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During the past three decades, the student populations of Australian universities have become more heterogeneous as the higher education sector expanded and new alternative entry pathways were established. Broadening access to university study and, therefore, to professional and semi-professional occupations, provides avenues for social mobility. In this paper, we examine whether students entering university via alternative entry pathways, and in particular, on-campus tertiary preparation programs, have similar levels of achievement and attainment as students who entered via the more traditional pathway after completing Year 12. Our analysis is conducted on data from one regional university and our results show that students who were not eligible to enrol on the basis of their secondary school results were no more likely than traditional students to discontinue their studies.

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The Warwick Institute for Employment Research (IER) was commissioned by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Adult Education to undertake a study to scope the need, reach and areas for policy and practice development for adult education concerning disadvantaged adults. This evidence-based inquiry gathered the views of key stakeholders, partners and providers on their top priorities for adult learning in 2016 and over the next five to 10 years. Methodologically the research consisted of: a literature review; an online survey for adults; telephone interviews with leading senior policy makers; Town Hall meetings; and fieldwork visits in differing regions in England.

The focus of the research was on a wide range of adult learners who may be out of work, in work, transitioning between roles and those who are older learners. This involved analysing both quantitative and qualitative findings that fed into the APPG answering the following research questions: How can a greater priority be given to adults' views to support demand-led provision? What practices and models of learning best motivate non-traditional students to keep on going with their studies while other from a similar background drop out? What is already known about the added value, cost-effectiveness and impact of adult education? What policy development is needed to secure the future of adult learning? Overall, the research aims to contribute to an understanding of what motivates (and demotivates) adult learners and what can be done to increase participation and attainment levels.

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To assist adult learners to overcome the time constraint and other barriers and enroll in higher education, a number of degree granting traditional institutions have developed flexible programs for adult learners such as programs using the accelerated delivery method. As adult learners participate in these courses and programs using the accelerated delivery method, little is yet known about academic persistence patterns and trends in courses and programs using the accelerated delivery method. The purpose of the study was to determine the strength of the relationship between age, gender, ethnicity, financial aid, transfer credits and delivery methods (traditional and accelerated) with adult learner academic persistence.

Varying relationships were found between the independent variables and the dependent variable, academic persistence, among adult learners, defined as being at least 21 or 24 years of age at the time of first enrollment. However, the relationships between many of these independent variables and the dependent variable, academic persistence, were weak. The strongest relationship was found between the independent variable, transfer credits, and academic persistence. The findings in this study suggest that enrolling in a program using the accelerated delivery method did not increase or decrease an adult learner's likelihood of persisting.

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By 2008 a total of 87,339 students were studying on foundation degrees in the UK (Foundation Degree Forward 2009). This article reports on the views of selected students and academic tutors regarding ICTs (information communication technologies) associated with the Early Years Sector Endorsed Foundation Degree (EYSEFD) in England. The students study part time at five further education (FE) colleges working in partnership with a UK higher education institution (HEI). The research project has gathered data on the views of students and program tutors about ICTs since October 2009. Data has been gathered through questionnaires with students and focus group discussions with selected students and tutors about the perception of ICTs.

A main finding is that the students in this study associate ICTs with computers and software whereas their academic tutors focus on the wider pedagogical learning associated with technology. The article discusses some of the debates that surround pedagogical practice and ICTs in further and higher education. The students’ association of computers and pedagogical best practice appears to reiterate current neoliberal educational values as opposed to reflecting the learning goals of their academic program. This article presents the findings of this study and the conclusions that are drawn will be of relevance to those involved in the delivery and development of higher education in further education contexts.

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Higher education has become an increasingly diverse and globalised system in which the binaries between 'traditional' and 'non-traditional' students, exclusion and inclusion have less resonance and analytical purchase. Drawing on longitudinal, empirical research with a group of refugees in higher education, this paper will argue that higher education can be marked simultaneously by belonging and recognition, deficit and exclusion. Complex differences and inequalities remain hidden and unspoken, raising new questions and challenges for pedagogy and for equal participation of students.

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All learners learn best when they are motivated; so do adults. Hence, the way to ensure success of students in higher education is first to know what motivates and sustains them in the learning process. Based on a study of 203 university students, this paper presents eight top most motivating factors for adult learners in higher education. These include quality of instruction; quality of curriculum; relevance and pragmatism; interactive classrooms and effective management practices; progressive assessment and timely feedback; self-directedness; conducive learning environment; and effective academic advising practices. The study concludes that these eight factors are critical to eliciting or enhancing the willpower in students in higher education toward successful learning. The implications for practice and further research are also discussed.

