftheArtinPolicyandReality

ThereportofUNESCO(UNESCO,2016)statesthattheevolutionofthepoliticaldiscourseonLLLcan be divided into three phases: Until the late1970s,theLLLdiscoursewasheavilyinfluencedbyahumanisticvision,and its focuswasonthedesignanddevelopmentoflearningwithineducationalin-stitutions.TheFaurereportLearningtoBe (Faure,1972) advocated lifelong education as themasterconceptforeducationalpoliciesinbothdevelopedanddevelopingcountries. Itwasseenasaturningpointandthestartofaperiodofoptimismininter-nationaleducationpolicy,asitrecognizedthatedu-cationwasno longertheprivilegeofanelite,oramatterforoneagegrouponly.Instead,itconcludedthat education should be both universal and life-long.Essentially,thismeantmovingtoahumanistic,rights-basedandholisticviewofeducation(Ouane,2011).With theUNESCOreporton“Learning:TheTreasureWithin” (Delors, 1996) and theOECD re-porton“LifelongLearningforAll”(OECD,1996)LLLwaslinkedtotheeconomic,social,culturalanden-vironmentalchallenges thatsocietiesandcommu-nities face. There was a stronger orientation to-wardstheprinciplesofhumancapitalandemploya-bility.IntheEuropeanUnion,theLLLdiscourseen-teredintoathirdphasefromtheyear2000, influ-enced by the EU’s goals of creating themost dy-namicknowledge-basedeconomyintheworldandensuringsocialcohesion.With theLisbonProcess,theEU’splanforeconomicgrowth,educationandtrainingwasmadeagenerallyacceptedpolicyarea

3TheideasoftheLisbonProcessarereflectedinsimilarcon-ceptionsof LLLacross theEuropeancountries (e.g. EuropeanCommission,Memorandumon LLL [2000]; EuropeanCouncil,CouncilresolutiononlifelongLearning[2002];EuropeanParlia-ment,Commissionproposal forthe introductionofanewac-tionprogramtopromoteLLLinthe2007-2013period[2006]).4‚Thirdmission’referstoanadditionalfunctionoftheuniver-sitiesinthecontextofknowledgesociety.Theuniversityisnotonlyresponsibleforqualifyingthehumancapital(Education–

forthefirsttimeinEUhistory.Thisledtothedevel-opmentofnationalLLLpolicieswithintheEuropeanUnion.3

Theunderstandingoflearningasalifelongpro-cess has also changed within research. There aretwomain conceptions of LLL in the academic dis-course. The first posits learning as an existential-continuousprocessinvolvingalifelongbiographicaltransformationthat“occurswheneverwearecon-sciousanditneedsnoobjectiveinitself,althoughitfrequentlydoeshaveapurpose”(Jarvis,2007).Thisconception–alsorootedineducationscienceandsociology–seeslearningasanessentialpartofcon-sciousliving(also:learningaspleasure).Thesecondconception sees learning as a functional-episodicprocess.Suchresearchisshapedbytheideaofindi-vidualsaccumulatingknowledgeforcertain(work-related)purposes.

TheresearchonHEIas‘LLLfacilitator’isstillinbeginning phase and connected to the debate ofHEIs‘thirdmission’which,asaconceptisfairlynewtoHEI.4However, thestrongchangesmappedoutabovewill demanda changewithin theHEI itself.TheprincipleofLLLisbynowaglobalnormor“newmasternarrative”(Ioannidou,2014,p.208)inedu-cationpolicy,promotingacertainunderstandingofhoweducationsystemsshouldbebuilt inordertomeet the challenges of the knowledge economy.National governments are increasingly relying onsimilarprinciplesandvaluesinrelationtoLLL.

In terms of governance, education is a com-plex,multilevelsystem,rangingfromsupranationalagendastolocalprogrammesandactivities.Educa-tionsystemsarenotformedbyanyoneactor,suchasthegovernment;instead,amultitudeofactorsatdifferent levels are involved in establishing andchanging an education system (Altrichter, 2015).ThiscallsforopennesstowardsavarietyofconceptsandtheoriesaboutLLL.

