There seems to be no controversy that (digital) Media established itself as an integral part of todays society. Accordingly the human living environment is characterized by a socio-cultural and communicative alteration, which Krotz and Hepp (2012) define under the term of mediatization. Mediatization therefore is to be understood as a meta process. In the understanding of Krotz (2014) mediatization is a „a long term development that includes media change and the respective change in culture and society“ (quoted after Krotz 2011, 2014, p. 137). Such media interfused processes of alteration do not only have an effect on young adolescent, but are now present in all phases of life – as well as adults and the elderly. Consequently, digital media and communication as well as socio-cultural changes, which come with it, are increasingly becoming a responsibility of today’s adult education (Hartung & Reißmann, 2011).

The question of necessary media-related skills is an important issue previously documented rudimentary in the context of media educational considerations towards the professionalization of adult educators. The main focuses of the discourse on media-related and media educational professionalization are still the areas of teacher education (e.g. Blömeke, 2000; Tulodziecki 2012) as well as the context of higher education (Mayrberger, 2013). Considering the rapid media developments and social changing processes the question about the tasks, which the university faces regarding the professionalization of adult educators in order to prepare them adequately for their future profession emerges.

Starting point of the theoretical and empirical considerations of the dissertation project is the emergence of fusing andragogical and media educational contents in german study programmes. The project therefore focusses the academic professionalization (Gisecke, 2011) of future adult educators. The diffuculty of the privious outstanding media-educational competences for adult education (Jörissen, 2013) is intended to be taken up, discussed and theoretically consolidated. Therefore, the central question of the dissertation project is: which media educational skills/media competences are needed today by (future) adult educators in a mediatized society? Other main questions of the dissertation project are: To what extent is media educational professionalization realized within the anagogical curricula at German universities? And, what should a curriculum that enables the acquisition of media educational skills/media competences for prospective adult educators look like?

As part of the theoretical foundation the model of „media-pedagogical competence” for teacher education by Sigrid Blömeke (2000) will initially serve as a base. In this model Blömeke differs - taking the approaches of Baacke, Tulodziecki and Schulz-Zander on media literacy into account - five areas of media-pedagogical competence for teacher education: the media-didactical competence, the competence of media education, the socialization related competence, the competence of school devolopment as well as the personal media literacy (Blömeke, 2003). The theoretical goal of the dissertation project is – under consideration of the outlined social and communicational alterations – to extend the shortly described model of Blömeke towards a model of media-pedagogical competences for adult education. The theoretical extension also includes five core areas of media-pedagogical competences for adult educators: a) the media-didactical competence, b) the socialization through acting with media, c) the organizational competence, d) the competence of providing „Medienbildung” and e) the personal media literacy.

The authors central concern with the theoretical foundation of such a model is to make an important contribution towards media educatioaln professionalization of prospective adult educators. Furthermore, the view of the German media education for the responsibilities of adult education is to be sharpened. Besides, the model serves as an analytical instrument for empirical investigation.

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