scholarly journals Development of technological competencies: a precondition for life long learning

Pedagogika ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-131
Author(s):  
Živilė Sederevičiūtė - Pačiauskienė ◽  
Manefa Miškinienė ◽  
Eurika Norkienė

Relevance. The rapid growth of technological progress has necessitated a need for adult lifelong learning and acquisition of knowledge and skills in new fields, as well as increased the importance of technological competencies in the context of lifelong learning, therefore, this thesis is of particular relevance in the light of current developments.The problem of the study: though the emphasis on the continuous learning has been increasing, the development of lifelong learning skills through technologies has been short of proper attention and thus under-examined.The focus of the study: the development of technological competencies in the context of lifelong learning.The subject of the study:Lithuanian adult population aged from (18 to 60 or more).The purpose of the study:to explore the development of technological competencies as a precondition for lifelong learning.Objectives: 1) to determine needs, factors and techniques for lifelong learning,2) to find out adults’ learning interests as regards technologies, 3) to find out the reasons and obstacles in the context of lifelong learning, 4) based on the outcomes of the study, to determine respondents’ approach to the development of technological competencies for lifelong learning.The study was carried out in 2013. The subject groupcomprised adult Lithuanian respondents above 18 years of age. The study methods:analysis of scholarly literature and documents; empirical research – a survey (250) and structured interviews (5) mathematical analysis of data.The analysis of the study outcomes showed that the main lifelong learning needs are basically associated with the desire to gain knowledge and skills that had failed for certain reasons in the past. What plays an important role in continuous learning of the subjects is internal factors, such as the desire to gain knowledge, to excel, as well as other needs and interests. It was found that adults prefer learning spontaneously, i.e. through their own experience, interactions with colleagues, friends. The analysis of technology interests in adults have revealed that most competencies are acquired in the field of nutrition while cooking Lithuanian or other national dishes, also increating design for objects and the environment, organizing trips, and   creating home interior or exterior design. The study has also shown that women tend to develop their competencies in textiles and floristic field, while men – in construction materials and products. The study has found that the desire to learn more about new technologies and the desire to improve the quality of life is driven strongest by inner motives, leading to continuous technological development.The most common reasons keeping people from learning are external: lack of money, difficulties in matching learning with work and family duties. Despite the variety of learning obstacles, the majority of the respondents were for the continuous technology learning. This shows that the  technological competencies development is a precondition for lifelong learning.

Author(s):  
Janina Čižikienė ◽  
Audronė Urmanavičienė

The European Union's education and lifelong learning policy stresses informal learning within the society. The article aims to review the concept of lifelong learning and to analyze opportunities for continuous learning process in organizations. New technologies, innovations in the workplace and professional training encourage employees to improve constantly and awareness of the importance of lifelong learning can help to secure their future in a changing labor market. Research methods applied were as following:  literature and document analysis, expert interviews, analysis of the results and interpretation. The article presents a review of scientific literature and research data reveals leaders’ approach to employees' willingness to raise their qualification constantly and the organization's opportunities. The survey showed that employers want to have a highly qualified staff meeting the requirements of the organization, but do not always have sufficient funds for professional development. 


2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 155-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toni Eason

Lifelong learning contributes to the development of knowledge and skill in nursing. A focus on continuous learning is necessary to remain current on trends, practices, and the newest treatments in the field of nursing. Creation of a culture where educational growth is supported and promoted is vital to advancement of the nursing profession. Nurses’ satisfaction with their professional role can be further enhanced by demonstrated expertise through lifelong learning. Expertise in nursing is solidly founded on evidence-based practice. Research, education, and experience in nursing practice are linked to evidence-based practice and lifelong learning; both are essential to remaining well versed in health care service delivery.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathias WAELLI ◽  
Etienne Minvielle ◽  
Maria Ximena Acero ◽  
Khouloud Ba ◽  
Benoit Lalloué