All in all, it canbenoted that although therehasbeenanincreaseinnationalLLLpoliciesandalso

thefirstmission)andforproducingnewknowledge(Research–thesecondmission).Universitiesmustengagewithsocietalneedsandmarketdemandsbylinkingtheuniversity’sactivitywithitsownsocio-economiccontext.Todayuniversitiesbegintodeveloptheirstrategiesaroundthesethreemissions.Gov-ernmentsdevelop thirdmissionpolicies allocating funding tothisrolewhilepolicy-makersandexpertsareimplementingspe-cific indicators,with the aim to foster regional development.Seealso(OECD,2017).

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institutionalefforts,overthepastfifteenyears,theimplementation of the concept has been insuffi-cient,esp.inthehighereducationsector.Itisinter-estingtoseethatBernhardsson(2014)arguesthatthishastodowith“contradictingvalueswhichareinherentintheconceptofLLL”(Bernhardsen,2014).On the one hand, the creation of “economicallymeaningfulactivepersons,whofeelresponsiblefortheir own employability” (ibid.) is propagated, ontheotherhandcommunitarianvaluesandsocialco-hesionispromoted.Theambitiontocreateasoci-etythatiscompetitiveandatthesametimeinclu-siveandcohesiveentailsconceptualdiscrepancieswhichneedtobereflectedinanynationalorinsti-tutionalLLLconcept.

3.LifelongLearning:Drivers,Conse-quencesandGaps

Lifelong Learning has always been importantbutgainsnewandacceleratedmeaningduetosev-eraldrivers:

1. Achangingdemographicdevelopmentleadstoanagingsocietyinwhichindividualsareaskedtostaylongerinworkinglifeandcontributeac-tivelytosociety,andthusneedtocontinuouslyupdatetheirskillsandabilities.

2. Astrongerverticalandhorizontalmobilityofin-dividuals insocietywhich leads tobiographiesofchangingjobepisodesandinvolvementintodifferentcontextsoflifeanddemandsforcon-tinuous learning and re-learning. At the sametimeknowledgeandinformationgrowthaccel-eratesandmakeitnecessarytoupdatequalifi-cationsinshortercycles.

3. Digital technologyhasagrowing impactonallcontextoflifeandworkandleadstoacontinu-ousrisingneedtoupdateandreskillqualifica-tions.

These developments have consequences forworkandeducation.Theyareleadingtoamodern-izationoftheworldofworkwithsignificantconse-quencesinatleastthreefields:

1. Resolutionofsystemoffixedprofessions(Lisop,1997):Moreandmorethecleardefinedbound-aries of professions are blurring. New profes-sions are developing and existing professionsareexpandingandblendingtheirprofileswithotherprofessionsandskills.

2. From lifetime employment as standardmodelanddesiredobjective,ofteninasingleprofes-sion,toepisodicalemploymentthroughoutthelifetimebutnot in the sameprofession (Beck,Giddens,&Lash,1996).

3. Fromemployedprofessionalstoentrepreneur-ial professionals: In the age of knowledgeworker(Drucker,1969)employeeshavetoactmuchmoreself-responsibleandentrepreneur-like, often within the frame of their employ-ment(Voß&Pongratz,1998).

Foreducation,aswellthisresultsintoaprocessofflexibilisationinmanyfields:

1. Flexibilisationofdegrees:Recognitionof infor-mal and non-formal education/ learning andpriorlearningascreditswithindegreeprograms(supported through national qualificationsframeworks)

2. Flexibilisationofcurriculaandof learningcon-texts:Inordertomeettheneedsofindividualsintheirvariouslifecontexts(old,young,educa-tion after family phase, job-integrated or -ac-companying study programs, etc.), curriculaand learningdesignshave tobe responsive tothedemandsofvaryingcontexts,andmoreof-ten have to be adapted to shorter cycles andmoreflexiblecombinations.

3. Changeofcontents:Ifjobprofileschangesmoreandmore quickly, key-qualifications and com-petencegainrelevanceoverpureknowledge.

4. Flexibilisationofmethodsand learningdesign:In LLL contexts, self-organised learning pro-cesseswillgainimportancesincetheresponsi-bilityisputtotheindividualforupdatingtheirqualificationsandfulfillinglearningdemands.

