These papers address the central objective of the conference: to create a better understanding of the societal determinants and educational response to increased demands from adults for greater access to education. The following papers in Part 1 outline some international trends relating to adults in higher education: "The New Policy Arena of Adult and Higher Education: Background to the Conference" (Maria Slowey); "The Context of Adult Participation in Higher Education: An Overview of the CERI/OECD--Centre for Educational Research and Innovation/Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development--Project" (Hans Schutze); "The Changing Role of Higher Education in the United States" (Patricia Cross); and "Adults into Higher Education: Trends and Issues in the United Kingdom" (Chris Duke). Part 2 focuses on the organizational and structural change in the educational context by the "de-framing" of walls between formal and nonformal learning. The presentations include "An Industrialist's Perspective on Learning in a Changing Economy" (Oyvind Skard); "The Open University of the Netherlands" (G. van Enckevort, G. J. Leibbrandt); "Open Learning Networks--A Case Example" (Glen Farrell); and "The Assessment of Prior Experiential Learning and Higher Education--Some Anglo-American Comparisons" (Norman Evans). Part 3 discusses the tension between planning initiatives and market forces in the increasing demand of adults in higher education. Papers are "Continuing Education--An Analysis of Market Forces and Latent Functions" (Martin Trow); "The Educational Planning Paradox: Organizational Structures vs. Genuine Learning Settings" (Urban Dahllof); and "Adult Demand and Educational Policies. Concluding Comments" (Kjell Rubenson). (YLB)