Thirty learning styles preferences are profiled for a group of adult male students enrolled in an external degree program. The Canfield Learning Style Inventory was used to assess the adult students' learning styles. Correlations between learning styles and traditional learning environments were examined. (Author/MLW)

Studies may not help to determine cost-effectiveness of distance or mediated education for several reasons: difficulty gathering data; many costs are not intrinsic to technology, but a result of decisions made; and difficulty in comparing costs of different mediated programs. Cost-effectiveness of technology can be determined by designing and…

A comparison study between the 371 graduates of FIU's External Degree Program and a randomly-selected sample of graduates from the traditional on-campus degree programs is reported. Key factors to success are acceptance to graduate study, career advancement, and attitudes toward goal attainment. (Author/LBH)

A control group of students enrolled in a traditional program at Sinclair Community College was compared with an experimental group of College Without Walls (CWW) students. CWW students expressed significantly greater satisfaction with the accomplishment of numerous institutional goals than did their traditional student counterparts. (Author/MLW)

The issues of selecting an evaluation type, scope, and techniques are discussed in relation to a study that aims to investigate the effects of introducing a multimedia independent learning package into a conventional university environment. This is done by examining one second-level Open University course taught at the University of Essex.…

An analysis of developments at the Open University since 1973 indicates that there has been little reduction in average cost in real terms and that no improvement is likely on known developments to 1979. Reasons for this are explored, and suggestions for improving the situation are offered. (Editor/LBH)

Study compared fifty adult performance level (APL) graduates' scores to fifty high school graduates' scores for four APL knowledge areas. APL graduates scored significantly higher than high school graduates in consumer economics and occupational knowledge. No significant differences were recorded between groups in areas of community resources and…

A survey of graduates' satisfaction with and perceptions of the effectiveness of off-campus and on-campus master's degree programs in special education revealed differences in attitudes toward service delivery and the importance of program goals in the two programs, but no differences in knowledge of program competencies or overall program…

A survey of University of New England academic staff was conducted to determine their perceptions of external teaching as part of a larger study to ascertain staff attitudes toward their effectiveness as teachers. Responses related to demands, enjoyment, and benefits of external and internal teaching, and student characteristics are discussed.…

Research on independent learning motivation conducted through in-depth interviews with correspondence students is compared with what is known about the motivation and behavior of people who pursue leisure interests independently: deciding what to study, what resources are needed, and when the learning objectives have been achieved. (MSE)

The focus and purpose of this study are two-fold: (1) to assess, by means of an evaluation questionnaire, the academic quality of and satisfaction with correspondence study programs--causes, instructions, and administrative staff--as perceived by the students who enroll in and complete courses offered by them; and (2) to examine the population…

Information and course materials for a comparative religion course offered to registered nurses as part of an off-campus bachelor's degree completion program are presented. Some presumptions about the students that affected design of the course are considered. The course provided students the opportunity to study the broad field of comparative…

Teacher training for Guyanese secondary science teachers in a school of education was compared with a distance-taught program by a variety of criteria: supervisor scoring using the Guyanese Ministry of Education's rating scale in classroom observation; self-ratings pupil ratings; and ratings by head teachers in schools having graduates of both…

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…

Results of a survey of graduates and inactive students of a nontraditional bachelor's program reveal differences in age and ethnic groups, number of reasons (although not primary reason) for seeking a degree or nontraditional program, and attitudes toward program variables, assets, and problems. Results are evaluated according to concepts of…