For HEIs, these changes have consequences.Universitiesareaffectedbytheeffectofthesede-mographic, technological and learning behaviourchanges,aswellastheflexibilisationprocesses.Thenatureandpaceofchangeisfastertodaythanever.Underthelineitmeansthatwehavetobetterena-ble students to improvise, todealwithnewsitua-tion,tocharteronchange,tomakesenseofchange.

Buthowcanweunderstandthenewdemandsandbecomefitforshapingachangedhighereduca-tionworld? How canwe in turn help students toshapeachangingworldinwhichwedonotknowifwhatwe teach to them todaywill be relevant fortheir jobs and their lifes of tomorrow? One im-

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portantelementistointegratereflectionandreflec-tive development into learning processes (Kolb,1984).Theyarevitalforcopingwithnewsituationsandbeingabletotakereflectiveactionratherthanmerelyfollowingandreacting.Theexcellentmodelof the reflectivepractitionerbySchön is suited toprepare students for dealing with uncertainty(Schön,1983).

However, a second aspect gains importance:Alongwiththeincreasingrateofchange,moreandmorethingsareinterconnected.Individualsincreas-inglyneed tobe their own instructional designersandneedtoknowhowtheylearnandwhatisgoodfor their learning and development. Less and lesswe can put those things we need to learn into acreditablecourse,moreandmorethosethingsweneedtolearnarebetweendisciplines,lieintheso-cialsphereofcollaboration,demandfromstudentsto build their own frames, meaning and contextsandmakesenseof them. It isneeded to focusonnew competences. Today we have an ecology ofthoughtthatspreadsacrossmanydisciplines,fieldsof applicationsand communities.Means fromdif-ferentfieldsareincreasinglyinterrelated,processesaremore problemdriven thandisciplinary driven.Network artist or reflection professional – that iswhatthevisionofstudentscomingoutofuniversitywilllooklikemoreandmore.Thegreatchallengesofourplanetarenotstructuredintoboundariesofdisciplinesandschools,howeverHEIsstillare.

Lifelonglearninginaholisticsensecanbecon-ceptualised under three fundamental aspects,whicharemutuallyinterdependentneeds:Tobuild:

• identity capital: to develop and maintain oursenseof identity,self-confidence,controloverour lives, and engagementwith other people.Thisiscriticaltowell-beingandmentalhealth,and includes developing powers of creativityandreflection.

• human capital: to develop the skills andknowledgeneededtofindandretainsustaina-ble and satisfyingemployment, bothpaid andunpaid. This may be more complex over alongerworking life inamore rapidlychanginglabourmarket,andasthenumbersofpeopleinthe‘thirdage’expand,itwillbemoreimportanttounderstandthelearningneedsofthevolun-tarylabourmarket

• socialcapital:Thiscomprisesdevelopingcapa-bilities to participate actively in society, the

largerandclosercommunitywelivein,includ-ingourfamilies,andshapingthesocialcontextwhichwearechoosingtolivein.Lifelonglearn-ingcanhelptoraise levelsoftrust,asenseofcommon identity and respect for difference,andhelpensurethatthetalentsofevery indi-vidualareputtobestuse.

Derivingfromthiswecananalysetheproposeof holistic LLL under three perspectives (Kade &Seitter,1997):

1. Lifelong learning between emancipation andobligation:WhileLLLisessentiallyaprocessofemancipationfromsocietalbondsthroughedu-cation, itmore andmore becomes an obliga-tion.ToavoidLLLisnooptionanymorebutra-therisLLLanecessity.

2. Betweenrisk-avoidanceandrisk-generation:InaworldinwhichLLLisnecessarytoobtaincon-tinuous employment and participate continu-ously in the labour market, LLL becomes ameans to avoid the risk of unemployment. Atthesametime,itcreatesrisksfortheindividualifsocietyatlargerisparticipatinginthelearningevolution.