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This paper draws on research into student experiences of recognition of prior learning (RPL) in the context of work-based learning (WBL) in a community services sector setting. WBL in this context is heavily reliant on recognition of prior learning (RPL). Looking at the student disposition towards RPL and access to higher education, the paper argues that developmental forms of RPL are more useful than credentialist forms, in that they sustain important, lifeworld-derived expertise. Using a critical theory-based framework, it is suggested that a form of RPL that undermines existing, potentially oppressive relations of knowledge production has benefits for non-traditional students' access to higher education. Drawing on the practice experiences from this research and contemporary commentary on RPL, specific suggestions are made as to how such a form of RPL might be accomplished. These include continued facilitation of access, vigilance against complicity in coercive practices and developing criticality. The paper concludes by drawing attention to the importance of ontological and epistemological clarity in developing RPL.

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People from equity groups are underrepresented in university degrees associated with high-status professions. The reasons for this are complex and relate to poverty, familial and community norms and expectations, inequitable access to high quality and adequately resourced schooling which affects achievement, and continuing incorrect deficit assumptions related to people's socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. The application of new and emerging digital technologies could improve equity students' participation in these careers by motivating and enhancing disciplinary learning and creating authentic connections to higher education and the world of work.

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Background: Offenders often have a relative lack of marketable skills and limited history of work experience. Correctional services across jurisdictions have attempted to remedy this by providing vocational training and work experience in custody through correctional industries. The goal is to provide offenders with a means to develop work ethic while learning valuable vocational skills and gaining practical work experience. These activities aim to assist offenders in obtaining employment after release from prison, with the view that doing so will improve an offender's re-entry into the community and ultimately reduce recidivism.

Aim: The primary aim of this study was to examine vocational training program uptake and the relationship between training and post-release employment among offenders who had undertaken vocational training while in custody. The study also examined patterns of employment over the course of reintegration into the community and associations with recidivism over the follow-up period.

Method: The study sample consisted of 255 parolees who had completed one of 12 identified vocational training courses in a Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) correctional centre between March 2010 and November 2013 and who had been released to parole before November 2013. Demographic data, criminal history data, case file notes and recidivism data for this cohort of 255 parolees were extracted from the CSNSW Offender Integrated Management System (OIMS).

Results: Offenders in the study sample participated in vocational training programs that were oriented towards heavy machinery operation and building and construction skills. A high proportion of offenders obtained post-release employment in industries that were congruent with the type of training received. Parolees who were employed at three months post-release were significantly more likely to be employed at 12 and 18 months post-release, and were also significantly less likely to be reconvicted. Results also showed that offenders who obtained full-time employment during the follow-up period were significantly less likely to be reconvicted compared to those who found less stable part-time employment. There were indications that the different categories of vocational training program were associated with differences in the likelihood of finding employment and the hazard of reconviction over the follow-up period.

Conclusion: Most parolees found post-release employment in an industry that was congruent with their vocational training in custody. In addition, parolees who found employment in the post-release transitional period were more likely to stay employed and less likely to reoffend over time. These findings could indicate that vocational training contributes to the employability of parolees, which may in turn influence recidivism outcomes. Further research comparing outcomes to an equivalent comparison group is needed to better understand causal effects of vocational training in custody.

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With the growth in the use of the internet and accompanying digital technologies as part of business as usual for teaching and learning in higher education, there are more opportunities for participation. The rhetoric is that these technologies are able to increase participation by non-traditional cohorts. However, the reality remains that this reliance on connectivity and technology is also preventing many others from participating in higher education. For example, the delivery of course materials and activities exclusively through the internet is problematic, when the distribution of that access is not democratic in itself. Digital equity is a significant human rights issue that needs to be addressed. This paper opens a dialogue about digital equity in teaching and learning in higher education, through the lens of the incarcerated student. While universities move away from delivering printed materials for their remote learners, in every state and territory of Australia, prisoners are prohibited from directly accessing the internet, further disadvantaging this sector of the population. Highlighting this continuing digital divide is crucial to the continuing equitable development of our sector, and for the scholarship of teaching and learning; it is also an issue of humanity. Any serious attempt to encourage disadvantaged cohorts to participate in higher education must include strategies to deal with the continuing marginalisation of students. In the case of incarcerated students, some policy decisions regarding access to the digital environment and its associated hardware may need to be reviewed by correctional jurisdictions. Only in this way will the rhetoric match the reality for the populations who are among our most disadvantaged.

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