IT and Andragogic Counselling

Curriculum

11. IT and andragogic counselling

Counselling, as such, is not an easy job. Quite frequently it is being exchanged for various forms of mentoring and coaching. Counselling should mainly provide vocational assistance to people in need or those making important decisions. In general, counselling was well defined by Baštecká (2009)  as “a process, in which an expert offers information, advice, guidance and support adequate for an (unfavourable) life situation of people (a couple, family or a group) and their life objectives in a relation of partner co-operation meant to resolve the problem so that the individuals (couple, family or a group) improve their ability to find firm ground in their life situation and based on the use of their own strengths and sources to resolve it as best as possible or to make decisions, including being responsible for their decisions.˝

Pavlov (2020) also defined andragogic counselling, its theoretical fundamentals, functions, objectives and application in practice in a very detailed way. According to his concept, it could be very briefly characterised as ˝counselling in the learning of an adult target group in various contexts, situations, means and conditions of their life˝.^[1]

Most dictionaries^[2] thoroughly define information and communication technology (furthermore just IT) as ˝administration of a network and computers, formation of original web pages, digital video production, designing of computer systems, consultation concerning information systems, sale of products on the internet, 3D artistic masterpieces, administration of a corporate database, software coding, provision of technical support, project and budget management and writing of technical documentation.˝ (IT, 2021) IT emphasises ˝the role of unified communication and integration of telecommunication, computers and also inevitably corporate software, middleware^[3], storage and audio-visual systems allowing users to access, storage, transfer and handle information. (IT, 2021)

The OECD^[4] provides a deeper insight into the use of IT in education. It defines IT in education as a tool serving educational institutions to reach their objectives while offering their students effective education on a high level. When it comes to the range of IT in the educational area, it surely cannot be minimised to e-learning platforms. It involves ˝the use of various technological tools used either through web, distributed via web or placed on the web for the purposes of education˝ Abdelmalek (2019). From a wider perspective, it is understood as ˝broadly encompassing all forms of educational technologies used in learning and education (Patel, 2014, p. 1). The objective of employing IT in teaching is to make it more effective and provide digital material for educational needs.

Knowledge of some basic notions from the information technology field and their comprehension is key to understanding their significance and to safeguard the correctness of the work with notions in the educational context. Exact definitions of the IT notions stand out as a major advantage. For more detailed information on certain notions, we recommend Kursch (2018).

12. IT in andragogic counselling

The role of IT in andragogic counselling is two-fold. The first is the role of service mediator, i.e., the counselling itself. It is basically online counselling and use of online diagnostic tools and applications. The second one is the role of digital learning as a source provider supporting all kinds of education – formal, non-formal and informal.

12.1. IT as a tool for mediation of counselling  

The most important assumption of andragogic counselling in the digital world is the unchangeability of its substance and objectives. It is not possible to believe that the digital environment can alter the fundamental basis of andragogic counselling. However, the form of counselling may be modified. In the past, a dominating mode took the form of personal physical meetings with a stipulated date, location and time. Currently, mainly thanks to the coronavirus crisis, a wide range of distant forms encompassing even online counselling have been applied. Here, we need to strictly differentiate between a distant form meaning just telephone calls or correspondence and its specific subgroup – online counselling. A comparison of both forms and judgements on suitability of individual forms in diverse contexts can be left for the reader’s more detailed elaboration, since they are not a target for this chapter.

Online counselling with IT assistance is a process that should not be underestimated. Carrying out an online counselling requires certain preparation. In general, one can divide preparation into several stages:

1. Preparation of the technical background – it is necessary to focus not only on preparing themselves but also their clients. It is vital for us to concentrate on functional audio and video equipment (suitable earphones, sufficient video quality, suitable microphone, but also an undisturbed environment, etc.).
2. Selection of the digital environment – once again on both communication ends. It is wise to adapt to a client’s needs and use more options in a digital environment. This mainly involves communication platforms such MS Teams, Zoom, Google Hangouts, WhatsApp, Facebook messenger, Wire, Wickr, Signal, etc.
3. Testing the connection – this is a step which is often under-applied. The testing determines the capability of having fluent communication, a high-quality connection and suitable technical equipment. It is risky to rely on trouble-free communication with a new client without previous comprehensive testing. Loss of time that could be spent in counselling itself or low quality of counselling can derive from the possibility of running into technical issues.
4. Facilitation of security – this is an important dimension in online transfer or potential recording of data gathered from a client. It is very important to take personal data security into consideration. In Europe, it is regulated by the GDPR^[5].

