The Centre for International Cooperation and Services (CICS), part of the Open University of the United Kingdom, is described. Distance learning is defined and related to the Open University. Information is provided on the establishment, work, services, and resources of the CICS. A wallet folder at the back of the booklet contains details of the…

Very little is known about how students learn from television, particularly when television is used in conjunction with a prescribed set of written materials. At the Open University of Great Britain, classes have proliferated to the extent that it is not longer possible to broadcast one lecture to accompany each unit of instruction. To reduce air…

This book challenges the notion that the open university is a recent invention and argues that in Britain there is a long and varied tradition of similar developments, and that there has been a significant 20th century reduction in the openness of universities, particularly in the period from the 1950s to the 1970s. Selected examples of open…

The Open University of Great Britain relies heavily on broadcasting as a mode of instruction, but increased course offerings are making it impossible to broadcast each lesson more than once. To reach students unable to view the original broadcast, video cassette reorder systems were tested in six community study centers as part of a 1974 pilot…

The Open University of Great Britain is an open-enrollment, home-based institution in which the majority of instruction is conducted via broadcasts and correspondence. As part of an effort to measure the effectiveness of this program, 490 students in a course in mathematical analysis were surveyed to: 1) determine the amount of time students spent…

In a home-based institution like the Open University of Great Britain where enrollment is open and participation patterns are erratic, maintaining up-to-date, accurate records of students is imperative. A systematized data base is required for the administration of admissions, fee collection, materials distribution, monitoring and marking of…

This book explores the essentials of distance education and reviews issues facing large open universities (mega-universities) worldwide. It uses examples from industry and the knowledge media, to show how technology-based learning can be made attractive both to students and to institutions. The book's eight chapters, including 10 figures and 5…

This book contains 14 case studies, written by those involved in the teaching and training initiatives, that illustrate the use of open and distance learning strategies. The case studies, drawn from many parts of the world (but mostly British based), feature efforts in large and small companies in a variety of industries. The first part of the…

This book examines the successes of the Open University (OU), a concept now 25 years old, in overcoming obstacles to higher education faced by nontraditional students, and particularly those faced by older women. The OU has no entry qualification, requires no tests, admits all applicants on a space-available basis, and awards a Bachelor's degree.…