| The University Extension Movement is a key event in the development of higher education in the UK in the 19 th century.Under the influence of British social development,industrial revolution,the promotion of public education and scientific progress,the disadvantages of classical universities represented by the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford have become prominent,and they are increasingly unable to meet the needs of social development.The public’s demand for higher education is growing.The University Extension Movement was one of the reforms that the classical universities took in response to social pressure to take higher education to the British public through lecture courses run by lecturers at local lecture extension centers.The University Extension Movement is based on the idea of taking university education to the people when they can’t get into university for higher education.The University Extension Movement promoted the reform of British higher education and promoted the development and transformation of adult higher education,women’s higher education and workers’ education.From the sporadic exploration before 1845 to more than 100 years after the end of world War II,the University Extension Movement has experienced a development process from a small beginning to spread throughout the UK.The development stages of the University Extension Movement include embryonic period(1845-1872),pioneering period(1873-1885),flourishing period(1886-1899),plateau Period(1900-1923),transition period(1924-1945).Sporadic attempts at university extension began in England in the 1840 s.Thanks to the practical exploration and unremitting promotion of many pioneers and "father of university extension" Professor James Stuart,the University of Cambridge announced the opening of university extension lectures in 1873,marking the beginning of the University Extension Movement.Subsequently,the University of Oxford and the University of London also joined in the University Extension Movement and promoted the opening of university extension lectures in towns and cities across the UK to provide ordinary people with opportunities for higher education.As a result,the University Extension Movement showed remarkable vitality and development momentum,from three towns in the Midlands to hundreds of branch local centers with tens of thousands of extensional students.The University Extension Movement reached its peak in the late 1880 s and 1890 s.However,with the influence of comprehensive factors such as the university’s emphasis on university extension,the management and operation of lecture centers,the decline of public enthusiasm,and financial support,the University Extension Movement began to show signs of weakness.In the early 20 th century,the combination of worker education and university extension became a new highlight of the University Extension Movement.Since 1924,university adult education and workers’ Education Association set up adult education courses independently of each other,the University Tutorial Classes was transformed to Mass Adult Education.The practical operation of the University Extension Movement involves such factors as lecture subjects and courses,teaching forms and methods,lecture teachers and students,staff and organization,and operating funds.In the 1880 s,the University Extension Movement spread to countries and regions such as the United States,Canada,Australia,and Continental Europe,which had a profound impact on the international higher education field.The idea of Summer Meeting,an important organizing form of the University Extension Movement in the UK,originated from the Chautauqua Movement in the United States and then influenced the University Extension Movement in the United States.The concept of university extension in the UK was introduced to the United States,and the University of Chicago,University of Wisconsin and other universities gradually established the social service function of the university.In the 1890 s,a wave of University Extension Movement was formed on a certain scale internationally.The University Extension Movement is an important milestone of the university reform in the UK under the specific historical background,which is of great significance to the reform and development of higher education in the UK and even in the world.The University Extension Movement promoted the reform of classical universities,met the demand of higher education of the people,and was a vivid practice of taking universities to the people.The contribution of the University Extension Movement is mainly reflected in promoting the democratization of British higher education,laying the foundation for the university to serve the society,creating the precedent of adult higher education and promoting the reform of British higher education.The practice of the Open University in the 1960 s and 1970 s can be traced back to the University Extension Movement.Because the University Extension Movement is the response of classical universities in the context of social criticism and new social demands,it is a passive reform measure and has certain limitations.In general,the University Extension Movement in the UK conforms to the spirit of the times and meets the public’s demand for higher education.It is an integral part of the British educational democracy movement.In short,the University Extension Movement is the forerunner of function of university serving the society,the foundation of adult higher education practice,the booster of women’s higher education and the catalyst of higher education reform. |
