This booklet attempts to explain distance education in a short and readily understandable way. It tells what distance education is as well as what it is not. Users of distance education are described. Other topics include the basic system and subsystems of distance education; ways of communicating; what makes distance education materials good; distance education material design, production, and distribution; services needed to back up distance education materials; student assessment; how to run an efficient system; and how to start a distance education system. The booklet also focuses on choosing an organizational model, special problems of managing a distance education system, costs of distance education, and how distance education works. Sources of additional information and a selected bibliography are also provided. (YLB)