The main function of IT in online counselling is mediating communication. Communication has its interactive forms, such as voice, video or chat that can be used along with document sharing or adding another person into the communication (e.g., an expert, another counsellor, etc.).

12.2. IT as one’s own source of learning

Today, education and self-education is widely supported by modern information technology thanks to its ever-expanding nature and growing accessibility to anyone around the world.

            We are living in an information era. Technology keeps improving; the birth of microcomputers and subsequently internet and social networks were milestones of the 20^th century and the turn of the 21st century. However, the trend continues with the onset of the Industry 4.0 era dominated by the internet of things and artificial intelligence. Nowadays, computing power rises to tenths of billions of operations per second and this performance keeps increasing. New trends in education are well described by Veteška (2016, p. 207):

1. Education in organisations – the most frequently applied forms and approaches:

• corporate online courses (MOOCs);^[6]
• cloud LMS^[7] (cloud learning systems);
• gamification;
• personalised learning (learning profile tailored to the employee’s needs);
• microlearning and micro courses;
• online seminars (webinars, video seminars and mobile seminars);
• online conferences (videoconference, web conference and mobile conference);
• social networks;
• online cooperation (chat, project sharing and immediate commenting); and
• mobile learning.

1. Self-instruction – the most frequently applied forms and approaches:

• mobile learning;
• augmented learning;^[8]
• social networks;
• online courses, schools, universities (all forms of distant learning);
• public online academies (Khan’s academy);
• (chat, project sharing and immediate commenting);
• online encyclopaedias, libraries, documents (Wikipedia, Google books);

• some computer games;
• video lectures.

12.3. IT as a source of formal learning

Online universities

Veteška (2016, p. 216) emphasises that the ˝electronic form of distant education is becoming a privilege not only at universities, but also in after-school organisations, special types of schools, clubs and private education entities. Electronic distance education may be utilised for self-education, formal and non-formal education.˝

According to Mareš (In: Sak, Mareš, 2007, p. 171) ˝due to its mass nature, technical feasibility and ever-increasing accessibility, electronic learning starts to significantly influence the learning process of pupils, students and adults˝.  Constantly developing and improving distant study will surely represent an emerging form of education in the future.

Fully distant university study is not a brand-new phenomenon. One of the first universities supporting distant study is generally recognised as the Open University. Open university’s mission is to be truly open to people, ideas and methods. Open University provides high-quality distant education with the longest tradition and recognition around the world. Open University can be accessed through web access points even from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, even though its concept and programmes are identical. It serves as a so-called ˝internet location.^[9] In the last decades (up to 2021), we witnessed the birth of tens of thousands of online universities of diverse quality and orientation; moreover anyone can easily find them via various types of tailor-made browsers or search engines.^[10]

We submit a demonstration here, which serves as an inspiration for an andragogic counsellor and shows the result of a search through one of the introduced portals, where we successfully acquired interesting results. Information found on web portals should clearly be considered with caution; nonetheless they are definitely helpful for targeted search and selection (see picture 1 to 9).

^[1] Furthemore, Pavlov deals in length with the theoretical basis of andragogic counselling, its application dimensions, levels and stages of counselling process.

^[2] More on IT (2021).

^[3] Middleware is software placed between an operational system and applications or between applications. It influences their connections, e.g. by transforming transferred data.

^[4] More on Abdelmalek (2019).

^[5] GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) – on  May 27, 2018 REGULATION (EU) 2016/679 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 27 April 2016 came into force on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data and repealing Directive 95/46 / EC (General Regulation on the protection of personal data). Hereinafter, we will simply refer to this regulation by the English abbreviation GDPR.

^[6] MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) – courses often utilised by universities as part of distant education that currently has become popular mainly among large corporations).

^[7] LMS (Learning Management System) – a comprehensive system for generation, regulation and organisation of teaching lessons and e-learning projects. Software application of systems for teaching, utilised mainly as part of e-learning. It mainly tackles teaching administration and organisation. A well-known software product is Moodle. LMS is constituted by applications typically integrating various on-line tools for communication and study management (information board, discussion forum, chat, screen, registration, etc.), while at the same time facilitating students’ access to online and offline teaching contents and study material (Průcha, Veteška, 2014).

