• To develop adult education and its processes in partner organisations by implementing continuous improvement principles

Project purpose

• Partner organisations use critical approach to develop their self-assessment processes
• Each partner organisation learn to use at least one traditional benchmarking method
• Partner organisations learn how to implement the chosen benchmarking models to improve the self-assessment processes
• Recommendations on how to develop self-assessment processes in adult education to ensure effective processes and implementation of continuous improvement principles

Results to be disseminated

• Described and developed self-assessment processes
• Benchmarking results
• Developed new ways of carrying out benchmarking processes to improve self-assessment processes
• Recommendations on how to benefit benchmarking in self-assessment process development
• Best practices how to implement self-assessment

Target groups

Direct beneficiaries of the project are the participating adult education organisations, the project partners and their interest groups. Indirect beneficiaries of the project are learners in adult education and training. The most important process of adult education organisations is facilitation of learning. Thus the process management of adult education organisation include e.g. recruitment and selection of students, guidance and tutoring, development of curriculum and facilitation of learning process. Categories of persons who will directly use the results are participating adult education organisations, other adult education organisations as well as other stake holders and interest groups.

Methodology and tools

During the project different methods and models of describing and developing self-assessment processes will be introduced, applied and disseminated in the project network. The project aims at finding out and applying up-to-date models, methods, techniques and tools in quality management.

• Principles of quality management
• Process descriptions made by using ProcessGuide software
• Benchmarking methods
• PEST Analysis (operational environment analysis)
• Co-operative planning system to define project objectives, targets, roles and responsibilities, to monitor and evaluate proceeding and carrying out tasks and activities and keeping the schedule
• Comparative analysis of self assessment processes and benchmarking results

Description of project products

The project produces recommendations for adult education how to carry out benchmarking process to improve self-assessment processes. All suitable dissemination channels will be used so that as many adult education organisations as possible can get acquainted with the project results and recommendations. In the project work plan the proceeding of the project is divided in stages so that each stage produces outputs to be used and developed in the next stage.

The project aims at finding out new, innovative ways of using benchmarking method in self-assessment development work. During the project the partners produce descriptions of self-assessment processes by using ProcessGuide software. Using the same software ensure that processes are comparable. All partners also report their benchmarking results to be analysed for further development. Comparative analyses made by co-ordinating organisation aims at finding out best practices also taking into account the conceptual framework of socio-cultural factors and national policies. On this analysis basis using co-operative planning method the partner organisations will give recommendations and disseminate the results.

Dissemination

All project partner organisations are responsible for disseminating the results and recommendations to stake holders and other interest groups as well as to adult education organisations at national and international level. Each partner organisation can disseminate the results in its own adult education network and to its own interest groups. Project results will also be presented via project web pages.

Evaluation

Project has an external evaluator, Mr Hannu Kokko. External evaluation of the project proceeding is carried out during the project. External evaluator analyses the project including relevance, impact, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability. Also project partners are carrying out self-evaluation throughout the project. The aim of the self-evaluation is to meet changing requirements and ensure needed corrective actions immediately to guarantee that project is carried out effectively and productively. The most important tool of self-evaluation is the LogFrame matrix, communication between partners and feed-back discussion after each stage of the project.