Evaluating the continuing education centers in terms of life long learning

Abstract

Universities which are the highest educational institutions of the communities are required to supply other training demands with their academic staff, knowledge and opportunities as well as their existing training programs. Many universities have set up continuing education centers to provide lifelong learning for the individuals and they have aimed to answer these needs. They are trying to use their knowledge for the benefit of the society. In this research it is aimed to reveal the organization forms, available training programs and the participants of the continuing education centers. The organization forms of the continuing education centers have been exposed by examining the related centers' regulations and web pages. Available training programs and the information of the participants (number and gender) have been examined. The relation between the continuing education centers and the lifelong learning has been explained with this study. In this research the regulations and the web pages of the continuing education centers have been analyzed. The population of the study is the continuing education centers which are the members of the TUSEM (Continuing Education Centers in Turkey - 61 members). Seven universities from the population were selected as the sample of the study with the random sample selection model. The findings were tabulated and interpreted in accordance with the literature and the research. Recommendations about the structure of the continuing education centers are offered for practitioners and researchers according to the findings. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.