Abstract:

International contact between academic and non-academic institutions dealing with Life-Long Learning is becoming increasingly more useful and necessary. This is especially true in Turkey, as the increasing popularity and number of EMUs (English Medium Universities) in the country enables a greater contribution to be made in this area.

In our presentation we will talk about a Lifelong Learning Project that was conducted at our University under the auspices of the EU Lifelong Learning Project scheme. The Project involved six other educational institutions and NGOs from 5 different countries and lasted for two years. We will explain the methodology and the outcomes of the Project and also how students, instructors and administrators can get more involved in greater international contact to facilitate Lifelong Learning.

The aim of the Project was to observe what has been done or is being done across Europe on Active Aging; to identify what kind of educational courses could be offered to elderly citizens who want to pursue some kind of academic learning in each of the countries; and to identify how best to use the competence and experience of the academic staff of each participating Institution.

The Project was conducted in each participating country and involved distributing a questionnaire to local senior citizens. Results of the questionnaires were discussed at meetings held in each country, participant members of the project wrote articles on the results of their own research, and local administrators and associations for the elderly were also approached for their contribution. Primary research was supported by secondary research of national statistics and published research in each country.

During this process, academicians and educators from each Institution had the opportunity to observe the educational approach of other participating institutions and to learn about the approaches of different cultures to this subject. They gave seminars on the methodology and the activities of the project and how it would benefit the local elderly.

As a result of this project various educational possibilities were able to be offered by this university. It has lead to the establishment of some language courses and various educational seminars. The Project has also showed how important an educational institution could be in the intellectual and social development of a town.

Keywords:

Internationalization, lifelong learning, active aging.