Study group

Life Long Learning (LLL) is an important premise for all levels of society and all age groups. LLL enables people to take part in working life and to develop stable work biographies which fit to today’s socio-economic and technological developments.

In this context, education should be understood not as an activity related to a determined part of life, but as a continuous and reflexive process.

Flexible, accessible, LLL- strategies which make use of suitable technologies are considered in scientific discussion as encouraging means for contributing to the achievement of competencies by individuals and organizations, thereby helping them to cope with economic, social and technological change.

As a consequence, many programmes have been launched at national and European level, their main objective being the development and implementation of LLL strategies in practice.

However, the results of many of these programme projects have not been satisfactory. Until now, only a few examples of Best Practice and sustainable LLL strategies exist.

Taking these aspects into consideration, the LLL study group plans for the next three years to:

A) Record information and contribution to the development of frameworks for LLL strategies and cooperation.

Questions:

• Which are the steps for the development of LLL strategies and the conditions for their success?
• Analysis of different forms of cooperation like Communities of Practice

B) Media and platforms in the further education and for supporting transfer of knowledge and innovation

Questions:

• Analysis and testing of technical solutions for preparing flexible open learning environments
• Competences of trainers in the domain of social media and E-Learning
• Which media exist and how they support the transfer processes for knowledge and innovation
• Which competences are necessary?

C) Concepts of Diversity and Mentoring for Human Resources Development processes, transfer of knowledge and innovation

Questions:

• Investigation of concepts of diversity and mentoring
• Supporting knowledge transfer and integration of special groups (migrants, people with disabilities, seniors, etc.)

The group would like to

1) Develop projects aimed at the implementation of LLL strategies which

• correspond to the needs, objectives and cultures of SMEs,
• support social equity and inclusion,
• advocate diversity,
• utilize internet applications and knowledge-intensive procedures not only for the daily work but also to achieve new staff competencies, to design and use future working environments and learning forms,
• support individuals and company innovation.

The study group is going to prepare projects within German and European calls.

2) Initiate multidisciplinary, practice-oriented cooperation

3) Supporting students

Through the development of appropriate LLL modules, the study group would like to introduce students to the congruous topics as well as conveying innovation knowledge and mediating knowledge tools with reference to new technologies.

Partners:

• Dr. habil. Konrad Berger, educo Institut für Bildung und Beruf e.V. Berlin
• Steffi Engert Zentrum für Informations- und Mediendienste, Universität Duisburg-Essen
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Markus J. Loeffler, Fachhochschule Gelsenkirchen
• H.P. Müller, City System GmbH, Duisburg
• Dr. Ileana Hamburg, Institut Arbeit und Technik, Forschungsschwerpunkt Innovation, Raum & Kultur
• Dr. Hansjürgen Paul, Institut Arbeit unf Technik, Forschungsschwerpunkt Wissen & Kompetenz
• Alexandra David, Institut Arbeit und Technik, Forschungsschwerpunkt Innovation. Raum & Kultur
• Anita Pöltl, Institut Arbeit und Technik, Forschungsschwerpunkt Innovation, Raum & Kultur