Evaluates Murdoch University's policy of flexibility which allows external students to pace their courses over one or two semesters by examining student enrollment patterns, academic performance, and student and staff attitudes. (EAO)

The Off-Campus Degree Program at Linfield College (Oregon) provides quality coursework to a group of part-time adult students who would not otherwise have access to a four-year degree program. In 1980, Linfield joined six other institutions to form the National University Consortium (NUC), the first national organization of colleges and…

A Quality Assurance Program (QAP) developed at the College of St. Francis is presented that is based on an open systems approach. The model allows an institution to continually monitor, evaluate, and, when necessary, modify its academic programs, graduates or undergraduate, traditionally or non-traditionally delivered, to assure quality. Part I…

Tutors and tutor-counselors assist individual students in the Open University. The effects on student's tutors of providing resources to tutor-counselors to offer extra sessions for first-year students who appear to need additional help are reported. (JMF)

Some of the reasons for adopting contract learning and some strategies used at Empire State College, the University of South Carolina, and Wilmington College, are useful in aiding the adoption of new ways of teaching and learning. Several useful strategies are: (1) launch a committee to study local goals and needs; (2) connect the group 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 3-year, off-campus Master's degree program in human development has been implemented since 1978 in various counties in Maryland by the Department of Human Development of the University of Maryland (College Park). The main ingredient of the program is on-site, direct observation of teacher/student behavior followed up by small group sessions…

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…

A study explored reasons chosen by adults for returning to college and their perceptions of their attainment by reviewing the literature and surveying graduates of an off-campus degree program. Review of prior studies led to the expectation that there would be two main groups of reasons: job-related and personal enrichment. Baccalaureate degree in…

A comprehensive study was undertaken of the effectiveness of an external degree program implemented in Illinois to meet the needs of adult students studying for the bachelor's degree. The rationale, history, structure, administration, and governance of the statewide program offered through five universities are described. The majority of students…

The quality of off-campus degree programs is considered in relation to quality control models and efforts that have been used to achieve quality control, the parties responsible for quality control, the effectiveness of programs to improve the educational quality of nontraditional education, and future prospects. It is suggested that quality…

This report of a workshop on various aspects of adult learning and education contains the following papers: "Take This Job And Shape It: Using Journal Writing to Enrich Your Professional Life" (David Shallenberger, Phyllis Walden); "Assessing Math Skills of Adult Learners" (Betty Hurley Lawrence); "Using Visual Arts for Cultural Analysis: Adult…