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Migration as a political process and migrants as political subjects or as active participants in the educational process are largely absent from the adult education system in the Cypriot context. This article attempts to inquire on this absence by offering a critical analysis of key policy texts and proposals as well as prominent programmes and initiatives that have shaped the recent transformations of adult education in Cyprus. On the one hand, it is important to reflect on the gaps, mishaps and silences of Cypriot educational policies in relation to the challenges posed by migration in the era of globalised mobility. On the other, it is also critical to highlight the connections between adult education policies and the formulation of the state’s policy towards adults’ migration and its concrete initiatives towards fostering a politics of integration. The article offers a critique of the presence situation in Cyprus, arguing that it confines adult migrants to a position where they cannot play a significant role in co-shaping how adult learning is organised, structured and implemented in Cyprus.

This paper presents a critical account of the extent and the ways in which learner-centred education approaches are used as a tool for enhancing adult learning in distance learning universities as well as the conditions and restrictions they face. The exploration is illustrated by qualitative data from interviews with eight adult educators and 16 adult learners/students and adopts a case study approach within a phenomenological mode. In this study, learner-centred education approaches are seen as being at one end of the educational practice continuum and comprise of a number of elements, namely: motivation, epistemology, techniques and relationships that are used as a conceptual framework to guide data analysis and interpretation. Findings reveal the partial and unintentional use of learner-centred education approaches in the distance learning programmes explored and make recommendations for the implementation of learner-centred education in the teaching of adults in distance education universities.

To determine the prevalence and clinical/laboratory associations of subclinical atherosclerosis and impaired bone health in primary Sjogren’s syndrome (SS). 64 consecutive patients with primary SS, 77 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 60 healthy controls (HC) οf similar age and sex distribution were enrolled. Demographics, clinical/laboratory features, classical risk factors for atherosclerosis and osteoporosis (OP) were recorded. Intima-medial thickness scores (IMT) and carotid/femoral (C/F) plaque formation, as well as bone mineral density (BMD) and fractures were evaluated. Determinants of IMT/BMD levels and the presence of plaque were assessed by univariate and multivariate models. Serum levels of the Wnt signaling mediators Dickkopf-related protein 1(DKK1) and sclerostin were determined in primary SS patients and HC. Increased arterial wall thickening (IMT > 0.90 mm) and impaired bone health (defined as OP or osteopenia), were detected in approximately two-thirds of primary SS and RA patients, with a mean IMT value being significantly increased compared to HC. The presence of primary SS emerged as an independent risk factor for arterial wall thickening when traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) including age, sex, hypertension, smoking (pack/years), LDL and HDL levels were taken into account in a multivariate model [adjusted OR 95% (CI): 2.8 (1.04-7.54)]. In primary SS, age was revealed as independent predictor of increased IMT scores; age and lymphopenia as well as increased urine pH as independent determinants of C/F plaque formation and OP/osteopenia, respectively. An independent association of OP/osteopenia with plaque formation was observed when independent predictors for both variables were considered, with low DKK1 levels being associated with both plaque formation and lower BMD levels. Comorbidities such as subclinical atherosclerosis and impaired bone health occur frequently in primary SS, in association with disease related features and traditional risk factors. Wnt signaling mediators are potentially involved in the pathogenesis of both entities.

The study presented in this article explores the application of the principles of adult learning in the face to face (f2f) meetings organised within the context of blended learning courses. The study adopts a case study approach, employing qualitative data collection through semi-structured interviews with participants in four thematic units in two distance learning programmes: Greek Civilisation (undergraduate) and Education Studies (graduate) organised by the Open University of Cyprus and the Hellenic Open University. The research draws on andragogy and illustrates the experiences and perceptions of 16 adult learners and eight tutors with regard to: the design of the f2f meetings, the educational techniques and means used, the participation, and the perceived usefulness of such sessions. The article concludes by highlighting the limited use of the adult learning principles in designing and implementing f2f meetings during the distance learning programmes explored. Recommendations for the design of f2f sessions in consideration of adult learning are made.

