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This chapter examines widening access to higher education in Sweden from the 1960s onwards and contrasts the influence of two different political ideologies — social democracy and neo-liberalism. It provides an overview of the higher education system and student support. Sweden has made extensive use of alternative routes into higher education to enable access for those lacking traditional entry qualifications. These routes are outlined, changes over time are described and Sweden is compared to other European countries drawing on Eurostudent data. These data indicate that Sweden has made considerable advances in widening access through the use of alternative routes. However, the conclusion questions the extent to which current higher education policy, influenced by neo-liberalism, can lead to further progress.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of recognition of prior learning (RPL) as an alternative tool for access into learning programmes in South African Library and Information Science (LIS) schools.

The study adopted quantitative methods, and utilised questionnaires and document analysis to collect data.

The study found that despite an institutional “will” among the LIS schools to open up access to learners who come from diverse backgrounds; there are still aspects that inhibit the use of RPL as an alternative route of access into higher education and training.

In-depth interviews were not conducted to ascertain the veracity of the findings.

This study was valuable for institutions, policy makers, government and other stakeholders to assess the impact of RPL implementation in higher education and training.

Despite there been very little published concerning RPL implementation in higher education and training, use of RPL, as an alternative route to access into higher education and training is generally low. The paper seeks to highlight and promote RPL as an alternative route of access into higher education and training especially for non-matriculants from diverse backgrounds.

Recently, OCLC successfully completed a multi‐year network design, procurement, implementation, and user transition effort. At a cost of $70 million, this effort resulted in the implementation of a totally new telecommunications network. The packet‐switching nature of this new network has for the first time made it practical for OCLC to effectively address the risks imposed by the potential of major catastrophes within the telecommunications‐carrier infrastructure, and, for all practical purposes, to eliminate any resulting widespread service outages for OCLC users.

This chapter focuses on a case study of attempts at one South African university to widen access to adult learners from diverse race, class and gender backgrounds. It locates the education of adults within a post-apartheid policy framework aimed at transforming higher education on the one hand and pressures on universities brought about by changes in the global economy on the other. It then outlines the history of adult education programmes at the University of Cape Town, an institution that has an elite, colonial history and that privileges research over teaching. The chapter then considers the results of a 2008 survey of adult learners' experiences of the institutional culture and institution's systems, and the ways in which these present barriers to adult learners. It critically assesses three strategies adopted by staff on the ‘periphery’ of the institution to widen access to adult learners; these focus on: changing the institutional culture, developing policies and processes of recognition of prior learning (RPL) and transforming the curriculum. The chapter concludes that programme innovations have been possible with the aim of ensuring that curriculum is responsive to adult learners; however, widening access and increasing participation for adult learners also needs to be accompanied by significant changes in how the university is administered and run and that while alternative access routes into the university are theoretically possible, practical and political barriers remain.

This chapter is concerned with access to bank finance by ethnic minority businesses (EMBs) in the U.K., focusing particularly on the process of decision-making by bank managers with respect to credit applications by entrepreneurs from ethnic minority groups. The results reported in this chapter are taken from a major U.K. study that included two large scale surveys of EMB owners and a white control group, case studies with ethnic minority entrepreneurs and a programme of interviews with business support agencies. Whilst referring to other evidence, this chapter focuses on the findings from a series of interviews with bank representatives. The U.K. study was funded by the British Bankers’ Association (BBA), the Bank of England and the Small Business Service and supported by the Commission for Racial Equality.

Purpose – This case study describes the Trinity Inclusive Curriculum (TIC) strategy, which aims to embed inclusion within Trinity College Dublin (TCD) through the creation of an online application for self-evaluating the inclusivity of academic practices, and a supporting resource website.

TIC arose in response to the additional needs arising from increasing diversity within TCD, resulting from national and institutional policies aiming to widen participation in higher education.

Approach – TIC involved three phases.

Phase I reviewed the academic environment within TCD, primarily through a student survey. Following this review, TIC developed a draft teaching and learning self-evaluation tool, and piloted it within 12 TCD courses in phase II. Pilots involved stakeholder feedback (staff and student), resource review, classroom observation, completion of the draft tool and engagement with the resulting action report. Following the pilot, TIC created an online version of the tool.

