Improving Learning by Widening Participation in Higher Education presents a strong and coherent rationale for improving learning for diverse students from a range of socio-economic, ethnic/racial and gender backgrounds within higher education, and for adults across the life course. Edited by Miriam David, the Associate Director of the ESRC’s highly successful Teaching and Learning Research Programme, with contributions from the seven projects on Widening Participation in Higher Education (viz Gill Crozier and Diane Reay; Chris Hockings; Alison Fuller and Sue Heath; Anna Vignoles; Geoff Hayward and Hubert Ertl; Julian Williams and Pauline Davis; Gareth Parry and Ann-Marie Bathmaker), this book provides clear and comprehensive research evidence on the policies, processes, pedagogies and practices of widening or increasing participation in higher education. This evidence is situated within the contexts of changing individual and institutional circumstances across the life course, and wider international transformations of higher education in relation to the global knowledge economy. Improving Learning by Widening Participation in Higher Education also considers: the changing UK policy contexts of post-compulsory education; how socio-economically disadvantaged students – raced and gendered – fare through schools and into post-compulsory education; the kinds of academic and vocational courses, including Maths, undertaken; the changing forms of institutional and pedagogic practices within higher education; how adults view the role of higher education in their lives. This book, based upon both qualitative studies and quantitative datasets, offers a rare insight into the overall implications for current and future policy and will provide a springboard for further research and debate. It will appeal both to policy-makers and practitioners, as well as students within higher education.

Extending higher education to people from diverse backgrounds and widening participation is a current international priority. This study, based on empirical data, is the first of its kind examining why people choose not to enter higher education

Underpinned by research this book provides best practice examples of innovative and inclusive curriculum designined to improve student retention in HE.

This collection offers an authoritative, up-to-date commentary on the challenges facing higher education today across both the UK and internationally. The book charts the impact of global economic trends and recent policy developments for students, academics, providers and changing course provision.

As higher education has made deliberate strides in recent decades to become more inclusive and accessible, the number of students from non-traditional backgrounds has increased dramatically. There has been much study of the effects of higher education on previously underserved populations, showing that it can lead to higher lifetime income and higher status. But there has been little research on what happens to those students once they are in a university. This book fills that gap, taking a close look at this issue and drawing on case studies from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia to illuminate the problems that face non-traditional students, the resources they and their families are able to draw on, and the ways that administrators and staff can help them succeed. This paperback edition is well suited to postgraduate students and practitioners and alike.

Reflective Teaching in Higher Education is the definitive textbook for reflective teachers in higher education. Informed by the latest research in this area, the book offers extensive support for those at the start of an academic career and career-long professionalism for those teaching in higher education. Written by an international collaborative author team of higher education experts led by Paul Ashwin, Reflective Teaching in Higher Education offers two levels of support: - practical guidance for day-to-day teaching, covering key issues such as strategies for improving learning, teaching and assessment, curriculum design, relationships, communication, and inclusion; and - evidence-informed 'principles' to aid understanding of how theories can effectively inform teaching practices, offering ways to develop a deeper understanding of teaching and learning in higher education. Case studies, activities, research briefings and annotated key readings are provided throughout. The author team: Paul Ashwin (Lancaster University, UK) | David Boud (University of Technology, Sydney, Australia) | Kelly Coate (King's Learning Institute, King's College London, UK) | Fiona Hallett (Edge Hill University, UK) | Elaine Keane (National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland) | Kerri-Lee Krause (Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia) | Brenda Leibowitz (University of Johannesburg, South Africa) | Iain MacLaren (National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland) | Jan McArthur (Lancaster University, UK) | Velda McCune (University of Edinburgh, UK) | Michelle Tooher National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland) This book forms part of the Reflective Teaching series, edited by Andrew Pollard and Amy Pollard, offering support for reflective practice in early, primary, secondary, further, vocational, university and adult sectors of education. Reflective Teaching in Higher Education and its website, www.reflectiveteaching.co.uk, promote the expertise of teaching within higher education.

