Abstract
AbstractNowadays access has become probably the most fashionable word in the world of higher education. Its popularity owes much to demographic desperation, but something also to the success of Access entrants in higher education. In the current climate, Access Courses, so recently labelled a threat to quality, have apparently come in from the cold, and are now identified as one of, ‘three recognized routes to higher education’. Yet, by comparison with the other two routes (‘A’ levels and vocational qualifications) very little is known about these courses and Access students are still classified as ‘non‐standard’ entrants.This paper offers a basic guide to Access Courses, predicts their future in a post‐Reform Bill world and considers whether the, present a lifeline or a threat to conventional departments, as the focus of debate begins to shift from the quality of the entrant to the quality of the higher education curriculum, and the question is not only who higher education is for but increasingly what is it for?
Published Version
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