Chapter Tracing Longitudinal Impact of Professor Lalage Bown: International Master in Adult Education for Social Change

Abstract

Adult education is recognised globally as a critical element in addressing challenges pertaining to climate justice, migration, employment, education and inequality. This chapter will explore the development, delivery, and impact of the International Master in Adult Education for Social Change (IMAESC n.d.), a European-funded joint master’s degree, that can proudly trace its lineage to the work of Prof. Bown at the University of Glasgow. IMAESC is jointly delivered by the Universities of Glasgow, Malta, Maynooth, Tallinn and the Open University of Cyprus. Students complete three mandatory mobility periods and choose between two study tracks ‘Community Engagement and Education’ or ‘Critical Issues, Policy and Curriculum’. Additionally, this two-year programme has a summer school in Malaysia (Universiti Sains Malaysia) focused on sustainability and peace studies. The first cohort of IMAESC students started in 2016 and there have been 118 graduates over the past seven years from over 60 countries. Adult Education takes place in many different sites – Vocational Education and Training (VET) institutions, higher education, community-based, workplace, and political struggle – and our students’ experiences reflect that diversity. We examine what impact IMAESC graduates have made nationally and internationally, drawing from an empirical qualitative research project, ‘Decolonising Higher Education: A case study of Erasmus Mundus master’s programme IMAESC’, undertaken in 2021-22. This research included interviews with 19 IMAESC graduates from the Global South. Through critical engagement with theory, policy and action, graduates have contributed to improving their communities, cities, civil society, nations, and international relations.