Lifelong learning

Build a framework of support for open and distance learners in three stages

Open and distance learning may offer a way for graduates to separate themselves from the herd, but some struggle with online learning practices. Cheng Yee Ng details how she developed the framework to address these challenges

Cheng Yee Ng

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)

Campus webinar: How to make lifelong learning a strategic priority

Three lifelong learning experts from Campus+ partner institutions in Asia discuss how universities can embed a culture of continuous education beyond the traditional degree pathway

Aliana Leong, Gary Pan, Forest Tan

Macau University of Science and Technology, Singapore Management University, Singapore Institute of Technology

Cut down your marking time by using whole-class feedback

Whole-class feedback offers three advantages – it’s time saving, it encourages self-regulation and will help identify any weaknesses in the rubric. Paul Moss shows how it’s done

Paul Moss

Adelaide University

A group of students using smartphones with brightly coloured shells

Make ‘switch your phone on’ a requirement of your lessons

Students are more likely to carry smartphones than pens when they walk into your class, so make use of their potential. Fernando Rosell-Aguilar outlines how to involve your students’ favourite device in active learning experiences

Fernando Rosell-Aguilar

Arden University

Button badges with the Scottish saltire pile up

Every student in Scotland can vote: here’s why that should matter to educators

Teach your students that voting is an investment in the future – and help them build a lifelong habit. Murray Leith offers advice

Murray Leith

University of the West of Scotland

Campus Talks: Microcredentials are knocking. Will higher education answer?

Tips from 10 years of Moocs at the University of Edinburgh and a call to arms to embrace technology for greater equity and financial sustainability

Melissa Highton, Michael D. Smith

The University of Edinburgh, Carnegie Mellon University

Group of multiracial mature computing students

What are the key components of an effective lifelong-learning culture?

Continuing engagement with education doesn’t just happen. Universities need to put the right elements in place to support a culture of lifelong learning, writes Cheong Fan

Cheong Fan

Macau University of Science and Technology

An illustration of a robot hand reaching towards a butterfly

In the age of AI, teach your students how to be human

Look to the arts to help develop your students’ skills for navigating the real world. Lucy Gill-Simmen proposes her vision of a more well-rounded education

Lucy Gill-Simmen

Royal Holloway, University of London

A group of young people put their hands together

The world isn’t sorted into modules, nor should authentic learning be

Faculty should combine their modules for an interdisciplinary, real-world based approach to learning, argues Angela Ng

Angela Ng

Singapore Institute of Technology

A pawn looks in the mirror and sees a queen

How consensus grading can help build a generation of critical thinkers

Instead of punitive testing and high-stakes exams, consensus grading helps students learn how to critique their own work. James Thompson encourages a real-time reflective approach to assessment

James Thompson

Adelaide University

What about lifelong learning for international students?

International students might not be comfortable with the student-centred mindset that underpins continuous, self-directed learning. We must prepare them for lifelong learning so they are not left behind, argues Graham Wise

Graham Wise

University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha

Childcare remains a barrier for too many learners. Here’s how institutions can help

Universities can design programmes that meet student-parents where they are with their childcare needs. Here, Joanitt Montano and Chike Aguh outline three ways

Joanitt Montano , Chike Aguh

College of Health Care Professions, Harvard University

A hand holding up a question mark in front of a world map

Humble enquiry: the transformative benefits of ‘not knowing’ in academia

How academics can embrace ‘not knowing’ as a powerful tool to drive learning, creativity and innovation

Lyn R. Keith

The University of the West Indies

When it comes to professional development, let’s not forget part-time lecturers

What could universities do to better support the professional development of part-time teaching staff? Martin W. Andrews and Ruth Lang investigate

Martin W. Andrews, Ruth Lang

The University of Portsmouth, Royal College of Art, London School of Architecture

Young black man studying at home on laptop

Moving microcredentials forward: how universities are incubators and early adopters

