This article looks at an experience within the context of distance higher education, which has incorporated the reading of two novelettes (short novels, commonly known as novellas) created on an ad hoc basis for two subjects of a Criminology degree course. The goal of this research is to analyse students' perceptions of their validity as a study…

This article presents an analysis of degree course acceptances for UK undergraduate students in 2002 and 2008. It examines student mobility between the UK regions, and the trends in their movement within local markets. Data shows a growing trend for students to study within local regions, especially women. Increases in acceptances of over 10% are…

This article presents findings from a study of mature part-time students and their reported benefits of study. It is based on data from a questionnaire survey of graduates from two major--but very different--providers of part-time higher education: Birkbeck, University of London and the Open University. Response items were grouped within a…

There is little systematic evidence on the experience of disabled students in higher education. In this study, equal numbers of disabled and nondisabled students taking courses with the UK Open University were surveyed with regard to their approaches to studying and perceptions of the academic quality of their courses. Students with dyslexia or…

The experiences of students taking the same course by distance learning were compared when tutorial support was provided conventionally (using limited face-to-face sessions with some contact by telephone and email) or online (using a combination of computer-mediated conferencing and email). Study 1 was a quantitative survey using an adapted…

A pilot study investigated the feasibility of a survey of students completing undergraduate programmes in the UK regarding their experiences of learning and teaching. A questionnaire containing 45 items in six scales was distributed to 44,209 students from 22 institutions. It was returned by 17,173 students, and analysis of their responses broadly…

An examination of the philosophy and implementation of two special programs offered by the Open University of Israel to socially and educationally disadvantaged populations focuses on whether both values of quality and equity can be achieved in higher education. (Author/MSE)

At Britain's Open University all the teaching staff work in teams, one team responsible for each course throughout its life. The author examines and evaluates the effective functioning of these course teams identifying conditions under which such units might be effectively utilized in other settings. (JT)

Instructional systems, both distance education and campus-based, may be viewed in terms of intrapersonal and interpersonal "instructional dialogues," that mediate and facilitate learning respectively, and "instructional resources" that enable such dialogues. Resources include self-instruction texts, tutorials, instructor…

The Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) and an 'in-house' questionnaire, the Personal and Educational Development Inventory (PEDI), were administered in a postal survey of graduates who had been awarded the first BA/BSc (Hons) named degrees of the Open University and comparison samples of graduates awarded the pre-existing 'unnamed' degrees. The…

Educational professional development is a global concern. It is often characterised by event-delivery methods, though there are signs that other approaches are gaining favour. The authors stress the significance of non-formal learning, and the ways in which it can be promoted and enhanced within the activity systems within which teachers in higher…

In an open university History of Science course a unit was written to provide basic information on quantum theory for students with arts and social science background in order to enable these students to handle the Bohr-Einstein debate. An evaluation of the unit showed that it achieved its purpose. (Author/MLW)

This article reports the findings of a 3 year research project which investigated disciplinary variation in student writing. Within an Open University course in the history of science, students from an arts background were found to achieve significantly higher grades than those from a science background. Textual and interview data suggest that…

Evaluation of the impact of a policy of Great Britain's Open University requiring students in specified courses to have access to a microcomputer found that preexisting differences in the student body affecting access (particularly gender, income, and geographical location) were magnified by the need to use computers. (Author/DB)