Open education resources (OER) are taking centre-stage in many higher educational institutions globally, driven by the need to raise institutional profiles, improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning and achieve universal access to education. Many academics attracted to the idea of turning teaching materials into OER have, however, found…

The process of developing innovative mobile approaches to informal and formal learning is challenging, not least in needing to satisfy stakeholders with diverse interests in the technology, the pedagogy and the overall system. Some approaches to evaluation may focus on examining the nature and quality of learning that occurs, while other methods…

A study of 14 Open University (Great Britain) undergraduate courses examined tutor marked assignment (TMA) rates as a reliable early indicator of student retention. This article reviews the effectiveness of course-related evaluation strategies (standard, evaluator-initiated; specific, client-initiated; quantitative; and qualitative) and argues the…

Describes how the prereading material for an introductory banking course at the Loughborough University Business School (United Kingdom) was transformed into a distance learning package. Highlights include a review of relevant literature; a transformation model; and evaluation of the transformation process and of the distance learning package.…

Discusses effective tutor monitoring strategies based on experiences at the Open Learning Institute of Hong Kong. Highlights include key performance and strategic control points; situational factors, including tutor expectations and relevant culture; Theory X versus Theory Y leadership theories; and monitoring relationships with tutors. (LRW)

Explores one student's personal experience of the evolution of distance learning in the United Kingdom between 1977 and 1997. Discusses changes in learning materials; differences in assessment strategies and learner support; increasing consumerism; changes in the nature of distance learners; and the increasing role of information and communication…

Investigates Pennsylvania State University's electronic distance education program to determine difficulties that faculty members and administrators face when faculty choose to teach electronically within a traditional institution. Discusses time needed by faculty for course development; promotion and tenure issues; costs; and assessing the…

Describes steps taken in developing an evaluation system for distance teaching at the Open Junior High School system in Indonesia. Reviews data collection techniques, and discusses advantages and disadvantages of evaluation studies. Presents a historical background of the system, and lists the system's strengths and weaknesses discovered via…

Discusses the Assessment of Prior Learning (APL) and describes a pilot project at the Open University (United Kingdom) that introduced credit for APL in one course. Steps in the assessment process are outlined, including constructing a student portfolio; and workload, staff development, and costs are considered. (LRW)

Discussion of assessment in online distance education focuses on network-delivered model answers and peer review as additional formative feedback on assessment. Concentrates on the development of a critical approach to writing and the ability to communicate within a discipline in a course at the United Kingdom's Open University. (Author/LRW)