Education innovation will transform lifetime learning in two main ways: compacting instruction into digestible bites and standardising how microcredentials are used and delivered in (and beyond) higher education

Jonna Lee , Eric Scott Sembrat

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Higher apprenticeships reimagined for lifelong learners

If Australia is serious about addressing pressing skills shortages and rapidly changing technology and labour markets, lifelong learning must become a practical reality, not an abstract goal, says Mish Eastman

Mish Eastman

RMIT University

How to create K-12 programmes to boost belonging and participation

Learning outside the traditional school day can help shape a young person’s lifelong education journey. Here’s how university programmes can establish an environment where they can thrive

Sirocus Barnes

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Open educational resources to make lifelong learning accessible to all

How open educational resources can be created and managed to ensure courses and materials that support lifelong learning are accessible to all aspiring students at little or no cost

Fiona Buckland

The University of Edinburgh

The three Cs of the 21st-century workplace: cognition, character and career

Changing skill demands require a lifelong approach to education that prioritises self-efficacy, critical thinking and a growth mindset. Here is how these elements can fit together in learning and career preparation

Vijayakumari Seevaratnam, Russell Manfield

The University of Queensland

Stackable microcredentials for university learners

What’s needed for stackable microcredentials towards a degree?

Forest Tan describes how to begin creating a flexible pathway where learners can accumulate microcredentials aligned to industry that can stack towards a degree

Forest Tan

Singapore Institute of Technology

Why we need a new model for professional development credentials

Close collaboration between universities and industry can help higher education address the ‘skills emergency’ and rebuild trust in university qualifications, writes Mick Grimley

Mick Grimley

University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha

How to coach in-employment lifelong learners for success

A team from Singapore Institute of Technology offers insights from working with in-employment learners who are seeking to upskill by studying for degrees

Chow Peck Chee , Julian Matius , May Lim

Singapore Institute of Technology

What makes an effective microcredential programme?

Short, flexible and skills-focused, microcredentials must balance the needs of students and industry. Here are tips on how to develop courses that achieve this

Temesgen Kifle

The University of Queensland

Learning to learn: developing students into effective lifelong learners

Kevinia Cheung outlines an institutional approach to developing undergraduates’ ability to ‘learn to learn’

Kevinia Cheung

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

How to design and build microcredentials in four steps

A team from Tecnológico de Monterrey explains how to plan, design, deliver and measure microcredentials at your university

Verónica Alejandra Pérez Aguirre , Laura Patricia Aldape , Karla Margarita Banda Martínez

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Learning by doing: practical tips from a decade of making Moocs

Lessons gained during a decade of developing and refining massive open online courses from two online learning experts

Stuart Nicol , Fiona Buckland

The University of Edinburgh

Alumni as a benchmark of student success

Three focal areas by which universities can track student success by looking at what graduates go on to do after completing their courses

Adeola A. Matthew

The University of the West Indies

A diverse group of people representing different potential students

Bring your learners to life through personas

Understanding your learners and their needs enables you to develop more engaging courses, and personas are a great tool to help you achieve this, as Andrés Ordorica explains

Andrés Ordorica

The University of Edinburgh

A woman working at her laptop in her kitchen

Free your content! A guide to creating sustainable open licensed media

A guide to creating teaching and learning materials as open educational resources that can be shared and reused by all

Lorna Campbell

The University of Edinburgh

A look back over 10 years of Moocs

Lessons learned over a decade of developing and delivering massive open online courses (Moocs)

Melissa Highton

The University of Edinburgh

Indigenous Australian people perform a ritual of lighting a fire

Indigenous knowledge provides skills for lifelong learning that AI cannot

Indigenous ways of knowing can provide skills and strategies for learning that could assist educators in addressing the climate emergency, decolonisation and balance the outsourcing of knowledge to AI, Alexandra Sherlock writes

Alexandra Sherlock

RMIT University

Podcast discussing building resilience and protecting well-being among university staff and students

Campus talks: an interview with David Latchman, vice-chancellor at Birkbeck, University of London

