Digitalisation of Adult Learning Systems Across Europe

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Digital Dynamics in Education: Cross-Continental Insights and Innovations

Proposal

This paper connects the broader process of digitalising societies with the current state of digitalisation in Adult Education and Training (AET) across Europe. It builds on the premise that the digital provision of organised adult learning is one of the key trends reshaping the field (Gegenfurtner & Ebner, 2019; Gegenfurtner et al., 2020; Jones, 2015; Jütte & Wildemeersch, 2017).

Numerous studies have highlighted the COVID-19 pandemic as a major turning point in both the delivery of adult education and workplace practices (e.g., Agrawal et al., 2020; Herteis & Billett, 2023; Karger et al., 2024), accelerating the move towards digitalisation. However, until recently, international comparative data has been insufficient to fully capture the extent of this digital transformation in AET. The Adult Education Survey (AES) 2022 represents a key development, offering comprehensive data from 34 European countries. This paper is the first to utilise data from this large-scale European survey, with over 140,000 respondents, to map the current landscape of AET across Europe.

The study examines the degree of digitalisation within the AET landscape, addressing three interrelated research aims (RAs): RA1 seeks to determine the extent of online AET provision across European Adult Learning Systems (ALS); RA2 investigates the relationship between a country's overall level of digitalisation and the prevalence of online AET; and RA3 measures the level of inequality in participation in online AET. These research aims are explored through a secondary analysis of AES 2022 data, employing multiple binary logistic regression modelling and cluster analysis.

Preliminary findings reveal that while online AET is widely available in Western, Northern, and Central European countries—constituting about half of the current non-formal education for adults—there are significant disparities in comparison to Eastern and Southern European nations. These disparities closely correspond with the Digital Economy and Society Index. Moreover, inequality in access to online AET is more pronounced in Eastern and Southern Europe, where online delivery has not mitigated participation inequality among disadvantaged groups (such as low-skilled workers or individuals with lower levels of education). In contrast, online AET in Western and Northern Europe has helped reduce participation inequalities, particularly in non-job-related forms of online learning. Therefore, the paper argues that online AET has a democratisation effect on the inequality of participation only when it meets sufficient structural conditions – a high level of overall digitalisation of society.

References:
Agrawal, S., De Smet, A., Lacroix, S., & Reich, A. (2020). To emerge stronger from the COVID-19 crisis, companies should start reskilling their workforces now. McKinsey Insights (Issue May).
Gegenfurtner, A. & Ebner, C. (2019). Webinars in higher education and professional training: a meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Educational Research Review, 28(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2019.100293.
Gegenfurtner, A., Schmidt‐Hertha, B., & Lewis, P. (2020). Digital technologies in training and adult education. International Journal of Training and Development, 24(1) 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijtd.12172
Herteis, Ch. & Billett, S. (2023). Knowledge and Learning at the Workplace in Times of Digital Transformation. In Evans, K., Markowitsch, J., Lee, W.O., Zukas, M. (Eds.) Third International Handbook of Lifelong Learning. Springer International Handbooks of Education (pp. 163–182) Springer.
Jones, C. (2015). Networked Learning. An Educational Paradigm for the Age of Digital Networks. Springer.
Jütte, W., & Wildemeersch, D. (2017). Editorial: digital the new normal - multiple challenges for the education and learning of adults. European Journal for Research on the Education and Learning of Adults, 8(1), 7–20. https://doi.org/10.3384/rela.2000-7426.relae13
Karger, T., Kalenda, J., Vaculíková, J., & Kočvarová, I. (2024). Online learning platforms and resources in adult education and training: new findings from four European countries. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2024.2358896

Authors

• Jan Kalenda, Tomas Bata University

• Jitka Vaculíková, Tomas Bata University, VAT: CZ70883521

• Tomáš Karger, Tomas Bata University

• Ilona Kočvarová, Tomas Bata University