Observing that distance teaching so far conducted at Britain's Open University is based on an authoritarian model with teacher-developed multimedia programed courses, the author proposes a new approach to such correspondence-type courses in which a framework is provided for students to organize their own learning using their own methods. (JT)

It is shown that Open University students are psychologically able to sustain an independent (i.e., student-centered) program of learning and that the Open University degree structure is sufficiently flexible to incorporate truly independent study into its structure in the form of a project credit. (Author/LBH)

Describes the two and one-half year process of developing a genetics course for Britain's Open University. The final package of print, television, radio, home experiments, summer schools and a number of assignments and examinations is a product of the course team of Open University staff, British Broadcasting Corporation production staff, and…

Describes the membership, responsibilities, problems, and group dynamics involved in the team approach to the design and development of courses for Britain's Open University. The team selects content and creates teaching materials using various media (correspondence texts, television and radio programs, summer school, home experiment kits,…

Developmental testing at the Open University is a type of formative evaluation in which a small sample of students work through learning materials to determine their effectiveness. On the basis of student feedback, the material may be accepted as it stands, modified in part, or totally revised before it is produced in its final form for the…

The success of distance teaching depends largely on students' comprehension and appreciation of print communication. A communication gap exists, and many students are unable to recognize levels of complexity presented to them. Changes in course structure can help alleviate this learning problem. (MSE)

The experience of an open university with the uses of technology in higher education is documented. The emphasis is on its exemplary use of educational technology in context. Examination of the details of how the Open University employs media to serve a large dispersed student body may benefit others who plan to expand or modify their own uses of…

The situation of the part-time tutor at the Open University is examined by a staff member. Consideration is given to the sense of isolation, the part-timer's general role in the university and limitations enforced by that role, and the contribution part-timers could make to course maintenance and planning. (LBH)

A form used in Britain's Open University for teachers to criticize team-developed courses has been improved to allow for more constructive comments, more two-way communication, and continual course improvement. (MSE)

Very little is known about how students learn from television, particularly when television is used in conjunction with a prescribed set of written materials. At the Open University of Great Britain, classes have proliferated to the extent that it is not longer possible to broadcast one lecture to accompany each unit of instruction. To reduce air…

Three objectives are examined in this report: (1) to outline concisely some of the educational questions that course planning teams may wish to address in the early stages of course planning; (2) to provide a short list of resources, principally from the Open University's Institute of Educational Technology (IET), that may aid in course team…

The way that the Open University system in Great Britain operates and the use of the mass media are discussed in detail. A number of problems the adult student is likely to face are identified, along with basic differences between U.S. and British societies that influence the application of an open university approach. Attention is directed to:…

The Open University of Great Britain is an open-enrollment, home-based institution in which the majority of the instruction is conducted via broadcasts and correspondence. The student is required to interact with printed materials, broadcasts, tutors, counselors, assignments, cassette recordings, experiment kits, etc. The choice of media is…

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,…