Phase III is underway, and seeks to embed this tool within TCD policies and processes, and to promote its use elsewhere.

Findings – Extensive student feedback has shown that there are common barriers for all students. Common themes include difficulties finding information, and difficulties arising from a lack of coordination between academic, administrative, and service areas. The TIC self-evaluation tool allows staff to reflect on, evaluate, and respond to issues causing student difficulty.

Value – TIC is working to embed this tool within TCD and elsewhere. Through the TIC tool, TCD, and other participating institutions can continue to enhance the inclusivity of their academic environments.

This paper aims to introduce pseudohomophone phonological priming effects (non-words that sound like real words with a single semantic representation, such as Whyte primes white) on consumers’ product attribute and benefit-based judgments.

Four studies were conducted. Study 1 examines whether pseudohomophone brand names (e.g. Whyte) prime associative meaning (i.e. the perception of light bread; target: white). Study 2 investigates the pseudohomophone priming process. In Study 3, the authors examine the influence of brand knowledge of pseudohomophone priming effects.

The findings indicate that pseudohomophone brand names prime associative meaning, due to retrieval of phonology (sound) of the word during processing. Pseudohomophone priming effects for a semantically (meaningful) incongruent brand name manifest only when consumers do not have knowledge of the brand, with cognitive capacity constraints rendering consumers with strong brand knowledge unable to mitigate the pseudohomophone priming effect.

This research has implications for brand managers considering the creation of a name for a new brand that connotes product attributes and benefits. However, this research is limited, as it only examines pseudohomophone brand names with a single semantic representation.

This research shows that sounds activated by pseudohomophones in brand names can influence product judgments. This research also identifies limitations of the applicability of pseudohomophone brand names by identifying a condition under which priming effects are attenuated.

To look at what lessons can be learned from six projects in the museum or, more accurately, cultural memory cluster.

The paper begins with a brief summary of the six projects in the museum or, more accurately, cultural memory cluster: Digital Egypt, Learning in Museums Using Resources (LEMUR), Rhynie Chert, Microfossils, Virtual Norfolk, Publications and Archives in Teaching with Online Information Systems (PATOIS). It then considers some of the possible lessons to be learned from the cluster, for strategic planners including JISC and also museums and partners.

The marked diversity of the projects reflected genuine diversity among the institutions and stakeholders involved, and point to a range of implications including the importance of standards. The paper points to museums’ potential contribution to digital learning arising from their sophisticated concepts about user behaviour, methods of enabling access and knowledge of repackaging resources for new audiences. Memory institutions’ typically long‐term agenda argues against short term project funding and superficial evaluations of value, such as simple usage statistics.

The paper presents valuable lessons for strategic planners learned from the cultural memory cluster.

The purpose of this paper is to present the Danish agreement with OCLC's WorldCat and the perspectives for international cooperation.

The paper describes the Danish ILL cooperation, the project and WorldCat as a case study of international cooperation which will increase the effectiveness of the international ILL service.

Cooperation with an international organization works better when coordinated nationally.

The Danish agreement with OCLC covers both main activities: ILL and cataloguing – creation and use of bibliographic data.

Higher education (HE) systems in Europe have been identified as an essential element for promoting economic competitiveness since the Bologna Declaration in 1999. The aim of the Bologna Process was to expand access to educational opportunities, fostering participation in post-compulsory education by creating the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Inequalities in training because of geographic, ethnic or social origin, and inequalities in job opportunities, salaries, and incomes are critical dimensions of social development in HE. The development of policies, including those concerning education, that extend access to opportunities is essential to prevent such exclusion becoming permanent. The Access4All project aims to promote the educational and social inclusion of underrepresented groups as well as of non-traditional learners.

In this chapter, the project’s main results are reviewed, with: (1) a brief overview of inclusion policies and practices in European HE; (2) an operational definition of “good practice” and criteria for selecting examples of good practice for inclusion in HE; (3) a self-assessment tool enabling the characterization of institutional capacity for innovation and of inclusion policies and practices; and (4) a model for promoting strategic planning, focusing on inclusion in HE.