^[8] Sometimes also on demand education utilised for instance during trips where based on GPS navigation, it is possible to learn e.g. about history and sights in the area where people are currently situated.

^[9] Recommended links for access to university web pages:

Open University in England: http://www.open.ac.uk/about/main/

Open University in Northern Ireland: http://www.open.ac.uk/northern-ireland/

Open University in Scotland: http://www.open.ac.uk/scotland/

Open University in Wales: http://www.open.ac.uk/wales/

John recommends taking part in some of the courses, and thus take a virtual tour of the university:

http://www.open.ac.uk/courses

This page offers courses in alphabetical order:

http://www.open.ac.uk/courses/atoz

^[10] E.g. https://www.petersons.com/online-schools.aspx, http://www.shortcoursesportal.eu/,

http://www.distancelearningportal.com/countries/30/united-kingdom.html.

Picture 1: Demonstration of the search portal, accessible at  http://www.shortcoursesportal.eu/  – contains options for simple selection of the study type.

Source: http://www.shortcoursesportal.eu/

Picture 2: Search through the study portal operates with several criteria, one can also enter full text.

Source: http://www.shortcoursesportal.eu/

Picture 3: The result of the search oriented on distance education courses in individual countries; we note that the Czech Republic is not listed; this may have been caused by limited a database in the search engine or by the fact that no course was offered in a fully distant form.

Source: http://www.shortcoursesportal.eu/

Picture 4: Results of the search for distant form of PhD study, where clearly, Netherlands is a leader in the field. In Great Britain, the offer is relatively narrow, but does exist.

Source: http://www.shortcoursesportal.eu/

Picture 5: A demonstration of the information offered by the portal upon closer look into an individual study area. For all the studies, information is structured in a comparable way.

Source: http://www.shortcoursesportal.eu/

Picture 6: An example of requirements for successful graduation from distant PhD study in the Netherlands at Waldens University.

Source: http://www.shortcoursesportal.eu/

 Picture 7: Results of the search for distant university programmes around the world. We found out that the Czech Republic has four programmes (could not fit in the picture), while Great Britain, Netherlands and USA are leaders in the offer.

Source: http://www.shortcoursesportal.eu/

Picture 8: Search portals also provide macro-information on individual countries (here only UK), such as expenditures on education, number of schools, number of students, etc.

Source: http://www.shortcoursesportal.eu/

Picture 9: Search portals also provide macro-information on individual countries (here only Czech Republic), such as expenditures on education, number of schools, number of students, etc.

Source: http://www.shortcoursesportal.eu/

Retraining courses

Another example of formal education is a retraining course. Many trainers are transferring to online methods wherever possible. In the Czech Republic, courses with accreditation from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports for further education of pedagogical staff in the Czech Republic are noted^[1]. Such courses were supervised by the staff from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. There is a similar situation around the world where authorised institutions offer a whole range of accredited and internationally recognised courses. A comprehension of distinctions between courses, certifying authorities and their value cannot be discussed within the frame of this chapter, therefore we leave it up to the reader.^[2]

11.1. IT as a source of informal learning

Massive Open On-line Courses (MOOCs)

According to Kursch (2018), massive open on-line courses are designed for an unlimited number of participants.  Such courses have become very trendy in recent years and their significance and prestige has been constantly rising, where the key global players are EdX^[3], Udacity^[4] and Coursea^[5]. The counsellor should take into consideration that even though we are mainly describing specialised free courses, it is possible to obtain a certificate upon completion of a course or a certificate on passing an exam. Such exams and certificates bear more and more weight in the labour market. The prestige of such a certificate mainly dwells in the fact that the student underwent a course with the highest authorities in the field (such as the Justice course, see Picture 10 on EdX led by Professor Michal Sandel from Harvard University, one of the major specialists on the issue of justice). However, MOOCs fail to offer only individual courses or the entire programme.  Programmes largely correspond with bachelor’s or master’s study. Some programmes are further scalable and specialised; EdX has its own programme categories such as MicroPrograms, Xseries, Executive Education or BootCamps. Advantages and limitations of such specialised programmes are described on web pages of MOOC operators. Courses and programmes are accessible via web and its interactive elements, often in several languages. Such courses form part of the offer coming from the most prestigious universities around the world. Course evaluation, or final testing is usually included in the course itself. Corporations sometimes enrich their offer of internal courses by a MOOC meant for all employees or they may form part of an Open Source community as e.g., Khan’s school, which could be included in the MOOC category.^[6] Finally, let us summarise the advantages of MOOC courses that should be discussed between a counsellor and a client:

