Mid Sweden University

The call for a higher education that embraces lifelong learning began in the 1970s, continued to escalate, and has never been louder. From extensive review, this new approach requires a delivery system that is accessible and meaningful to adults of all ages and from diverse backgrounds. Now embedded in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, a new social contract for education could be the keystone in our quest to create and sustain “a world of peace, dignity and prosperity on a healthy planet” (Guterres, 2020).

This new social contract encourages us to analyse and embrace the results of the Covid-19 pandemic. This event left over 24 million diverse learners at significant risk of developmental loss. These learners from all age groups, including millions of children, may carry a deficit that will increase the demand for education across the lifespan. The same pandemic also left a legacy for digital learning that will shape education forms into the distant future. We add to these two key influences on higher education UNESCO’s recent suggestion that we need “a sector-wide, lifelong learning approach towards the future development of higher education” (International Commission on the Futures of Education, 2021, p. 102). 

Our research rests in the current higher education but draws on expert opinion about the necessary transformation needed for lifelong learning. An expanded Delphi method gathered data from prominent scholars and practitioners from around the world. This data driven exercise was guided by the question: What are the critical aspects of higher education transformation needed for lifelong learning in a digital era?

The paper outlines the data gathering and analysis processes, which include Grounded Theory steps of open, axial, and confirmatory coding. For those with demonstrated knowledge about technology-enabled lifelong learning, there is an interrelated taxonomy of structures and processes that must be addressed in policy creation and reform of higher education. We argue that these seven identified elements need integrated repurposing to achieve lifelong learning outcomes: ‘Multimodal delivery’, ‘Pedagogical change’, ‘Financial resources’, ‘Quality assurance, ‘Digital literacy’, ‘Accessibility’, and ‘Equity, diversity and inclusion.’ In addition, we identify government policy examples from Sweden and Canada that support these change requirements in alignment with SDGs.

António Guterres (2020) https://www.un.org/press/en/2020/sgsm20003.doc.htm

International Commission on the Futures of Education (2021). Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education. Paris: UNESCO.