A description of MAIL (Micro-Assisted Learning), a microcomputer system for distance teaching which corrects mailed-in tests and generates letters commenting on each of the answers, is used to identify criteria which will help determine whether an innovation will be successful. These criteria include accessibility, operational ease, and learner…

The four projects described here, a selection of those funded by the Annenberg/CPB Project, focus on the use of telecommunication and information technologies as tools for teaching in higher education. All are written by people directly involved in the projects described. The introductory section, "Overview: Issues in Educational…

This series of five articles discusses minimizing computer failure; a national software clearinghouse for educational programs; Apple Software with a Purpose; a student-run word processing center at Jefferson College in Missouri; Wisconsin Technical School of the Air; vocational courses delivered by broadcast and cable television; and the delivery…

Describes a study that was conducted to learn about the needs of distance education students who were enrolled in television-based college courses. Student characteristics are examined; barriers to attending on-campus courses are described; and computer use at home, at work, and on-campus is discussed. (LRW)

This paper describes the technology and benefits of distance education, especially microcomputer-assisted programs, for isolated schools with limited access to certified teachers. An interactive system known alternately as audiographics teleteaching and microcomputer-aided teleteaching was recently introduced at Brigham Young University's (BYU)…

Part of a pilot project in distance learning by satellite in North Carolina, this telecourse is designed to increase teachers' awareness and understanding of how to use computers and instructional software in their teaching. The six 1-hour teleconference sessions in this telecourse include "live," interactive one-way video/two-way audio…

In order to determine what constraints lead students to enroll in television-based courses, personal interviews were conducted in the fall of 1989 with students enrolled in at least one telecourse at four institutions, i.e., Governors State University in Illinois, Northern Virginia Community College, Memphis State University in Tennessee, and the…

Based on data collected over a period of 3 years (1987-1989) on the utilization of telecourses for college credit instruction, this report presents the over-all state of postsecondary uses of telecourses and examines current trends. It is noted that the study is limited to telecourses used to reach distant learners, and that personal computer…

The Office of Technology Assessment authorized a series of case studies in 1989 to investigate how technologies, services, and programs are implemented in distance education projects. The studies were also intended to look at the role of local, state, and federal agencies, and other public and private entities in providing educational services to…

Small and rural schools can use the new technologies of distance education to broaden curricular offerings while facing low student enrollments and increased costs. Courses offered via audio teleconferencing permit live teacher/student interaction and often use videotape as well as two-way audio components. Programs from the University of…

Through a series of case studies, this report examines the varied connections between selected Ontario schools and the TVOntario programs and services designed to support teaching and learning. The case studies profile nine school districts: Waterville, Countryside, Edgewater, Cliffside, Pleasantville, Rocky, Satellite City, Centretown, and…

Discusses distance learning, describes the Open University in the United Kingdom, and describes the incorporation of home computing into computer courses at the Open University. Industrial training is discussed, a course using televised classes and one using video and printed materials are described, and future possibilities are suggested. (Three…

TVOntario, the television network operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, has been utilizing computer managed learning (CML) in its support of television-based nonformal adult learning projects since 1980. Three of these projects, or academies, have been offered on the topics of health and environment, music and musicians,…

The applications of telecommunications technology, computers, and other technologies are addressed in five papers. In an overview, Raymond J. Lewis, Jr. suggests that colleges and universities are finding that telecommunication technologies offer cost effective ways of reaching adult learners, and that open broadcast television has been the…