Reports on a survey of the attitudes of college (two- and four-year) and university presidents and school superintendents toward doctoral degrees earned in external degree programs. (IRT)

This document, the second of a two-part study, focuses on the area of continuing and adult education at Ferris State College (FSC), Michigan. An overview of the status of adult and continuing education and recommendations are provided by the schools of allied health, business, general education, education, pharmacy, technical and applied arts, and…

Analysis of data from four courses shows that (1) female open learning students complete their courses more often than male counterparts, (2) open learning students who register at certain campuses complete their courses more often than students who register at others, and (3) students who complete and return assigned questionnaires are more…

The rapid growth of the external degree movement has had its problems, and in a recent study called Legal Constraints to the Development of External Degree Programs, the author discussed the decision making process regarding the regulation of postsecondary external degree programs. (Author/RK)

Reports a 1974 survey of the 12,800 students taking courses in Britain's Open University to determine viewing and listening figures for each course and to compare the figures for different transmission times and the different faculties (disciplines). The average student watched about two-thirds of the TV and heard about half of the radio programs…

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.…

Students at the University Without Walls (UWW) of the University of Minnesota design their own program by writing a Long Term Degree Plan to describe how they plan to demonstrate their competence in each of UWW's seven graduation criteria. Because students have experienced difficulty in writing the plan, a seminar in process education was…

Examines the challenge faced by Australian Universities and Colleges of Advanced Education following publication of the Report of the Committee on Open University to the Universities Commission in 1974. Considers existing external studies programs, the importance of independence as a learning "mode", an experiment in community education,…

Sixteen external-degree adult students were interviewed during their first year of study to examine the nature of academic self-concept in distance education. It was determined that academic self-concept was related to both the process and the content of learning and that modifications in educational practices can potentially enhance learners'…

The Open University of Great Britain is an open-enrollment, home-based institution in which the majority of the instruction is conducted via broadcasts and correspondence. There are over 50,000 students ernolled in nearly 100 courses which require the transmission of 1,000 television and 1,000 radio broadcasts each year. Recently, research has…

A survey of University of New England academic staff was conducted to determine their perceptions of external teaching as part of a larger study to ascertain staff attitudes toward their effectiveness as teachers. Responses related to demands, enjoyment, and benefits of external and internal teaching, and student characteristics are discussed.…

Reports and summaries of papers presented at the 1981 Regional Symposium on Distance Teaching in Asia are presented. The symposium, which was represented by 22 countries, was organized by the Universiti Sains (University of Science) Malaysia as part of the activities associated with the completion of 10 years of off-campus program facilities. The…

An investigation into uses of evaluative feedback in a graduate-level external-studies course in supervision is reported. Methods of presenting feedback are described, utility and clarity of feedback discussed, and the role of feedback in external and traditional instruction compared. Student assessment of the methods utility and the accuracy of…

In analyzing past and present conditions of external degree programs, it is apparent there is emerging support for lifelong learning. There has been an increase of American interest in the external degree program, particularly during 1970. There are five external degree-related developments which contribute to increasing lifelong learning…