The characteristics and educational needs of adult students, who now outnumber traditional college-age students, are described. Nontraditional baccalaureate degree programs, such as external degree programs, designed to accommodate adult needs, are discussed. Developments within the military and within academic institutions to promote programs for…

Discussion of the development of distance education programs in the United States, Australia, Canada, and Great Britain focuses primarily on six programs in the United States. External degree programs are discussed, standard examinations that assess prior learning are described, and credit policies for extra-institutional learning are examined.…

This paper outlines the method and theoretical basis for establishing and implementing an independent study music curriculum. The curriculum combines practical and theoretical paradigms and leads to an external degree. The computer, in direct interaction with the student, is the primary instructional tool, and the teacher is involved in indirect…

The problems and needs of adults returning for higher education are discussed. It is important for learning institutions and nontraditional programs to investigate the types and the scope of these problems and needs and the availability of support the student will receive from others to help overcome the problems. (Author/MLW)

Discussion of variables that affect successful completion of external degree programs focuses on a study that investigated the association between learning style and persistence among students from the University of Wisconsin System Extended Degree Programs. Literature on distance education is reviewed, and results of the study are analyzed. (35…

An investigation was conducted for the purpose of creating a valid and reliable instrument that could serve the Nova University ( Florida) Programs for Higher Education (PHE) central administrative and field staff in counseling new field-based doctoral students who have exhibited less positive or negative attitudes toward independent learning.…

Presents statistics and other information from English articles and Chinese newspapers on the People's Republic of China's Central Radio and Television University and distance education. Areas covered include management; student admission, control, support, and assessment; courses and curricula; telecast production; equipment; enrollment and…

Experience in Scotland shows that telephone tuition can be an effective means to bring remote students and tutors into direct contact. One-to-one tuition, conference call tuition, and loud-speaker tuition are discussed. Limitations and advantages of this medium are noted, and development across the United Kingdom is advocated. (AF)

Review of university provision of distance education in Asia highlights and illustrates major similarities and differences in the approaches used in different countries and institutions and compares the operations of national independent universities concerned only with external students and conventional universities which include a distance…

Application of experiences in adult and general education to experiential and prior learning in PharmD program development is discussed. Included in the discussion are definitions, program examples, contrasts with traditional programs, quality control procedures, program evaluation, and cost considerations. (MSE)

The Institute for Personal and Career Development of Central Michigan University has been administering graduate external degree programs for eight years. A survey of graduates is discussed that reveals: satisfaction with program, personal and career development, and accomplishment of educational goals and objectives of program. (Author/MLW)

From the perspective of counseling the distance learner, this paper explores trends in literature which might reflect increased awareness of the needs of the non-traditional student and the establishment and mobilization of resources to meet those needs. It is noted that comparatively little has been written in this specialized field so that a…

The choices involved in setting up an open learning system are discussed, and the case for the mixture of interaction and independence is established. Problems involved in effecting the synthesis between activities in which the student works alone and those which bring him into contact with others are detailed. (AF)

The Open University is recognized as a model of innovation in higher education, not merely for advances in the use of communications technology, but also for demonstrating the applications of such principles of technology as systems design, division of labor, and management by objectives to the educational tasks of course development, instruction,…

This report details the history of making higher education available to young workers and peasants in the USSR since the October Revolution of 1917. The paper is organized into six sections. The first section introduces the paper and outlines the educational system in the Soviet Union, especially the types of higher educational institutions. The…