Discusses distance learning and examines the role of the educational environment as a place with unique characteristics. Highlights include correspondence education, multimedia and tele-learning models of distance education, and the trend to socially isolate the educational experience, thereby changing the nature of schools as public places. (LRW)

Reviews the origins of the lecture as the format of choice for instructional television in the 1950s, and evaluates the effectiveness of this format. The development of educational television, including the trend away from liberal arts curricula and the role played by the government and the Ford Foundation, are also discussed. (13 references) (CLB)

Argues that television has unique educational characteristics that separate it from other media and have implications for teaching and learning. Discussion of distributional and social, control, and symbolic (audiovisual) characteristics is based on published surveys and on research carried out at the Open University. Thirteen references are…

Discussion of the use of technology for training focuses on experiences in Japanese companies. Highlights include computer-based training; telelearning; forces for change in training, including changes in technology, the workforce, and international changes in economic, political, and social conditions; and implications for individuals and systems…

This keynote speech discusses the rise of telecommunicated distance education in the United States. Interactive satellite broadcasts for K-12 instruction are now received by more than 1,000 schools in more than 40 states. Similarly, many states are working with two-way interactive television projects, slow-scan television systems, and…

Current research on the adult learner and on instruction through media has grave flaws, and reviews of research in five areas are needed to assist instructional developers and adopters in making wise decisions. These include a critical analysis of existing telecourse packages, as well as reviews of research on the motivation of various subgroups…

A framework for classifying the uses of telecommunications in higher education is suggested, with examples of current programs and developments at a variety of institutions to illustrate the range of possible applications. (MSE)