This title was first published in 2000. Emanating from a two year action research project aimed at devising higher education courses for excluded social groups, this book examines ways in which UK higher education can be accessed and valued by adults who have previously been excluded. It also explores the topical argument that education contributes to building social as well as human capital - a necessary feature of citizenship and sustainable communities.

Published in 1999, this work suggests that widening participation is not just about changing learner expectations; it is also about changing institutional expectations and practices. "Higher" learning, for example, should include a broader, more inclusive range of knowledge and ways of knowing than at present and criteria for learning achievement should include assessment of "citizenship" as well as linear outcomes.