3. Lifelonglearningasmediumofpleasureinpre-sentliving:Lifelonglearningalsocontainsanel-ementofpleasureandfulfilment.

Lifelonglearningissocentralthattherespon-sibilityforitcannotbeputtothenon-formalsector.School, vocational education and training andhighereducation–theyallhavetoopenuptoreachoutinordertobothpreparetheirlearnersforaLLLjourneyandalsoofferprograms.IfweanalysetheHEIs role in LLL, we can see that it varies acrosscountries and institutions, butoverall HEIs donotplayamajorroleintheprovisionofLLLinEurope–butobviouslyshoulddoso.Withrespecttotheris-ingneedforLLLandthespecificandimportantroleofHEIs toprovide LLLwe can identify a threefoldgap:

1. A gap between policy rhetoric on the im-portanceofLLL,andtheactualprovencommit-mentofHEIstoprovideLLLprogrammes.Afirstanalytical look shows, thatwhile the channelsforacademiceducationarewelldevelopedforstudents’ education, the channels to developandprovideeducationalofferingstoemployersandadultlearnersarenot(yet)welldeveloped.This is true for the operational level (institu-tional conditions, funding and processes) to

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provide LLL programs, as well as the strategylevelofHEIs.

2. Agapbetween the importanceofLLLand theawareness,demandandtheabilityofcitizenstoenter into reskilling and upskilling processes.The participation on LLL activities and pro-grammes isnotyetwelldeveloped.Thecauselies intoolittleawarenessaboutthenecessityforup-andre-skillingprocesses.

3. AgapbetweentheexistingopportunitiesandthepotentialofdigitaltechnologiestoprovideLLLofferingsdirectlytotheworkplaceorinthepracticecontextanditsactualusageandac-ceptanceinpractice.Digitaltechnologiesrevo-lutionisethepossibilitiestoprovideeduca-tionalprogrammesflexiblyintimeandplaceandthusdirectlytotheworkplacewhereneeded.However,HEIshavenotyetsuffi-cientlydevelopedplatformsandprogramstoinvolveemployersandemployeesintostrongnetworksofknowledgeandLLL.

4. Towards a new, holistic LifelongLearning Culture in Higher Educa-tion

ForhigherHEI,thenewagendaforLLLwillhaveasignificantimpact.Usuallyreferredtoasthethirdmissionofuniversities,theyneedtoopenuptotheneeds and developments within the communitytheyaresetin,andcontributetothedevelopmentofsmartregions.Inordertodoso,LLLprogramsandofferings will become essential as they form thebridgebetweengraduates’LLLprocessandtheHEI.Throughtheseefforts,graduateswillhaveachanceto maintain relevant skills for the labour market,anddevelopintheirlife.Ofcourse,itisnotthesoleresponsibility of HEI but they form an importantpart in the community and network of educationproviders.TheintegrationofLLLskillsintoacademicprograms becomes increasingly important. Thiscomprisesthe integrationofLLLskills intoexistingacademiccurriculainordertopreparestudentsfortheirLLLpathways,aswellastheconcisedevelop-mentofofferingsandprogramsforLLLofHEIs.

Torealisetheturnwithinhighereducationandstart supporting students for a LLL journey, HEIsneedtodevelopLLLcultures.Therearethreediffer-entdimensionstolearningcultures.Ontheindivid-ualdimension,therearetheoriesthateithercover

andtypologizelearningstrategiesandhabitsofthestudents (see Isler, 2006) or that focus on state-ments about characteristics of young people thatareimportantfortheirlearning(e.g.Prensky,2001;Oblinger&Oblinger,2005;Twenge,2006).Ontheinteractional dimension, approaches emerge thatderivefrommodelsandconceptsofanidealimageof learning and teaching. As research tells us inmany examples (see Reusser, 1995, Scheerens &Bosker, 1997), the quality of interaction betweenteachersandstudentshasamajorinfluenceontheresult of learning. On the institutional dimension,therearedifferentapproachesexemplifiedby theterms “learning organization” (Senge, 2006), “or-ganizationallearning”(Kluge&Schilling,2000),„or-ganizationalenergy“(Bruch&Vogel,2005)or“cor-porate learningculture” (seeSonntagetal.,2004;Friebe,2005).Organizationalfactorssuchastheap-preciation awarded specific types of learning, re-sourcesdevotedtoit,incentivesprovidedetc.alsomayhaveaneffectonthelearningprocessesofstu-dents. HEI need to take into account all three di-mensions of learning, individual, interactional andorganisationalinordertobeabletodevelopholisticconceptforLLL.

