This study describes and implements a necessary preliminary strategic planning procedure, the Internal Environmental Scanning (IES), and discusses its relevance to strategic planning and university-sponsored lifelong learning program model selection. Employing a qualitative research methodology, a proposed lifelong learning-centric IES process based on Bryson's (2004) strategic planning model was tested at a large public university in the American Southwest with the intention of both refining the IES process for general use in the field as well as providing a set of useable reference documents for strategic planners at that university. The prototype lifelong learning IES process as tested proved to be highly effective in identifying and categorizing previously unrecognized lifelong learning programming and organizational structures and, was reasonably efficient in process execution. Lessons learned from the application of the prototype lifelong learning IES procedure led to the development of a revised scanning procedure. This revised procedure is considered more reliable and can be accomplished by a single investigator in as little as 35 production hours, providing a detailed snapshot of the total university lifelong learning system and a point of departure for the larger strategic planning effort.

In dieser Magisterarbeit wird die Bedeutung und Entwicklung des lebenslangen Lernens auf der Ebede der EU und in Litauen analysiert. Die passive Einstellung der Litauer zum lebenslangen Lernen wird als Problem dieser Magisterarbeit hervorgehoben. In der Arbeit werden die Besonderheiten der Mittgliederländer bei der Verwirklichung der Konzeptionen des lebenslangen Lernens erforscht, geklärt, wie das sich auf den Beteiligungsraten am lebenslangen Lernen widerspiegelt. Besondere Aufmerksamkeit wird für Schaffung der Bedingungen für das lebenslange Lernen in Litauen geschenkt. In diesem Kontext wird die rechtliche Basis Litauens und Organisationssystem der Verwirklichung des lebenslangen Lernens erforscht.

Les deux premi`eres parties de cette th`ese 'etudient respectivement des estimateurs pseudo-bay'esiens dans les probl`emes de compl'etion de matrices, et de tomographie quantique. Dans chaque probl`eme, on propose une loi a priori qui induit des matrices de faible rang. On 'etudie les performances statistiques: dans chacun des deux cas, on prouve des vitesses de convergence pour nos estimateurs. Notre analyse repose essentiellement sur des in'egalit'es PAC-Bay'esiennes. On propose aussi un algorithme MCMC pour impl'ementer notre estimateur. On teste ensuite ses performances sur des donn'ees simul'ees, et r'eelles. La derni`ere partie de la th`ese 'etudie le probl`eme de lifelong learning (que l'on peut traduire par apprentissage au long cours), o`u de l'information est conserv'ee et transf'er'ee d'un probl`eme d'apprentissage `a un autre. Nous proposons une formalisation de ce probl`eme dans un contexte de pr'ediction s'equentielle. Nous proposons un m'eta-algorithme pour le transfert d'information, qui repose sur l'agr'egation `a poids exponentiels. On prouve une borne sur le regret de cette m'ethode. Un avantage important de notre analyse est qu'elle ne requiert aucune hypoth`ese sur la forme des algorithmes d'apprentissages utilis'es `a l'int'erieur de chaque probl`eme. On termine cette partie par l''etude de quelques exemples: cas d'un nombre fini de pr'edicteurs, apprentissage d'une direction r'ev'elatrice, et apprentissage d'un dictionnaire. / The first two parts of the thesis study pseudo-Bayesian estimation for the problem of matrix completion and quantum tomography. A novel low-rank inducing prior distribution is proposed for each problem. The statistical performance is examined: in each case we provide the rate of convergence of the pseudo-Bayesian estimator. Our analysis relies on PAC-Bayesian oracle inequalities. We also propose an MCMC algorithm to compute our estimator. The numerical behavior is tested on simulated and real data sets. The last part of the thesis studies the lifelong learning problem, a scenario of transfer learning, where information is transferred from one learning task to another. We propose an online formalization of the lifelong learning problem. Then, a meta-algorithm is proposed for lifelong learning. It relies on the idea of exponentially weighted aggregation. We provide a regret bound on this strategy. One of the nice points of our analysis is that it makes no assumption on the learning algorithm used within each task. Some applications are studied in details: finite subset of relevant predictors, single index model, dictionary learning.

