The Open University (OU) makes a proportion of all its taught modules available to the public via OpenLearn each year. This process involves the modification, of module excerpts, showcasing subject matter and teaching approach. This activity serves both the University's social and business missions through the delivery of free courses to the…

The increasing life expectancy of people with learning disabilities makes it imperative that families plan for the future. The number of people with learning disabilities over the age of 65 is predicted to double over the next two decades. The greatest increase in life expectancy will be amongst people with mild learning disabilities who will have…

Structural explanations of career choice and development are well established. Socioeconomic inequality represents a powerful factor shaping career trajectories and economic outcomes achieved by individuals. However, a robust and growing body of evidence demonstrates a strong link between socioeconomic inequality and health outcomes. Work is a key…

Using a conceptual framework grounded in globalization and the knowledge economy, this paper addresses teacher evaluation policy reform in the United Kingdom*** and Singapore. Specifically, the authors discuss similar demands faced by both countries: maintaining economic competitiveness in a globalized society, preparing citizens to participate in…

In the wake of the general election, the new government--and the United Kingdom--face a range of pressing challenges. In this article, the author sets out what he believes to be the principal challenges and calls for action to create a learning society. The agenda set out would, if followed by the new government, pave the way to a genuine learning…

In the twenty-first century educators around the world are being told that they need to transform education systems to adapt young people for the challenges of a global digital knowledge economy. Too rarely, however, do we ask whether this future vision is robust, achievable or even desirable, whether alternative futures might be in development,…

Courses focused on context rather than content must address the issue of the vocational relevance of higher education. A business course on the social and demographic environment, which uses pluralistic learning and teaching strategies, was designed to broaden the meaning of vocationalism. (SK)

It is the United Kingdom policy that all children, whatever their background, should have equal educational opportunity. School attendance is compulsory for all children and is enforced; educational responsibility rests largely with local authorities. So far as the education of immigrants is concerned, government objectives have been to promote a…

Describes the Domesday Project, a cooperative government, corporate, community, and school venture which will gather and preserve survey information, statistics, photographs, and maps on two interactive laser videodiscs to provide a lasting comprehensive record of late twentieth century life in the United Kingdom. (MBR)

Many European universities face common staffing problems, with a large number of staff appointed during the 1960s and early 1970s, with a consequent block on promotion prospects for junior staff, and occasional overstaffing. The most common response in northwestern Europe has been to tackle the symptoms without resolving the problem. (Author/MLW)

In order to counteract widespread stereotyping of adolescents and to provide a historical perspective on the lives of youth in Great Britain, this report compiles statistical data in six areas regarding adolescents and youth. Chapter 1, "Population, Families and Households," presents information on the population of the United Kingdom…

A discussion of higher education in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland assesses policy and provision of education in the two jurisdictions and places them in their international context. The jurisdictions' demographics, trends in participation, and patterns of expenditure are examined first, in the context of both the United Kingdom and…

Short-term forecasting methods for assessing the number of students finishing schooling in France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom are reviewed. Types of data that are available for each country are discussed, as well as suggestions for data that need to be collected for more efficient forecasting. (Author/IS)

E-learning is the fastest-growing sub-sector of a $2.3 trillion global education market, and the market for online higher education is estimated to exceed $69 billion by 2015. One way to minimize risk in marketing and selling courses and programs overseas is to understand the environmental factors in taking programs to market in any selected…

A party of vocational educators from the United Kingdom (UK) traveled to the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) to observe current experiments with the first year of apprenticeship training or, as it is called in Germany, the Berufsgrundbildungsjahr (BGJ). During its study, the visiting party focused its attention on the objectives, design,…