Increasing adult students’ learning opportunities with flexible learning pathways: evidence from a technology and industrial management graduate course

Abstract

Higher education institutions play an important role in promoting equity and access conditions to adult students. Such role includes the ethical commitment to facilitate learning processes, removing barriers to adult students’ entry and persistence in higher education. This paper describes the implementation of flexible learning pathways in a technology and industrial management graduate course targeted at adult students. Findings confirm that adult students welcome flexible learning pathways and choose the pathways that better suit their needs. Despite academic background differences success rates are adequate and similar for different learning pathways, showing that adult students are capable of bridging the gaps in their academic development. Findings also show that doubts related to the impact of some learning pathways on students’ academic integration are unfounded. Considering the positive results it is concluded that flexible learning pathways, together with flexible entry requirements, promote equity and access conditions to adult students.