This document discusses challenges and opportunities for lifelong learners (LLL) in higher education. It proposes that blended learning (BL) and multicampus education (MCE) could help increase accessibility and flexibility for LLL. However, effectively implementing BL and MCE poses hurdles such as requiring course redesign, developing new teaching roles, and overcoming issues of quality control and copyright across campuses. Overall, while BL and MCE may help LLL, realizing their benefits will be challenging for higher education institutions and lecturers.

1. MuLLLti
Blended Learning for Lifelong Learners in a
Multicampus Context.
DIVERSE 2012 – “Enrich the learning experience”
04 07 2012
Y. Blieck, K. Goeman, L. Vandeput, S. Van Laer
(KHLeuven) (HUBrussel) (KHLeuven) (KU Leuven)

2. LLL1
• Age: 25
• Bachelor marketing
• Workweek 60-70h
• Interested in master
Psychology out of interest and
for professional purposes.
Would like to graduate at 30
Photo: http://www.cepolina.com/fr/sourire_les_gens_fille_lunettes.htm

3. LLL2
• Age: 58
• Master Economics
• Currently unemployed
• Looking for a new
professional challenge.
Interested in a teacher
education program
image &copy; <A HREF="http://miro.openphoto.net">MIROSLAV VAJDIĆ</A>
for <A HREF="http://23895.openphoto.net">openphoto.net</A> CC:Attribution-ShareAlike

4. LLL3
• Age: 28
• Master of Law
• Has resigned from job
• Looking for other
professional challenge. Not
sure what.
image &copy; <A HREF="http://pinarkbulut.openphoto.net">pinar </A>
for <A HREF="http://17953.openphoto.net">openphoto.net</A> CC:Attribution-ShareAlike

5. LLL4
• Age 50
• Housewife
• (did not finish high school)
• Wants to finish high school
and then pursue studies at
university
image &copy; <A HREF="http://rrosales.openphoto.net">Rene Rosales</A>
for <A HREF="http://7624.openphoto.net">openphoto.net</A> CC:Attribution-NonCommercial

6. To conclude: possibilities and
challenges for all

7. To conclude: possibilities and
challenges for all

8. Lifelong learning (LLL)
- WHO ARE THEY?
- WHAT IS LLL?
- MULLLTI
- CHALLENGES FOR LLL

9. Lifelong learners who are they?
• Age
• Motivation and interest?
• Origin of motivation…
• Workload
• Family
• Prior education

10. MuLLLti – lifelong learners
• students in
formal Higher
Educational
Institutions
(HEI’s)
• who often
combine work
and study

11. Challenges for LLL in higher
education
• Educational
• Social
• Economical
http://www.flickr.com/photos/robinvanmourik/488068701/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

12. To conclude: possibilities and
challenges for all

13. LLL and higher educational
institutes (HEI)?
- INCREASING DEMAND
- CHALLENGES FOR HEI

14. Increasing demand
• Knowledge society
• Initial diploma quickly loses value
• Diploma no lifelong guarantee for proper professional
functioning
• Shortage of human capital
=> Lifelong learning high on the agenda in various organisations :

15. Challenges for HEI
• Face mismatch skills levels and jobs requirements
• Open flexible learning pathways
• A lifelong approach to learning
• Reform themselves in order to adapt
• Be open for cooperation on all levels

16. MuLLLti – some observations so
far...
• LLL is a concern for our institutions
• But:
• Effective participation of adults is low
• Nog aanvullen

17. To conclude: possibilities and
challenges for all

18. Can Blended Learning help?
- WHAT IS BLENDED LEARNING?
- WHY IS IT CONSIDERED?
- TYPES OF BLENDS?
- HURDLES TO TAKE

19. What is Blended Learning?
• Variety of definitions
• “a combination of face-to-face learning experiences
and on-line learning experiences”
• Describes an instructional rather than learning
approach
• Risk to define Blended Learning in this narrow way

20. MuLLLti – Blended learning
“A good blend is a mix:
- of study materials,
- of didactical activities of the instructor/designers and
- technology based or enhanced learning activities
that contributes to the realization of the objectives,
which motivate and challenge the students to show the best of
themselves.”
(Vandeput, 2011: p.1.11).

