| Abstract: | In the concept of ‘open learning’, the word ‘open’ is certainly the keyword. But what does this idea of ‘openness’ mean today? It is not only a matter of registration or timetable, but also a real question: how should we face the challenge of the necessary permanent updating of professional skills and knowledge? The author addresses some critical issues concerning the implementation of the concept of ‘lifelong learning’ in general and professional contexts. The proposed hypothesis emerges from an attempt to go beyond the opposition of three current approaches trying to shape the future: an institutional approach, which sees the future of education in the development of open and flexible learning systems; a social approach, which sees the future of education in the reinforcement of social exchanges as ‘knowledge exchanges’ leading to the development of a ‘learning society'; and a technological approach, which sees the future of education in the provision of easy access to knowledge via multimedia systems. Merging these approaches leads to the concept of ‘learning organization’, relying on the use of facilities provided both by ‘knowledge technologies’ and ‘knowledge transactions’. |
