Abstract
A case study presents findings from an investigation into the impact of an arts and languages Access module on adult learners at the UK Open University (OU). The University has retained an open-access registration process, and a preparatory module is offered to those students with low prior entry qualifications, as well as to those adults lacking confidence returning to education after many years. This module is pre-HE but embedded as a voluntary starting point in a BA Hons (undergraduate degree) qualification. Six-thousand-plus part-time distance learners have registered on the module since 2013, and they are offered a preparatory cross-disciplinary course introducing three substantive disciplines (art history, literature, and history). Most students who pass the module progress to undergraduate studies at the OU, especially the BA Humanities, and, as they progress, tend to out-perform similar students who enter directly. This study sought to explore if there were arts-specific ways in which tutors and students could measure a greater degree of confidence and/or competency due to undertaking the module.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Bassey, M. (1995). Creating education through research. BERA.
Boughey, C. (2002). From equity to efficiency: Access to higher education in South Africa. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 2(1), 65–71.
Broadhead, S. (2017). All I want to do is make things: Class, men and art and design higher education. Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 19(2), 47–62.
Brown, M. (2019, December 17). Tate and Steve McQueen call for ‘arts-rich’ school curriculum, The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/dec/17/tate-and-steve-mcqueen-call-for-arts-rich-school-curriculum
Burke, P. J. (2016). Access to and widening participation in higher education. Encyclopedia of international higher education systems and institutions, 1–7.
Burke, P. J., & McManus, J. (2011). Art for a few: Exclusions and misrecognitions in higher education admissions practices. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 32(5), 699–712.
Butcher, J. (2015). Shoe-horned and side-lined’? Challenges for part-time learners in the new HE landscape. Higher Education Academy.
Butcher, J. (2017). Understanding the impact of outreach on access to higher education for disadvantaged adult learners. Office for Fair Access.
Butcher, J. (2020). Unheard: The voices of part-time adult learners. Higher Education Policy Institute.
Butcher, J., & Clarke, A. (2021). Widening HE participation in the arts: Impacts of an access module on learner preparedness. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 14740222211004884.
Butcher, J., McPherson, E., Shelton, I., Clarke, A., Hills, L., & Hughes, J. (2017). Unfit for purpose? Rethinking the language of assessment for widening participation students. Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 19(2), 27–46.
Butcher, J., & Rose-Adams, J. (2015). Part-time learners in open and distance learning: Revisiting the critical importance of choice, flexibility and employability. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 30(2), 127–137.
Callender, C., & Thompson, J. (2018). The lost part-timers: The decline of part-time undergraduate higher education in England. Sutton Trust.
Clifton, G. (2012). Supporting the development of critical thinking: Lessons for widening participation. Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 14(2), 29–39.
Condee, W. (2016). The interdisciplinary turn in the arts and humanities. Issues in Interdisciplinary Studies, 34, 12–29.
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Sage Publications.
Cuyler, A., & Hodges, A. (2016). Unresolved issues: Students’ perceptions of internships in arts and cultural management. ENCATC Journal of Cultural Management and Policy, 6(1), 73–79.
Davies, R., & Elias, P. (2003). Dropping out: A study of early leavers from higher education. Research report 386, DfES.
Donelan, M. (2020). University Minister calls for true social mobility [on-line] available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/universities-minister-calls-for-true-social-mobility . Accessed 28 July 2020.
Donovan, C., & Erskine-Shaw, M. (2020). Maybe I can do this. Maybe I should be here’; evaluating an academic literacy, resilience and confidence programme. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 44(3), 326–340.
Ducharme, J. (2020, December 29). Why the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a widespread existential crisis. Time. https://time.com/5925218/covid-19-pandemic-life-decisions/
FE News. (2021, February 4). UCAS figures show 400% increase in students enrolled on AI courses. https://www.fenews.co.uk/press-releases/62734-students-turn-to-technology-with-university-choices
Felton, E., Vichie, K., & Moore, E. (2015). Widening participation creatively: Creative arts education for social inclusion. Higher Education Research and Development, 35(3), 447–460.
Fowle, W. (2018). Supporting adult learners from disadvantaged backgrounds into higher education. Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 20(3), 90–108.
