How and when we study

Lifelong learning

As we have seen in the section about demography, the life-cycle has changed; learning has become a process throughout life. All of us can expect to return to education in some form to learn new skills or to retrain. Education is no longer mainly for the young; in certain parts of Higher Education, the majority of students are what is classed as mature.

The unsuitability of traditional full-time education for many who are in work has led to many new ways of accessing and delivering learning.

Open and distance learning

Originally a response to the pace of technological change in the 1960s, open and distance learning became a way for those unable to participate in traditional education to update skills and gain qualifications. The Open University is the best known institution, but many other organisations offer open and distance learning.

eLearning

Learning online has become popular recently because the widespread use of PCs and the Internet allows access and flexibility. Study is possible both at home and in the workplace. Learners may pick up valuable IT skills at the same time.

Work-based learning

There has been recent recognition that we all learn at work, and often feel we learn far more there than in formal education. Expectations of continuous improvement have led to high levels of participation in structured professional development programmes. Initiatives such as Learning Through Work and Foundation Degrees attempt to recognise, encourage and accredit the learning that takes place in the workplace.

Blended learning

A purely online learning environment does not suit everybody; recently blended learning has become popular, in which different ways of teaching and learning are combined. Often this involves both online learning and other methods, such as work-based learning and traditional face-to-face learning.