The Open University has published a Special Edition of the Journal of Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning (Volume 20, Number 3, July 2018) has now been published. Further information is detailed below.

Special Edition of the Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning Journal: ‘Writing Together: Practitioners, Academics and Policy Makers’ (title changed from ‘Newer Researchers’)

A special edition of the Open University’s (OU) Journal of Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, celebrating some of the resulting papers from a writing programme for widening participation (WP) practitioners has just been published.  The papers – in recognition of the need for evidence-based WP practice and for the inclusion of the practitioner voice within research - explore issues in WP, access initiatives and student support across England.  These have been developed and written by the participants of an international writing programme that was run simultaneously in England and Australia from 2017-18.  

The English writing programme was designed and delivered by Professor Jacqueline Stevenson of Sheffield Hallam University following a successful institutional writing programme – ‘Write a Paper in a Year’ – delivered with Professor Carol Taylor. The programme was co-delivered by Rae Tooth of the Office for Fair Access (OFFA), which was replaced in April 2018 by the Office for Students (OfS). 

As well as the actual papers, you may find of particular interest the introduction piece written jointly by Jacqueline and Rae alongside Anna Bennett and Penny Jane Burke from the University of Newcastle.  They highlight how the project came about, the competitive selection process and how the mentors and participants journeyed together to produce the papers published in this edition.   

You can access the journal here and read the full content if you are a subscriber. Non-subscribers can read the Editorial by Stephanie McKendry, Liz Marr and John Butcher which is open access. The introduction piece mentioned above is also open access. Options to subscribe or pay per view are available on the journal website.

Lastly, a reminder that the deadline of 31^st August 2018 is quickly approaching for our call for papers for our future special issue on access to HE for refugees and asylum seekers. Are you doing any work in this area? Contributions are especially welcome from authors who are taking a co-production approach. Email [email protected] to contact the team in Widening Access and Success, LTI, to find out more about any aspect of the journal.  

Contact Sattie Knight (satwant.knight@open.ac.uk) in Widening Access and Success, LTI, to find out more.

Best wishes
Sattie – Journal Administrator