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Collabo a ion in Con inuing Educa ion Ne wo ks: op ion o des iny?
Al edo Soei o, P o-Rec o , Uni e sidade do Po o, Po ugal
EUCEN, Ba celona, 16/19 May 2001
Building a Ne wo k Wo ld, Wo ld Ne wo king in Con inuing Educa ion
Summa y
The demand o he p o ision o di e en o ms and ypes o Con inuing
Educa ion has shown a emendous inc ease in he las yea s. The e ha e
been di icul ies and obs acles o he ans o ma ion o he uni e si y classical
s uc u e and o he ypical ac i i ies o he academic s a . Se e al models
o managing Con inuing Educa ion in he uni e si ies we e de eloped, es ed
and implemen ed. A eac ion o he uni e si ies o he ans o ma ions
c ea ed by he need o li elong lea ning demands has been he coope a ion in
p ojec s o in ag eemen s ha can be bila e al o mul ila e al. These
mul ila e al ag eemen s ake mos o he imes he o m o ne wo ks ising
om se e al p ojec s ha ha e been implemen ed o om na u al
agg ega ion o uni e si ies a ound a common g ound. The expe iences o
benchma king a ound his heme a e p esen ed.
1. The De elopmen o Con inuing Educa ion
The demand o he p o ision o di e en o ms and ypes o Con inuing
Educa ion has shown a emendous inc ease in he las yea s. The e ha e
been di icul ies and obs acles o he ans o ma ion o he uni e si y classical
s uc u e and o he ypical ac i i ies o he academic s a . Se e al models
o managing Con inuing Educa ion (CE) in he uni e si ies we e de eloped,
es ed and implemen ed. The e ha e also some undamen al changes in
go e nmen policies and egula ions ying o os e his ans o ma ion o he
uni e si ies. The issue has been add essed by o he ac o s, ei he on he
p i a e o in he public sec o s, as a esul o he need o complemen he
o e bu also as a esul , p obably in mos cases. o he incapaci y o
esponse o he uni e si ies.
Rega ding he legisla i e amewo k o CE ac i i ies a uni e si y le el, he
in ol emen o go e nmen s is a iable. I can a y om se ing up laws
implemen ing CE as a unc ion o he Uni e si y oge he wi h esea ch and
aining o bo h g adua es and pos -g adua es a one end o he scale, o a
lack o in e es and hus a lack o ins i u ional and inancial suppo a he
o he . The s a egies ange om a will o plan an o e all policy o CE, o
me ely dealing wi h eme gency as hey a i e. Howe e , in a numbe o
coun ies he opic is cu en ly e y much on he poli ical agenda and he e is
a gene al g owing awa eness o he u gen need o Uni e si y CE: ade
unions, companies, he p o essions and go e nmen al bodies a e inc easingly
aking CE in o accoun in hei s a egic plans. I has been sugges ed, o
example, ha u u e nego ia ions wi hin ades and indus ies will change
om wage nego ia ions o compe ence nego ia ions and he wo ke s’ igh o
educa ion.
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A ecu en poli ical a gumen is ha in es men in human capi al is
impo an o he economic g ow h and de elopmen o socie y, and ha
inc eased access o aining will help sus ain economic compe i i eness wi h
in e na ional i als. CE is seen as an impo an key o Uni e si y-Socie y co-
ope a ion. Conce ning employed wo ke s, he aims a e o p omo e pe sonal
and p o essional de elopmen in o de o imp o e he compe i i eness o
companies, o adap human esou ces o echnological inno a ion and o
p omo e he de elopmen o new economic ac i i ies. On he o he hand,
oca ional educa ion seeks o b ing unemployed people’s knowledge, skills
and a i ude in o line wi h he new p o essional p o iles equi ed by he
labo ma ke . Uni e si y CE is he poin o in e sec ion o new esea ch
indings and p ac ical wo king li e.
2. The Role o Uni e si ies in he Demand o Con inuing Educa ion.
The di icul y o assessing he si ua ion o Uni e si y CE has been s essed in
he esea ch aken and he need o de elop i s in es iga ion and e alua ion o
he si ua ion. Rega ding o ganiza ional a angemen s, i seems ha CE
ac i i ies in uni e si ies a e bes implemen ed in designa ed CE cen e s o
depa men s, which ha e de eloped a pa icula expe ise in p og amming,
moni o ing and e alua ing hese ac i i ies. Such cen e s a e able o co-
ope a e e icien ly wi h he indus y and he business wo ld o discuss he
educa ional needs o he egion, o es ablish co-ope a ion ag eemen s wi h
o he CE p o ide s ( ade unions, p i a e ins i u ions...), and o p omo e
in e na ional co-ope a ion in eaching and aining.
