From a sociological perspective, Bourdieu (1986) sees cultural capital as non-economic resources such as education and knowledge, while social mobility is the ability to move up or down the social ladder. Limited cultural capital restricts social mobility, perpetuating poverty like a self-fulfilling prophecy. This blog post uses the example of Scarborough, a seaside town in Yorkshire in the north of England, to exemplify how alternative modes of delivery of higher education modules can lead to sociological community development.
With Scarborough being the 80th most income-deprived place in the UK, the challenging aspects of life in a ‘cold spot’ require an alternative way to access education. The educational landscape cultivated by Coventry University Scarborough (CUS) is playing a crucial role in the transformation of the town of Scarborough, known as a higher education ‘cold spot’ (Else, 2014a; DfE, 2017; Coiffait, 2017). In the context of higher education in the UK, ‘cold spots’ refers to regions or communities that lack access to higher education institutions, have lower-than-average levels of participation in higher education, or lack specific types of higher education courses or institutions (Else, 2014b; Coughlan, 2014).
The Education degrees at CUS have an innovative curriculum model that emphasises flexibility and the ability for students to fit education around their existing commitments. Multiple entry points and options to ‘step off’ or change mode of study are key elements of the design. CUS courses are designed around six-week blocks of study, and students study one module at a time, usually four blocks in one academic year. There are no end-of-year exams. Instead, a varied range of assessment tasks address learning outcomes within each module.
