In spite of its increasing popularity, distance education faces challenges -- levels of digital literacy, access to technology, workload and time management, students' feelings of isolation and disconnection -- that can have a significant impact on the experience of the learners. In addressing these issues, we propose a pedagogical model for…

Learner management systems (LMS) are used in open education as a means of managing and recording e-learning facilities as well as improving student engagement. Students benefit from them to become active participants in the decision-making process of their own learning. This study aims to investigate the initial perceptions of students…

Navigating learning, formal or informal, can be overwhelming, confusing, and impersonal. With more options than ever, the process of deciding what, where, and when can be overwhelming to a learner. The concept of Open College at Kaplan University (OC@KU) was to bring organization, purpose, and personalization of learning caused by vast resources…

With growth in online education, students gain tertiary qualifications through a mode more suited to their demographics such as work and life balance, learning styles and geographical accessibility. Inevitably this has led to a growth in diversity within student cohorts. The case study described in this paper illustrates strategies based on…

This paper presents a brief overview of current research on learner-centered curricular reform and of some of the issues attendant to its character and quality. Seven groupings of learner-centered reform are discussed in relation to current research and findings: performance and competency-based programs, personalized instruction, cooperative…

Reports an experiment in individualizing the instruction in a U. S. history survey course at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, begun during the summer session in 1972 and continued to the present with modifications. (Author/ND)

The contributions distance teaching (education delivered to learners who study anywhere and in their own time) can make to work-oriented, family and community, professional and paraprofessional, and general basic education in developing rural areas are discussed briefly. Its use in professional education is illustrated with description of the Free…

In the last decade, the questioning of traditional teaching and learning methods and instructional systems and the search for more effective alternatives have gained momentum. Recent trends are grouped and discussed, including individualized instruction, multimedia instruction, peer teaching, student evaluations of teachers, teacher training…

Examines vital design issues pertaining to the "Online Self-Test," a simple solution for dealing with concerns about lack of time and lack of motivation in distance education. Presents experiences gained during the implementation of the Online Self-Test Center for Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, Nashik, India, and…

Reasons for the increased interest in "self-access" learning in language classrooms are explored, particularly the shift from teacher-centered to learner-centered learning. Ways that a Malaysian teachers college set up a self-access learning center are described. (Contains seven references.) (LB)

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)

Full texts are provided of the individual papers presented at a symposium held to investigate technology-based systems for improving productivity in higher education. These systems, which marry an engineering systems approach with behavioral objectivism, are studied in the context of three specific learning environments: 1) grouped and bounded…

New forms of postsecondary education such as television colleges, contract learning programs, universities without walls, external degree programs, and education brokers have emerged to complement traditional adult and vocational education programs. New patterns and programs contribute to the open learning movement in higher education and offer…

The primary objective of this study was to encourage teacher education programs to further the knowledge of the principles, modes of teaching, learning styles, and organization of open education. Procedures used in conducting the study were (1) an analysis of the literature reflecting a theorectical framework within which the components of open…

This document is a diagnostic test and workbook for high school and college students who are developing a sense of history using a seven-stage developmental schema. It is part of SO 008 711 and should only be used in conjunction with it to fully understand its components. The objectives and explanation for the workbook will be found in SO 008 711.…