The e a e cu en ly e y li le inancial incen i es o CE s a whose
mo i a ion comes om a pe sonal in e es in adul eaching and om he
oppo uni y o ha ing con ac s wi h hei p o essions and he applica ion o
hei subjec s. The p o ision is cu en ly slan ed owa ds sho in ensi e skill-
o ien ed cou ses, o which pa icipan s a e some imes eady o pay high
ees. Dis ance educa ion is de eloping, and he e is a demand o educa ion in
new echnologies and IT. The main ac o s a e he adul s uden s, hei
employe s and ma ke mechanisms.
Majo obs acles a e compe i ion o esou ces wi h he expanding egula
uni e si y educa ion, he lack o academic ecogni ion o CE lec u e s ( he
emphasis in mos uni e si ies emains on esea ch), he need o aise hei
le el o compe ence, and he ques ion o inancial a angemen s. Openness
and s uden cen e ed o ien a ion, wo elemen s o lexibili y, a e he mos
signi ican dimensions o Uni e si y le el co-ope a ion in CE, wi h he
de elopmen o ODL (Open and Dis ance Lea ning), quali y con ol and
acc edi a ion. As a consequence o hese cu en de elopmen s se e al e en s
ook place. One was he associa ion o uni e si ies in ne wo ks and o he o a
dedica ed exclusi ely o Con inuing Educa ion o p omo e exchange o ideas
and o ac as lobbying p ocess in he a ea.
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3. Response om Uni e si ies and O ganiza ional Models
The uni e si ies ha e add essed he answe o he CE challenge in di e en
ways. In some uni e si ies Uni e si y CE is gene ally o ganized by acul ies. In
he u u e, hese uni e si ies will p obably e ol e o a decen alized sys em
in which each g oup, acul y o depa men will de elop i s own s a egy
wi hin a global uni e si y ision o CE. In o he uni e si ies, CE may be
o ganized in a decen alized manne . P og ams a e o ganized by academic
s a om he acul ies, depa men s and ins i u es wi h he help and suppo
o he CE Cen e , which may unc ion as an in e ace be ween he uni e si y
and he business wo ld.
In a cen alized body-go e ning o CE, i is un in co-ope a ion wi h he use s,
ha is, p o essional o ganiza ions o academics, commonly on a o ally sel -
inancing basis, wi h ees coming om pa icipan s o om hei companies.
Regis a ion p ocedu es and he a angemen o con inuing educa ion
ac i i ies di e widely be ween uni e si ies, and i is o en di icul o ge a
s a is ics on pa - ime s uden s, pa icula ly non-deg ee and dis ance
educa ion p og am s uden s. Gene ally, howe e , he e is a endency o
hese ac i i ies o become egis e ed cen ally wi hin each uni e si y.
Uni e si ies ha e o en o ganized hei CE a ound cen e s o depa men s wi h
a special esponsibili y o hese ac i i ies and i is common ha CE s uden s
a e expec ed o pay o hei CE. The cen al acili ies o he uni e si ies a e
he mos common o ganiza ional a angemen ; he e is also a ising numbe o
legally independen o ganiza ions wi h a ying o ms which he uni e si ies
a e linked o in di e en ways. Almos all uni e si ies o e CE p og ams, bu
hese may be loca ed wi hin a a ie y o o ganiza ional s uc u es wi h a
a ie y o i les; he p edominan i le is a a ian o Depa men (o Cen e )
o (o o ) CE (o Adul and Con inuing Educa ion). This nomencla u e pe haps
e lec s he mo e owa ds a g ea e b ead h o p o ision and a emp s o
a ac he con inuing p o essional de elopmen audience.
Uni e si y CE and he cen e s o CE ha e been seen as means o making
a ailable he esou ces o he uni e si ies o he ou side wo ld. Teaching o
CE is gene ally o ganized a he depa men al le el. The eaching may ake
place in he day ime, in he e ening, a weekends and in he o m o dis ance
lea ning. The CE cen e s a e c ea ed a Uni e si y le el and can handle all he
CE p og ams o he Depa men s. Cen e s a di e en uni e si ies can
communica e and collabo a e, especially in join p og ams. Expe iences
om he Uni e si y Ex ension Cen e s show ha i is aluable o ha e a
cen alized uni dealing wi h CE a each uni e si y. CE and knowledge ans e
will play an inc easingly impo an ole in connec ion o inno a ion p ocesses
ou side and inside he uni e si ies.
Some ecen examples o he eac ions o he uni e si ies, a a global le el,
o hese changes a e he su ge o associa ions like he IACEE (In e na ional
Associa ion o Con inuing Enginee ing Educa ion), c ea ed in 1989, he EUCEN
(Eu opean Uni e si y Con inuing Educa ion Ne wo k), c ea ed in 1992, and he
RECLA (Red de Educación Con inua La ino Ame icana), c ea ed in 1995. O he
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associa ions like UCEA (Uni e si y Con inuing Educa ion Associa ion), EDEN
(Eu opean Dis ance Educa ion Ne wo k) and ICDE (In e na ional Council o
Dis ance Educa ion) ha e expe ienced a la ge de elopmen o ac i i ies in he
a ea o Con inuing Educa ion and. in some cases, in Open and Dis ance
Lea ning.