1. Accessibility from any point and any device connected to the internet.
2. The possibility to study at one’s own pace with the option of repeating the lecture.
3. Low cost of study.
4. An option of gaining a certificate on completion of the course or the entire programme completed by an exam.
5. Recognition of the course certificate and programmes in the labour market, so far only as informal education.
6. High course quality at selected portals.
7. Interactivity throughout the study, including cooperation with tutors on several portals

^[1] Example of online re-training: https://centrum-vzdelavani.cz/nase-on-line-vyuka-rekvalifikacnich-kurzu/.

^[2] Examples of recognised online accreditation including institutions – as providers (introduced in English): CIPD = The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, BTEC = Business and Technology Education Council, GCSEs are an academic qualification achieved by students in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, IGCSEs are an international adaptation of the UK GCSE and have become immensely popular with learners and teachers both internationally and within the UK, A Levels are one of the most common qualifications sought by universities. A good A Level qualification can give the holder access to Higher Education as well as employment. Introduced in 1951, A Levels test knowledge and understanding of many different subjects, but require more in-depth study and greater insight, NCFE = (Northern Council for Further Education) is a national awarding organisation offering a wide range of general and vocational qualifications. NCFE courses are nationally recognised and range from entry level to level 4 qualifications across a variety of industry sectors, ILM = The Institute of Leadership and Management is the UK’s largest awarding organisation for qualifications in leadership and management as well as specialist courses, AAT = Association of Accounting Technicians is the UK’s leading professional body offering skills-based accountancy and finance qualifications with over 125,000 members worldwide, IAB = The International Association of Bookkeepers (IAB) is a professional awarding body providing and approving qualifications and courses in finance.

^[3] More on https://www.edx.org/.

^[4] More on https://www.udacity.com/.

^[5] More on https://www.coursera.org/.

^[6] Kursch (2018) ranks Khan’s school among so called “online academies“ and states that Khan’s Academy forms a logically structured portal for self-education and serves also as a good tool for repetition and mastering of the subject matter. So far, Khan’s school seems to be the largest, but there are also other portals such as: myeducationkey.com and coursera.org.

Picture 10: Course at MOOC from EdX, led by professor Sandel.

Source: https://www.edx.org/search?q=law.

Example: Kursch (2018) states an example: ˝Cambridge university offers hundreds of free open online courses designed by renowned lecturers directly from a university. Furthermore, such courses are offered by universities such as Yale, MIT, and Harvard but also from corporations such as Microsoft or Google. It is therefore a question of choice whether a student opts for a lecture presenting a theory and interpretation by a well-known scientist or someone actually participating directly in a MOOC, where such theory is being presented by above-mentioned scientists, i.e., an original author.˝

Cloud LMS (cloud learning systems)

Another source for non-formal learning is the broad spectrum of e-learning systems within the internet environment. As stated by Kursch (2018), “classical LMS systems were replaced by cloud systems offering a key advantage in form of being easily accessible from anywhere, along with reliability and infrastructure updates. Cloud services can be rented and in terms of IT, the lessor actually does not need to take care of anything related to IT. Modern cloud-based LMS systems possess all elements from the past, plus new ones such as virtual study rooms, modes of interactive communication, a lecturer and other e-learning participants, support of interactive video transmission (via web cameras)”. The former static environment has been becoming more and more dynamic and with the assistance of more interactivity its effectiveness has grown in terms of learning itself.

Example: E-learning systems may be publicly subsidised, non-subsidised or privately owned by corporations. By way of example, we would like to mention state corporate e-learning educational programmes (occupational safety, computer literacy and drivers’ training) or an internal corporate-university programme with its own rules, procedures and internal “titles” as well as internal portals such as Moodle Cloud serving as an LMS and its implementation into the practice of school education.

