Statistical study of attrition and performance among external students of the University of Papua New Guinea found the most important factors in student attrition to be age, number of children, and to a lesser extent, housing conditions, sex, sponsorship, and region of residence. (EAO)

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)

A survey was conducted to identify how the Open University (OU) materials and strategies influence teaching staff in conventional institutions. Of the 59 responders, 14 were Open University tutors. OU textual materials were used by half; nonbook materials, mostly by OU part-time tutors, as were OU subject ideas and teaching strategies. (AF)

Practitioner interest in part time postgraduate, off-campus study leading to a PharmD degree was assessed by administering a non-self-selective survey to 202 practitioners attending continuing education programs in six geographic regions in Kentucky. A verbal and written probable program description was presented prior to the survey. (Author/MLW)

Study compared fifty adult performance level (APL) graduates' scores to fifty high school graduates' scores for four APL knowledge areas. APL graduates scored significantly higher than high school graduates in consumer economics and occupational knowledge. No significant differences were recorded between groups in areas of community resources and…

Study centers for the Open University are described. They provide students with an opportunity to meet other students, tutors, and counselors. Some possible future developments within the study centers are outlined. (JMF)

Discusses some methodology for and problems inherent in analyzing economic costs of educational institutions and presents findings from cost studies of higher education institutions of two types: (1) a regional open university with central management offices, and state organizations through which students can enroll in televised credit courses,…

There are 138 accredited external degree programs providing distance learning, correspondence study, and equivalency testing to lead to academic degrees. Program enrollment has expanded in recent years. The nontraditional students, often minority working adults, are highly motivated. Advancing technology has improved opportunities, but many…

The articles contained in this report represent a diverse collection of pedagogical issues involved in teacher training at a distance in countries throughout the world. Distance education offers pre-service and in-service teachers with both skills training and an opportunity to complete teacher training programs or degrees. The proliferation of…

An investigation was conducted for the purpose of creating a valid and reliable instrument that could serve the Nova University ( Florida) Programs for Higher Education (PHE) central administrative and field staff in counseling new field-based doctoral students who have exhibited less positive or negative attitudes toward independent learning.…

Organizational change in the context of nontraditional education is discussed, with attention to Athabasca University (AU), which offers external degree programs in Canada. After considering the evolution of the role of academic faculty at AU, attention is directed to the role of research in the innovative, nontraditional university. Although AU's…

Three challenges that face distance educators at the national, institute, and individual subject level in Australia are discussed in a set of Occasional Papers by the Riverina-Murray Institute of Higher Education (RMIHE). Australia is undergoing a period of major change. The binary system of universities and colleges of advanced education is…

This course, one of 16 sequential courses comprising phase one of a part-time Bachelor of Arts degree program in Australian Studies, introduces debate over the forms, functions, and political implications of public opinion. It pays particular attention to opinion polls and the news media and the way public opinion is produced. It is designed for…

These courses, two of 16 sequential courses comprising phase one of a part-time Bachelor of Arts degree program in Australian Studies, examine the establishment and development of early Australian colonial society and introduce students to the problems of reconstructing the history of the penal colony period. They are designed for independent…

The purpose of this study, conducted in 1976, was to update and extend the 1974 survey entitled "Student Use of Open University Broadcasting" or the Bates Report. It was also intended to assist broadcast policy and planning decisions and to furnish individual course teams with summative evaluation data on student use of broadcasting. The…