Open education has existed for more than 6 decades. In its beginnings, it consisted of removing various controls that made it difficult for students to enter and remain in the educational system. Today, it involves characteristics such as accessibility, flexibility, and adaptability, in environments beyond academics. The student-centered teaching…

This document reports on the findings of a baseline survey conducted at the four public higher education institutions (HEIs) in Mauritius (University of Mauritius, Open University of Mauritius, University of Technology, Mauritius, and Université des Mascareignes). It outlines the findings of a self-review of the institutional facilities related to…

Management education market has expanded enormously across the world. Business Schools in general and Open University Management Schools in particular have been at the forefront of introducing the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into knowledge dissemination. Technology enabled management education facilitates change in the…

Slowly but surely, open and distance learning (ODL) programmes are being regarded as one of the most practical ways that universities across the world are increasingly adopting in order to increase access to university education. Likewise, Mzuzu University (MZUNI) set up the Centre for Open and Distance Learning (CODL) to oversee the running of…

With the rise of the internet and new communication technologies, language learning has moved beyond the classroom walls. This volume presents a range of important studies on innovative ways for learning languages outside the classroom. Chapters discuss MOOCs in the UK, Belgium, China, and Italy for studying a range of languages, research on new…

The Open and Distance Learning (ODL) has come to stay as an alternative mode to meet the higher educational requirements of diverse groups. Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), a system leader in India, plays a major role in giving access and equity, besides maintaining and coordinating standards of distance education in the country.…

This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of educational television programs in distance learning system. Using the procedure of survey method, this study finds out the worth of educational television programs. Its results are based on the responses of the learners of distance teaching system. The views of students were collected by…

Education has been considered as a priority sector and a great challenge to the Bangladesh Government, with a view to transforming human potential into a productive workforce. The conventional face to face education system is not enough to cope with the need of an ever increasing population, rapid changes in human knowledge and the global context…

This qualitative study describes the ways by which Arab Open University (AOU) contributes to social development. Ever since it was founded in 2002 and with branches in seven Arab countries, the AOU has succeeded in allowing higher education access to students of all genders, nationalities, and age groups, including those who are over 60 years old.…

Technology-based initiatives have transformed the process of teaching and learning activities at formal institutions generally and distance education institutions particularly. Distance education is at the heart of the digital age making maximum use of the emerging technologies. Researchers have favoured computer mediated communications (CMC) for…

Examines the use of distance education for inservice teacher education worldwide. Although the United Kingdom (UK) has many colleges and no vast distances, distance education makes a significant contribution to teacher education in a period of rapid educational change. The UK Open University offers high-quality, multimedia inservice courses. (SM)

The main kinds of difficulty experienced by disabled students and the many practical ways they have been approached are summarized. The important role played by the Open University, given necessary resources and sufficient flexibility, is meeting the needs of students who would otherwise find study almost impossible. (LBH)

Attempts to draw comparisons between the different ways that distance education methods have been used for postsecondary education. Emphasizes the differences in scale, curricula, teaching approaches, and resource levels at different institutions in different nations. Explores problems such as lack of discussion, inflexibility, high cost of…

This book contains 19 papers grouped in three sections that lead the reader through the process of planning, producing, and presenting materials in open and distance learning, based on experience in Great Britain. Following an overview by Roger Lewis, the Planning section contains the following six papers: "Resources and Constraints in Open…

The decision to create Great Britain's Open University and stages in the preparation of higher education reforms are considered. The current position of the Open University in relation to its original goals is also addressed, and the policy implementation process is examined to determine why the Open University achieved some of its original goals…