Tertiary enabling programs have become an increasingly important part of the post-secondary schooling landscape. In recognition of the need for increased access for certain under-represented groups within the university population, enabling, bridging or foundational programs are offered by a large number of universities in Australia as alternative…

University-based enabling programs have become an important pathway to university for non-traditional students. There is increasing interest in understanding the mechanisms that facilitate retention and success of enabling pathway students, with the aim of developing effective strategies for maximising opportunities for university access and…

Engagement in co-curricular activities is a means of educating the whole student, providing an opportunity for the integration of academic, professional, and personal development. Residential programs offer students campus-based, co-curricular experiences that foster the development of student knowledge and personal development outside of the…

This paper discusses an initiative titled UniReady Program for Multicultural Groups that was conducted at the University of South Australia's Centre for Regional Engagement located in the city of Whyalla. Immigrant families are currently being attracted to the city due to regional employment opportunities and are potential university students. The…

Based on current research and seminal theories on learning, quality, and academic persistence, this study sought to establish the core components of academic quality in higher education and to determine if these components can be used to predict students' intention to persist. This study also looked at differences between traditionally aged…

The Higher Education Learning Package (HELP) program at Sacramento City--an interdisciplinary approach to basic skill development for high-risk, nontraditional students--has four goals: (1) promotion of student retention at the community college through cognitive and attitudinal development, (2) personal development of students through a…

This issue, the second of a two-part series on gender equity, presents strategies that nontraditional programs around the country have found to be helpful in combating the problems of educational and occupational segregation by sex. Described in detail is the Outreach Equity Non-Traditional Program located at the Florida Advanced Technology Center…

Throughout the world, women are underrepresented in technical fields as a result of the segmentation of the labor market and the internalization of expectations for women. Distance education can make an important contribution in overcoming barriers to women's participation in technology in the developed and developing world. The Open University in…

Indigenous populations throughout the world have been deprived of opportunities for advanced education, thus limiting their ability to participate fully in their societies. For 25 years, "Access programs" in Manitoba (Canada) have promoted high postsecondary success rates among people, largely from indigenous populations, with poor…

Since 1994, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has funded 97 projects aimed at meeting the lifetime learning needs of the workforce, expanding the availability of flexible teaching and learning, and encouraging an active role for higher education institutions in wealth creation and in regional and local development. An…

A model project at Indian Hills Community College, Ottumwa, Iowa, provided a degree-bearing second-year course of vocational study to a nontraditional audience seeking high-technology training. The flexible, competency-based program offered three paths of study: a course in personal computing resulting in a diploma or an associate degree, an…

The Building College and Community Services for Single Parents and Displaced Homemakers Project at Austin Community College (Texas) successfully achieved its goals for Project Year 1994-95. Formative and summative methods of evaluation show that the project accomplished the following: developed cooperative linkages with more than 12 businesses and…

Declines in the numbers of 18-22-year-old college students, coupled with rapidly rising costs for providing education, are contributing to the increased efforts that colleges and universities are making to attract nontraditional students into both traditional and nontraditional programs. A study was made of all 73 colleges and universities in…

This book, which is intended for academics, educators, educational managers, and policymakers concerned with higher education, examines how universities and colleges can prepare their students for lifelong learning through continuing education, specialized courses for adults, and mainstream teaching programs geared toward traditional students. The…