Abstract Background A patient-centred approach is increasingly the mandate for healthcare delivery, especially with the growing emergence of chronic conditions. A relevant but often overlooked obstacle to delivering person-centred care is the identification and consideration of all demands based on individual experience, not only disease-based requirements. Mindful of this approach, there is a need to explore how patient demands are expressed and considered in healthcare delivery systems. This study aims to: (i) understand how different types of demands expressed by patients are taken into account in the current delivery systems operated by Health Care Organisations (HCOs); (ii) explore the often overlooked content of specific non-clinical demands (i.e. demands related to interactions between disease treatments and everyday life). Method We adopted a mixed method in two cancer centres, representing exemplary cases of organisational transformation: (i) circulation of a questionnaire to assess the importance that breast cancer patients attach to every clinical (C) and non-clinical (NC) demand identified in an exploratory inquiry, and the extent to which each demand has been taken into account based on individual experiences; (ii) a qualitative analysis based on semi-structured interviews exploring the content of specific NC demands. Results Further to the way in which the questionnaires were answered (573 answers/680 questionnaires printed) and the semi-structured interviews (36) with cancer patients, results show that NC demands are deemed by patients to be almost as important as C demands (C = 6.53/7 VS. NC = 6.13), but are perceived to be considered to a lesser extent in terms of pathway management (NC = 4.02 VS C = 5.65), with a significant variation depending on the type of non-clinical demands expressed. Five types of NC demands can be identified: demands relating to daily life, alternative medicine, structure of the treatment pathway, administrative and logistic assistance and demands relating to new technologies. Conclusions This study shows that HCOs should be able to consider non-clinical demands in addition to those referring to clinical needs. These demands require revision of the healthcare professionals’ mandate and transition from a supply-orientated system towards a demand-driven approach throughout the care pathway. Other sectors have developed hospitality management, mass customisation and personalisation to scale up approaches that could serve as inspiring examples.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2110648
Author(s):  
Kimberly M. Hillier

This research provides a qualitative narrative inquiry into the experiences of academic mothers from a Southwestern Ontario university campus. Analysis of the semi-structured interviews and focus groups reveal six key themes regarding the nexus between motherhood and academia: (1) intersection of work and family; (2) embodied experiences of pregnancy; (3) mentoring and networking opportunities; (4) inconsistencies between institutional and program policies; (5) departmental support; and (6) an overall level of satisfaction in being a mother during graduate studies. These key findings are discussed and highlight some of the challenges associated with balancing motherhood, graduate studies, and family life. Issues related to maternal well-being, gender equity, diversity, and inclusion within academia are also discussed and shed light on the experiences of this increasing, yet largely overlooked demographic on Canadian university campuses.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Orlando Troisi ◽  
Anna Visvizi ◽  
Mara Grimaldi

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the emergence of innovation in smart service systems to conceptualize how actor’s relationships through technology-enabled interactions can give birth to novel technologies, processes, strategies and value. The objectives of the study are: to detect the different enablers that activate innovation in smart service systems; and to explore how these can lead dynamically to the emergence of different innovation patterns. Design/methodology/approach The empirical research adopts an approach based on constructivist grounded theory, performed through observation and semi-structured interviews to investigate the development of innovation in the Italian CTNA (Italian acronym of National Cluster for Aerospace Technology). Findings The identification and re-elaboration of the novelties that emerged from the analysis of the Cluster allow the elaboration of a diagram that classifies five different shades of innovation, introduced through some related theoretical propositions: technological; process; business model and data-driven; social and eco-sustainable; and practice-based. Originality/value The paper embraces a synthesis view that detects the enabling structural and systems dimensions for innovation (the “what”) and the way in which these can be combined to create new technologies, resources, values and social rules (the “how” dimension). The classification of five different kinds of innovation can contribute to enrich extant research on value co-creation and innovation and can shed light on how given technologies and relational strategies can produce varied innovation outcomes according to the diverse stakeholders engaged.


