Adult Educator

In the face of contemporary educational transformations, this contribution aims to analyze the educational role that can still be played by the adult educator. Without restoring old categories of the past, today's adults continue to have a responsibility in the growth of younger generations. Accepting this task means first of all critically and reflectively recognizing one's role and, secondly, accepting the challenges posed by the complexity of today's landscape in terms of credibility and consistency.

"Volume editors: A. Papastamatis (University of Macedonia) E. Valkanos (University of Macedonia) G. K. Zarifis (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) E. Panitsidou (University of Macedonia) ISBN: 978‐960‐243‐668‐4ERIC Index number: ED508475111paper and poster presentations. 1090 pages. Directly available on line via ERIC at: http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED508475.pdf"
The network’s first conference meeting was held in Thessaloniki, Greece (6-8 November 2009) at the University of Macedonia, and it was entirely devoted on issues of quality on the education and training of the adult educator in Europe. The meeting was a forum for exchanging theoretical considerations and empirical evidence, between researchers studying the different roles and tasks of the adult educator and trainer and the ways that these are assessed. The meeting also addressed issues relating to the quality of adult educators’ training (initial and continuing), their professional development as well as how these parameters could contribute to the overall quality of adult educational provision in Europe today.

In total 4 keynote presentations, 83 paper presentations and 18 e-poster presentations in eleven thematic workshops (divided in 5 parallel sessions) took place during the conference, as well as eight special presentations were made in six (6) plenary sessions. Based on the thematic workshops and the plenary sessions of the conference, the structure of this e-book is the following:

• Keynote Presentations
• Paper Presentations
1. Quality assurance: Validating effectiveness for adult educators and trainers.
2. Professionalisation & professional development: Not anybody’s business.
3. Confronting quality: Theoretical assumptions and practical challenges.
4. Quality in educational provision: Redefining basic assumptions.
5. Becoming an adult educator in Europe: Some biographical perspectives
6. Quality under review: Policy development issues.
7. Developing competence and skill: New roles and new challenges for adult educators today.
8. The role of the University in providing quality education and training: Unfolding the HE agenda.
9. Initial and continuing training of teachers and teacher trainers: From initial preparation to in-service training.
10. In-service training of adult trainers: The role of the enterprise and the role of the individual.
11. ICT and quality provision: Issues of identity and personal knowledge management.
• E-Poster Presentations
1. Educating the adult educator: European perspectives
• Plenary Presentations
1. Highlights of major European initiatives and projects
 PASCAL Universities' Regional Engagement project (PURE).
 Self-Evaluation in Adult Life Long Learning (SEALLL).
 Grundtvig International Network of Course Organisers (GINCO).
 Promoting Active Learning and Ageing of Disadvantage Seniors (PALADIN).
 Study on Key Competences for Adult Learning Staff."""