Examines the history of distance education in terms of its ability to foster communicative action. Discusses Habermas's Theory of Communicative Action; Critical Theory; rationality; the role of technology in distance education; correspondence study; multimedia instruction; computer-mediated distance education; and the potential for interactivity…

The School of Post-Compulsory Education and Training (PCET) of the University of Greenwich (London), whose main purpose is to provide initial training and professional development for teachers, trainers, and lectures, provides a distance-learning program. This article discusses the program and the piloting of a groupware product that permits…