The purpose of this study was to explore the educational and sociocultural experiences of Kenyan women pursing higher education in the United States and how they negotiated their multiple identities. Using a sociocultural theoretical framework and narrative inquiry methodology, seven Kenyan immigrant women pursuing or who recently pursued advanced…

In January the 157 Group launched a policy paper making the case for professional careers guidance. With the launch of the National Careers Service in April, information, advice and guidance is a hot topic within the education and skills sector and one that is regularly debated. The combination of policy changes, including the introduction of…

Postsecondary programs offering vocational training and college credit to eligible inmates have had difficulty finding a place in the U.S. correctional system. Politically motivated restrictions preventing inmates from receiving federal funds for college resulted in drastic program closures. Although new laws restored funding to select inmates,…

It is increasingly difficult to be a citizen, a family member or a worker, to be young or to be old, without the acquisition of new skills. And these are not simple skills; they are complex, creative, thought-provoking and challenging skills. Many more people are capable of acquiring and using these skills than have the opportunity to do so.…

The adult learner is typically a motivated student who comes to class prepared to pay attention. They also come with cognitive and emotional stimuli not related to the course's content, which can be distracting especially at the start of a class or following a break. Ways of dealing with the problem of start-of-class attention, and for that…

Reductions in further and higher education spending, combined with cuts to helping-hand schemes such as the Education Maintenance Allowance, present a fundamental threat to everything educators stand for. This author discusses the need to build a credible alternative that puts tertiary education at the heart of a strategy for economic growth and…

Not so long ago, alongside the splendid edifice of full-time university education, there was a thriving array of university degree-level programmes, offered part-time in local settings, which was world-leading in its availability and in its ambitions. One could access it as part of a career-change need, a professional accreditation or for the…

Over the past year lifelong learning in universities has come under the spotlight of politicians, educationalists, journalists and adult learners. For some, the concern has been about countering the fall-out from changes in public funding and challenging the reduction in provision--and even closure--of university departments. A number of…

The higher education landscape has changed considerably in the past decade, with the introduction of a range of flexible work-related opportunities to allow working people to study and progress at higher levels. This includes the development of modes of delivery such as distance and e-learning options, but also new ways of working between…

Zara Roberts was 18 and planning a career in teaching when a horrendous car crash left her in a coma, with severe injuries to her brain and body. Doctors rated her chance of survival at five percent. Yet, just six years later, she is well on the way to becoming a support worker for special needs children, and, this month, is being recognised for…

The Cambridge Primary Review is a monumental achievement, a comprehensive and far-sighted review of the primary school system in England. What possible relevance could a major report on primary education hold for the post-compulsory sector? In this article, the author shares his four answers to this question. Furthermore, he describes briefly the…

This paper examines the achievement levels of students undertaking the Tertiary Enabling Program (TEP) at La Trobe University. The TEP is an alternative pathway program that traverses multiple institutions, campuses, and disciplinary areas, and is designed to prepare a diverse student cohort for tertiary study. The Program integrates several…

This paper presents the findings from research on peer assessment practice that was specifically focussed on improving the experience in a tertiary bridging course. The objective of the study was to examine the impact of this assessment approach on student social relationships and the overall assessment experience. The study also examined whether…

Current tertiary education and training provisions are designed mainly to meet the learning needs of those preparing for entry into employment and specific occupations. Yet, changing work, new work requirements, an ageing workforce and the ongoing need for employability across lengthening working lives make it imperative that this educational…

This study examines the attrition and achievement of a sample of 295 students in an on-campus tertiary bridging program at a regional university. A logistic regression analysis using enrolment status, age and the number of absences from scheduled classes at week three of the semester as predictor variables correctly predicted 92.8 percent of…