This book explores the access and participation issues present within Higher Education in Ireland. It examines policy, pedagogy and practices in relation to widening participation and documents the progress and challenges encountered in furthering the ‘access agenda’ over the past two decades. Access has become an integral part of how Higher Education understands itself and how it explains the value of what it does for society as a whole. Improving access to education strengthens social cohesion, lessens inequality, guarantees the future vitality of tertiary institutions and ensures economic competitiveness and flexibility in the era of the “Knowledge Based Economy”. Offering a coherent, critical account of recent developments in Irish Higher Education and the implications for Irish society as a whole, this book is essential for those involved both in researching the field and in Higher Education itself.
This book is the result of research carried out by the partners in the Adults Learning and Participating in Education (ALPINE) Project, a project that is principally concerned with increasing the amount of adult education provided by European universities. It begins by outlining the current debate about widening participation in institutions of higher education in general and identifying issues within the context of the policy that is being developed for this sector in Europe. It continues with a description of the position in each of the selected countries in Central and Western Europe. Experienced adult education practitioners from twenty European countries have each determined the nature and extent of the current provision of adult higher education in their own country. Two final chapters of analysis and conclusions complete this survey which is the most extensive of its type that has yet been carried out in Europe.
The COVID-19 crisis has reiterated the importance of adult learning and career guidance services as many adults have lost their jobs and now require upskilling and reskilling opportunities in order to keep pace with the rapidly evolving world of work.
Responding to the emerging needs of lifelong learners arguably represents one of the most fundamental challenges facing higher education systems of the countries of the developing world. At the start of the new century the concept of Lifelong Learning may indeed be counted as one of the the key organising concepts underlying public policy in many countries. The interpretation of the concept, however, remains highly contested. This timely book throws new light on the dramatic changes taking place in higher education through an exploration of the participation of "non-traditional" students in ten countries. Among others, the following areas are explored: * the complex reality behind the statistics on participation in higher education in five European countries (Austria, Germany, Ireland, Sweden and the United Kingdom), North America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand * contrasting perceptions of lifelong learning * changing patterns of participation by adults in higher education * national and institutional policies and innovations to accommodate non-traditional students and new forms of study * conclusions for policy, practice and research Higher Education for Lifelong Learners will be of interest to academics, researchers and students involved with higher education, lifelong learning, and comparative education as well as policy makers, educational managers and administrators. The contributions reveal a remarkable transformation in the student body and in the way learners pursue their studies, highlighting the international impact of increasing marketisation and differentiation on the nature of the higher education accessible to potential lifelong learners.
Assessing the shifting relationship between Higher Education and Lifelong Learning through detailed longitudinal case studies from UK, Canada, USA, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and a wide variety of European countries, the book also examines the issues from the perspective of developing countries.
This collection provides the first in-depth, interdisciplinary and over-arching review of higher education in Ireland, situating higher education within the socio-cultural, political and historical context of the country over the past 40 years and the development of European and national policies.
In recent years, economic and demographic changes have brought into question the adequacy of initial education programmes for continuous employment. While the primary focus of debate has been on creating structures of continuous education and training linked to the economic needs of Britain, arguments and movements for wider access to all forms of learning have continued to be made. Drawing on the experience of other European countries as well as Britain, this book addresses the three major themes of the ongoing debates: who participates in what forms of education and training and how can access be widened and increased: the relationship between economic development, education and training; the education and training developed by social movements, and the changes sought in the formal sector of provision.
Based on a 5-year research project conducted by experts in 13 countries, this comprehensive book analyses the ways in which national characteristics frame the Lifelong Learning agenda.
Credit is intertwined with higher education around the world and this book introduces and analyses the long-term effects that this connection brings. Structured in three parts, the book is grounded in experience, practitioner research and detailed policy analysis. The greater availability of credit in higher education is closely tied to policies of widening access and this book addresses current issues including the consequences of Brexit, standards in higher education and the management of mobile student learning. The contributors to this book: -Explore the development and integration of credit within institutional policy -Outline the systems of student progression and achievement, including methods of assessment and measurement -Examine the official account of credit, widening access and curriculum in the UK -Analyse how credit can facilitate flexibility in curriculum design The book is relevant to anyone engaged in educational development, academic policy and learner support. The breadth of contributions from across the UK ensures the variation in policies is mapped and charts the implications for learners. “Rarely does a text come along which tackles challenging, technical aspects of higher education and presents them in an accessible and creative way. “ Maureen McLaughlin, Academic Registrar, Northumbria University, UK “This is a scholarly and timely analysis of the development of systems for recognising academic credit within the context of widening access to higher education.” Dr Marie Stowell, Director of Quality and Educational Development, University of Worcester, UK “This book is required reading for anyone interested in the future of higher education in a rapidly changing world.” Dr Andy W. Smith, Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education "It is hard to find enough words of praise for this excellent collection of essays.” Herman de Leeuw, Executive Director and Founder, Groningen Declaration Network Wayne Turnbull was Head of Academic Policy and is now a historian at Liverpool John Moores University, UK. Harvey Woolf was Head of Academic Standards at the University of Wolverhampton, UK. He is a founder member of the Student Assessment and Classification Working Group.
This book focuses on the voices and experiences of non-traditional students in European higher education. It examines the impact that access to higher education is having on these students’ lives and discusses what this tells us about European education and society. In particular, it explores the multi-dimensional nature of inequality in varied national contexts focusing on the issues of class, gender, ethnicity, age and disability. The book contributes to the on-going debate about the changing nature of European higher education and argues that research based on the experiences of non-traditional students can be used to improve policy and practice in tertiary education. Drawing on biographical narrative interviews with ‘non-traditional’ students, the book covers topics including: • the contemporary nature of inequality and how the various forms of inequality intersect and overlap in higher education and society • the formation and transformation of learner identities • the structural barriers faced by non-traditional students • the sources of student resilience and agency • a comparison of patterns of inequality, access and retention in various European countries • the implications of these findings for practice and policies. Student Voices on Inequalities in Higher Education will appeal to academics, researchers, policy-makers and practitioners working in higher education institutions as well as people working in the field of widening participation, adult education, access and centres for teaching and learning. It will also be of interest to postgraduate students in higher education.
