QUALITY IN ACADEMIC LIFELONG LEARNING, THE CASE OF FINLAND EQUIPE PROJECT OUTCOMES Kari Seppälä Director, University of Turku, Centre for Extension Studies DGWF Karlsruhe

WHERE I COME FROM University of Turku Founded 1640 and 1920 ”Multidisciplinary research university” Six faculties students, 1100 graduates, 120 doctors Staff 3000, budget 164 m. € Second biggest university in Finland Quality University in LLL Centre for Extension Studies Founded 1985 ”Multidisciplinary, new, learning, attractive” Sections: OU, CPD, RD Students: Staff 90, budget 7,2 m. € Over 100 international projects from 1990’s

THE THREE TOPICS OF TODAY 1.Lifelong learning in Finnish universities 2.Quality initiatives for LLL in Finnish universities 3.EQUIPE Project Outcomes

LIFELONG LEARNING IN FINNISH UNIVERSITIES

TYPICAL CONTEXTS OF LLL Open University/University Extension: University ~ Liberal adult education VIP: Student Continuing Professional Development: Scientific ~ Professional sphere VIP: Client of our student Regional Development: University ~ Region VIP: People and firms in the region

OPEN UNIVERSITY Corresponds to faculty courses No formal educational requirements for admission Credits without degrees Pioneering ODL, IT Virtual OU

OPEN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS The main fields are education, social sciences and humanities (over 70%). 3/4 are women. 2/4 are 30 years or below, 1/4 between 30 and 40, 1/4 over 40 years old. 3/4 are secondary school graduates. Geographical differences exist.

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION Non-Degree Multidisciplinary Flexible, Tailor-Made Course Fees, Contracts Intensive and extensive programmes

CONTINUING EDUCATION IN UNIVERSITIES Great variety of courses and programs For academic professionals, people who are training for a new profession, experts in need of research results More and more often courses are arranged on demand and planned together with the organization that ordered them. CE also includes training for the unemployed and those who are in danger of losing their jobs

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Many universities are active in the development of learning regions. From the third mission is a legal task of the universities. The main aim is to construct ”a regionally innovative milieu”. Typically funded by European Commission.

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT SUPPLY RD had its roots in training for the unemployed and later in courses for entrepreneurs Regional development is implemented in (ever larger ) projects, where universities act as coordinators and partners. Projects often include service research, continuing education and training, consultation, networking and marketing.

WHAT MAKES UCE ACADEMIC Typical statements University as the provider Services for university graduates Making use of knowledge production Making use of research approach Our way of saying it In search of the new Research-based education Multidisciplinarity Realizing university values: ethicality criticality creativity communality

THREE QUESTIONS OF BALANCE In Volumes:  Growth till late 1990’s  Decrease in early 2000’s In Strategic Development:  Outreach - Mainstreaming In Profiles  Task Expansion – Core activities

KEYS TO SUCCESS Student/Customer Orientation Teamwork of Scientific and Professional Experts Continuous Quality Improvement Flexibility Mixture of Government and Private Funding

CHALLENGES FOR ACADEMIC LLL Academic standard Business skills Individual expertise Learning organisations Regional impact Renewal of working life Content Production & Delivery Learning at work Information service e&b-learning International cooperation Innovations

QUALITY INITIATIVES FOR LIFELONG LEARNING IN FINNISH UNIVERSITIES

EXAMPLES OF QUALITY INITIATIVES National study of adult education at universities in Accreditation of professional courses from 1999 onwards Evaluation of adult education at the University of Turku in (+follow-up) National evaluation of the open university in (+follow-up) Selecting adult education quality units in 2003 (on-going 2005)

ACADEMIC ADULT EDUCATION SURVEY National inquiry in Focus: university adult education Because of Min.Ed’s need for a general view Themes: Transition of offer, progress of procedures, new tasks Outcomes: report and andvanced knowledge

ACCREDITATION OF CPE by FINHEEC Board from 1999 Focus: CPE programs in HEIs Min.Ed aim to assure quality Voluntary, consultative expert review Process: application, further data, site visit, expert statements. registration Criteria: working-life orientation, contents and objectives, process, pedagogy, practices, quality assurance Outcomes: accreditation, register, curriculum improvement Polytechnics more active than universities

EVALUATION OF ADULT EDUCATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TURKU Part of institutional evaluation in (Min.Ed.) Focus: external impact Aim: institutional development International peer review Process: request, working plan, themes, data, self- evaluation, independent evaluator, peer review Themes: quality, cooperation, networks, innovations, evaluation, future Report, new strategy, actions Follow-up 2002

EVALUATION OF OPEN UNIVERSITY National By Min.Ed: “Clarification of basic values”  development in the university sector Focus: entirety of open university “Tailored, transparent, embedded” Themes: equality, access, equivalence, functionality of the system Process: data collection, self- evaluation, mutual evaluations, national hearings, peer review Report  Strategy, profile, allocation Follow-up

”FINNISH ACADEMIC LLL QUALITY APPROACH” Development orientation Using international networks University autonomy Linking evaluation and strategy work

TOPICAL: AUDITS OF HEI QUALITY SYSTEMS International pressures All the HEIS to introduce a (total) quality system Aim: to enhance quality assurance Also covers the third mission and LLL FINHEEC institutional audits by 2011 Construction on the way > internal audit > external audit

EQUIPE PROJECT OUTCOMES

EQUIPE STEPS EUCEN interaction Expert exchange EQUAL EUCEN Quality Task Force EQUIPE EQUIPEPlus

EQUIPE OUTCOMES Case Studies Quality links with introductions Expert Pool Consultancy Tool Benchmarking Tool EQUIPE Quality Learning Tool

EQUIPEPlus Dissemination WWW-pages National Quality Reports Universities in Grundtvig Indicators: examples, do’s and don’ts, a set

Welcome Page Welcome Home Page Q in LLL Materials EQUIPE QUALITY LEARNING TOOL

VIRTUAL BENCHMARKING TOOL