Paper concentrates on reducing unit costs and reports on the cost-effectiveness of a simple piece of technology, the use of video-tape to provide off-campus education. (Author)

College Instittions have begun to use the dispersed campus, outreach and external degree programs, and new technology to meet the space needs of new programs and a widened constitutency. Explores the solution of relying on noncampus facilities and programs. (Author/DN)

Considered the development and merits of the Open University as well as its need for reexamination. (RK)

Empire State College educational evaluation is oriented to the individual student and in the learning experiences mediated by the institutional arrangements it is essential that cost information be on an individual student basis. Therefore the basic unit of analysis chosen is the individual student contract. The costing model developed assigns to…

Studies may not help to determine cost-effectiveness of distance or mediated education for several reasons: difficulty gathering data; many costs are not intrinsic to technology, but a result of decisions made; and difficulty in comparing costs of different mediated programs. Cost-effectiveness of technology can be determined by designing and…

A case example of how a nontraditional institution, Empire State College, is assessing its cost effectiveness. Sections cover institutional impact in individual frames, measuring change, individualized assessment, and educational effectiveness. (Author/PG)

Eight guidelines for contract learning-type programs are presented under the headings (1) supplying rationales, (2) focusing on the faculty, (3) assessing faculty performance, (4) assessing student readiness, (5) assessing the costs, (6) students as researchers, (7) how much academic credit, and (8) agents of change. Focus is on the faculty as…

An alternative technique, cost-effectiveness analysis, is proposed as a more appropriate way of evaluating the Open University. A rudimentary application of the technique to the cost structure of OU indicates that it could result in a substantial reduction in OU's costs. (Author/LBH)

The use of instructional materials for purposes other than those originally intended is investigated in one section of Britain's Open University, and the possible kinds of materials adaptation and modification are outlined. Implications for curriculum cost reductions are also discussed. (MSE)

The Off-Campus Degree Program at Linfield College (Oregon) provides quality coursework to a group of part-time adult students who would not otherwise have access to a four-year degree program. In 1980, Linfield joined six other institutions to form the National University Consortium (NUC), the first national organization of colleges and…

This technical report attempts to (1) provide information on issues and factors involved in analyzing extended degree costs; (2) provide brief explanation of how cost-related tools have been used in allocation of resources in similar degree programs; (3) indicate the types of information that are needed in making cost analysis of the extended…

The experience of an open university with the uses of technology in higher education is documented. The emphasis is on its exemplary use of educational technology in context. Examination of the details of how the Open University employs media to serve a large dispersed student body may benefit others who plan to expand or modify their own uses of…

The Universidad Estatal a Distancia is used as an example to illustrate the methodology and utility of cost analysis in educational planning and decision making. By identifying cost-inducing variables in a system, it is possible to analyze expenditure against the level of activity associated with each variable. (Author/MLW)

Discusses some methodology for and problems inherent in analyzing economic costs of educational institutions and presents findings from cost studies of higher education institutions of two types: (1) a regional open university with central management offices, and state organizations through which students can enroll in televised credit courses,…

Ryerson Open College in collaboration with the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, offered a multimedia, introductory credit course in psychology in 1972. An evaluation was completed based on two questionnaires, each completed by a majority of the enrolled students. Student grades and dropout rates were examined relative to students'…