Suggestions on University-led Lifelong Education Model for Seniors: Comparative Analysis of European U3As

As the baby-boomer generation of Korea is incorporated into the elderly population, personal needs for self-development and the demands for building a democratic community are growing. Lifelong education for seniors needs to be shifted from the paradigm of leisure and welfare to the paradigm of lifelong education, led by universities or equivalent educational organizations, that supports the awareness, growth, and social participation of the senior citizen. Considering this issue, this study is to present possible models for establishing university-led lifelong education system for seniors in Korea. Therefore, this research is to conduct a comparative analysis of the literature on the history of U3A development, educational goals, operating system, learner characteristics, and educational contents on the UK and Germany and to present a Korean university-led lifelong education model for seniors and suggestions for its implementation. As a result, the Korean model was presented in four different models: Continental U3A model application, university platform provision, expert provision, and British U3A model application. The suggested directions of Korean U3A are: first, universities and other organizations need to be involved and offer learners quality education and certificates afterwards. Second, the educational goals and contents of education need to be structured for the expansion of social capital of seniors and therefore community development.