This paper reviews the role of assessment in student learning and its relationship with the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). There is ample evidence of technology-led innovations failing to achieve the transformations expected by educators. We draw upon existing research to illustrate the links between aspects of student…

Language teaching has traditionally been a task for teachers to teach vocabulary items and grammatical rules and to explain to students how a foreign language works in reference to their mother tongue. For a long time, language teaching was a means to the end of understanding a written culture. This had two practical corollaries: to grade the…

The proceedings of the inaugural session of this UNESCO-sponsored seminar, which reviewed new developments in higher education in the Asia and Pacific region and formulated a proposal for the establishment of a regional resource center for distance education, are presented in four chapters. The first introduces the seminar's purpose, summarizes…

This typology classifies distance education according to the kinds of instructional support provided by educational agencies and by the dimensions of learner self-sufficiency. The classification is then applied to the educational delivery system in British Columbia. (SK)

This lecture considers the effectiveness of television as a medium for distance education in light of the experiences of the Open University in Great Britain. The main theses of the paper are that television is an important component of high quality open and distance education, but only when its unique teaching characteristics are exploited, and…

Argues that teaching innovation in the university is influenced by teacher attitudes and the existence of satisfactory teaching materials. Teaching packages from the Open University in England are described. (JJD)

Suggests individual educational technologists have developed a variety of work styles including those characterized as: knowledge expert, executive manager, social-analyst, and specialist. These styles of working, based upon work behaviors of educational technologists at Great Britain's Open University, are compared in terms of practices, focuses,…

Today's economy demands a much greater commitment to adult vocational training. Both conventional British universities and the Open University serve this need, but there are areas where more needs to be done. Commitment of substantial resources is necessary and this probably cannot be achieved from fee income alone. (Author/MSE)

The Open University set out ten years ago to solve the problem of dropouts in external degree programs. The importance of its success for itself and other institutions is discussed, although there is caution due to the lack of unanimity in terminology in dropout research, and the danger of using dropouts to compare institutions. (MSE)

The substantial use of educational television by the Open University has not yet taken advantage of the potential for interactive learning through use of video replay. The traditional broadcast format has predominated. (MSE)

Argues that needs research generally is not a good means for deciding whether a new institute should be or can be established and provides examples of needs research undertaken by the Staff Bureau for Research and Evaluation of the Dutch Open University. (Author/MBR)

Summarized the reports of the committees that have been involved in planning all types of adult education programs in Finland. (JOW)

This paper discusses four major developments in the use of media at the Open University: (1) the move from radio to audiocassettes; (2) use of broadcast television vs. videocassettes; (3) increased use of interactive video; and (4) CYCLOPS tutorials, which provide immediate two-way communication via the telephone together with visual pictures.…

Reviews the historical development of adult and continuing education as provided through the Open University system of Great Britain. An interview with the librarian for Oxford's Department of External Studies examines the current status of the program and describes the library services available to participants. (8 references) (CLB)

The history of South Africa's four English-speaking open universities is reviewed in the context of increasing numbers of black students and the rise of progressive research and teaching. Additional steps the universities can take to advance the end of apartheid include making facilities available to democratic movements and encouraging critical…