This paper reviews the role of assessment in student learning and its relationship with the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). There is ample evidence of technology-led innovations failing to achieve the transformations expected by educators. We draw upon existing research to illustrate the links between aspects of student…

Using an academic library has always been a crucial part of studying in higher education, but this has presented problems for independent learners taking distance education courses. In the past, Open University (UKOU) students were provided with almost everything needed to successfully complete any course. Nowadays, growth in Internet use enables…

A survey of new and continuing undergraduate students was undertaken at the end of 1986 to obtain information on the related issues of costs of studying and access to equipment for study purposes. Questionnaires were sent to a sample of 2,400 students at the Open University (OU)--1,200 students taking their first OU course and 1,200 continuing…

This paper discusses the different methods and levels of evaluation that have been used to evaluate the distance education programs of the Open University of Great Britain. Included in this discussion are system evaluation and course evaluation (both formative and summative), and the results of the evaluation procedures are summarized for each.…

The widespread adoption of information and communications technologies (ICT) in higher education (HE) since the mid 1990s has failed to produce the radical changes in learning and teaching than many anticipated. Activity theory and Rogers' model of the adoption of innovations provide analytic frameworks that help develop our understanding of the…

Evaluation of the impact of a policy of Great Britain's Open University requiring students in specified courses to have access to a microcomputer found that preexisting differences in the student body affecting access (particularly gender, income, and geographical location) were magnified by the need to use computers. (Author/DB)

At the end of 1986 a survey of 1,200 new and 1,200 continuing undergraduate students of the Open University (Great Britain) was undertaken which addressed the related issues of costs of studying and access to television and video equipment for study purposes. The overall response rate was 75.4% when the data were analyzed in March 1987. Analyses…

Any advice and guidance offered to students about to embark on tertiary level distance education courses should help them to address problems that are not only practical and organizational, but also educational and intellectual. Students need to consider the suitability of distance education for their needs and circumstances as well as the…

Independent learners study in highly varied circumstances that impact upon the educational process. Media technologies can provide many new educational opportunities, but are context dependent. As educators, we need to develop a better understanding of learners by considering their attitudes and preferences for using media technologies in their…

The first of two papers in this report, "The Present and the Future of Audio-Visual Production Centres in Distance Universities," describes changes in the Open University in Great Britain. The Open University's use of television and audio materials are increasingly being distributed to students on cassette. Although transmission is still…

This article examines the relationship between the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) and learning and teaching, particularly in distance education contexts. We argue that environmental changes (societal, educational, and technological) make it necessary to adapt systems and practices that are no longer appropriate. The need…