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USDLA Board Member Represents United States at UNESCO in Paris

As global income inequality deepens, more and more multilateral organizations are being convened worldwide to figure out new ways to lessen poverty. One involves the possibility of expanding use of online education and job training in less developed nations, to help teach new skills to people who are hungry – literally and figuratively – to learn.

Over the past few years, UNESCO – the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – has paid increasing attention to using online education as a global anti-poverty tool. To emphasize its commitment to distance learning as a way to combat poverty, from June 8 through 11, 2015, at its Paris headquarters, UNESCO convened a series of meetings with representatives of the world’s nations to come up with imaginative new ways to expand online higher education and job training globally, especially to less developed countries.

And I was asked by UNESCO to have the singular honor of representing the United States at these working meetings. For that, I want publicly to acknowledge and thank all of you --- especially John Flores, Marci Powell, and our Executive Committee --- for your endorsement of me to UNESCO and your faith in me. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you!

Roughly 60 nations were represented at the “Global High Level Policy Forum,” as UNESCO calls it, each typically by one or two people, and most frequently by an ambassador, a minister of education, the president of a national university, or the leader of a national online education trade association. I was one of the very few participants not employed by my nation’s government, a reflection in part on the United States’ complex relationship with UNESCO, in which we are quite active – but are prohibited by Congress from paying dues. There were also nearly two dozen UNESCO officers and staff present, such that the total number of participants was roughly 150 people.

I was given the further privilege of presenting in front of all assembled, through a panel which discussed “The Next Generation of Teachers for the Digital Age.” Appearing on the panel with me were the UNESCO director of education, and representatives of South Africa, Tanzania, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, and the European Students Union. I also was an active participant in each day’s plenary discussions and in the myriad breakout sessions, though there I had to walk a fine line – as advised both by the U.S. State Department and the Office of the U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO – that I not be seen as dominating any discussions.

The result? For the first time in its history, UNESCO offered a full-throated and detailed, albeit somewhat high level, endorsement of expanded use of online education for higher education and job training, along with numerous recommendations (“The Paris Message”) on how to make that expansion a reality, especially in lesser developed nations. These recommendations – touching upon actions to be taken by government, private industry, academic institutions, and NGOs – will be refined in October, by a next UNESCO meeting to make “The Paris Message” more concrete; and they will be voted upon by UNESCO member nations as a whole in November.

Assuming as I do that the recommendations will be deemed agreeable to UNESCO’s member nations, the meaning of the June UNESCO meetings in Paris (and, perhaps, the upcoming one in October) is that come November it sets the framework for global expansion of eLearning … something taken for granted in our nation, but far from a reality in developing nations, especially developing African nations. On the last day of our meetings, when The Paris Message was voted upon for approval by all the meeting participants, I couldn’t help but look around and notice, amid the thundering applause when our recommendations passed, that more than a few delegates who were applauding also had tears in their eyes. And I was part of all that … one of the greatest, and most humbling, honors and accomplishments of my working life.

Paul Bardack

Best Practices from Norway

Per Hegli, Sales and Marketing Manager
Addisco Education Company
www.addisco.no

Education company Addisco is a story of continuing education of adults in the Scandinavian market. The labor market in Norway is characterized by globalization, increased rate of change and demographic we see that the age group that retires is larger than the cohorts entering the labor market. These macro factors lead workers to understand the need to constantly acquire new knowledge to be attractive in the labor market.

Abstract
Addisco Education Company operates in the area of Life Long Learning (LLL) and Open Distance Learning (ODL) in the Norwegian market. It is owned by the Union for Management and Technology Norway. In 1992 the union reached an agreement with employers on setting up a special "fund" for financing continuing education of its members. It was envisioned that the future would be characterized by globalization and radical change in all sectors of industry. This would create new demands on the employees, who needed to continuously re-educate themselves in order to be competitive. Addisco offered the workers opportunities to acquire knowledge that either renewed their basic skills or complemented their current knowledge. One of the challenges was to arrange continuing education that was flexible enough. The members have extensive practical experience, but they lack documentation. This was a big challenge and the start of a unique piece of history in ODL and human capacity building.

The goal is to improve the attractiveness (employability) in an open job market by providing the best university courses for adults. Today, Addisco offers education from vocational education to Master's degrees. Approximately 700 people use this service every year. Quality is measured based on whether the participant gets new more qualified job tasks, a new job after graduation, or, alternatively, if they feel that they acquired greater confidence in the work situation. We have identified some success variables that are critical for LLL and ODL, targeting adult learners in the industry sector:

1. Acknowledge an employee's work-based knowledge. Connect theoretical understanding with the individual's experiences. Use individual counseling and group discussions. Facilitate learning by sharing each others’ experiences.
2. Take an employee's whole life situation into account. Adapt training and provide professional support structures. The individual's time for continuing education is a scarcity factor.
3. The employees should be able to use their knowledge directly in the work situation. Applied course projects have resulted in major changes of quality systems in multinational companies. Thousands of industrial workers receive continuing education through Addiscos model for furtherneducation, which improves both life quality and business competitiveness.

Challenge/Solution
Funding solved by establishment of an education fund. Provision of up-to-date, relevant, and adapted courses suitable for the target group. Establishment of strategic partnerships with the best academic institutions with competence in selected topics. Creating the right blend of topics into a new education program.

Admission solved by acceptance of prior learning acquired by experience in work life. Time constraints and geographically widespread learners solved by long distance learning through our own learning platform - Addiscolearning.

