University continuing education as an innovation lab for future education – potentials and limitations

The future relevance of higher education (HE) is closely related to its impact on society, with innovation being central to answering current and future societal issues. This article positions university continuing education (UCE) at the crossroads of HE and society, operating in an intermediate position between inside and outside of academia. It asks if and how UCE can be both a boundary spanner and drive societal innovation as well as be an innovation lab for the future of HE. Transposing relevant elements of innovation theory to an innovation matrix that includes different layers and degrees of innovation and by employing a case study approach, the study analyses four cases against this innovation matrix. In doing so, the article reveals the broad range of different innovations within the cases. In addition, contrasting the cases offers new theoretical perspectives on innovation in UCE as it reveals two possible directions of innovation – inside/outside the organisation and its dimensions and direct/indirect effects. This article contributes to an understanding of innovation in UCE that has thus far received only limited study.