Institutional practices of implementing lifelong learning in higher education: researchreport

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The report was developed within the broader framework of UIL’s research on the contribution of higher education institutions to lifelong learning, made possible with funding from Shanghai Open University (SOU), People’s Republic of China. We would like to thank Mr. Wei Jia, President of SOU; Ms. Wen Yuan, former President of SOU; and Ms. Jin Zhang, Vice President of SOU, as well as our colleagues Ms. Zhuhua Weng, Ms. Yu Han, and Ms. Xiaojie Xue, for their continuous support and tireless collaboration over the past three years.

The case studies report includes detailed accounts of how lifelong learning is understood and implemented within the context of higher education institutions. UIL would like to thank the universities that agreed to be part of this study: Universidad Nacional del Litoral in Argentina, Université de Montréal in Canada, East China Normal University in China, University College Cork in Ireland, Saint Joseph University of Beirut in Lebanon, and Ndejje University in Uganda.

A number of people contributed their expertise to the success of the research and were involved in the preparation of the report. Substantial contributions to the development of the case studies were made by Ms. Ashley Stepanek Lockhart, Ms. Clarisa Yerovi, and Mr. Abdeljalil Akkari, who were responsible for data collection and preparing the first drafts of cases. Additionally, the initial drafting process was supported by Ms. Kirstin Sonne.

Lastly, we would like to thank Ms. Margarita Guarello de Toro, Mr. Balázs Németh, Mr. Michael Osborne, Mr. Johnny Sung, and Ms. Thérèse Zhang Pulkowski for taking the time to review and provide valued feedback on the draft report.

Project Information and UIL Team

This report is published as part of a wider research project on the contribution of higher education institutions to lifelong learning, conducted by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning and Shanghai Open University from 2020 to 2022. Key components of the project included:

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An extensive literature review
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An international survey on higher education institutions’ engagement in lifelong learning (LLL)

Case studies on institutional approaches for LLL

Research on the promotion of LLL in open universities in the People’s Republic of China

These activities are further complemented by three thematic studies on:

The role of universities in building learning cities

Universities addressing the needs of older learners

Universities’ social responsibility and community engagement

Based on the comprehensive sets of quantitative and qualitative data collected across all world regions, this research constitutes a major step forward in building an international knowledge base on the role of HEIs in establishing LLL opportunities for all.

The research project was overseen by UIL’s Director, Mr. David Atchoarena, coordinated by Team Leader Mr. Raul Valdés-Cotera, and conducted by Ms. Edith Hammer, Ms. Mo Wang, and Ms. Nora Lorenz. Editing was performed by Mr. Paul Stanistreet, Ms. Cendrine Sebastiani, Ms. Jennifer Kearns-Willerich, and Ms. Hannah Mowat.