In the ongoing shift to a knowledge society, the idea of a technology-enabled lifelong learning has frequently been discussed. The shift also requires a transformation of higher education with new forms for teaching and learning deployment. This ongoing transformation was formulated in a research question that has guided this study: 1) Which key…

Previous research has revealed how mature students are more likely to drop out of university education, achieve poorer degree outcomes and have greater family, financial, caring and work commitments to contend with than their younger peers. In response to calls for further empirical work on mature students' university experiences and informed…

In order to realise career and personal goals, as well as financial autonomy and security, many women are pursuing higher education alongside the role of motherhood. Student-mothers face many challenges when engaging in higher education, and many fail to complete their studies. This phenomenological study applies a feminist lens to the choices,…

This paper synthesises theory and practice literature to define a new type of learning space: emergence studios. Emergence studios incorporate iterative, collaborative, and creative elements into graduate education in the social sciences. While some disciplines have a long history of studio spaces and others have begun to implement applied spaces…

Recognition of prior learning (RPL) is often said to facilitate lifelong learning and occurs when already-acquired learning outcomes are officially valued. The education system is a central arena of RPL, allowing facilitated access to or shortening of study programmes. This study explores RPL practices in Switzerland. We ask the following research…

There is Individual variation in how people interact with videos presented in online distance education. Educational videos can be embedded with interactive content to increase engagement and make cognition more efficient. Accordingly, we predicted that embedding questions during videos (rather than after) would enhance the performance of…

The aim of this study is to examine what learning capabilities and ways of learning may be possible for women in their third age. The study addresses cognitive aspects of real-life learning of older women who are experienced learners. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 women aged between 60 and 81 who hold either a PhD or a MA.…

Globally significant adversities have occurred, including the COVID-19 pandemic, which had an impact on all facets of society, such as the fields of employment and education. University students should be well-equipped with the skills, knowledge, and attitude required to adapt to and withstand employability challenges. A triangulation mixed-method…

Students must take responsibility for their learning and participate in learning activities to achieve the purpose of learning activities in distance education. Students' service quality perceptions, attitudes, and self-efficacy regarding distance education are important variables in this context. To that end, this study investigates the higher…

This paper traces the evolution of discourses around the role of critical social theory in the field of lifelong education that have played out in the pages of the "International Journal of Lifelong Education" and elsewhere in the field, beginning with early critical theoretical discourses, a consideration of the impact of some key…

A wide range of literature has already emerged which assesses the sudden closure of Higher Education Institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when many academic institutions turned to ERT (emergency remote teaching) in order to maintain teaching and learning. The Faculty of Lifelong Learning at Institute of Technology Carlow, Ireland,…

This study proposes a way of evaluating the importance recruiters ascribe to certain social skills. In an increasingly competitive recruitment setting, the qualities employers seek are often psychological and relational and not always associated with applicant's actual education and training. If skills of this kind are to be enhanced in order to…

This study investigates skills mismatch in the agricultural labour market. Therefore, 336 agriculture employers and 654 agriculture employees were surveyed in Benin. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests . The findings showed that even though there is a good educational match for most employees, overeducation is…

Mature students transitioning into their first year of higher education face many difficulties that affect their motivation, participation and success. Their feelings of being disconnected from their peers and from their institutions are among the key barriers to the successful completion of their courses. Encouraging online student engagement…

The paper discusses the main issues which emerge for the university as an institution in the European context from the development of the lifelong learning paradigm. It focuses on both the opportunity-creating and tension-provoking presence of the lifelong learning concept in the university's institutional environment. The analysis is based on a…