2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 674-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth M Mabry ◽  
Zakiya Q Al-Busaidi ◽  
Marina M Reeves ◽  
Neville Owen ◽  
Elizabeth G Eakin

AbstractObjectiveTo explore barriers and solutions to addressing physical inactivity and prolonged sitting in the adult population of Oman.DesignQualitative study involving semi-structured interviews that took place from October 2011 to January 2012. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling. Data collection and analysis was an iterative process; later interviews explored emerging themes. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed and continued until data saturation; this occurred by the tenth interviewee. Thematic content analysis was carried out, guided by an ecological model of health behaviour.SettingMuscat, Oman.SubjectsTen mid-level public health managers.ResultsBarriers for physical inactivity were grouped around four themes: (i) intrapersonal (lack of motivation, awareness and time); (ii) social (norms restricting women's participation in outdoor activity, low value of physical activity); (iii) environment (lack of places to be active, weather); and (iv) policy (ineffective health communication, limited resources). Solutions focused on culturally sensitive interventions at the environment (building sidewalks and exercise facilities) and policy levels (strengthening existing interventions and coordinating actions with relevant sectors). Participants’ responses regarding sitting time were similar to, but much more limited than those related to physical inactivity, except for community participation and voluntarism, which were given greater emphasis as possible solutions to reduce sitting time.ConclusionsGiven the increasing prevalence of chronic disease in Oman and the Arabian Gulf, urgent action is required to implement gender-relevant public health policies and programmes to address physical inactivity, a key modifiable risk factor. Additionally, research on the determinants of physical inactivity and prolonged sitting time is required to guide policy makers.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waleed KH Mohamed AL-Hadban ◽  
Shafiz Affendi Mohd Yusof ◽  
Kamarul Faizal Hashim

The use of new technologies and information systems within healthcare practice provides several advantages and functionalities for healthcare institutions. However, the use of these advanced technologies is not an easy task and the literature has documented several cases of resistance to adopting such technologies by the healthcare staff. Furthermore, governmental reports stated that Iraq healthcare sector is enduring challenges in this regard. For this reason, the current study explored the opinions of healthcare professionals using semi-structured interviews to highlight the important factors and issues that influence the use and adoption of new technologies within Iraq public healthcare sector. To our best knowledge, this empirical study is the first to employ a qualitative approach to address the issue of healthcare information system adoption in Iraq healthcare domain. Twenty six themes have emerged in the findings of this qualitative study which can be helpful for healthcare seniors in order to overcome the present challenges related to the adoption of healthcare information systems and to improve the healthcare practice in general.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Kwan Hoong Ng ◽  
Jeannie Hsiu Ding Wong ◽  
Chai Hong Yeong ◽  
Hafiz Mohd Zin ◽  
Noriah Jamal

Medical physics is the application of physics principles and techniques in medicine. Medical physicists are actively applying their knowledge and skills in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases to improve health via research and clinical practice. In this paper, we present the roles of medical physicists in the three primary fields, namely, diagnostic imaging, radiotherapy and nuclear medicine.  Medical physicists have been playing a crucial role in the advancement of new technologies that have revolutionised medicine today. This includes the continuous development of medical imaging and radiotherapy techniques since the discovery of X-ray and radioactivity. The last decade has seen tremendous development in the field that allows for better diagnosis and targeted treatment of various diseases. In the era of big data and artificial intelligence, while medical physicists continue to ensure that the application of the technologies in medicine is optimal and safe, it is paramount for the profession to evolve and be equipped with new skills to continue to contribute to the advancement of medicine.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-30
Author(s):  
Phan Thi Tra Khuc

Lifelong learning is the continuous acquisition of knowledge and skills which occurs throughout life with an emphasis on the full development of personality. Despite the increasing interest of Vietnamese policy makers in promoting lifelong learning, the implementation of lifelong learning at universities is still limited. This research delineated and critiqued the policies and the current practices of lifelong learning at the college level of the Ministry of Education and Training in Vietnam (MOET) under the perspective of critical theory. From the discussion of the policies and practices that the MOET was implementing, recommendations for the policy makers were made with the aim of helping Vietnamese students embrace their right to lifelong learning and fulfill the personal and democratic purpose of education.


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