ABSTRACT
Throughout the world the representation of particular groups in higher education (HE) is not reflective of their population share in wider society. In UK, there has been considerable research undertaken under the aegis of Economic and Social Research Councils (ESRC) Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP) that has used various indicators for diversity and disadvantage based on socio-economic and family background. In many inter-governmental and national policy papers, some of which will be cited later, these changes have led to a rhetoric of lifelong learning that has argued that adults need to improve their skills and competencies in order to compete in a modern high-skill, knowledge-driven economy. With the elevation of e-learning approaches through the development of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), the role of virtual learning in enhancing accessibility for new audiences has been highlighted as never before. The US, has little by way of any regulatory framework at a national level to lever any consistency in institutional practice.