InordertofosterthedevelopmentofnewLLLcul-turespolicymakers,institutionsandlearnersneedtocometogetherinacommoneffort.Theyallhavetocontributetoanew,holisticLLLagenda:

• Students have, due to the changed de-mographicsandgrowingdiversity,agrow-ingneed forcompetencedevelopmentra-ther than knowledge transfer, forpracticeoriented, authentic learning scenarios ra-therthanartificial“as-if”education,anden-forcedmobilityneeds.

• Teachers,trainers,professorsandlecturersaredemandingaredefinitionofthebalancebetweenteaching,learningandresearch.Inparticularfacultyhastoshapeanewuniver-sity landscape by breaking down discipli-naryboundariesandbyadoptingnewformsofflexibleandlearnercentrededucationalmodelswhichareorientedtowardsinnova-tionandcompetencedevelopment.

• Teachers are requesting to change theirrolesfrominformationtransmittersinadis-tributiveparadigm,tocoacheswhosupportsocialinteraction,innovationandinvention,

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andwhodealwithnew,unansweredques-tions as origin for student’s learning pro-cesses,inaparticipativeandreflectivepar-adigmoflearning.LearninginaholisticLLLagendawillbereorientedalongparadigmsofcollaboration,reflectionandinteraction.Learning processes, their assessment andmeasurement will focus on relevance forpracticeandcompetence.

• Teachers have to become artists, playingwith the dialogical nature of learning andteaching. They have to findmore creativeways to provide education in a diverserangeofpedagogicalmodels.Newactivitypatterns concerningdimensionsof localityandspace,timeandtopicsneedtobeprac-ticed.

• Universityadministrationshavetodevelopintoteachingandresearchsupportcentreswhichsuggestwaysoforganizinghighered-ucation ahead of pressing challenges, andwhich gain a better understanding on theneedforrestructuration.Morethanmerelyorganizing higher education processes,thesenewadministrativeentitiesstandforthevalues,believesandeverydaypracticesthat are increasingly adopted in modernuniversities.Theywillplayadecisiveroleinsupportingthewholeinstitutioninparticu-laronissuesliketheintegrationofICTsforlearning and teaching, the interplay be-tweenresearchandadministration,thecre-ationofknowledgeflowsandpublicunder-standingofscience.

• Highereducationinstitutionstodayareof-ten over-managed and under-lead. A newroleforhighereducationmanagementwillbe the systematic and strategic develop-mentandimplementationofvisionsonhowHEIs canbe turned into revolutionary andforward-leadinglearningorganizations.

• Finally,government,thepublicsector,andcivilsocietywillfindnewwaysofrelatingtouniversitiesasmajoractorsinthedevelop-mentofsocietiescapabilitytocontributetosolvecurrentand futureproblems,and toservethecitizens’well-beingandeconomicprospering.

Wayforwardandpolicyrecommendations:

1. FornationalandEuropeanpolicymakers:a. ShapenationalandEuropeanpoli-

cies which support the funding ofthedevelopmentofnewandinno-vativenetworksandplatformsbe-tweenworldofworkandPHEInsti-tutions.

b. Supportthedevelopmentoflegisla-tiveframeworkswhichallowrecog-nitionofpriorlearningmechanismsin order to enable employers todocument their LLL achievementsand biography and use it for theiremployers.

2. ForHEIs:a. Monitor demand and potential to

provideLLLb. Analyseexistingstructuresandde-

velop operational platforms in or-dertodeliverLLLprograms

c. Developconceptsforrecognitionofpriorlearning,aswellasconceptsinordertoenableemployerstodocu-ment their LLL achievements andbiography anduse it for their em-ployers.

3. Foremployersandemployers’associations:a. Support awareness raising for the

needofconstantup-andreskillingofindividualsonthelabourmarket

b. Shape the conditions for enablingbetter LLL provision by enteringintoregionalnetworkswithPHEIn-stitutions.