Personalised learning (tailor-made education for employees)

˝It is a form of education based mainly on the corporate needs and an employee’s options. What counts is an employee’s knowledge, experience, learning preferences (text, video, online courses) and his or her availability. A joint way would be created focusing on acquisition of knowledge or competence (the so-called learning path) and milestones to be successfully met by the employee. Personalised learning somehow works as a mix of all achievable technologies and methods which are systemically put together to make for a smooth transition and to achieve one’s objectives. An online summary accompanies the designated individual along the way.˝ (Veteška, 2016, p. 211)

Example: “A special plan for education of physically handicapped in the company (time constraints, a possibility to work from one’s home, an online tailor-made plan); an educational plan for part-time workers.”  (Veteška, 2016, p. 211)

Microlearning and micro courses

Kursch (2018) describes in detail that “microlearning or micro courses operate on the basis of information or knowledge being divided into small parts. Most frequently, these are five-minute intervals usually forming part of one unit contributing to the target and within a field of education. The phenomenon of microlearning is now a trend and focusing for more than five minutes can cause a problem in terms of comprehensive activities at a workplace or in companies. Micro courses and microlearning are therefore mainly present in companies and organisations aiming at speedy intake of information, flexible learning, easy accessibility and possibilities for constant repetition. Consequently, the efficiency depends on the pace and access to such information, the way they are acquired and applied in practice. Moreover, micro courses and microlearning can be organised in a relatively fast manner, they are highly precise in their targeting on a particular area, and they could be delivered right to the target group in a speedy manner. Micro courses and microlearning offer great potential for professional education.”

Example: Daily microlearning: During their free time, such as a lunch break or after the end of the day, employees may watch a short micro course on time management. A video titled ˝time management˝ consists of several micro courses helping employees to grasp the basic principles and to possibly start  managing examples of  good practice.

Online seminars (webinars, video-seminars, mobile seminars and conferences)

Online webinars, video-seminars, mobile seminars and conferences serve as alternatives to classical forms of communication. Webinars (see picture 11) take place solely via the web and adult learners may thus profit from greater interactivity compared to video-seminars (chat can be used as a means of communication along with group communication, content sharing, separate discussions, etc.). Mobile seminars operated from diverse environments (e.g., a seminar broadcast right from nature) offer very similar opportunities; moreover, combined with camera and video, they allow for field data collection. Online conferences simulate classical ones and make it possible for groups with joint interests to meet up. Even though the communication dimension might be limited, it can serve quite well as a vehicle to fulfil basic requirements for information sharing and interactive discussion.

Example: An andragogic counsellor organises a webinar for other counsellors in order to familiarise the team with work in an online environment. First and foremost, this mode allows for elaboration on the given topic and for targeted discussion on current issues and possibly ways to seek solutions along with the other participants. A webinar can also simulate online situations occurring throughout counselling sessions.

Picture 11: Typical webinar operated via a PC and supported by an IP conference.

 Source: Photographs ˝Webinar-vs-Virtual-Classroom (1)” from ˝Beth Kanter” licenced under CC BY 2.0.

Mobile learning

Veteška (2016, p. 214) states that “mobile learning represents one of the fastest and the most dynamically developing trends in corporate education and self-education”. Kursch (2018) adds that “the mass deployment of mobile devices, mainly telephones, tablets and a large number of mobile applications has opened the way for mobile education and learning”.  Both individuals and enterprises are making use of various applications. Not only schools, but also various groups are making use of mobile technology. A counsellor in life-long learning should also evaluate participants’ time flexibility. Adult learners may utilise mobile platforms e.g., before they go to sleep; they may save the know-how from their journey; they can also file the photographs to individual geolocations, share the expertise acquired from the field with others and keep them in a mobile database. Mobile technology keeps developing and its potential has definitely not been exhausted.

Example: Mobile driving school allows simulating real-life situations on actual crossroads. See picture 12.

Pic. 12: Mobile learning – 3D cross-roads – application driving school

Source: https://www.bezpecnecesty.cz/cz/autoskola/autoskola-mobilni-aplikace.

Augmented and virtual reality

Augmented and virtual reality is a typical example of non-formal and informal learning being used in practice. Augmented reality actually augments reality. What it does is that it offers virtual elements in actual reality. For instance, it is possible to place virtual elements into the actual space via telephone or to submerge anatomically into the structure of a real object via a mobile application. Virtual reality takes us into the virtual world completely. With assistance of special equipment, one turns up in a wholly virtual world. Its use is ever-growing and given the fact that both influence our human sensors allowing us to learn, they can enter the process of knowledge and skill acquisition in a very effective way. Kursch (2018) describes augmented reality based on following examples:

