Abstract:

The demand for a highly skilled workforce and accordingly for education and qualifications is constantly rising in today’s knowledge-based society. That is why Higher Education (HE) must be made accessible to those groups of students who have traditionally participated less, by paving the way for Lifelong Learning (LLL) at European higher education institutions.

Within this context the ongoing European research project “Opening Universities for Lifelong Learning” (OPULL) is investigating critical success factors for how higher education institutions can successfully open up to those wishing to engage in lifelong learning. In the first phase, the current state of lifelong learning in the partner countries Germany, Denmark, Finland and the United Kingdom was mapped, revealing essential parameters in all countries for easing access in HE for lifelong learners. In the second phase a quantitative survey with Lifelong Learners and qualitative interviews with university staff were conducted to evaluate four European best practice examples, in particular the Professional School at the Leuphana University Lüneburg (Germany), the Open University (UK), the Open University at the University of Helsinki (Finland) and the University of Southern Denmark (Denmark). Currently the project is in the third and last phase that aims at developing a model of a Lifelong Learning University by deducing potential courses of action for widening participation in the European higher education area. During this final phase all the results from the project will be summed up, bringing the different perspectives and focuses together.

The analysis is still in progress, but interim findings have already indicated key issues for opening up European universities for new target groups. The most significant factors relate to areas of national LLL policies, dealing with diverse student groups, support services for non-traditional student groups before, during and after HE and innovative study formats or teaching methods as well as knowledge applicability. A more open mindset towards non-traditional students and better support structures of higher quality for Lifelong Learners, as well as a deeper knowledge of the characteristics of non-traditional learners in general, seem to stand out as integral to the success of future lifelong learning universities. To become attractive institutions to these new student groups, universities need to rethink some of their conventional structures and traditional formats.

Keywords:

Lifelong Learning, Open Universities, Non-traditional students.