A distance education contribution to a social strategytocombat poverty: Open University Community Education courses in Glasgow

Abstract

This paper concerns the use of OU Community Education courses as a component of Strathclyde Regional Council's Social Strategy to combat poverty and deprivation. The policy context is analysed in terms of a vertical alignment of interests between central and local government, the implementing bodies and the students as well as horizontal linkages between educational and other community development agencies. The study assesses the role of the courses by examining the characteristics and circumstances; of students who participate, and the influence of the courses on their lives and their communities. The approach involved collecting life histories and reactions to the courses from a random sample of 60 female students in Glasgow's areas of multiple deprivation who had completed courses two years previously. Their life histories were presented as a set of lifelines showing each student's multiple ‘careers’ including family life, childcare, employment, education, community activities, health, social life, and...