Rob Mark

Rob Mark is currently Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the School of Education, Glasgow University, Scotland where he is PASCAL Learning Cities Coordinator. He is also honorary researcher at the Higher Education Research Centre (HERC), Dublin City University, Ireland where he has worked as researcher in the field of learning and age friendly policies.  He previously held posts as Head of Lifelong Learning at the University of Strathclyde, Queen’s University Belfast, and the University of Ulster. During his career he has taught in higher education, community learning and in schools and worked on various projects in the voluntary sector.  He has taught at all levels within the university, including access to higher education, teacher education, community development and engagement and guidance and counselling.  He has also taught on business studies and social and environmental studies programmes and is a qualified town planner. He is interested in promoting education which tailors it to the learning needs of adults and which increases motivation and enables adult learners to achieve. Understanding the principles of self-directed, experiential, problem-centered approaches to learning and how these apply to the new technological age are central to his interests. He is also interested in promoting the involvement of partners in education through cooperation between various groups and bodies in cities, rural areas and in regional development.

He has coordinated/contributed to numerous international projects serving on committees at national and international level and with development of community learning projects in the European Union  and in Australia/ New Zealand, Zambia, Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan. 

His research interests are in the broad field of lifelong learning in a global context, urban studies and environmental education, senior learning, religion, and spirituality and in peace and reconciliation studies. He has published 12 books and contributed 17 chapters to books on lifelong learning as well as publishing a range of articles on specific fields of interest in international journals. Recent research has focused on later life learning and age friendly policies.  Until recently he served editor in chief to the Adult Learner of the Irish Adult Education Association (AONTAS) . Other publications have included management of lifelong learning, community learning and literacy, access, and social justice and through technology-enhanced learning. He has promoted the involvement of students and learners in community research.