The 3P (presage, process, product) model was introduced as a conceptualisation to underpin research into students' approaches to learning (SAL). This paper proposes the refocusing of the 3P model by formulating the initial presage phase as a teaching and learning environment, thus making the 3P model more consistent with SAL research which…

Background: Consideration of motivation in higher education has often been drawn upon theories and research that were based upon school or workplace studies. Aims: This paper reports an open naturalistic study to better characterize the motivational orientation of students in higher education. Method: Open semi-structured individual interviews…

A tongue-in-cheek look at methods used for curriculum development by many colleges and universities compares the process to two others: destruction of trees and trial by ordeal. Forests are destroyed to produce large quantities of paper for printing of curricula in many versions, followed by Kafkaesque committee scrutiny. (MSE)

Discussion of staff development in distance education focuses on the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) for developing instructional design skills in subject experts. Contingency theories of management are examined, literature on CBAM is reviewed, and use of CBAM in a course team approach for course development is described. (22 references) (LRW)

Describes a study that was conducted to characterize the approaches to teaching of university lecturers and to examine the relationship between lecturers' approaches to teaching and their conceptions of good teaching. Highlights include a model relating beliefs, teaching and learning; motivational distinctions; accommodation for student…

A characteristic shared by the majority of adult students is that they are undertaking part-time study. For these adult learners one of the major difficulties is how to find time for their study. This paper reports the coping mechanisms that part-time adult students adopt to meet the additional demands that study puts on their existing commitments…

A model of drop-out from distance education is proposed. The longitudinal model is developed from Tinto's model. It includes components for background characteristics, goal commitment, academic and social integration, and a cost/benefit analysis. Issues inherent in testing the model are discussed. (Author/MLW)

A model of student progress and drop-out from postsecondary distance education courses includes components of background characteristics; motivation; academic environment; and the family, work, and social environment. The author recommends ways in which distance education courses might be formatted so as to reduce student drop-out. (Author/MLW)

This book, which is intended for distance educators and students of the theoretical foundations of distance education, offers a conceptual model of distance education and recommendations for policy and practice that link the principles of instructional design and the provision of learner support. Discussed in the first four chapters are the…