Exploring the Lifelong Higher Education Curriculum’s Conceptual Components

This study aimed to conceptualize a higher education curriculum for lifelong learning, which has gained attention due to rapid changes in university environments. The main components of this curriculum were identified through a literature review and validated by experts. The results revealed that, in terms of curriculum content selection, higher continuing education is conceptualized as an advanced curriculum that reflects the learning needs of lifelong adult learners. It aims to help them to acquire lifelong competencies and expertise in liberal arts, vocational skills, and social activities throughout their life-span. In terms of curriculum content organization, it ensures responsiveness to learning needs, connectivity and compatibility between learning experiences, and allows learners to configure the curriculum. Finally, in terms of curriculum operation, it focuses on lifelong personalization and adaptation, learner-led and participation, and field-based problem solving. These findings suggest various possible forms of the curriculum that align with the ideological goals of higher lifelong education. Additionally, they highlight the organizational and operational mechanisms necessary to ensure learners' participation in higher education throughout their lives, distinguishing it from other curricula.