ABSTRACT
Having examined information and communications technology (ICT) use at primary school, sixth form and university level, this chapter addresses one of the current ‘boom’ areas of education and technology – adult learning. It seeks to examines the claim that ICT can be used to not only increase, but also widen participation in learning amongst the third of the adult population who, at present, do not engage in any forms of learning since finishing formal education. The use of ICT to facilitate easy access to lifelong learning for all is one of the central tenets of the UK government’s drive to establish a ‘learning society’. By and large the individual participants in ICT-based learning encountered fell into several discernible groups. A clear majority of ICT-based learners interviewed, proportionately much higher than in the general population, were already on lifelong learning trajectories.
