After a full year of operation, many questions have been asked about Empire State College (ESC) concerning the type of students who seek such an institution and how these students handle the major responsibility of planning and carrying out their studies. A group of 10 graduates were selected from the 30 graduated in fall 1972 for lengthy…

The Nontraditional Study Program at the University of Missouri-Columbia provides opportunities to adults in farming and agribusiness to earn degrees in agriculture without returning to campus through extension courses and other independent study formats. A survey of student attitudes indicated that students were very favorable toward the program.…

Microcomputers are advocated as a primary teaching tool for independent and correspondence study, provided suitable software is available and consideration is given to initial student attitudes, peculiarities in computer communication, and the low predictive power of psychological tests in computer-based learning. (Author/MSE)

An investigation was conducted for the purpose of creating a valid and reliable instrument that could serve the Nova University ( Florida) Programs for Higher Education (PHE) central administrative and field staff in counseling new field-based doctoral students who have exhibited less positive or negative attitudes toward independent learning.…

The focus and purpose of this study are two-fold: (1) to assess, by means of an evaluation questionnaire, the academic quality of and satisfaction with correspondence study programs--causes, instructions, and administrative staff--as perceived by the students who enroll in and complete courses offered by them; and (2) to examine the population…

The Empire State College does not have a traditional campus but operates from a variety of leased facilities located in major population centers and in smaller communities where there appeared to be a clear need for such a college. Who are the students attracted to an individualized, contract learning type of program and why do they seek out…

Plans for a nationwide system of education at a distance in Colombia, South America, are now under way to meet growing demands for higher education and to decentralize the current university system. Prior to this decision, a feasibility project was undertaken by the University of Antioquia. The project and results are reported. (Author/JMD)

The University Without Walls program at Hofstra University was approved as an experimental unit within New College in 1973. The UWW program is competency-based, with students developing individual programs of study. Educational plans and prior learning from college and life experience are stated in learning contracts with short- and long-term…

Project-based learning for students at the Open University, Great Britain, was studied through interviewing and the administration of a questionnaire. Group discussion interviews were conducted with approximately 200 students and individual interviews with about 50 part-time tutors who were responsible for the direct face-to-face contact arranged…

This document brings together the individual speeches and group discussions that were part of a forum to stimulate thought and discussion on correspondence education. The nine plenary addresses are provided: "Correspondence Education: From the Back of the Bus to the Driver's Seat" (Kenneth E. Young), "Flaming Issues of the Day" (D. W. Holbrook,…