Announcement of INTALL, a new EU project on which HERC, DCU is an Irish partner



HERC is pleased to announce the start of:

INTALL (International and Comparative Studies for Students and Practitioners in Adult Education and Lifelong Learning)

HERC, DCU is an Irish partner on INTALL coordinated by the Julius Maximilians University of Wurzburg, Germany, The project is 36-months in duration, commencing in September or October 2018 and supported under Erasmus+ Programme, Key Action 2 - Cooperation for Innovation and the Exchange of Good Practices (KA203 - Strategic Partnerships for higher education). This project will build a network between the two largest European adult education associations and eight European universities, for the first time bringing professionalization activities in adult education and lifelong learning from universities and practice systematically together – educating students together with practitioners in international and comparative studies in adult education and lifelong learning.Project website: https://www.hw.uni-wuerzburg.de/compall/startseite/

Students and practitioners learn together

INTALL is the successor of the ERASMUS + Strategic Partnership COMPALL of the European Commission. The ERASMUS + Strategic Partnership INTALL focuses on the linking of research and practice in comparative adult education, with the aim of professionalizing students and practitioners.

The field of adult and continuing education has been heavily influenced by international developments for many years. The shortage of skilled workers is of concern for the European Commission, and there is a discrepancy between existing and required competencies of professionals in the field of adult education. Particularly striking is the low linkage of university study content with the requirements of practice. The partners on INTALL project have joined forces to advance the understanding and exchange between research and practice, and to provide both students and practitioners with the necessary knowledge and skills in adult education and lifelong learning.

The COMPALL partnership has established the International Winter School "Comparative Studies on Adult Education and Lifelong Learning" at Julius-Maximilians University over the last few years. Building on the existing two-week international study program, specific goals have been developed. A team of professors and lecturers from various universities is working on the concept of innovative teaching methods that will be used in the study program. A blended learning methodology forms the didactic framework, bringing together students and practitioners in a common learning setting. One of the goals is developing the employability of students and practitioners in adult education and continuing education. To make the program inclusive and sustainable, an open access online version of the program is also being developed, which would allow, for example, individuals who are not physically mobile to participate in the learning experience.

The didactic methods and online materials will be made available on the project homepage during the three-year duration of the project (Sept 2019-Sept 2021). In addition, three multiplier events will be carried out, in which the results of the project will be presented and discussed with the international audience. Thus, the consortium creates the opportunity to use the joint module beyond the project consortium. The following dates are planned: September 2019 at Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg, Germany; June 2020 at the University of Pécs, Hungary; September 2021 at the European Association for the Education of Adults in Brussels, Belgium.

The INTALL project partner organisations comprise:

This project is funded with support from the European Commission (project number: 2018-1-DE01-KA203-004272).