For a number of years it has been suggested that distance education is a natural extension of existing teaching methods that includes learners who are separated from the instructor by time or distance. This paper takes an alternative look at distance-education research and evaluation and proposes an evaluation model built on that view. That…

This paper describes the first venture of the author (a professor at Kentucky's Morehead State University) into the world of distance learning technology, specifically interactive television. Highlights include the one-way video classroom; multimedia development; compressed video classroom; and use of listservs. An informal evaluation of the…

Fifteen papers from the University of South Africa's Conference on Distance Education are presented on media and technology. They include: "Video Education: What Went Wrong and Why It Is Tomorrow's Teacher If Used Correctly" (William M. Smith); "Formative Evaluation of ETV Programmes" (Aliza Duby); "Distance Education for…

The first year's observations of projects funded by the Annenberg/Corporation for Public Broadcasting in its New Pathways to a Degree project are summarized. The project was designed to help colleges use technologies to develop academic degree programs that are accessible to the new majority of learners, those who have jobs, home responsibilities,…

This third national conference on open learning and nontraditional study attempted to demonstrate cooperative efforts across the country and to show how open learning and nontraditional study relate to unified efforts to achieve common goals. Topics discussed at the conference included: (1) the national overview, (2) military training programs,…

A descriptive evaluation is presented that considers several distance-education courses in Nevada, all of which use compressed video. The performances and attitudes of distance-education students are compared in general terms with those of students in regular classes. Programs evaluated in this preliminary investigation include nursing courses…

A new breed of nontraditional institution has arisen to meet the demands of working adults who want to participate in lifelong learning but lack the time for full- or part-time study at a traditional institution. These new institutions range from completely virtual universities, online arms of existing institutions, learning marketplaces, or…

In many places across the country, public school students no longer automatically attend their neighborhood school. Instead, parents may decide that their child's needs are better met elsewhere, for example, at a small alternative school, an arts magnet school, a charter technology high school, or a media academy operating within a larger school.…

Nearly 100 conference papers from the George Mason University annual conference on nontraditional and interdisciplinary studies are presented. The are grouped into 14 categories: (1) assessment of prior learning, which includes "Lifelong Learning: Integrating the Liberal Arts and Experience in Adult General Education" (J. Gary Bernhard) and…

This guide, which is aimed primarily at those responsible for providing learning opportunities within further education in England and Wales, deals with managing open learning. Addressed in the individual chapters of the guide are the following topics: the nature of open learning; the production of learning materials; the impact of open learning…

This book, which is intended for academics, educators, educational managers, and policymakers concerned with higher education, examines how universities and colleges can prepare their students for lifelong learning through continuing education, specialized courses for adults, and mainstream teaching programs geared toward traditional students. The…

This document contains 15 papers from the information technology (IT) in vocational education and training (VET) section of an international conference on VET for lifelong learning in the information era. The following papers are included: "Adapting the System of Continuing Vocational Education for the 3rd Industrial Revolution--Experiences…