Lifelong Learning

An open university is committed to lifelong learning in every way possible.  While nearly every institution proclaims a commitment to life-long learning, few have developed strategies.  As most institutions focus on providing degrees, the only opportunity for life-long learning is another degree, or in some instances, continuing education courses.  The issues which interfere, however, are governance structures which establish long processes for approval meaning that the most up to date proposal is dated by the time of approval, and as the half-life of knowledge is estimated to be 18 months in some instances (Siemens 2004); therefore, some programs are obsolete before approval.  Harold Williams (2002), president emeritus of the J. Paul Getty Trust, notes not only the dangers of faculty culture and its manifestation in governance, as an obstacle to change and development.  He further notes that he public university needs to “redefine its mission to include opportunities for lifelong learning through non-degree offerings as integral to its programs.”  There are ways in which many campuses try to connect with alumni, but these are few and far between and dealt with more as fund-raising events than lifelong learning.  Some offer continuing education, but not all courses offered through such are relevant to meet needs and some are specious—good continuing education programs built on academic substance are rare.  Some colleges offer incubators, but those are offered usually to increase funds only and not framed as lifelong learning, as either a continuing point or as an entry point.  Finally, the fixation on the academic course, and its termination at the end of a semester, becomes the antithesis of lifelong learning.  The very higher educational structures which claim a commitment to lifelong learning do not allow students to repeat course to update their knowledge; the fact that the student would have to repeat the payment as well, along with the belief that taking the course once is sufficient as the course does not update, all cause an end point.  A more effective strategy in technologically based learning, would be to allow the student to remain inside the course permanently.  That would allow the learner to become a lifelong learner in participating in new threads of discourse, gain updates as the course evolves, and current learners benefit from those who have previously taken the course and are now applying it (hence their reason for revisiting the course).  As opposed to increasing faculty workload, it would actually decrease faculty workload as the continuing participants would not require assessment and would provide facilitator support.  Another effective means of lifelong learning is George Siemens’ conception of the MOOC.