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…

An analysis and summary of 19 recent Canadian and U.S. reports on training needs show that all of them warn that Canada (like North America generally) is facing a serious skills crisis at a time of growing demand for capable workers. In addition, the studies point out that the private sector must contribute much more than it has so far to human…

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…

Since 1976, when telecourses were first introduced at Prince George's Community College (PGCC), a total of 27 different courses have been offered by telecredit. An average of five or six telecourses have been offered every term, each enrolling approximately 29 students. In fall 1982, PGCC offered nine telecourse sections, enrolling a total of 219…

This document, which examines the use of educational technologies for distance education for adults in Canada, consists of five narrative sections and a bibliography. The first section introduces the topic and the document's objectives (to describe those technologies used in Canadian adult distance education, paying particular attention to those…

The final evaluation of BESTNET (the Binational English and Spanish Telecommunications Network) is described. Undertaken as a collaborative effort to experiment with new telecommunications media in distance education and to attract Hispanic students into the science and engineering fields, the project involved the development of a number of…

Research pertaining to adult second-language learning from television is reviewed. It is proposed that course design and marketing must begin with considerations of basic factors such as students' needs, nature of the target language, the uses to be made of the language, and the linguistic skills being taught. Decisions can be made best by keeping…

This study examined the current value of credentialism, extending the findings of an earlier report, "Business Training: Content, Enrollment and Delivery." The study acknowledged the distinction between various types of credentials, but focused primarily on professional business certification and investigated the potential for TVOntario…

An ongoing distance learning project at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) in Greeley is described. When the project, the Western Institute for Distance Education (WIDE), is complete, the system will provide access to education courses so that 98% of the state's population will be within 60 miles of a site. At present there are three…

Designed primarily for use by potential users of telecourses produced by other institutions or production houses, this guide provides fundamental information on the design, use, and management of telecourses, and describes experiences of successful telecourse users. It is noted that this guide is also applicable to radio courses, and the…

Each of the nine articles in this monograph demonstrates the use of a particular telecommunications technology, or a mixture of technologies and media at particular community colleges. Following an introduction by James Zigerell, the monograph presents (1) "Teleconferencing: The Homebound Project at Rio Salado College," by Helen Sprawls, which…

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…

Both author and numerical indexes to ERIC documents on various facets of distance education that were entered in the ERIC database from 1966 through 1985 are provided in this guide to the literature. Topics covered include correspondence study, correspondence schools, distance education, educational radio, educational television, external degree…

This paper presents a definition of distance education and a rationale for it both in pragmatic, problem-solving terms and in relation to a larger view of society. The geographic, political, educational, and technological context of distance education in Canada is then discussed. Traditional correspondence courses, satellite-delivered credit and…

An overview of postsecondary education in the People's Republic of China is presented, based on the experiences of 38 visiting U.S. community college faculty members and administrators who met with Chinese educators at several college campuses in July 1987. First, the paper explains the differences in curricula and admissions for the following…