5.ConclusionI believe that the above-mentioned changes

willnotonlybevisibleatthesurfacebutwillaltertheverycoreconstitutionofwhathighereducationpresentsandhowitisinterwovenwithsociety.Wethinkthatthecurrentchangeprocessescanintheiressence be characterized by a paradigm shift to-wardsanewparadigmoforganisationalandindivid-uallearning,ratherthanagradualdrifttowardsdi-versification.Suchamajorparadigmshiftrequiresin turn amore strategic approach to institutionalchangewhichdifferentiatesitselffromevolutionaryprocesseswhichhavecharacterizeduniversities inthe previous decade. Deep changes involve thewhole higher education governance community

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intoacombinedefforttocreateanewandall-em-bracingconceptforuniversities

Thedevelopmentofthirdmissionstrategiesin-cludingastrongLLLagendawill leadtoadifferentbut not unanimous look of the higher educationlandscape.Universitieswillhavetodealwithanum-ber of fields which emerge as cornerstones ofchangetodaybutwhichareoftennotconsequentlyunderstoodintheirpotentialstoreformthecurrentlandscapes of universities. Amongst them are thefollowingtopics:

• NewLLLprograms:Universitieswillbecomema-joractorsinprovidingopportunitiesforlearning,reflecting, and engaging citizens into learningprocessesontheirLLLpath.Whilethisrequiresawillingnessofcitizenstocontinuetolearn,italsorequires a commitment to provide educationalopportunities and spaces which go beyond thecurrent“cycleoriented”provisionofhigheredu-cation.

• ICTadoptionintoalllevelsofeducation:Anadop-tionapproachwhichisnotrestrictedtodistribu-tionandpresentationofcoursematerialsor in-formation, but aims to connect students andteachersfromuniversitiesaroundtheworldintoaseamlesswebofcommunitieswhicharecollab-orating, reflecting, developing and learning forinnovation.

• Ubiquitouslearning:Ubiquitouslearningscenar-ioswhichareasynchronous(anytime,anyplace)andavailableinawholerangeofdifferentlearn-ingprovisionpatterns.Theseincludecourses,at-eliers,shortandlong-termcommitments,ad-hocgroupsandinternationalstudypanels,aswellastraditionallectures,seminarsandclasses–whichwillnonethelessnotonlybeusedforknowledgetransfer but stimulate debates and discussions.Learningopportunitieswillbemadecompatiblewith and correspond to different lifestyles andneedsofadiversifyingstudentpopulation.

• Affordable education: Affordable education,whichiswithinthereachofallcitizens,whetheritismadepossiblethroughopeneducationalre-sources,lowcoststructuresand/orsubsidies.

• CollaborativeLearning:Interactiveandcollabora-tive learning modes, which focus on engaginggroups into reflection on real problems, breakdisciplinary barriers and establish cross-discipli-narycurricula.

• Diversity:Diversityeducation,whichiscapabletoserveanincreasinglydiversepopulationwithdi-verseneedsandgoals.

• International:Internationalandinterculturaled-ucation, as universities are increasingly focalpoints for global debatesof change, innovationand competence development in a variety offields that are relevant to local, regional andglobalneeds.

• Newformsandpatterns:Patternsofchange,asfutureuniversitieswilldevelopdifferentpatternstoservehighereducationindifferentconfigura-tionsbetweenepisodicandsequentialprovisionsofeducation,researchandservicetothepublic.

Theconceptofopennesswillplayanimportantrole.Open innovation and open leadership approacheswill enable universities to work together beyonddisciplinary and organizational boundaries. Open-nesswillleadtouniversities’crossingnationalbor-ders and tapping into partnerships of excellencewhere collaboration of the best minds generatesmutual benefits from collective intelligence. Themovement of open educational resources will in-creasinglyleadtoopeneducationalpracticeswhichwillturneducationalscenariosintolaboratoriesforreflectionandparticipationoflearnersintocommu-nities of practice, learning from sharing experi-ences. Universities will be less organisations ofknowledgebutmoreinstitutionsoflearningandre-flection.Educationalmaterialsandknowledgewillcease to constitute the academic “holy grail”, in-stead universities will earn fame and reputationthroughrefinedanddedicatededucationalmethod-ologies,providingeducationalopportunitiesincol-laborationwithindustryandcivilsocietiesandshar-ing their resources in mutual beneficial partner-ships.Notknowledgebutwisdom,notinformationbut reflection, not exclusiveness but inclusivenesswillbeconstitutingcharacteristicsofhighereduca-tionexcellence.

