ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAM DESIGNERS’ PERSPECTIVES ON THEIR ROLE AND THE ETHICAL DILEMMAS THEY ENCOUNTER

Autori

  • Parthena Dimitriadou Hellenic Open University, Patras, Greece
  • Evangelia Krassadaki Hellenic Open University, Patras, Greece Technical University of Crete, Chania, Greece
  • Piera Leftheriotou Hellenic Open University, Patras, Greece
  • Maria Pavlis Korres Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

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https://doi.org/10.46827/ejsss.v12i1.2115

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adult education##common.commaListSeparator## program design##common.commaListSeparator## program designers##common.commaListSeparator## ethics##common.commaListSeparator## distance education##common.commaListSeparator## qualitative research

Abstrakt

The design of adult education programs is a complex and non-neutral process that incorporates technical, social, political, and ethical dimensions. Despite the central role of program designers, their professional identity and the ethical challenges they face remain insufficiently explored in the literature. This qualitative study examines how adult education program designers perceive their role and responsibilities, as well as the ethical dilemmas and challenges encountered in the design of face-to-face and distance education programs.  Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with five experienced program designers working in public and private lifelong learning organizations. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that designers perceive their role as multifaceted and difficult to encapsulate within a single professional title, most commonly identifying as scientific coordinators while acknowledging the limitations of this designation. Their responsibilities extend beyond program planning to include administrative, managerial, and instructional tasks. Regarding the ethical dimension of design, although participants recognize that program planning is not a neutral process, they struggle to articulate concrete ethical dilemmas. Ethical issues are often framed as practical or fractional challenges, particularly in distance education contexts. The study highlights the need for increased awareness, training, and critical reflection on the ethical dimension of adult education program planning.

 

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##submission.authorBiographies##

  • ##submission.authorWithAffiliation##

    Parthena Dimitriadou holds a Bachelor’s degree in Greek Philology, specializing in Classical Philology, from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She has recently completed her Master’s degree in Adult Education at the Hellenic Open University. She participated in the 9th Conference of the Scientific Association for Adult Education (November 23–24, 2024), where she presented a paper published in the conference proceedings entitled “The identity, ethical issues, and professionalization of instructional designers for adult education programs: Designing face-to-face and online learning”. She has significant teaching experience in the private sector, working with both underage and adult learners. Her academic and professional interests focus on adult learning, literacy, learner support, and instructional design within contemporary educational contexts.

  • ##submission.authorWithAffiliation##

    Evangelia Krassadaki holds a PhD and has been an Academic Tutor at the Hellenic Open University since 2020, while serving at the Technical University of Crete. She participates in research projects funded by European and National programs, serves on scientific and organizing committees of conferences, and acts as a reviewer for academic journals. Her publication record includes more than 40 papers in international journals, conference proceedings, and edited volumes, as well as two co-edited/co-authored books. Her research interests focus on adult education, engineering education, skill development, and learning outcomes assessment. She is a member of the Hellenic Adult Education Association. Since 2022, she has been the Scientific Director and Coordinator of the Teaching and Learning Support Center of the Technical University of Crete, and in 2025 she assumed the role of Director of the University’s Lifelong Learning Center.

  • ##submission.authorWithAffiliation##

    Piera Leftheriotou obtained bachelor’s degrees in French Literature and in Early Childhood Education in Athens. In 2005, she completed a master’s degree, and in 2014, she earned a PhD from the Hellenic Open University. Her doctoral dissertation was entitled “Planning Adult Education Programs in Greece: The Case of the General Secretariat for Lifelong Learning”. Since 1984, she has been working in the field of Adult Education at the Greek Ministry of Education. She is a member of the scientific staff of the Hellenic Open University (HOU), serving as an Academic Tutor in the Master’s programs “Adult Education” and “Education Sciences”. She has published articles and book chapters on adult education and e-learning. Her research interests mainly focus on adult education and on the training of educators in both face-to-face and online learning environments.

  • ##submission.authorWithAffiliation##

    Maria Pavlis-Korres is a Professor at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and an Academic Tutor at the Hellenic Open University in the Master’s program “Adult Education,” where she also coordinates the Thematic Unit “Design, Management and Evaluation of Adult Education Programs.” From 1983 to 2018, she worked at the Greek Ministry of Education in the field of Adult Education, contributing to the national design, implementation, supervision, and evaluation of Adult General Education programs. She serves as a reviewer and member of the editorial boards of international scientific journals and has published numerous articles, book chapters, and books on Roma issues, adult education, and e-learning. Her current research interests focus on the design, development, and evaluation of adult education programs—both face-to-face and online—as well as group dynamics and the effective use of communication tools to promote interaction in online learning environments.

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Publikované

2026-01-11

Číslo

Diel 12 Číslo 1 (2026)

Sekcia

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