The role of technology in non-traditional higher education is analyzed with particular emphasis on technology-based networks. A brief overview is presented on non-traditional programs, institutions, and consortia. Non-traditional programs which utilize technology are studied. Technology-based networks are surveyed and analyzed with regard to kinds…

Research evaluated the effectiveness of varying television (TV) lesson formats. Adults ranging in age from 17 to 58 viewed lessons in accounting and psychology in four formats featuring: 1) a storyline running through a lesson; 2) a news magazine format dealing with different concepts in one lesson; 3) a non-authoritarian narrator; and 4) an…

The term "outreach" was chosen to describe the array of efforts to provide educational opportunities to those not now well served or not served at all by the post-secondary system. Some of these, such as extension and correspondence, are well-tested approaches. Many fall into the category of non-traditional schemes as external degree…

Statistics and other information about dropout rates and characteristics at Britain's Open University are summarized and presented in question and answer form as a basis for informed discussion of the institution's dropout problem. Factors in dropping out (course, environment, motivation, other), dropout characteristics, course and discipline…

This Commission for Higher Education document concerns the approval of the Policy for Delivering Degree Programs Through Distance Education Technology. It opens with the staff recommendation that the Commission approve the Policy, considering the recent technological developments altering distance education environments. The background information…

Results of a survey of graduates and inactive students of a nontraditional bachelor's program reveal differences in age and ethnic groups, number of reasons (although not primary reason) for seeking a degree or nontraditional program, and attitudes toward program variables, assets, and problems. Results are evaluated according to concepts of…

A regional program of pre-university courses in northwestern England open to adults with no entry qualifications is discussed. It uses some distance learning techniques but is investigating expansion to technical education through distance learning. The complexities and potential costs of such a substantial directional change are examined. (MSE)

Plans for a nationwide system of education at a distance in Colombia, South America, are now under way to meet growing demands for higher education and to decentralize the current university system. Prior to this decision, a feasibility project was undertaken by the University of Antioquia. The project and results are reported. (Author/JMD)

Summaries of impact evaluations are presented to indicate the extent and types of studies that have been conducted. Studies reflect various segments of the field: employers, continuing professional education, adult basic education, career education, external degrees, libraries and counseling, continuing education of women, and discussion groups…

The Technical and Further Education (TAFE) Off-Campus Network of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) is described as a model for providing student services for off-campus programs for 15 study centers located throughout Australia. (JMF)

The abstracts in this series provide two-page discussions of issues related to leadership, administration, professional development, technology, and education in community colleges. Volume 9 for 1996 includes the following 12 abstracts: (1) "Tech-Prep + School-To-Work: Working Together To Foster Educational Reform," (Roderick F. Beaumont); (2)…

A comparison of the motivational orientations of adult and vocational education graduates was made to determine the motivation for nontraditional students' participation in the off-campus credit programs leading to a master's degree at Marshall University (West Virginia). The population for this study consisted of all 319 vocational-technical…

This guide lists 24 accredited colleges and universities that offer degrees through correspondence courses. The colleges and universities are listed in alphabetical order. Each listing includes the following: name of the institution, a short history, the regional accrediting body by which it is accredited, a brief introduction about how each…

This report summarizes western states' policies and regulations governing the approval of higher education programs electronically delivered across state lines by institutions in other states. It caps the first year's activities in a 3-year Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications project, "Balancing Quality and Access: Reducing…

Nontraditional education credits can be earned in many ways. Some methods of assessing learning for credit are objective, such as standardized texts; others are more objective, such as a review of life experiences. Options for earning a high school diploma without spending 4 years in a classroom are as follows: General Educational Development…