Group 12: Education management

management - modern forms of surveillance - economy vs. emancipation - corporate governance

We may be competent in facilitating and organizing processes of learning and teaching, of coaching and counseling, but as professionals of adult education we quite often have kind of a 'blind spot' in efficient management issues. Therefore, it is reasonable to also focus the institutional and organizational side of adult education.

Practical experience shows that organizational development and educational assignments are not necessarily in accordance. Hereby different interests between educational management and practitioners of adult education in their active everyday communication with clients and classes may appear. Interests of education management might be for instance the placement on the market, recruiting funds or reaching a special number of participants. Following that different approaches, the question how both can be harmonized will appear. How to be at the same time aware of the interests of the clients and the interests of the organization? Short cut: orientation to the people and their learnings needs or to the organizational status on the market including the permanent improvement of the institutional structures?

The learning outcomes could be:

• Critical insights in aims and functionality of management of education (especially: adult education)
• Parameters of a sustainable balance between organizational development of educational institutions and educational practice
• Views of possible differences between the respective interests of politics, economy, educational institutions and participants
• Significance of management-issues in adult education institutions

Comparative research question:

What are aspects of educational management towards needs of the learners?

Context of comparison:

Adult education in your country between market-alignment and learner orientation (facts and megatrends, institutional and political regulations )Management of adult education in an institution in your ar-ea (for example by internship or by acquaintance with staff members or clients)

The significance of the management-aspect in pedagogical acting in general and/or in this institution. Important: First and foremost your observations! Furthermore: Let speak please official documents (printed or digital) of an adult education institution in your area (desired content: information about "who we are", "what we are doing", "our offers" and statistical records about funding, development projects, members of the staff, participants ...)

Categories of comparison:

Relevance of educational management, management-knowledge and -competences in educational scienceFactors that mainly influence the process of adult educationBest practice for no gap between institutional management (in the sense of organizational development) and organized learning.

Prof. Hajo Petsch, Julius-Maximilian University Würzburg, Germany

Prof. Petsch earned his PhD from the University of Würzburg. His research emphasis is in questions of theory and practical use on off-the-job training, vocational training, coaching, supervision and life-long learning. For many years, he was renowned director of the Rudolf-Alexander-Schröder Haus in Würzburg. Today, he is honorary professor at the University of Würzburg. He is especially interested in reference sciences of educational science: philosophy, psychology and neuroscience. Furthermore, questions of systemic thinking and acting.