The international literature on learning at a distance is reviewed with attention to student participation, faculty issues, the technology of delivery, necessary support systems, and the organization and process of distance education. Distance education is used in many content areas in economically diverse countries. Individuals who must learn at…

Seventy postsecondary programs that use one or more telecommunications technologies to serve learners are described, and current patterns and trends, and projections about future problems and possibilities, are discussed. The purpose of the guide is to encourage educators to focus attention on the educational problem before considering which, if…

Completion and cost data for six courses delivered in two different modes--home study and paced package--through Athabasca University were analyzed. Students in a home study course received tutorial support via the telephone and progress through the course was at the discretion of each individual learner. Students in a paced package course…

Descriptions of experiences with Open University programs for womens' education in two areas of England illustrate the need for regional support networks to encourage participation in continuing education. Such support services would accommodate the counseling and scheduling needs of reentry women, particularly mothers and homemakers. (MSE)

Correspondence institutions in United Kingdom and South Africa have enrolled Mauritian students in various courses and programs at different levels for more than 50 years. The institutionalization of second-generation distance education (DE) using print and audiovisual media had modest beginnings with the inception of the Mauritius College of the…

It is argued that language learning ought to be interactive. The traditional language classroom provides a favourable interactive situation for language learners. By contrast, the distance education mode is limited in some ways regarding language learning. Necessarily, distance education involves, primarily, self-learning. Face-to-face learning…

In the context of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), United Nations University (UNU) initiated the creation of a network of Regional Centres of Expertise (RCEs) for Education for Sustainable Development. This paper describes the philosophy behind the activities performed by one of those RCEs, RCE Rhine-Meuse, an RCE…

This book advances an argument for how to restructure public higher education in the United States. Among the authors' suggestions are: instituting an open-admissions policy to allow more people an opportunity for a college education; encouraging high school students to delay their college education until they are emotionally and academically…

This book contains the following papers from a European research seminar examining the history and theory of cross-cultural communication in adult education: "Introduction: Encounters and Identities in European Adult Education since 1890" (Barry J. Hake, Stuart Marriott); "The University Extension Movement (1892-1914) in Ghent,…

This collection of 17 essays focuses on trends and issues in higher education from an international perspective. It includes: (1) "Introduction" (Zaghloul Morsy); (2) "The Idea of the University: Changing Roles, Current Crisis, and Future Challenges" (Torsten Husen); (3) "Patterns in Higher Education Development: Towards…

This volume presents three analytical discussions of issues in the application of technology at the postsecondary level, both in the provision of distance education and its use in support of teaching, learning, research, administration, management, and libraries in institutions of higher education institutions. Part 1, "Responding to the Triple…

The aim of this study was to investigate some of the learner variables that may have an influence on university academic achievement in a distance versus a conventional education setting. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used to analyze data by using "Pearson r," and "F-test." Results revealed that the university…

Although the National Open University of Taiwan (NOU) and Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) both opened in the 1980s in environments of rapid economic growth and political stability, the NOU reflects traditional Chinese values whereas the OUHK merges Chinese and Western beliefs. Categorized as a "supplemental" school, the NOU occupies…

The rapid development of modern information and communications technologies has opened new possibilities for establishing and delivering distance learning. In addition, the new learning paradigm based on cognitive learning theories can emphasize the quality of the learning process. The open learning environment that utilizes modern communications…

This bibliography provides a comprehensive view of the use of media in a large distance education institution--the Open University. Both externally published and internal papers are presented in sections, which are further divided into sub-sections according to related themes. There is considerable overlap among papers, and many abstracts are…