On November 22 and 23, 2022, the 12th edition of the international scientific conference "Adult Education 2022 – Balance in the Context of Strategic Changes" took place at the Faculty of Education of Charles University. The event was co-organized by the Czech Andragogical Society under the patronage of the Rector of Charles University, Prof. MUDr. Milena Králíčková, Ph.D. The conference guarantors were the Dean of the Faculty of Education, Prof. PaedDr. Michal Nedělka, Dr., and the Head of the Department of Andragogy and Educational Management at the same faculty, Prof. PhDr. Jaroslav Veteška, Ph.D., MBA. The conference was held in hybrid format, with several dozen attendees from Slovakia, Poland, Germany, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic following the plenary session online.
The main themes of the conference were innovation and digitalization in education, international and interdisciplinary cooperation in the field, wellbeing and resilience, the potential of social capital, and current educational needs of the school environment.
The professional partners were the publishing houses Academie, Grada Publishing, Verlag Dashöfer, Portál, and Wolters Kluwer ČR.
The conference was inaugurated with a ceremonial evening at the Mánes venue in Prague. The main program, which took place the following day primarily at the Faculty of Education of Charles University, included lectures on the following topics: Slovak teachers and their needs, the role of teachers in the digital world, virtual co-teaching, and the adult education system in Ukraine. A workshop on the use of virtual reality in education, organized in cooperation with Verlag Dashöfer publishing, was also noteworthy. Another workshop titled "International Trends in Continuing Education" deserves mention as well. The program concluded with presentations of educational systems from selected countries. Representatives from four countries participated — Finland, France, the Netherlands, and Germany. In addition to leading European experts in adult education, students of the master's program in Andragogy and Educational Management also contributed. They presented group projects focused on the educational policy of a given country, with the aim of identifying international trends in education, comparing various educational systems, and developing students' presentation and communication skills. This was followed by a relaxed yet stimulating discussion between students and Czech and international experts.
The students themselves reflected on the benefits of the conference for their studies and evaluated the event as follows:
"The conference served as a valuable 'insight' into the professional lives of foreign practitioners, educators, and andragogists. Discussions with them enriched us with theoretical knowledge of how educational systems can function, what does not work, and what could be improved. At the same time, these discussions provided us with inspiration and motivation to strive to become better andragogists — adult educators — and to contribute to the development of our field. The presentation on innovations in education by speakers from Germany was also interesting, as we saw what we learn in theory being put into practice. We are grateful for the opportunity to attend the conference; it was an enriching experience for us."
"A stimulating discussion full of surprises emerged from our conversation with representatives of various countries. The German system faces challenges similar to those in the Czech Republic, particularly in the form of very slow and conservative change. We frequently referenced the Finnish educational system, which is incomparably faster and more capable of responding to current societal needs. The connection is also evident in the question of educational funding, where we, together with Germany, remain below the EU average (relative to GDP). The representatives of German institutions view the situation as follows: there is sufficient funding for operations and maintaining educational standards, but to initiate change that would direct us toward Finland and other leading, most progressive EU states, significant and long-term investments in the education sector are needed."
"Another stimulating debate arose from our question regarding differences in laws and conditions across various federal states, which revealed the rigidity of the system as a whole. The situation in Germany more or less compels one to study and work in the pre-selected federal state, since any subsequent transfers mean a difficult-to-implement change. It is therefore difficult to generalize information about the German education system. Overall, I rate our participation in the Adult Education 2022 conference as highly positive and beneficial for all parties involved."
Regarding the workshop on using virtual reality in education, one student stated: "From the lecture, we gained valuable information not only about incorporating virtual reality into education but also details about its potential use in self-education, specifically for improving presentation skills. In the first block, we familiarized ourselves with the history of virtual reality (VR), different types of headsets, applications, and language options. The instructor then introduced a program offered by Verlag Dashöfer on their website. It is a training program for improving presentation skills, through which an individual can overcome stage fright, learn proper speaking pace, and appropriate tone of voice, among other things."
"In the second part, we focused on incorporating virtual reality into formal education. This is most widely used in secondary vocational schools and technical training institutions for practical training. By using VR, schools can save money on materials that students would otherwise consume during their practical exercises. At the same time, students work in a safe environment through VR, where nothing can actually happen to them — a safe environment is thus ensured (for example, this prevents cuts, burns, and other injuries). Of course, VR also has its disadvantages, which primarily include the high cost of equipment, health limitations for individuals who cannot use VR, the age limit of 12 years, and language barriers (since the program is mainly available in English). The lecture on virtual reality was very beneficial for us as first-year students of Andragogy and Educational Management, since we had not personally encountered VR use in our secondary schools. After the lecture, we had the opportunity to try VR ourselves, so we leave with not only valuable information but also firsthand experiences."
The International Scientific Conference on Adult Education 2022 had a dynamic course and a thematically diverse program. As students, we take away a wealth of new experiences, insights, and information that we will be able to utilize in our field in the future. We particularly value the opportunity to make contact and interact with prominent representatives in the field of adult education, both in our country and in other European nations. We firmly believe that the recent conference was equally beneficial for the other participants as it was for us students, who eagerly look forward to the upcoming edition!
Authors: Štěpán Růžička, Džalal Nazarov Students of the Department of Andragogy and Educational Management, Faculty of Education, Charles University