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Abstracts

Volume 3, Number 1, Spring 2001

Science for active citizenship: the challenge for lifelong learning

Margaret Pilkington and Mary Stuart University of Sussex

The lifelong learning debate is shaped by a dichotomy between learning for inclusion based on economic productivity, and learning for a social purpose and for active citizenship. Most of the debate in the social purpose model has focused on the arts' and social sciences' curriculum and has largely ignored science. For many years the decline in science education has been marked while at the same time we as a society have been challenged by issues such as BSE and genetically modified food which highlight the need for a scientifically literate population. This paper argues that the social citizenship dimension is crucial to achieving appropriate levels of understanding of current scientific thought among adults. This is explored from the perspective of practitioners within the university sector and within the context of an ecological experiment involving a local community and their District Council.

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Measuring the effectiveness of Access: time to change?

Christine Edwards, London Open College Network

This paper investigates the effectiveness of Access programmes validated by the London Open College Network (LOCN). It mainly focuses on measuring effectiveness across a range of subject areas for one cohort, using the traditional institutional measures of rates of successful completion and progression to HE. The underlying aim, though, is to bring into question the continued use of these measures employed on an annual basis for adult learners. Finally the results are looked at in the light of recent calls for change to the Access scheme.#

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Credit transfer: what does it mean? A SCOTCAT case study

Judith George, Open University in Scotland and Eiisabet Weedon, Open University in Scotland and University of Highlands and Islands Project

This report looks at the outcomes of a project aimed at exploring the knowledge and understanding of the SCOTCAT framework among three groups of stakeholders: students, employers and professional bodies. It also looks at the needs of these stakeholders in terms of future guidance about the framework, and the potential challenges perceived over implementation.

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Cross-sectoral transfer student survival

Glenys Patterson, Massey University, New Zealand

How do students fare under transfer of credit arrangements? This paper reports a NZ study of the first year university experience, academic performance, and subsequent persistence to completion, of 253 students who transferred with credit across sectors, from polytechnic certificate programmes into a university Business Studies degree course. The survival of both transfer students who entered internal programmes and those who studied through distance education is investigated and compared. The results are considered in the context of the comparative findings of a range of transfer survival studies from the US, Canada and Australia.

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National awards and the needs of students with learning difficulties

Len Parkyn, Cherry Trees Further Education Centre, Hove

This personal view explores a variety of issues in relation to the report of the FE Inspectorate 'National Awards for Students with Learning Difficulties' (FEFC, 1999a). In particular issues relating to choice, learning styles, careers, pathways, opportunities for selection, the categorisation of awards and assumptions concerning the vocational bias of the FEFC. I draw on various sources for coming to specific conclusions and defend professional colleagues in FE regarding qualifications, experience and opportunities to enhance their skills.

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