Describes a study of on-campus and external university students' perceptions of factors influencing external studies. Students identified family, job, and life circumstances as major influences; self-reliance and finances as advantages; limited library access as a disadvantage; and a preference for on-campus study or a combination of both.…

Student perceptions, observations, and evaluations concerning formal and informal instruction, other academic concerns, and related socialization dimensions of a first-time-functioning external doctoral program are examined. The unidentified institution's program sequence and faculty background are briefly described. (Author/MLW)

Author believes that if the Open University continues to be successful, it can hardly fail to exert a powerful influence on the future development of higher education in Great Britain. (Author/HB)

Assesses the possible effects of lossening up fixed time requirements and rigid patterns of instruction on the economic efficiency and instructional quality of higher education. (Editor/PG)

The author comments on Donn F. Vickers' article, The Learning Consultant: A Response To The External Degree Learner. (PG)

An interview with Walter Perry, Vice-Chancellor of The Open University, in which he discusses his educational philosophy. (HB)

Libraries are getting involved with open university programs. Some of them are so structured however, that they contradict the concept of independent learning. Problems to be considered include: 1) should librarians adopt the role of teachers? 2) should participants be recruited? 3) what are funding priorities? (DH)

Care must be taken to select technology appropriate to the teaching task in distance education. Five principles of media selection are: increasing student-system interaction, matching the medium with the materials, reducing duplication, choosing the most direct channel, and developing user-friendly systems. Interactiveness and efficiency of…

Discusses changes in the open university which involved a wider range of courses that had nothing to do with the degree program, including in-service courses for teachers, courses for people working in the caring professions, and short courses for the community as a whole. (JEG)

A study aimed at determining the perceived needs of a selected sample of Iowa pharmacists for externally available advanced study is discussed. Eight percent of the population proposed to pursue advanced degrees, while another 6 percent desired to participate in the educational opportunities without pursuing a degree. (Author/MLW)

An experimental external degree program in a French university with 9,000 students has been designed to officially ignore nonattendance at lectures. The success of this policy and faculty attitudes toward and adjustments to it are explored. (MSE)

Creation of a new Open University (Great Britain) introductory course in technology provided an opportunity to consider study skills as an integral part of the course, linked closely to subject content. Use of study notes and tutor involvement are investigated. (MSE)

The effects of organizational change on teaching are examined using the experience of the University of Massachusetts. The introduction of new programs, contexts, and challenges encourage teachers to reexamine their assumptions, ideas, values, commitments and, therefore, their teaching. (JMF)

A general overview of the University of the Third Age at Toulouse, France designed for retired persons, is provided including a summary of the university's aims to improve the lives and living standards of the elderly. Possibilities for such a program using distance teaching are reported. (JMF)