Session 1: Access, Exclusion and Key Skills
Chair: Susan Holland

Designing Learning in Higher Education: The Role of Key Skills
Marian Fitzmaurice & Dave Kilmartin
Learning and Teaching Centre & Head of Careers, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin, Ireland

Higher education is becoming a very different place to work and learn in and there are clear challenges to educators. It has been argued that universities and other institutes of higher education have a responsibility to support students not only to develop knowledge and expertise in their specific disciplines but also to develop the skills necessary for employment and for life as responsible citizens. The contexts for designing and implementing curricula are rich and diverse but in the Irish context there has not been a defining focus within colleges on key skills development. A recent report by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs has called for higher education institutes to address the development of key skills for students and the move towards a European Higher Education Area is also relevant in this context. Furthermore, there is a move to a more learner-centred approach to education and this demands that teaching be focused on learners rather than subject matter.
Within a postgraduate programme on learning and teaching in higher education, modules on embedding key skills into curricula have been running for some years in the college and the response to the modules have been favourable and a number of modules which have integrated key skills have been designed and put into practice by lecturers. In general we still have much to learn about the effects of continuous professional development upon the thinking planning and practice of individual teachers in higher education. In light of the developments outlined, this paper sets out to explore the role of key skills in higher education and also the impact of the modules on key skills on the practice of the individual lecturers.

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Reviewing Access in Higher Education in South Africa
Kirti Menon & Nhlanhla Cele
University of the Witwatersrand, & UNISA, South Africa

The National Plan of 2001 identifies access to higher education as a priority. Several mechanisms were identified to increase access like the funding of Foundation programmes, increase in participation and graduation rates by institutions and diversification of programme mixes at the institutions. The translation of this policy into practice is complex as the South African higher education institution has been restructured. Thus, from 36 public institutions of higher learning there are now 21 with multiple sites of delivery. The new Funding framework focuses on input as opposed to output and in 2004 the Department of Education placed a cap on student numbers in higher education.
The intention of this paper is to explore the extent to which principle of access is being realized as a policy initiative focusing on multiple views and perspectives on the issue. Within the SA environment there are many positions being adopted. These debates are pertinent to the South African context and will be dealt with by defining access, analysis of policy trends in relation to the goal, reviewing data from the sector and unpacking the key challenges in the system in relation to access. The paper will present an overview of the positions and views on the issue of access. Some analysis will be provided on the new funding formula and whether is part of the government’s concerted strategy to expand and widen access. Access is compromised by student-drop out rates, low throughputs and low graduation rates. According to a recent press release by the Department of Education, the government lost approximately R4,5 billion in subsidies in higher education because of drop-out rates between 2000-2003. This was effectively half of the actual subsidies paid. 30% of students enrolled at the beginning of 2000 had dropped out by the end of the year and a further 20% by the end of 2002. Of the remaining 50%, less than half graduated within the intended three years (Mail & Guardian, 13 May 2005 ). This clearly raises the issue of access being created but not sustained or not with success.

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Education, Education, Education: A Quick Fix Solution to a Long Term Problem. Can Education Solve Social Exclusion
Carole Doyle
Division of Business Economics and Enterprise, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, Scotland

Exclusion from society takes many forms and may result from a plethora of causes. Social exclusion is not a new concept yet it is only since 1994 that it appeared on the European political agenda. The European Commission (1994) argued that successful social inclusion rested with the educational system. The UK has embraced this notion believing that the attainment of an inclusive society rests primarily with education. This is based upon the belief that exclusion from the work place brings about exclusion from society as a whole. Further, it is argued that education brings down social and cultural barriers, opens up doors to new opportunities, and prepares the individual for the needs of today’s workforce. The extent to which this is true is debatable. For it could equally be argued that an inclusion policy based upon education may raise expectations and thus prevent prospective employees from seeking employment that they perceive to be below their abilities, thus leading to voluntary exclusion form the workplace. This may be the case in the UK today. For, inclusion in Further and Higher Education has never been greater, yet unemployment still persists despite there being ample jobs available.
This paper will identify the main causes of social exclusion. It will examine the role placed upon education in pursuit of the attainment of an inclusive society within the UK and will discuss how education has adapted and changed to meet the every growing demands and needs of society and government alike. Finally, the paper will discuss the implications of an inclusion policies based primarily on education outlining some of the concerns of educationalist and the problems that might arise from the pursuit of this political agenda.

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