Garner, R. (2014, November 10). Education Secretary Nicky Morgan tells teenagers: Want to keep your options open? Then do science. The Independent.
Gorard, S., Smith, E., May, H., Thomas, L., Adnett, K., & Slack, K. (2006). Review of widening participation research: Addressing the barriers to participation in higher education. HEFCE.
Green, A. (2006). University challenge: Dynamic subject knowledge, teaching and transition. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 5(3), 275–290.
Hazell, W. (2018, August 18). A-level results: Stem entries on the rise. Times Educational Supplement. https://www.tes.com/news/level-results-stem-entries-rise
Hubble, S., & Bolton, P. (2021). Mature higher education students in England. House of Commons Briefing Paper 8809.
Hunt, N., & Loxley, A. (2020). Student perspectives on integration in part-time flexible higher education in Ireland; ‘we don’t socialise here. Journal of Further and Higher Education. https://doi-org.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/10.1080/0309877X.2020.1779677
Johnson, F. (2018). Getting off the Hill and reaching communities: Experiences of mature learners as ‘separate’ or ‘integrated’ at an elite university. Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 20(4), 39–56.
Jones, N., & Lau, A. M. S. (2010). Blending learning: Widening participation in higher education. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 47(4), 405–416.
Miall, D. (1989). Welcome the crisis! Rethinking learning methods in English studies. Studies in Higher Education, 14(1), 69–81.
NCIHE. (1997). Higher education in the learning society, Report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education. HMSO.
OfS. (2019a). Regulatory Advice 6: Good practice advice on the preparation of access and participation plans for 2019–20. OfS. https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/regulatory-advice-6-how-to-prepare-your-access-and-participation-plan-effective-practice-advice/
OfS. (2019b). Understanding effective part-time provision for undergraduates from under-represented and disadvantaged backgrounds. CFE Research and HESA for OfS. https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/ba3c25b9-c261-463d-9587-55781cd84280/understanding-effective-part-time-provision-for-undergraduates-from-under-represented-and-disadvantaged-backgrounds.pdf
OfS. (2020, July 27). Mature students: Topic briefing. OfS. https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/promoting-equal-opportunities/effective-practice/mature-students/
OfS. (n.d.). Differences in student outcomes. https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/data-and-analysis/differences-in-student-outcomes/
Olson, P. (2020, May 21). Coronavirus Lockdowns Spark Boom in Online Learning for Adults, Too. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-lockdowns-spark-boom-in-home-schooling-for-grown-ups-11590053401
Reay, D. (2018). Working class educational transitions to university: The limits of success. European Journal of Education, 53, 1–13.
Reay, D., Ball, S., & David, M. (2002). It’s taken me a long time but I’ll get there in the end. British Educational Research Journal, 28(1), 5–19.
Smith, K., & Hopkins, C. (2005). Great expectations: Sixth-formers’ perceptions of teaching and learning in degree-level English. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 4(3), 304–318.
Sperlinger, T., McLellan, J., & Pettigrew, R. (2018). Who are universities for? Bristol University Press.
Stake, R. (1995). The art of case study research. Sage.
UUK/NUS. (2019). Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Student Attainment at UK universities: #Closingthegap. https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/reports/Documents/2019/bame-student-attainment-uk-universities-closing-the-gap.pdf
Warren, D. (2002). Curriculum design in a context of widening participation in higher education. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 1(1), 85–99.
Wilson, F., Childs, S., & Suto, I. (2016). Assessing the transition between school and university: Differences in assessment between a level and university in English. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 16(2), 188–208.
Yin, R. (2004). Case study research design and methods: Applied social research methods (3rd ed.). Sage.
Zemits, B., & Hodson, L. (2016). Before studying in the humanities, what students need? International Journal of Lifelong Education, 35(6), 698–712.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Butcher, J., Clarke, A. (2022). Part-Time Mature Students and (the Unexpected Benefits of) Access to the Arts. In: Broadhead, S. (eds) Access and Widening Participation in Arts Higher Education. The Arts in Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97450-3_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97450-3_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-97449-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-97450-3
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)