Describes a study of eight universities in England that investigated the size and characteristics of their part-time degree programs. Highlights include government policy; cost; competition between universities; admissions policies; completion rate and drop-out rate; instructional design, including modularity; continuing education; and program…

Describes the design of a prototypical computer-mediated communication (CMC) system at the Open University of the Netherlands called StudieNet which focuses on a single mathematics course. The concept of the integrated study environment used in StudieNet is explained, StudieNet functions are compared with the nonautomated course, and how the…

Presents a study on attraction of students to an open-university distance education program and their commitment to remain in the program over time. In this study, commitment is conjectured to be a function of program satisfaction, availability of educational alternatives, and investment of time, energy, money, and ego. (MBR)

The way in which the University of South Florida (USF) developed its Open University is discussed in this report. Implemented in 1972, the Open University meets the needs of working students, many of whom live a considerable distance from one of the campuses. Annual enrollment today exceeds 7,000, and the pattern of growth indicates a need for…

An overview of the history of nontraditional programs within the American higher education system discusses the energy and spirit provided by such programs and relates them to the basic principles of American culture (importance of individuality, respect for diversity, and belief in equality). During the development of American culture, the five…

Open and distance learning is seen as a viable alternative to provide education for all, particularly in the context of developing countries. Open learning is basically a philosophy, while distance learning is a method of flexible education for the unreached, i.e., socially, economically, physically, and geographically disadvantaged groups of the…

Describes Pakistan's Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), which reaches a mass student population through correspondence study, radio and television, tutorials, and course assignments. Descriptions of AIOU's course offerings, teaching methods, organization and administration, and an assessment of services are provided. (Contains 13 references.)…

This book challenges the notion that the open university is a recent invention and argues that in Britain there is a long and varied tradition of similar developments, and that there has been a significant 20th century reduction in the openness of universities, particularly in the period from the 1950s to the 1970s. Selected examples of open…

Review of university provision of distance education in Asia highlights and illustrates major similarities and differences in the approaches used in different countries and institutions and compares the operations of national independent universities concerned only with external students and conventional universities which include a distance…

Discusses the importance of higher education and the economic necessity of developing alternative pedagogical models, such as distance education. The current state of higher education in the United States is discussed as well as distance education programs in other countries, and distance learning theories are reviewed. (22 references) (LRW)

This paper presents examples from 10 internal consultancies provided by the author within the Open University (United Kingdom) that reveal how teams develop and are integrated into the systems of a complex institution. These consultancies included: providing consulting services to a course team; counseling with a course team chair; serving as a…

The Open University of Great Britain provides home-based instruction via broadcasts and correspondence. Since technical arguments for the superiority of open-network, cable, or cassette television systems are inconclusive, the university has been forced to develop a decision-making model to determine which system is the most cost effective. For…

Discusses distance education efforts in Indonesia and examines problems that have been encountered with adopting Western models that have not been adapted to the cultural behavior of Indonesian teachers and students. Indonesian heteronomy is discussed, the oral learning tradition is examined, and suggestions for changing the distance education…

Presents an overview of a course on robotics and automation developed by the Organization for Rehabilitation through Training (ORT) to be offered through an open learning environment in the United Kingdom. Highlights include hardware and software requirements, an educational model, design principles, and future developments. (LRW)

This report presents a description of University College, Memphis State University (MSU). Created in 1975, this small, nontraditional college has prospered in the context of a large, state, urban university. It offers nontraditional students a way to create and finish individualized and interdisciplinary degree programs. Faculty can develop new…