QUALITY, EVALUATION, AND COUNSELING – THEIR INTERDEPENDENCY IN ADULT EDUCATION

Abstract

Striving for quality is an inherent part of professional adult education. An increasingly pluralistic market of competing educational institutions defines quality as a salient goal
• in view of potential students/applicants interested in the specific profile offered by a particular institution of continuing education
• in view of the personnel in the area of continuing education who might want to investigate and study the personal, organizational, and structural issues of quality management
• in view of potential sponsors in a tough and competitive market in the field of continuing education
• in view of competitors, i.e. to secure an adequate stature and rank, i.e. a competitive edge in this market.
Developing and determining quality presupposes theoretical and practical guidance and support. Counseling should be incorporated into this process – by creating spaces and new options for individuals as well as for institutions.
Evaluation could offer a valuable contribution in assessing quality and deciding on counseling needs. Evaluation can draw on a multiple methodology, and it has qualitative and quantitative potential, e.g. in terms of correlating self-evaluation and evaluation through others.
A well argued practical interplay between quality, evaluation, and counseling in continuing education is a visible sign of professional practice.