Published Article / In this article the author analyzes the types of knowledge and learning involved when educationalists study works of art to further their professional development. A theoretical background of experiential learning is presented. An Interdisciplinary Model of Aesthetic Knowing (IMAK) is developed and presented, utilizing the Model of Aesthetic Understanding as Informed Experience of Richard Lachapelle, Deborah Murray and Sandy Neim. Additional kinds of knowledge and learning processes included in the IMAK are discussed. Attending a concert in South Africa by Neil Diamond, the popular singer/songwriter stimulated the author to reflect upon his own metacognitive thinking and learning, both during and after the concert, and on the application of what he learned to the IMAK and in his lecturing room.

The objectives of this study were to (1) establish whether a relationship exists between individuals’ perception of organisational culture, measured by the South African Cultural Instrument (2005) and lifelong learning, measured by the Dimensions of the Learning Organisation Questionnaire (2003); and (2) determine whether the participants differed with regard to these variables in terms of sociodemographic contextual factors such as age, race, gender, education, years of service, disability status and job level. A quantitative study, using primary data, was conducted on a convenient sample (N=257) of full-time public service officials in a South African public service organisation. Correlational and inferential statistical analyses revealed statistically significant positive relationships between individuals’ perception of organisational culture and lifelong learning. Significant differences were found in the perception of these variables for individuals with different years of service and for individuals of different age groups. The findings should contribute valuable knowledge to the field of organisational behaviour, which could be used to promote a lifelong learning culture in public service organisations. The study concludes with recommendations for future practice / Industrial & Organisational Psychology

Dėl globalizacijos, informacinių technologijų plėtros, pasikeitusios šalies ekonomikos, politikos, švietimo, bei didėjančių visuomenės poreikių mokymasis visą gyvenimą tampa pagrindinis iššūkis švietimui. Vis labiau akcentuojama būtinybė kelti mokymo kokybę, kurios pagrindinis veiksnys - nuolatinio tobulinimo ir atnaujinimo reikalaujanti pedagogų kvalifikacija. Kadangi mažų vaikų specifika reikalauja ypatingų pradinių klasių pedagogo kompetencijų, pedagogas negali sustoti vietoje, jis turi nuolatos tobulėti, atnaujinti savo žinias, gebėjimus, plėtoti studijų metu įgytas kompetencijas, kas šiame darbe bus suprantama kaip nuolatinis formalus kvalifikacijos kėlimo procesas. / Due to globalization, information technology development, changes in the economics, politics, education, and the growing needs of society, lifelong learning becomes a key challenge for education. There is more emphasis on the need to raise the quality of teaching, the main factor - the continuing improvement and upgrading requiring qualification of pedagogues. Since the specificity of small children require special primary school pedagogue competence, the pedagogue can not stand in the place, it must continually improve, update their knowledge, skills, develop expertise acquired during their studies, what this work will be understood as a continuous process of formal training. Because the specificity of small children require special primary school pedagogue competence, the pedagogue can not stand in the place, it must continually improve, update their knowledge, skills, develop expertise acquired during their studies, what in this work will be understood as a continuous formal process of qualification refinement. Research object - qualification refinement of primary education in the implementation context of „lifelong learning“ strategy.

This three-phase qualitative study examined the significance of personal learning in the lives of full-time elementary school teachers in Ontario, Canada. The research aimed to provide an awareness of the effects of engaged personal learning on teachers’ in-school practices and on student engagement in school. An online questionnaire was used as the initial exploratory tool. The questionnaire was completed by 87 Ontario elementary teachers, and results were stratified by age, gender, range of learning experiences, and career stage. The questionnaire was used to generate descriptive statistics, identify how elementary teachers pursue personal learning interests across different career stages, and gather open responses, in order to determine how teachers characterize their engagement in personal learning opportunities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven participants to characterize the teachers’ learning experiences, and to explore their views as to how their learning affected them personally and professionally. Classroom observations ensued with three of the interviewees. The data analysis indicated that the nature of personal learning varies across different career stages, and that such learning occurs most often in an informal setting. It also revealed the significance of learning opportunities that both challenge and extend knowledge in real-life contexts and/or that is social or collaborative in nature. Three themes—connections, self as learner, and vitality—emerged from the reported effects of teachers’ personal learning on their students and their classroom practice. The teachers’ passion for learning was evident in the many ways that they provide meaningful, collaborative, and challenging opportunities for their students in a very supportive and nurturing environment. Through the data collection and analysis, it became clear that some of the most profound learning experiences were not preplanned or intentional in nature, but arose as a result of life. In some cases, the participants did not consider these experiences to be learning—until they began to detail the effects that these experiences had on them, both as individuals and as educators. Suggestions for future research are offered to continue learning from teachers who take part in personal learning, and from the students that they teach. / Thesis (Ph.D, Education) -- Queen's University, 2012-10-19 08:38:23.555

