The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted every aspect of society. In mid-April 2020, 192 countries had closed their schools, putting 9 out of 10 enrolled children out of school. These closures disproportionately affected marginalized children, worsening existing inequities across education systems worldwide. This brief draws on the experience of five…

How do open and distance learning institutions review and renew themselves to ensure their continued fitness for purpose? Here we report on the work of a change team in the UK Open University, a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning created to examine, innovate and improve student support. The existence of the Centre for five years from…

This paper details the advantages of creating a strategic plan in the development and delivery of distance programs at the authors' own institution. The steps involved in the planning process and the three key elements of a successful strategic plan are addressed. The key elements include a program plan explaining the roles/responsibilities of…

The primary purpose of the current study was to examine barriers to the use of distance education and explore related factors in small and low-income rural schools. Data were collected via a telephone survey with administrators or other qualified personnel. The sample involved 417 randomly selected small and low-income rural school districts…

The Pacific eLearning Observatory at the University of the South Pacific (USP) conducted an online survey of educational technologists (n = 60) to assess levels of access to information and communication technologies (ICT) in education and identify ways of lowering the barriers to ICT in the Pacific region. Almost half of USP's 22,000 students are…

This study was carried out at the request of the Ministry of Education, Zambia. The Commonwealth of Learning contracted Turning Points Consultancy CC, a Namibian company, who provided the services of the author, to "carry out an evaluation of the Zambia College of Distance Education (ZACODE) and submit recommendations to the Ministry of…

This report shows how Universal Service Fund support for schools and libraries is used by school districts and libraries around the country. Highlighted are approximately 190 success stories of program participants that have come to rely on the USF to expand educational opportunities for students through better use of telecommunications technology…

In the 1960s and 1970s distance education was seen as a way of increasing access to education, and hence as something the state should fund. Libertarian thinking has weakened support for the nation-state as a provider of social welfare. This article argues that libertarian policies are "vicious" in their effects. By subscribing to such…

This project examined: states' organizational and financial models of virtual colleges and universities (VCUs); statewide goals for which VCUs were created; and policies, programs, and student participation in VCUs. Data came from a survey of all known statewide and systemwide VCUs and interviews with VCU leaders. Overall, VCUs are gravitating…

Argues that the benefits to the end-users of distance education should be studied. Suggests that distance learning restricts the options for teaching and learning for both students and teachers and transfers parametric control of classroom interactions to the technicians, accountants, bureaucrats, and engineers. (DDR)

Technology is necessary but not sufficient for successful distance education. Argues that the two most important ingredients in technological solutions to education are maintaining a steady policy and providing sufficient funds for "systemic" solutions. (PEN)

Also known as online learning, virtual learning, and distance learning, e-learning relies on the Internet as a way to deliver instruction to students. This article explores the differences between virtual schools, and virtual courses, and discusses the differences between the two, and the benefits of both. In both virtual schools and virtual…

This paper outlines a range of projects developed with funding from the European Community for a computer communication and research network and the electronic means employed to realize the network, from the point of view of the Director of Languages Resource Unit, University of Ulster, who must coordinate language training on six distant campuses…

The Iowa Distance Education Alliance (IDEA) is a partnership involving educational institutions across Iowa that have received funding from the Federal Star Schools Program to demonstrate the use of the Iowa Communication Network's (ICN) fiber optic technology for elementary and secondary education. First-year activities focused on teacher…

This paper was written to assist institutions in understanding the costs associated with providing online courses. An accompanying Web site was created to allow users to enter data specific to their institution in order to estimate costs associated with a venture into online courses. The paper addresses: (1) background of online courses…