Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford
| Established | 1878 |
|---|---|
| Director | Dr Alison MacDonald (Interim) |
Academic staff | 90 |
| Students | c. 15,000 enrollees per year |
| Location | Oxford , England |
| Affiliations | University of Oxford |
| Website | www |
The Department for Continuing Education, branded as Oxford Lifelong Learning, is a constitute department of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England, United Kingdom. It provides a range of courses and qualifications mainly for part-time and mature students.
Names
Prior to acquiring its current name in 2025, the institution was also known as:[1]
- 1878-1892: University of Oxford Standing Committee of the Delegacy of Local Examinations;
- 1892-1924: University of Oxford Delegacy for the Extension of Teaching Beyond the Limits of the University;
- 1924-1970: University of Oxford Delegacy of Extra-Mural Studies;
- 1971-1990: University of Oxford Department for External Studies;
- 1990-present: University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education.
- June 2025: added the brand name "Oxford Lifelong Learning"[2]
History
The 19th century saw an awakening social awareness to the needs of working-class people generally, and Oxford University signalled an educational responsibility to the general community by sending lecturers into towns and cities across Victorian England, bringing university education to a diverse adult audience. The University of Oxford was one of the founders, in the late 19th century, of the so-called 'extension' movement, wherein universities began to offer educational opportunities to adult learners outside their traditional student base.[3] The University of Oxford Standing Committee of the Delegacy of Local Examinations was established in 1878.[1] The first of the early "Oxford Extension Lectures" was delivered at the King Edward VI School in Birmingham, in September 1878 by the Reverend Arthur Johnson.[4] By 1893, Oxford University Extension Centres were bringing adult education to much of England and a few cities in Wales.[5]
In 1927 the university purchased Rewley House on Wellington Square in Oxford as the permanent base of what was then known as the "University of Oxford Delegacy for Extra-Mural Studies", and which later was renamed as the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education.[5] During the 1990s Kellogg College was co-located here.
In June 2025, the Department for Continuing Education added a brand name "Oxford Lifelong Learning".[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b "What's in a Name?". Oxford University Department for Continuing Education. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
- ^ a b Oxford, University of. "Introducing Oxford Lifelong Learning". Oxford Lifelong Learning, University of Oxford. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Our history". Oxford University Department for Continuing Education. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ "Taking the University Outside Oxford". University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- ^ a b Goldman, Lawrence (1995). Dons and Workers: Oxford and Adult Education Since 1850. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 978-0198205753.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)