För att möta en framtid där medelåldern bland Europas befolkning blir allt högre har Europeiska unionen riktat fokus på frågan om hur förvärvsfrekvensen i de högre åldersgrupperna kan höjas. Genom att anta en policy avseende det livslånga lärandet uppmanar EU sina medlemsländer att skapa nya förutsättningar för att förverkliga detta mål. Utifrån detta fokus på möjligheten att studera även i hög ålder har föreliggande studie utgått från seniora studenter i åldern 50+. Studiens syfte har varit att studera behov av och krav på anpassad pedagogik som den yrkes- och livserfarna seniora studenten har för att kunna tillgodogöra sig undervisning vid högskola och universitet. Studiens teoretiska perspektiv har utgått från sociokulturell teori och andragogik. Studien är byggd på vad den seniora studenten som individ upplevt samt hur omgivningen och dess krav ser på seniora studenter som grupp. Insamlandet av data har utgjorts av semistrukturerande intervjuer med sju individer som är 50+ och varit aktivt studerande på svensk högskola eller universitet under vårterminen 2016. Intervjuerna genomfördes utifrån frågeställningar om behov, krav och anpassad pedagogik. Svaren har analyserats utifrån interpretativ fenomenologisk analys, i relation till teorier och tidigare forskning. Studiens resultat visar att den seniora studenten inte ser att det egna lärandet har förändrats över tid men att förutsättningarna har förändrats. Den seniora studenten har behov av att bli bemött som vuxen ansvarstagande individ och att den erfarenhet som följer med ska ses som ett positivt komplement genom att bidra till förening av teori och praktik i lärsituationen. Den seniora studenten har krav på kvalitetssäkrad undervisning och vill lyfta frågan om validering av tidigare erfarenheter samt bidra med sin erfarenhet för en anpassad pedagogik. Studien visar att den seniora studenten vill ha insyn och vara medbestämmande, men att de seniora studenterna i föreliggande studie inte är kravställande varken individuellt eller som grupp.

Indoor tracking and navigation is a fundamental need for pervasive and context-aware applications. However, no practical and reliable indoor positioning solution is available at present. The major challenge of a practical solution lies in the fact that only the existing devices and infrastructure can be utilized to achieve high positioning accuracy. This thesis presents a robust indoor positioning system with the lifelong learning ability. The typical features of the proposed solution is low-cost, accurate, robust, and scalable. This system only takes the floor plan and the existing devices, e.g. phones, pads, etc. and infrastructure such as WiFi/BLE access points for the sake of practicality. This system has four closely correlated components including, non-line-of-sight identification and mitigation (NIMIT), robust pedestrian dead reckoning (R-PDR), lightweight map matching (MapCraft), and lifelong learning. NIMIT projects the received signal strength (RSS) from WiFi/BLE to locations. The R-PDR component converts the data from inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors ubiquitous in mobile devices and wearables to the trajectories of the user. Then MapCraft fuses trajectories estimated from the R-PDR and the coarse location information from NIMIT with the floor plan and provides accurate location estimations. The lifelong learning component then learns the various parameters used in all other three components in an unsupervised manner, which continuously improves the the positioning accuracy of the system. Extensive real world experiments in multiple sites show how the proposed system outperforms state-of-the art approaches, demonstrating excellent sub-meter positioning accuracy and accurate reconstruction of tortuous trajectories with zero training effort. As proof of its robustness, we also demonstrate how it is able to accurately track the position regardless of the users, devices, attachments, and environments. We believe that such an accurate and robust approach will enable always-on background localization, enabling a new era of location-aware applications to be developed.

Thesis describes development and current state of European Union's Education policy. It focuses mainly on Erasmus programme and its implementation in the Czech Republic on example for five universities in Prague. First part describes history of Education policy from EU's establishment to formation of strategy Europe 2020 and it pays attention to authorities and institutions that influence education in the EU. Second chapter introduces Lifelong Learning Programme and other community programmes supporting education. Moreover it deals with operational programmes in the Czech Republic. Third, last one, part focuses on Erasmus programme, its practical use in the Czech Republic, and specifically on five selected universities in the capital city.