This paper begins with a short description of the British Open University which covers the programs of study (undergraduate, continuing education, and higher degrees); mediums of teaching (correspondence texts, broadcast television, audiocassettes, radio, face-to-face or telephone tutorials, audioconferencing, summer schools, home experiment kits,…

This lecture discusses factors that would be involved if the British Open University's distance education program were to be extended to Western Europe through the use of satellite transmissions. The cost benefits of such a move are discussed, including the possibility of additional funding through the European Commission. Another factor…

This lecture considers the effectiveness of television as a medium for distance education in light of the experiences of the Open University in Great Britain. The main theses of the paper are that television is an important component of high quality open and distance education, but only when its unique teaching characteristics are exploited, and…

The variable cost per student-course is with one exception lower in the Open University than elsewhere. This constitutes a strong case for the use of existing Open University packages in campus universities in England. (Editor/PG)

This article discusses a recently developed educational alternative in the United States. This is the "university without walls," characterized by independent study combined with vocational training. (Text is in German.) (Author/AM)

This selected, annotated bibliography for the Audio-Visual Media Research Group of the Open University includes sections on (1) general bibliographies and literature reviews, (2) experimental studies, (3) BBC audience research reports, (4) miscellaneous items, (5) radio in less developed countries, and (6) Audio-Visual Media Research Group…

Higher Education, the institutions as well as the associations, have long regarded adult or extension education as a stepchild; consequently, instructional broadcasting as an educational medium has been all but ignored. Yet by 1976 the establishment of the University of North America, a confederation of several radically different regional higher…

According to its President, the Association's achievements during the year were hampered by the change in Government, financial cutbacks, price increases, and job shortages for qualified librarians, but its membership continues to grow and its activities continue to diversify. Other topics covered in the report include the public lending right;…

An educational program assessment of the University Without Walls (UWW), located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and known as "Flaming Rainbow," was presented in this document. The evaluation was conducted during March 27-30, 1973. The 6 American Indian participants, who are financially supported by the Bureau of Indian Affairs' (BIA) Higher Education…

A general examination of the assumptions of educational technology as a body of knowledge. (HB)

The Council of Europe's proposed University of Europe, an open university specializing in multidisciplinary inquiry, is described and its organization and program design are outlined. (MSE)

"Independent learning" has become a catchphrase in Britain's Open University, especially since a 1984 report recommending that courses be designed and taught so that students can become progressively independent as learners. Although the phrase means many things to different people, it also provides an opportunity to appraise teaching…

Defines student drop-out; presents data illustrating when external students are at greatest risk; explores reasons for the drop-out phenomenon in light of the distance education theories of Otto Peters, Borje Holmberg, and David Stewart; and lists suggestions to reduce early attrition rates and improve distance education institution functioning.…

Discussion of history instruction, courses, and curricula at the Open University which emphasizes (1) methods and principles and (2) relating history to other academic disciplines. (ND)

This directory of distance education professionals in India covers personnel working in open universities, correspondence course institutes, and directorates of distance education of conventional universities and other national level research institutes. The information was derived from a set of structured questionnaires sent to all involved…