4. Wo king in Ne wo ks in Con inuing Educa ion
As men ioned be o e se e al associa ions ha e been c ea ed allowing he
uni e si ies o ake ad an age o sha ing o in o ma ion and ac i i ies wi h a
clea economy o esou ces and inc ease in quali y con ol. A good example is
he hema ic ne wo ks p ojec s inanced by he Eu opean Commission whe e
each ne wo k concen a es on a heme and hei ac i i ies a e p ecisely
inancing. The ne wo k dedica ed o CE is he THENUCE (Thema ic Ne wo k
on Uni e si y Con inuing Educa ion) ha wo ked o ou yea s wi h se e al
ou pu s like na ional epo s, join p og ams, sha ed esea ch, e c.
The easons o wo k in a ne wo k a e mainly he iden i ica ion o a common
g ound, compa ibili y o objec i es, syne gy and quali y imp o emen . The
managemen issues a e an impo an pa o an e icien ne wo king.
Examples o hese issues a e he mainly he iden i ica ion o he eal needs
o co-ope a ion, a clea de ini ion o a ge and esponsibili ies, adequa e
managemen s a and planning, he es ablishmen o a win-win ela ionship,
clea cu p ojec s and need o ans e ision and objec i es among pa ne s.
A good exe cise on his heme o coope a ion p oduced he esul s as a
consequence o he benchma king exe cise: «C i ical success ac o s o
In e na ional Coope a ion h ough Uni e si y Ne wo ks and p ocesses o
u u e collabo a ion be ween EUCEN and RECLA" in To ino, I aly in May 1998.
The g oup o 25 people was di ided in g oups o 5/6 pe sons wi h a mode a o
in each g oup. The di e en g oups o people iden i ied c i ical success
ac o s and hese we e discussed in a plena y session. .
A. Poli ical ac o s
- Iden i ica ion o common g ound
- Compa ibili y
- Syne gy
- Clea goals
- Quali y
B.. Managemen
- Iden i y Real needs o coope a ion
- Clea ly de ined a ge and esponsibili ies
- Good managemen s uc u e (people and planning)
- Capabili y o mo i a ing people
- Win-win ela ion
- Added alue o each one
- Clea p ojec s
- Simila ision and objec i es
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- Tole a e and in eg a e di e en poin s o iew
Each g oup also iden i ied he p ocesses o implemen ing he c i ical success
ac o a ibu ed o each g oup. These p ocesses a e di ided in he
iden i ica ion o common g ound, o he needs o coope a ion, o possible
pilo p ojec s and o mu ual ad an ages. The mos impo an a e:
A. Iden i ica ion o Common G ound
- Unde s and he need o he po en ial pa ne
- Accep and alue he di e ence
- Es ablish mu ual con idence
- Familia ize men ali y and a i ude o pa ne
- De ine needs
- De ine complemen a y a eas
- Fo malize he s a egy o each membe be o e mee ing
- Es ablish common pla o ms o acili a e coope a ion
B. Iden i ica ion o Real Needs o Coope a ion
- C ea e ealis ic expec a ions
- Cla i y mu ual ad an ages
- O ganize egula mee ings
- Join ac i i ies
- Iden i y oppo uni ies o common ac ions
- C ea e ne wo k/ o um o exchange
- Inc easing inancial esou ces
C. Iden i ica ion o Possible Pilo P ojec s
- Public and isible esul s and possible di usion
- Specialized / dedica ed pe sonnel
- Knowing needs and capabili ies
- Human Resou ces
- Selec ing p ojec s wi h added alue and o he
- P essu e/ opinion g oups
D. Mu ual Ad an ages Pe cei ed by Membe s
- Maximize poli ical in luence
- S imula ed inno a i e ideas
- Sha ing in o ma ion
- In ol e academic au ho i ies
- Coope a ion esea ch
- De ine op ions and al e na i es
5. Conclusions
The need o coope a ion in Uni e si y Con inuing Educa ion exis s and i will
inc ease due o he changing demands o socie y and ma ke . The eac ion
and s a egy adop ed by each ins i u ion a ies acco ding o he speci ic
s uc u e and policy. The esul s be ween wo ne wo ks ake i o a di e en
le el whe e he e is a c ossing be ween indi idual and gene ic ques ions bu

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hey ep esen a good o e iew o he possibili ies and p ocesses ha can be
used. The only op ion seems o be laying on he deg ee o in ol emen in his
coope a ion and he p ocesses used o implemen he coope a ion.
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