The world's systems of higher education (HE) are caught up in the fourth industrial revolution of the twenty-first century. Driven by increased globalization, demographic expansion in demand for education, new information and communications technology, and changing cost structures influencing societal expectations and control, higher education systems across the globe are adapting to the pressures of this new industrial environment. To make sense of the complex changes in the practices and structures of higher education, this Handbook sets out a theoretical framework to explain what higher education systems are, how they may be compared over time, and why comparisons are important in terms of societal progress in an increasingly interconnected world. Drawing on insights from over 40 leading international scholars and practitioners, the chapters examine the main challenges facing institutions of higher education, how they should be managed in changing conditions, and the societal implications of different approaches to change. Structured around the premise that higher education plays a significant role in ensuring that a society achieves the capacity to adjust itself to change, while at the same time remaining cohesive as a social system, this Handbook explores how current internal and external forces disturb this balance, and how institutions of higher education could, and might, respond.

The twenty-first century has the potential to be the era of universal higher education access: the post-massification century. The growth of knowledge-based service industries and an increased need for technological and social innovations require more education, training, and re-training at the post-secondary level. This edited collection addresses the crucial issues emerging from this ongoing expansion of higher education, focusing on how national systems of higher education can respond to demands for further expansion when traditional routes to higher education have been largely exhausted. Does it make a difference how secondary education systems are organised? Can we encourage under-represented groups to participate in higher education, offering them new ways of experiencing higher education without sacrificing quality? What role will new suppliers of higher education, such as private providers, and modes of delivery, such as MOOCs, play? Are there innovative ways to manage the finances of universal access, including tuition fees and student loans? Will all social groups benefit equally from expansion, and find the institution and programme that fits their needs? Expansion will require different modes of delivery, new system models, revised qualification structures, changes to the role played by government, and a revision of the public–private finance mix. While this may lead to tensions in terms of the quality, efficiency, or equality of opportunity in the higher education system, there are also new opportunities for students and higher education institutions. With experienced researchers offering insights, national strategies and policy examples from around the world, Access and Expansion Post-Massification will give researchers and policymakers the tools they need to expand higher education into the era of the knowledge society.

Bridges, Pathways and Transitions: International Innovations in Widening Participation shows that widening participation initiatives and policies have had a profound impact on improving access to higher education to historically marginalized groups of students from diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. The research presented provides a source of inspiration to students who are navigating disadvantage to succeed in higher education against the odds. There are stories of success in difficult circumstances, revealing the resilience and determination of individuals and collectives to fight for a place in higher education to improve chances for securing social mobility for next generations. The book also reveals that more work and policy interventions are needed to further equalize the playing field between social groups. Governments need to address the entrenched structural inequalities, particularly the effects of poverty, that prevent more academically able disadvantaged students from participating in higher education on the basis of the circumstances of their birth. Across the globe, social reproduction is far more likely than social mobility because of policies and practices that continue to protect the privilege of those in the middle and top of social structures. With the gap between rich and poor widening at a rate previously unseen, we need radical policies to equalize the playing field in fundamental ways. - Focuses on collaborations with schools, families, and communities - Highlights tools and methods to aid in the creation of pathways, bridging initiatives into higher education - Includes case studies that show how students are supported during the transition into high education systems

Research into gender equity in higher education, inspiring action With this enlightening handbook, you can review the thinking of leading researchers on the current intersection of gender and higher education. The Wiley Handbook of Gender Equity in Higher Education provides an in-depth look at education's complicated relationships with, and in some cases inadequate fostering of, gender equity. The collection offers a bold picture of research into the subject. It also projects future paths of exploration, inquiry, and action for gender equity. Focuses specifically on gender and higher education across the globe, setting the stage for new explorations Examines gender equity in relation to the STEM fields Considers current male participation in higher education Covers gender segregation by major and the issue of women remaining in lower-paying areas The Wiley Handbook of Gender Equity in Higher Education spotlights the continuing and integral role of educational institutions in the struggle for gender equity. Policy makers, university administrators, and researchers can look to this handbook for perspective on recent research as they move forward in the pursuit of more equitable educational environments.