Notes difficulties encountered teaching history in an open university. Describes methodology used in a twentieth-century history course, combining current events with the course content. Using a major continuing news story as the basis for a semester project, students are asked to consider multiple scenarios and to predict outcomes of current…

Describes the development of a distance education program within one Slovenian university's department of economics, showing how the synergy created through the combination of existing resources as well as the local and social educational environment with outside expertise brought about a self-sustainable distance education program and improved…

The cell phone, now the most widely used medium in Asia, has major educational implications. Most users, however, do not realize the cell phone's potential for education, nor even for the communication functions for which it was originally designed. Most educators still see the computer and the cell phone as unrelated devices, and the tiny cell…

This paper discusses a number of problems associated with distance education methods used in adult education and training fields, including limited opportunities for dialogue and group interaction among students and between students and tutors; the expense of updating and modifying mass-produced print and audiovisual materials; and the relative…

The open university teaching system is grounded in an inappropriate theory of learning, with too much emphasis placed on the didactic approach to the presentation of knowledge and the student's ability to memorize it. Andragogic and pedagogic perspectives should be combined in designing courses. (MSE)

In distance learning provision in languages, fault correction and feedback can facilitate teacher?student dialogue. This article examines teachers' beliefs and assumptions about faults and the attitudes of both teachers and learners towards the correction process, all of which can play a key role in fostering this dialogue. Our findings are based…

In response to obsolescence of knowledge and increased need for continuing education, open and distance higher education formats for higher education are being developed in Europe. These formats use technological advances to make continuing education available. Many European Community nations have well organized systems of open university…

Considers the successes and failures associated with the design, production, delivery, and evaluation of a home study course entitled "World Ecology: The Scientific Context" offered through Athabasca University (Canada). Discussion covers potential and actual students, course design, course teams, copyright, course materials, enrollment,…

The provision of a professional development programme for distance tutors can be problematic because of the need for flexibility to cater for a variety of working practices, or to overcome the hurdles imposed by geographical remoteness. At the UK Open University, online networks are widely in use for teaching and learning, and we are actively…

This article presents an overview of the education system in Malaysia and highlights some issues pertaining to higher education. In addition, this article also looks at some issues specific to the teaching and learning of mathematics both at school and in the universities. Some data on students' achievements in mathematics examination at public…

An Open University tutor in the arts describes the experience of conducting conference call tutorials for groups of up to eight students taking a correspondence-type course. Specific techniques are discussed: initial approach designed to make individual students at ease, ways of getting all students involved in dialogue, etc. (JT)

Why do some of adult learners successfully accomplish their learning while the others drop out? This has been an important question in the field of adult learning. For a long time researchers have been exploring this subject around learning barriers as well as motivations. Not until lately did some of the adult and distance scholars start to pay…

This study examines Finnish college students' views on learning in a virtual university. Respondents studied at Helsinki Virtual Open University (HEVI) and the Apaja Internet Service from 1995-99. HEVI is a Web-based learning environment where students can study, get advice, receive help from tutors, and use office services. Apaja Internet Service…

The widespread adoption of information and communications technologies (ICT) in higher education (HE) since the mid 1990s has failed to produce the radical changes in learning and teaching than many anticipated. Activity theory and Rogers' model of the adoption of innovations provide analytic frameworks that help develop our understanding of the…

The Open University has been working with the University of Fort Hare on its Distance Education Project since 1997, helping to develop its innovative distance education programme for primary teachers in the Eastern Cape. Recently the OU has been involved in researching the impact of this programme on teachers' perceptions of their practice and…