meeting employer needs through continuous professional development: from theory to practice

Lisa Marie Blaschke, Program Director, Master of Distance Education and E-Learning (MDE)Open Classroom Conference, November 9-10, 2017

02.11.2017

Meeting Employer Needs Through ContinuousProfessional Development: From Theory to Practice

Needs of Today‘s Employers

• Employees who are:• Able to adapt quickly to complexity and

change

• Creative, collaborative, communicative

• Lifelong learners

• Swift onboarding of new employees

• More flexible and accessible education for professional development

Crockett, 2016; Prensky, 2010; Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), no date; Thomas & Brown, 2011; Trilling & Fadel, 2009

Holistic, Learner-Centered, NetworkedSystem Solutions

Workforce/ Society

Instructors

Students

Institutions

Self-determined learning(Heutagogy)

(Blaschke, 2012; Hase & Kenyon, 2013)

Solutions:

https://www.uni-oldenburg.de/en/c3l-home/open-university-oldenburg/https://www.unioldenburg.de/fileadmin/user_upload/c3l/Studiengaenge/Bildungsmanagement/Download/bildungsmanagement_anrechnung.pdf (German only)

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)

Prior Education(Diplomas, Examinations, Certifications, Master)

Work Experience and Professional Development

Individual Calculation ofModulesFixed Calculation

Individual Calculationof Modules

University Studies (30 CP)

College Studies (12 CP)

oder

Solutions:

Project-based,

ExperientialLearning

Personal

Contextual

Action research

Solutions:

E-portfolios >>> PLEs

Information sharing

Professional networks

Information creation/collaboration

Questions for Consideration

• How can we better prepare ourstudents for the complexity ofthe workforce?

• What theories/practices bestprovide the skills students needto become productiveemployees – and lifelonglearners?

References

Blaschke, L. (2012). Heutagogy and lifelong learning: A review of heutagogical practice and self-determined learning. The International Review Of Research In Open And Distance Learning, 13(1), 56-71. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1076/2087Crockett, L.W. (2016). The critical 21st century skills every learner needs and why. Retrieved from: https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/21st-century-skills-every-student-needsHase, S., & Kenyon, C. (2013). Self-determined learning: Heutagogy in action. Sydney, Australia: BloomsburyAcademic.

P21. (no date). 21t Century Student Outcomes and Support Systems Framework. Retrieved from: http://www.p21.org/overview/skills-framework

Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching digital natives: Partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. http://oetmanhattan.wikispaces.com/file/view/Prensky--Teaching+Digital+Natives-in+press6.pdf

Thomas, D., & Brown, J.S. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Retrieved from: http://www.newcultureoflearning.com/newcultureoflearning.pdf

Trilling, B., & Fadel, C. (2009). 21st century skills: Learning for life in our times. San Franciso, CA: Jossey-Bass.