• “Information or courses generated based on QR code scanning^[1] (e.g., in a protected landscape, in which a QR code would be placed in a cave to start off an instructional programme on safe behaviour around the cave, and at the same time, to teach the visitors on the spot how to navigate their route throughout the cave).
• Information or courses generated based on GPS axis (history of the location, major battles in the surrounding area and self-defence courses, etc.).
• Information or courses generated based on objects (Google Glass is trying to make its way through with this advanced technology allowing individuals to recognise the object with the assistance of glasses – e.g. a golden eagle and allows the user to choose the course about a golden eagle or just some specific knowledge; Google Glass (see the picture 13) would also like to enable testing, e.g. when looking at an object, users would be first prompted to name the object and then they would be told the right answer – testing results are recorded into the shared storage place, such as the Google cloud.”

The potential of augmented and virtual reality dwells in non-formal and informal learning along with self-instruction. A great advantage lies in linking reality and virtual reality with human sensors (sight, hearing and touch). There are further factors affecting the learning process (such as one’s own experience, linkage to the event and imagination.)

^[1] QR Code = Quick Response Code, a code allowing immediate collection of data on a certain object or service bearing such a code (it can store a lot more information than a typical barcode does).

Picture 13: Google Glass – glasses for augmented reality

Source: Photographs “google-glass-10” from ˝Giuseppe Costantino” licenced under CC BY 2.0.

Online encyclopaedia, libraries and documents (Wikipedia, Google books)

Encyclopaedia, books, documents and magazines belong among the classical teaching support tools. Online access brings about a revolution in speed as well as ease-of-use for searching, sorting, analysing and comparing information. Nowadays, mass data processing allows us to aspire to very efficient research. However, a major advantage of online regimes comes in the form of interactive elements, pictures, animations, videos, schemes and hypertext links and referencing. For instance, interactive books allow for online testing of acquired knowledge, exercises with one’s own data, interactive analysis and work within broader contexts. Picture 14 illustrates an interactive exercise inside an interactive book.

Picture 14: Interactive exercise inside an interactive book Musical Forms

Source: https://publi.cz/books/512/index.html?secured=false#01.

11.1. IT as a source of informal learning

Gaming

Generally speaking, gaming represents one type of informal learning. Naturally, the type of game matters as well as the selection of games in an online environment. If we take the World of Warcraft game as an example, it stimulates the managerial skills of its players. It is mainly a team game in which the players are assigned to their teams and their role is to set them up, manage, regulate, motivate and create various strategies requiring effective communication. Players develop necessary competencies and some companies tend to select their future employees based on results of official competitions in games such as World of Warcraft (Rubenfire, 2014).

Gaming is a phenomenon often accompanied with criticism in terms of addictions, lack of players’ productivity and wasting one’s time (Liessmann, 2008, 2015; Spitzer, 2016). However, potentially positive effects may often go unnoticed. Consequently, every counsellor who wishes to do justice to their job should carefully monitor the trends and options on the gaming market, since recommending playing or focusing only on certain types of games may help the client in the counselling field to improve their skills and abilities. Picture 15 shows a demonstration of the online game Scrabble, which may actually develop and coach the mind of any individual. We also need to mention chess, various types of table games as well as logical and verbal games. The current development of mobile learning also brings about games utilising augmented and virtual reality. We also should not forget to mention purely teaching games that are widely applied in foreign language learning, natural science and humanities.

Picture 15: Online Scrabble.

Source: Photographs ˝Scrabble_Gamification˝ from ˝Graham Holt˝ licenced under CC BY 2.0.

Social networks 

Social networks turned out to be “a useful technology” with so many users that it practically became a standard in public and private communication (Bednář, 2014, p. 85). Social networks are being more and more commonly used also in the area of education. As Kursch (2018) states, social networks may serve as a support communication platform for educational projects, for crowdsourcing^[1] and furthermore for information and knowledge sharing between various groups.  Data accumulated from social networks can also be very well mined and analysed, therefore they represent a very good source for knowledge-based research. According to Bednar (2014) social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Foursquare, Myspace Google+, etc.) are focal points of so-called expert exchange. Within the system of open groups and corporate presence it makes it possible to communicate with colleagues and various groups; furthermore, it allows asking questions and accumulating otherwise inaccessible information as well as searching and evaluating gathered data. A minimum amount of invested time and technical equipment represent a key advantage; however, the condition is to have established an account on particular social networks. 