21. Why consider Blended Learning?
1. To increase accessibility to education
2. Can act as catalyst to transform traditional approaches of
instruction and teaching
3. Enhance cost and resource effectiveness
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wakingtiger/3157621376/sizes/m/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xandercage/4642632285/sizes/m/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/drb62/2474763910/sizes/m/in/photostream/

22. Why consider Blended Learning?
1.
Improved learning outcomes should
remain the reason to consider BL
(Mitchell and Honore, 2007; Trasler, 2002 in Poon et al.
(2010)).
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wakingtiger/3157621376/sizes/m/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xandercage/4642632285/sizes/m/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/drb62/2474763910/sizes/m/in/photostream/

23. Blended Courses can offer
solutions
• Increased access
• Increased flexibility
• Suited to educational needs
• Suited to social needs
• Active engagement
• Connection to real life contexts

24. Types of Blends…
What learner activity does the technology allow?
Graham & Robison (2007)
In Picciano, A. and Dziuban, C. (EDs.) (2007). Blended Learning: Research Perspectives. United States of America: the Sloan
Consortium.

25. Transforming Blends?
• Four fundamental characteristics of effective
learning environments (Roschelle et al., 2000):
– Active engagement
– Participation in groups
– Frequent interaction and feedback
– Connections to real world contexts

26. Hurdles to take…
• ‘The proliferation of superficial Blends’
• ‘A focus on the scope of a Blend’
• ‘Too much consideration to efficiency and
productivity at the expense of the goal of
effective pedagogy

27. MuLLLti – some observations so
far…
• Course re-design seems difficult for lecturers
Instructional design and pedagogy
• Their technological competencies vary
• Copyright can be an issue but Creative Commons and
Open Educational Resources are not considered at this
point
• LLL / BL seems not a concern to all lecturers

28. Possible within one institution?
• Sufficient Blended courses have to be offered
• Course design involves a lot of effort (know-how as well as
time and costs) for the HEI
• Participation rate of LLL in HEI?
• Unlikely that HEI’s will be able to redesign any, if enough,
courses to increase accessibility for lifelong learners

29. To conclude: possibilities and
challenges for all

30. Can Multicampus Education
(MCE) help?
- MCE
- IMPLICATIONS

31. MuLLLti – Multicampus Education
‘Education that is designed, developed implemented, supported
and/or assessed between two or more geographical sites’.
(Multicampus education within KU Leuven Association).

32. Multicampus Education (MCE)
• Spearhead of KU Leuven Association
• Institutions can choose to combine resources (staff and
infrastructure)
• Several institutions could provide entire curricula (for lifelong
learners)
• Cooperation can be regional, national and international

33. MuLLLti – 3 MCE groups
1. Social Work
2. Teacher
Education
3. Business
Administration

34. Some implications of BL in MCE
• New teaching roles for lecturers
• Copyright, Creative Commons and Open
Educational Resources
• Quality Control

35. MuLLLti – some observations so
far?
• Co-operation between lecturers / institutions is challenging e.g.
- Level (professional bachelor vs. academic bachelor)
- Experience with LLL
- Experience(s) with BL
• aanvullen

36. To conclude: possibilities and
challenges for all

37. To conclude: possibilities and
challenges for all

38. MuLLLti
• Project Leader:
Luc Vandeput: luc.vandeput@khleuven.be
• Project assisstant:
Yves Blieck: yves.blieck@khleuven.be
• Twitter: @MuLLLti
• Projectpartners:

39. Relevant literature
• Boeren, E. & Nicaise, I. (2009). Onderwijs voor volwassenen: wie neemt deel en waarom?
in L. Vanderleyden, M. Callens & J. Noppe (red.), De Sociale Staat van Vlaanderen 2009, pp. 315-333.
Brussel: Studiedienst van de Vlaamse regering 466 p., ISBN 9789018179106 publicatienr. 1277
• Flllex consortium (2012). FLLLEX: Towards an institutional strategy for lifelong long learning in
professional higher education (in press).
• Picciano, A. and Dziuban, C. (EDs.) (2007). Blended Learning: Research Perspectives. United States of
America: the Sloan Consortium.
• Roschelle, J. M., Pea, R. D., Hoadley, C. M., Gordin, D. N. & Means, B. (2000). Changing how and what
children learn in school with computer-based technologies. Children and computer technology, 10(2), 76-
101.
Any part of this document may be reproduced without permission but with attribution to the
authors.
© 2012 MuLLLti (Blieck, Goeman, Vandeput and Van Laer) under a Creative Commons
Attribution-ShareAlike license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/.