Need for face-to-face interaction in order to exchange experiential learning skills and facilitate problem solving: Solved by full funding of four weekend sessions per semester per course. All travel expenses covered etc.

Insecure learners. Lack of confidence for higher education. Unfamiliarity of procedures and practical aspects of learning management "One stop shopping." Addisco takes care of everything regarding search and admissions process. We make appointments, order and finance directly with the hotel, and order and pay tickets directly with the travel company. At the same time, we use part of the first face-to-face meeting to create professional confidence and security in the class/group.

Challenge 1: Funding education
In 1992, FLT managed to reach an agreement with employers on setting up a "fund," which as a whole would go to the continuing education of FLT members. The fund is built up by the employers paying a sum per member per year (see figure 1 below). Totally fundraising each year is approximately $3,600,000.

Members can apply for grants from this fund. Stipends vary depending on education type and length. Courses and studies held under Addiscoís direction are fully funded for its members. This means coverage of course and examination fees, textbooks, and the cost of flights and hotel accommodations in connection with weekend collections.

Challenge 2: Relevant courses
All learners in the target group are adults who are employed, they already have a primary profession. We wanted to find courses that would complement their current profession. Scientific theories within economics and management are useful as most members are employed as technical project managers or directors.

After a study tour to Australia where Addisco came in contact with the Australian union APESMA, Addisco obtained the legal rights in Scandinavia for the training program Certificate in Frontline Management. This course was the first module in the program Study in Technology Management. Addisco searched for partners that could help them get Frontline Management approved within the Norwegian education system. However, our impression of the higher education institutions in Norway in the early 2000's was that there was much "red tape" and that they were not very interested in listening to our needs. However, there are honorable exceptions. When we came in contact with the University of Bergen, our ideas about skills upgrading based on participants' prior learning was taken seriously. Addisco entered into a partnership with the University of Bergen with the aim of facilitating this program in the Norwegian language. Study in Management consists of training modules in economy and management. We launched the program in 2002 with the course Frontline Management (15 credits). The first course had 20 participants. Today, the program has expanded to a Bachelor's degree in Management and consists of 12 courses with approximately 400 students each year. All courses follow the same teaching style. Each course is 15 credits and lasts one Study Period (SP1 January - June and SP2 August - December).

The courses are offered as blended learning: distance learning through the Internet combined with four weekend seminars. Each course is run with contracted academic coordinators and one or more lecturers from universities. All meetings are organized with the course provider, in this case the University of Bergen and Bergen University College. All course material is to be found on our own Learning Management System (LMS) - Addiscolearning. Each course ends with a four-hour written examination.

Challenge 3: Admission
Work life experience, but little to no academic experience. Another challenge we faced was that in order for an adult to enter a university (get admission), the student must have prior formal education at the gymnasium level. Many of our members have no such prior knowledge and were thus excluded from being admitted as a student at the university. FLT and especially the former Union leader and chairman of Addisco, the late Magnus Midtbo, worked hard to get prior learning (work experience) recognized on par with formal qualifications. This was later also recognized. A major obstacle was thus eliminated.

Challenge 4: Distribution
Distance learning through our LMS Addiscolearning. A strategic decision was made that all education delivered by Addisco should be delivered via our own LMS (Learning Management System) named Addiscolearning. The system is built on LAMP technology (Linux - Apache - MySQL - PHP script). The reason for this choice is that no matter which course or courses our students choose, they will always be able to relate to a coherent system, our virtual school. This was important since courses are constructed with several different content providers for each program. Another advantage is that Addisco is independent from having to deal with commercial actors. We decide on our own when to make upgrades and which tools to use in our courses. In other words, Addisco has full control over the distribution of courses.

In August 2012, we launched a new LMS built on Moodle elements. To help us design a learning environment customized to the learners' needs we cooperate with Stockholm University Sweden.

Challenge 5: Experiential Learning and Relation to Work Life
All courses organized by Addisco give 15 credits and last one Study Period. The courses are conducted as distance learning via Addiscolearning in combination with four weekend sessions per course. At the first face-to-face meeting, all participants present themselves and get acquainted with one another. Participants are put together in project teams across industries and companies, enabling them to take part in each other’s experiences. Tasks are designed so that they can take their own workplace as a point of departure. For example, when learning about accounting, finance, and key analysis, every employee brings financial statements from their business. All specific project tasks are based on written questions provided by their employers.

Challenge 6:  Students' fear of school - One Stop Shopping
Many of the participants have not been studying for years. The students fear is solved by "one stop shopping". Addisco takes care of everything regarding the admission process and the practicalities during the whole course period. All textbooks are delivered at door by the postal system. We make appointments, book and pay directly with the hotel and order and pay tickets directly with the travel company. As previously mentioned, we use part of the first meeting to create professional confidence and security in the class/group. Other services include individual coaching and advice in the form of studies, encouragement and motivation when exam nerves arise.

Conclusions
We have identified some success variables that are critical for LLL and ODL, targeting adult learners in the industry sector:
1. Acknowledge an employee's work-based knowledge. Connect theoretical understanding with the individual's experiences. Use individual counseling and group discussions. Facilitate learning by sharing each other’s experiences.
2. Take the employee's whole life situation into account. Adapt training and provide professional support structures. The individual's time for continuing education is a scarcity factor.
3. The employees should be able to use their knowledge directly in the work situation.

Addisco wishes you all a great summer.

Per Hegli
Sales and Marketing Manager