A Case Study of the Liberal Arts Curriculum at a College of Lifelong Education for Adult Learners

This study aimed to explore the operation case of the liberal arts curriculum found at ‘A’ university, a long term participating university of the ‘Lifelong Education at Universities for the Future Education Project.’ For this study, qualitative research methodology was used and the data collection for this study was conducted for five months. As a result of the study, we found that ‘A’ university, like other universities involved in this project, has been trying to establish a flexible academic system, such as a RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning Experience), on-line education, night and weekend classes, and blended education. Moreover, ‘A’ university recently made a progress in preparing a liberal arts curriculum, tailored to adult learners as it took into account the age of adult learners and the level of their basic academic ability. However, several problems were also found in the process of introducing this type of liberal arts curriculum. The first problem was the university’s top down operation with administrative practices. And The second problem involved issues pertaining to quality in the management of the liberal arts curriculum. These findings were consistent with the recent concerns raised in previous studies. The results of this study suggest that universities participating in the ‘Lifelong Education at Universities for the Future Education Project’ need to consider the gap between the ideal goals found in the project and the realistic needs of adult learners enrolled in a liberal arts curriculum.