For educational institutions, social networks represent an effective tool of external and internal communication; it is a platform for information sharing and also a knowledge-based platform. As a result, social networks are coming to the forefront even in the area of corporate learning and teaching, which thus acquires new specific methods and forms (Veteška, 2013).

Educational environment

An online testing environment, laboratory and so-called “play boxes” (sandboxes, mockups, playgrounds). For illustration we introduce several examples demonstrating practical application of educational environment:

• TensorFlow – is an educational environment enhancing comprehension of the principles applied on neuronal networks in IT. With the help of simple tasks, one may construct their own neuronal networks and simulate their activity according to entry data. Last but not least, the student also sees individual tasks visualised along with immediate results. The environment of a tensor flow laboratory is illustrated in picture 16.

^[1] It is a notion capturing knowledge based on the consensus principle reached by a certain number of people; it also allows for work sharing or it might as well serve as a source of expertise (to find out more, see Kursch, 2014).

Picture 16: Simulation of the task on a neuronal network in a laboratory tensor flow.

Source: https://playground.tensorflow.org/#activation=tanh&batchSize=10&dataset=xor&regDataset=reg-
plane&learningRate=0.03&regularizationRate=0&noise=0&networkShape=3,4&seed=0.45355&showTestData
=false&discretize=false&percTrainData=50&x=true&y=true&xTimesY=true&xSquared=true&ySquared=true&cosX
=false&sinX=true&cosY=false&sinY=false&collectStats=false&problem=classification&initZero=false&hideText=false.

• • Quantum-computation – IBM offers a quantum computer for programming. The environment marketed by IBM serves for programming with an actual quantum computer. Even though it is widely used mainly by researchers, it may serve well even for self-learning, since among other attributes it contains an abundance of teaching content. The laboratory is accessible at: https://quantum-computing.ibm.com/jupyter.
  • LabXChange –is a laboratory enabling various simulations of medical, biochemical and molecular processes. LabXChange may help to accelerate studies of biology and biotechnology. Solving problems in an online environment enhances the authenticity of an experience, especially for experiments that cannot be carried out in real life. When it comes to further education it is especially useful for mastering new knowledge and searching for the basis of dependence between individual phenomena in the above-mentioned fields. It is accessible at: https://www.labxchange.org/org/labxchange. Picture 17 illustrates a simulation of work with a micropipette.

  Picture 17: Simulation of a laboratory experiment with a micropipette in an online laboratory LABXCHANGE

Source: https://www.labxchange.org/library/items/lb:LabXchange:4eecf5fe:lx_simulation:1.

11. Outline of a further education plan powered by IT

An outline of a tailor-made plan for a client forms one of the key activities in andragogic counselling. The plan should be handled in a way suiting the client’s goals. Applying IT seems to be an excellent alternative or addition to classical educational methods. First of all, the counsellors should have an overview of the latest trends in IT application, but mostly they should be acquainted with the broad scale of learning contents on the internet, web portals, and mobile applications as well as educational forms and methods using IT. In order to improve their services, it is advisable to follow this route:

1. Information on counselling online services (in Europe, follow accessible national portals of individual EU countries).
2. E-learning portals focusing on further education.
3. Virtual education fairs.
4. Portals for educational counsellors.
5. New trends in online counselling (e.g., co-careering, social networks such as LinkedIn, etc.)

Typically, outlining the plan is subject to classical methodology in andragogic counselling. Therefore, counsellors should stick to the process and its structure consisting of several stages:

1. stage: getting in touch (making acquaintance, defining client’s situation and objectives, preferential form of study).
2. stage: gathering information (assessment of the situation, detecting client’s initial level of knowledge and skills, problems, formulating client’s diagnosis).
3. stage: approval of the plan (counsellor’s suggestions, client’s decision making, structure of education, stipulation of milestones and resulting form of learning)
4. stage: implementation of the plan (monitoring of individual milestones, evaluation and assessment of the results)

The resulting form of study may take the form of an online or mixed type composed of a balanced blend of online and classical education. The online form of education offers counsellors a wide variety of sources to choose from: apps, portals, interactive platforms and other forms of IT described earlier in this chapter. A counsellor’s choice should meet the following criteria:

1. The client’s IT literacy (it is advisable to determine this at the information gathering stage) to find out more about IT literacy, go to DigComp (2021).^[1]
2. The client’s relationship to IT. Clients should not be forced to choose an online form if they are resistant even though they are thoroughly acquainted with the online form, IT possibilities and their scaling.
3. The client’s technical equipment and working environment. Quite often, clients are willing to choose an online form of further education but their technical equipment fails to meet the basic requirements for online education or the working environment might not be suitable.
4. The clients’ language skills. This criterion should be well assessed in the case of foreign language teaching. Online education could be advantageous in some cases as it provides an opportunity to adapt the student’s pace and allows viewing the recorded study material over and over again.