The paper analyses distance learning material used in the ‘Continuing Education & Lifelong Learning’ module of the Open University of Cyprus and the ‘Adult Education’ module of the Hellenic Open University. For this purpose, the Bernsteinian concept of framing, involving hierarchical and instructional rules was used in order to reveal the type of pedagogical practices promoted within the two institutions. Results of analysis reveal tensions between the principles of distance education and adult education, with the former implying explicit and rather ‘tight’ direction of study, and the latter advocating flexibility in adult learning.

Digital literacy for adults has developed into an important dimension of ICT-related policies worldwide. Although research argues that adults need digital skills, limited evidence has been directed to digital literacy teaching approaches for adults and the associated pedagogy. The study explores which core features of effective adult learning were addressed within the context of digital literacy courses offered by the State Institutes of Further Education (SIFE) in Cyprus. Semi-structured interviews conducted with two groups of Greek-Cypriot adults enrolled in these courses indicate that while certain aspects of adult learning, e.g., optimal climate for learning, other principles related to the consideration of learners’ needs and input in the development of learning contracts were limited in effect. Since this can mainly be attributed to the nature of the courses which were designed from top-down and remained openly ECDL exam-oriented with pre-fixed content, repercussions are drawn with regards to alternative paths to adult digital literacy, organized on the basis of learners’ expectations, profiles and needs.

The study presented explores aspects of adult learning on digital literacy in the context of a lifelong learning programme for social cohesion in Greece. The article outlines the framework of the digital literacy subject and underlines its associated objectives regarding adults’ knowledge and competence in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The exploration draws upon the experiences and perceptions of eight adult ICT educators. The findings reveal that the educators tried to use flexible instructional practices that were adjusted to adult learners’ needs and interests. Common effective instructional practices used were: ICT competence sessions, interdisciplinary and multi-literacy lessons, ICT-based projects, individual instruction sessions. Additionally, the article reveals the difficulties that adults faced in the course of developing ICT literacy skills. The article ends with implications for the design of adult digital literacy courses in lifelong learning programmes, and for the preparation and development of the ICT educators in the years to come.

An independent collaborative approach was developed for stimulating research on high-priority food safety issues. The Fresh Express Produce Safety Research Initiative was launched in 2007 with $2 million in unrestricted funds from industry and independent direction and oversight from a scientific advisory panel consisting of nationally recognized food safety experts from academia and government agencies. The program had two main objectives: (i) to fund rigorous, innovative, and multi-disciplinary research addressing the safety of lettuce, spinach, and other leafy greens and (ii) to share research findings as widely and quickly as possible to support the development of advanced safeguards within the fresh-cut produce industry. Sixty-five proposals were submitted in response to a publicly announced request for proposals and were competitively evaluated. Nine research projects were funded to examine underlying factors involved in Escherichia coliO157:H7 contamination of lettuce, spinach, and other leafy greens and potential strategies for preventing the spread of foodborne pathogens. Results of the studies, published in the Journal of Food Protection, help to identify promising directions for future research into potential sources and entry points of contamination and specific factors associated with harvesting, processing, transporting, and storing produce that allow contaminants to persist and proliferate. The program provides a model for leveraging the strengths of industry, academia, and government to address high-priority issues quickly and directly through applied research. This model can be productively extended to other pathogens and other leafy and nonleafy produce.

The research reported in this paper compares the experiences of twenty-two secondary teachers and twelve university tutors as they embark on a course of a 'new' in-service professional development programme in Greece, in relation to adult learning. It harnesses a qualitative methodology and draws upon a set of ideas that cohere under the rubric programme development to build up a heuristic guiding research technique and analysis procedure. The analysis focuses on two key parameters of programme development for adults i.e. climate and planning, and on their associated elements. The findings identify the 'them' and 'us' image that continues to perpetuate the 'new' courses and indicate some tentative points that might have implications for the design of the in-service training of teachers.