CONCEPT

Background:

The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a major shift in learning realities both in the formal and non-formal education sectors. Countries around the world had to adapt new approaches to teaching and learning. Previously, distance and online learning used to be seen as an asset for complementary education ensuring inclusiveness or continuous training at the higher-level education. In the course of only the year of 2020, it has become compulsory at schools, universities, and in the development sector – being the only opportunity to reach vulnerable groups of population with training and activities aimed at mitigating the consequences of the pandemic.

Given the challenge of the rapid shift to distance and online learning both teachers and students have struggled in terms of digital skills and competencies required to move to online education that offers quality and leaves no-one behind. Furthermore, the various levels of existing digital infrastructure in different countries expose additional challenges for its application. Despite all the challenges one has to recognise that the role and development of distance and online learning has seen major boosts in accessibility and quality in certain contexts within the year. It shall only gain in importance in the years to come as it opens up some great opportunities in terms of diversity, inclusion and accessibility.

The Virtual Conference will elaborate and foster exchange on the “Development and role of online distance learning resources in the professionalization of ALE practitioners and in particular self-managed learning in ALE”. The virtual event will present some best practices of online learning products from Europe and Asia aimed at reaching out to particular groups of the population. Special attention will also be drawn to building the capacities of adult educators to both take on the challenge of organising online learning offers and raise their methodological skills as trainers for adults.

The concluding panel will discuss pathways towards raised digital capacities and innovative formats for and by adult educators in the global context, inviting established ALE-experts to elaborate and exchange views on relevant topics to be considered and to answer questions from the audience.

The Virtual Conference is a part of the Global Adult Education and Development project “Development of digital tools for further development of the Curriculum GlobALE (CG)”, which aims at further developing CG through the elaboration and introduction of digital resources (video lectures, instructions and other media resources) for each module that provide further input on and guidance through important topics of the programme modules. The project will use the platform of the Virtual Conference to present the project’s results and some of the digital outputs created.

Date: 1^st December 2020

Total duration: 3,5 hours

Admission to the Conference will be open and free. Expected participants will be ALE trainers, providers of capacity-building formats (including CG trainers), supporters of professionalization of ALE practitioners / trainers (UNESCO, DVV International, PRIA, ASPBAE, EAEA, etc.).

This online event will be held in English language.