The vice-chancellor at Birkbeck, University of London explains why he’s optimistic England’s Lifelong Loan Entitlement will unlock the benefits of lifelong learning

David Latchman

Birkbeck, University of London

Young woman and older man adult students lifelong learning

Challenges and opportunities of the 60-year curriculum

Lifelong learning for a post-digital-transformation, post-Covid world will need a degree of intention, design and flexibility universities do not yet offer, writes Jeff Grabill

Jeffrey Grabill

University of Leeds

Making students comfortable in class without coddling them

Comfort without coddling: how to make students comfortable in the classroom

How do educators foster a safe environment for students while encouraging their independence? Brooke Wilson discusses why this is important

Brooke Wilson

Colorado State University Global

Adult learners require a variety of supports at university

I know first-hand that adult learners need a variety of supports to succeed

From flexible class schedules to a friendly smile, colleges that focus on individual needs are best positioned to help learners thrive at school and in life

Shannon Uresti

College of Health Care Professions

How we can use AI to power career-driven lifelong learning

By using data from job postings, course catalogues and students’ CVs, AI can help people address skill gaps and plot their educational journeys

Teck-Hua Ho

National University of Singapore

Lifelong learning needs a reboot to help professionals untangle their continuing education options

Lifelong learning needs a reboot – here’s how to do it

Instead of untangling a miscellany of education products, lifelong learners should find the structure and purpose of their degree continues into their professional life

Matt Riley

Blueprint Prep

A teenager with street smarts, but university graduates will need to combine practical and academic skills to boost employability

Do our students need to be book smart or street smart? They need to be both

Employers want talent to jump right in and fulfil new tasks without a lot of coaching. Project-based learning will help prepare students for this new way of thinking and working

Lee Ann Walker

Colorado State University Global

Advice on the key steps to design and deliver effective microcredentials that meet diverse learner needs

Three steps to developing useful microcredentials

The key considerations for developing an effective microcredentials portfolio that meets the needs of diverse learners and employers

Natcha Thawesaengskulthai, Bajinder Pal Singh , Warinya Chemnasiri , Pietro Borsano

Chulalongkorn University

Steps institutions should take to encourage more mature female students to complete STEM courses

How to support women of all ages in post-secondary science education

Mature female students face barriers to success in STEM subjects, but steps can be taken to address this. Liette Vasseur explains what needs to be done

Liette Vasseur

Brock University

Universities should be preparing now to be inundated with older students given workforce shifts

Universities need to prepare for the mature student onslaught

Higher ed is notoriously bad at attracting and accommodating mature students. Given the workforce shifts spawned by the pandemic, this needs to change, says Dilshad Sheikh

Dilshad Sheikh

Arden University

Tempting back adults who left college early without a degree could be key to higher education's recovery

Re-engaging adult learners is key to a sustainable HE recovery

Winning back those who left college without a degree will be key in reversing the declines of the past year, say Kai Drekmeier and Amanda Winters

Kai Drekmeier, Amanda Winters

InsideTrack, National Governors Association

Podcast discussing building resilience and protecting well-being among university staff and students

Campus Talks: The big ideas behind microcredentials

Two experts in flexible learning programmes discuss the evolution and adoption of alternative teaching models and credentials in higher education

Tim Blackman, Kemi Jona

The Open University, Northeastern University

Advice for universities on developing their lifelong learning strategies

Developing flexible lifelong learning in line with changing needs and opportunities 

Jonathan Michie shares insight to help institutions develop lifelong learning strategies that meet the need for flexible and relevant educational programmes

Jonathan Michie

University of Oxford

Advice on developing effective lifelong learning programmes

Covid as a catalyst: deepening lifelong learning

Miriam Green and Susanna Leong share key considerations for universities to develop effective lifelong learning programmes that will keep pace with the rapid changes across higher education

Miriam Jacqueline Green, Susanna HS Leong

National University of Singapore

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