The Institute of Adult Education (Institut de formation en sciences de l'éducation pour adultes – FOPA) has always worked within an educational framework which places adult students at the centre of the learning process. The principles and methods very much reflect the concept promoted within UCL of students taking charge of their own training.
The main points include :
- a multidisciplinary training provided by lecturers from different disciplines who work closely together to form a multidisciplinary approach ;
- a team of lecturers who have both academic skills and knowledge in the fields of education and training ;
- training advisers (conseillers à la formation - CF) who are present throughout the programme to support the student group in different ways ;
- coordination and management of the teaching methods for each course and for the overall programme each year ;
- support for making the connection between practice and theory ;
- formation of subgroups and management of their work ;
- workshops on methodology ;
- consultation with students on their progress ;
- coordinators and a committee to support students in producing their dissertation ;
- an educational materials service which specializes in adult education. They can help students to research documents and find support material ;
a “teaching strategy for success” (space-time reserved within the programme for consultation about content, work in small groups, training assessments, many interactions between teachers and students).
Different kinds of training assessment (feed-back throughout the training) and more formal assessment (individual work and examinations ; work in sub-groups ; work placement reports).
Mobility and /or international links
The programme for the option course Continuing Education for Adults is shared with foreign partners who have a comparable Master programme : the first of these is the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts (Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers – CNAM) in Paris in cooperation with the University of Paris 13. The University of Geneva will be added at a later stage.
• This shared international course is worth 60 credits, including 32 credits for courses and seminars and 28 for the dissertation. The 32 credits for courses and seminars are divided as follows:
o A Summer University and an Autumn University (10 credits in all) organized in the same place (one at UCL, the other at the National Conservatory in Paris and, at a later stage, alternately at the National Conservatory and the University of Geneva) and for all students (UCL, Paris and at a later stage Geneva) ;
o 5 common lecture series (16 credits in all) given in parallel in the partner institutions by lecturers from the different institutions (UCL, CNAM, at a later stage, Geneva) which students can choose to take at their host university or in a partner institution;
o a group of specific courses et seminars (6 credits in all), chosen from each institution’s programme and accessible (through mutual recognition of credits) to students from all the partner institutions.
• UCL students who have taken this joint course as part of their Master in Education will be awarded a degree certificate which refers to the international character of the programme and the name of the partner institutions.
• An overseas visit will be organized, reflecting the fact that students on this course are adults with professional responsibilities. This only applies to students who choose the option course Continuing Education for Adults from the three option courses available. The visit relates to only one training activity (the Autumn or Summer University) and lasts for three days in either Paris or Geneva. Financial help for these visits will be sought in cooperation with the partner universities. Similarly, ways will also be found to keep travel costs to a minimum. An overseas visit will also be organized for the lecturers in charge of the course and the training advisers who are involved in it. Certain courses and seminars will be given by staff from partner institutions (and charged to the budget of these institutions).