Based on analysis of above-mentioned criteria, an andragogic counsellor should accommodate the needs of clients who have chosen an online form of further education. To view the whole process, see picture 18.

^[1] There are a wide variety of digital concepts such as DigComp (European Digital Competence Framework 2.0) (Vuorikari et al., 2016). Such models operate based on eight levels of competence starting with beginners all the way to experts. The aim being a future standardisation of work places; as a result, the employer may set a particular benchmark for required competence. DigComp is accessible at https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/digcomp.

Picture 18: Counsellors’ perspective of online education process incorporating IT

Source: Authors’ perspective.

11. Recommended bibliography

ABDELMALEK, El Morabit, 2019, Information and Communication Technology (IT) in Education. Munich, GRIN Verlag. Accessible at: https://www.grin.com/document/464771.

BAŠTECKÁ, B. Psychologická encyklopedie. Aplikovaná psychologie. Praha: Portál, 2009. ISBN 978-80-7367-470-0.

BEDNÁŘ, V., 2014. Sociální sítě v praxi vzdělávací společnosti. In: MUŽÍK, J. a kol. Vybrané aspekty marketingu dalšího vzdělávání. Praha: Česká andragogická společnost. ISBN 978-80-905460-2-8.

DigComp [online], 2021. EU Science HUB [cit. 2021-12-05]. Accessible at: https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/digcomp.

IT, 2021. Cio-wiki.org [online]. MediaWiki [cit. 2021-12-04]. Accessible at:

https://cio-wiki.org/wiki/Information_and_Communications_Technology_(IT).

KURSCH, M. Využití informačních technologií ve vzdělávání. E-publikace, Univerzita Karlova, Pedagogická fakulta, 2018. ISBN 978-80-7603-116-6. https://futurebooks.cz/books/pedfa_fof_2/?/obalka/.

KURSCH, Martin, 2014. Hlavní faktory negativně ovlivňující rozvoj a podporu talentovaných jedinců v organizacích. Promanager [online]. [cit. 19. 8. 2014]. ISSN 1338-8584. Accessible at: http://promanager.sk/hr-management/hlavni-faktory-negativne-ovlivnujici-rozvoj-a-podporu-talentovanych-jedincu-v-organizacich.

LIESSMANN, Konrad. Paul, 2008. Teorie nevzdělanosti: omyly společnosti vědění. Praha: Academia. ISBN 9788020016775.

PALOV, I. Andragogické poradenstvo učiteľstvu. Banská Bystrica: Belianum, 2020. ISBN 978-80-557-1667-1.

PATEL, Satish, 2014. Scope of IT in future education.  ResearchGate. [Online]. Accessible at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325443142_SCOPE_OF_IT_IN_FUTURE_EDUCATION.

PRŮCHA, Jan a VETEŠKA Jaroslav, 2014. Andragogický slovník: 2., aktualizované a rozšířené vydání. Praha: Grada Publishing a.s. ISBN 978-80-247-8993-4.

RUBENFIRE, Adam, 2014. Can ‘Warcraft’ Skills Help Land a Job? Wall Street Journal – Eastern Edition [online]. 264(37), [cit. 2021-01-31]. ISSN 00999660.

SAK, P., MAREŠ, J. a kol. Člověk a vzdělávání v informační společnosti. Praha: Portál, 2007. ISBN 978-80-7367-230-0.

SPITZER, Manfred, 2016. Kybernemoc!: jak nám digitalizovaný život ničí zdraví. Brno: Host – vydavatelství. ISBN 978-807-4917-929.

VETEŠKA, Jaroslav a kol., 2013. Trendy a možnosti rozvoje dalšího profesního vzdělávání. Praha: Česká andragogická společnost. ISBN 978-80-905460-0-4.

VETEŠKA, Jaroslav, 2016. Přehled andragogiky: úvod do studia vzdělávání a učení se dospělých. Praha: Portál. ISBN 978-80-262-1026-9.