Futureuniversitiesmightchangetheirappear-ance,theirstructureortheireducationalportfolio–but first and foremost theywill be recognized bytheir altered cultures, their enhancedway of em-ploying learning and institutional research to re-thinktheirownstructuresandtointegrateallstake-holders for the joint development of core valuesandpractices.Itisfromthisperspectivethatuniver-sitieshavetocometoanimprovedunderstandingofinstitutionaltransformation.Itisnottheprimarygoal to achieve a specific set of predefined goals,

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butrathertobuildthecontinuingcapacity,energy,motivation,andcommitmenttomovetowardboldvisionsofuniversityfutures.Insummary,thefirst—andmostimportantobjectiveofallLLLandinnova-tion efforts is to build the capacity for strategicchange–achangewhichisnecessaryinordertoen-able universities to respond to changing societiesandachangingworld.

ICTplaysacrucialroleinthischange,bothasdriverandtool for innovation.E-learningwillbeanaturalpartofalllearningactivities.Mainstreamedtechnologywhichenablespeopletobetterconnectinto efforts of joint developments around com-monly defined projectswill be naturally available.Learning and teaching will follow different para-digms,lessacquisitionandmoreparticipation.Uni-versitieshavetomakeeffortstoturnintolearningorganisations in order to build their capacity totransform themselves into entirely new entities.Thekeychallengeforhighereducationstakeholdersis to collaborate for providing an environment inwhichchangeisnotperceivedasathreat,butwel-comedasopportunitytoengageintolearningastheprimaryactivityofauniversityinitsmanydifferentforms.

Theabilityofuniversitiestoadaptsuccessfullyto thechallenges they facewilldepend toagreatextentontheircollectivecapabilitiestolearnandtocontinuouslyimprovetheircorecompetencies(Eh-lers,Schneckenberg,2008).Onlyaconcertedeffortof planning,management, and governance to un-derstandthechallengesofthepresentandthepos-sibilities for the future can enable institutions toprosperduringtimesoffastanddeepchange.Thereisanincreasingneedforholistic,transversalchangestrategiestoinnovateeducation.Whilethisisobvi-ousintheory,itisachallengingtasktoputintoprac-tice.

Universitiesseemtohaveasurvivalguaranteeastheypossessthesociallygrantedprivilegetobedegree-awardingHEIs. But if theywant to defendtheirplaceasmainsourceofinnovationandplacesforcompetencedevelopmentforfuturegraduates,they have to rethink their key work processes.Changingculturesrequirestheliberationofcreativeresources that are currently bound in often toolargeandinflexibleinstitutionalhierarchies.Univer-sitieshavetopushforachangeoflong-standingval-ues,habits,believes,ofbothmanagementandfac-ultylevel.

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Ulf-Daniel Ehlers

ProfessorDr.phil.habil.Ulf-DanielEhlersProfessorforEducationalManagementandLifelongLearningVicepresidentEuropeanAssociationforInstitutionsofHigherEducationBaden-WürttembergCooperativeStateUniversityKarlsruhemail:ehlers@dhbw-karlsruhe.deskype:ulf.ehlers

Prof.Dr.phil.habil.Ulf-DanielEhlershasbeentheVicepresidentforQualityandAcademicAffairsattheBadenWurttemberg-StateUniversityinStuttgart,Germanyforthepastsixyears.HehasbeenappointedProfessorforEducationalManagementandLifelongLearningatthesameuniver-sity.BeforehehasheldpositionsasAssociateProfessorintheUniversityDuisburg-Essen(Ger-many),ProfessorforTechnologyEnhancedLearningintheUniversityAugsburg(Germany)andAssociateProfessoroftheGraduateSchoolforManagementandTechnologyoftheUniversityof

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MarylandUniversityCollege(USA).InadditiontohisachievementinacademiaUlfisawardwin-ningentrepreneur,andhasfoundedthreebusinessesinthefieldoftheknowledgesociety.AsaneducationalscientistheholdsdegreesinEnglishLanguage,SocialSciencesandEducationalSci-encesfromtheUniversityofBielefeld,wherehefinishedhisPh.D.withhonorsinthefieldofTech-nologyEnhancedLearningin2003,andwasawardedhishabilitationin2008fromtheUniversityofDuisburg-Essen.