Purpose: This paper seeks to ascertain the effectiveness of a two-week-long faculty development programme (FDP), organized by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), for teachers of the open and distance learning (ODL) system, with the aim of upgrading their knowledge and skills for developing print self-learning materials (SLMs). The…

My Environmental Education Evaluation Resource Assistant or "MEERA" is a web-site designed to support environmental educators' program evaluation activities. MEERA has several characteristics that set it apart from other self-directed learning evaluation resources. Readers are encouraged to explore the site and to reflect on the role that…

The number of online continuous education and training initiatives continues to increase in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and by extension, the number of adult learners who are unfamiliar with the peculiarities of the online teaching and learning environment. The extent to which these learners can derive maximum benefit from…

The purpose of this participatory action research study was to develop a plan to improve a professional development program to change faculty members' andragogical instructional practices when teaching students enrolled in online courses at a community college. A quantitative and qualitative mixed method approach to data analysis was used in…

The research reviewed in this report suggests that some of the contentions about schools, districts, and communities in rural areas are mistaken. Many of the issues they face also confront urban and suburban educators, and rural communities offer several distinctive educational advantages. A lack of student motivation to learn is a problem often…

In 1997 the British Columbia Open University (BCOU) adopted a virtualization strategy based primarily on twinning off-line independent study distance education courses (textbook-based with study guide and telephone and e-mail tutor support) with alternate online versions (textbook-based with integrated conferencing and communications provided…

The XX IDEA annual conference has been focused and reflected on different ways and means of meeting various kinds of methodological challenges, new technologies and multi-media developments, newly emerging partnerships and collaboration between emerging sectors on one hand and between the institutions functioning with similar objectives and…

Distance learning, via correspondence study, is offered by nearly 30 universities in India. An in-depth study of such programs operated by six universities indicates that the programs and open university systems complement the formal higher education system and allow adult education students to learn at their own paces. (TJH)

Uses statistical analysis and interviews to examine strategies employed by five small Ontario schools successfully using Independent Learning Courses (ILC). Charts schools' correspondence course completion rates. Surveys administrators. Links ILC success to program structuring, counseling, screening services, student progress monitoring, and…

Describes the first two years of an innovative telephone-assisted language program at Ohio State University. Administration and structure of this individualized instructional program are detailed. Student body profiles, including age, occupation, reason for enrollment, and tables of student performance according to language, number of units…

Alberta (Canada) is experiencing a phenomenon common to many other regions the world over: there is a movement of population away from rural areas to urban centers. Such migration has a profound impact on rural schools and school systems in these areas, including a decrease in school population, school staff, and school programs. In an attempt to…

Project REDEAL (Research and Evaluation of Distance Education for the Adult Learner) has designed a three-semester system for distance education. Design features have been recommended to maximize personal learner success as well as to have an impact on indicators of success. The individualized instructional environment recommended is a specific…

The Southeast Asian Ministers Educational Organization (SEAMEO) Center for Educational Innovation and Technology--a distance learning organization--has operated since 1965. Program implementation/evaluation in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines are discussed, with reference to the democratization of education…

A British master's program in education using distance learning and independent study for candidates employed in schools overseas was evaluated using an instrument designed to measure participant satisfaction with instructional modules. Results suggest that the instrument is useful not only in determining satisfaction levels but also in evaluating…

After fleximode was introduced into the Western Australian TAFE system, its cost and effectiveness compared with traditional delivery systems were evaluated. Fleximode, as practiced in Australia, was adapted from a mode of study pioneered in England. It offered students the independence of off-campus study in combination with access to college…