The emergence of new actors in lifelong learning, the use of AI to foster a critical spirit and leadership in values are the focus of the first day of the RECLA 2023 Meeting

The Manresa campus of the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC) today hosted the opening day of the XXVII meeting of the Continuing Education Network of Latin America and Europe. The event was attended by more than two hundred people representing 103 university institutions from 16 countries, mainly from Latin America. On the first day, those attending discussed various topical issues affecting lifelong learning, such as the appearance of new training agents which are not affiliated to universities. The event also saw discussion of leadership in values, the economic impact that lifelong learning has on the territory, and how artificial intelligence can be used in social projects and to foster the critical spirit. The twelfth RECLA awards were presented as part of this first event, in recognition of higher education institutions that have made an outstanding contribution to the economic, social, cultural and academic improvement of the sector, and which contribute to the development of high quality lifelong learning.

Openness and collaboration to improve lifelong learning

The subject of the emergence of new agents other than universities in the provision of training arose during the round table discussion by experts on the challenges and trends faced by the networks of universities providing lifelong learning. The participants in this round table discussion were the president of RECLA, Jorge Blando, the president of Spain's Postgraduate and Continuing Education Studies University Network (RUEPEP), Nicolás Rodríguez, and the president of the Latin American Council of Business Schools (CLADEA), Mònica López.
All three agreed that collaboration between different networks and openness are crucial when addressing the challenges of training that universities have long been unable to limit to bachelor's degree courses. Blando said that the world is changing and that training is a "lifelong necessity," and must be inclusive and reach all the people and groups who have not had the opportunity to study at university for various reasons. Incorporating the SDGs into training and making the range of courses more flexible are other issues that are part of the challenges for lifelong learning on which the speakers agreed.

According to Nicolàs Rodríguez, this training must be focused on people, and universities must work together with alliances that enable qualifications to go beyond geographical boundaries, prevent compartmentalisation and have the quality necessary to meet people's training needs throughout their lives. Meanwhile, Mònica López mentioned another of the challenges facing lifelong learning: providing training for teaching staff to enable them to adapt to the speed of changes taking place in both content and methodologies, and the introduction of learning experiences.

As for the emergence of new agents such as businesses and large corporations that have begun to offer training outside universities, Jorge Blando argued for opening up to them because "the training challenge is enormous." Nicolàs Rodríguez said this is a crucial issue, in which the experience of universities in defining the intangible factors in high quality education must not be overlooked. According to Rodríguez, universities must leave their comfort zone and become leaders, defining educational policies and strategies. Meanwhile, Mònica López explained that universities no longer have this exclusive role, and they must add value and cohesion to learning in this new era.

The issue of quality indicators is linked to this emergence of new actors. In this respect, the speakers highlighted the need to promote self-assessment, and to establish mechanisms to assess the impact that lifelong learning has on society, based on data science and to perform this assessment going beyond its economic impact.

Artificial Intelligence to foster the critical spirit

Another key presentation during the event was given by Pau Garcia, Co-Director of the Master in Data & Design at ELISAVA, and the founder of Domestic Data Streamers. Garcia outlined all the risks and questions posed by artificial intelligence, but he contrasted them with the benefits that it can provide if it is used properly. Among those benefits, he discussed AI training to foster a critical spirit, and carrying out social projects.

Garcia explained that Artificial Intelligence is simply a large-scale data representation that is trained with millions of pieces of data, and with patterns based on the biases derived from its source. He explained that the data has been used to develop AI comes primarily from the USA (60%), Germany and Hong Kong (30%) and from the rest of the world. This means that the way AI currently sees the world is primarily "Western, and mainly American."
He said that AI has risks, but at the same time great potential if we succeed in understanding how it works, how to communicate it and how to use it to experiment with it in controlled environments. He said that technology should not be used as a substitute for human beings, but instead to improve processes.

Leadership with values and the economic impact of lifelong learning in the welcome speeches

The welcome speeches at the event were given by Valentí Martínez, academic director of the Chair of Leadership in Values at UManresa, and Pilar Delgado, the Vice-Rector of Academic Policy and Quality at the University of Barcelona. In his speech, Martínez presented the leadership model on which the Chair of Leadership in Values is based, developed based on the lives and sporting careers of its directors, Pep Guardiola and Manel Estiarte. The model incorporates values including exemplariness, honesty, discipline, commitment, generosity, audacity, innovation, excellence and gratitude, which are organised on an imaginary playing field in a typical 4-3-3 football formation. The theory deployed in this theoretical model was translated into an experience-based dynamic during the afternoon, during which the participants experienced at first hand the impact of values on decision-making, and the achievement of collective objectives.

Meanwhile, Pilar Delgado presented the data from a study that has evaluated the economic impact of the lifelong learning courses taught by the UB on its immediate environment. This work estimates the multiplier effect that this type of training has at between 3.06 Euros and 6.75 Euros for every Euro invested.
Understanding today's world to define the future of lifelong learning

During the opening speeches, the president of RECLA Jorge Blando highlighted the importance of the event for sharing experiences and moving forward with the collaboration of universities committed to lifelong learning, and thereby contributing to giving hope in a "complex, changing and chaotic world." According to the rector of the University of Barcelona, Joan Guàrdia, lifelong learning is strategic and must adapt to its environment and different sensitivities. The rector of UVic-UCC Josep Eladi Baños reiterated this strategic importance, because much of the knowledge acquired by university students becomes obsolete after a short period of time. The mayor of Manresa, Marc Aloy, also spoke at the opening event, and welcomed those attending to the city.

The RECLA Awards ceremony

The twelfth RECLA Awards were presented at the event. These awards confer recognition on higher education institutions that have made outstanding contributions to the economic, social, cultural and academic improvement of the sector, and which contribute to the development of quality lifelong learning.
The awards in the category of Best Practices in lifelong learning went to the universities of Antonio Nariño - National University of Colombia, Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Externado University of Colombia, El Bosque University, University of the Andes and La Salle University in Colombia, for the Programme of Economic and Social Reactivation (PRAES) - "Reto a la U" [U Challenge]. In the category of Sustainability in Lifelong Learning, the award went to the University of Barcelona, for its Postgraduate Diploma programme entitled: "Autism: Diagnosis and intervention." The third category in the award, for the internationalisation of Education, went to the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (Ecuador), for the "International Cacao Diploma (Professional Diploma: Agronomy, Agroforestry, Renewal and Rehabilitation and Cocoa Quality)." The fourth category in the awards went to the Manresa campus of UVic-UCC for the programme organised jointly with the Catalan Hospitals Union and the Catalan Health and Social Consortium, entitled "Leadership, Clinical Management and Management Development of Hospitals and Health Organisations."