Data from 211 adult students (ages 20 to 75) at the Open University, The Netherlands, were used to construct and test an instrument to measure learning styles and regulation processes. Test development was guided by a three-tiered model of self-regulation encompassing: (1) cognitive learning processes (deep, surface, elaborative); (2) regulation…

Student attrition at the Distance University in the Federal Republic of Germany was studied. The Distance University, which was founded in December 1974, offers the following departments: mathematics and computer sciences, electrical engineering, economics and law, and education and the social sciences. The university is directed toward people…

The expansion of higher education in the United States has resulted in a variety of outreach programs to bring postsecondary education off the campus and into the community. New systems and programs of nontraditional study have emerged. Issues of current concern in open learning include: quality and effectiveness, outreach and access, research and…

This document reviews the history of distance education (DE) in the United States beginning with the early years of correspondence study, radio, and television. It chronicles the rise of DE universities internationally, the impact of the Internet and Web-based education, and the emergence of virtual universities. The paper discusses the emergence…

University of the Third Age (U3A) programs in Australia and New Zealand were examined through data collected from 126 U3A groups in Australia and 20 in New Zealand. The 24,870 responses and 2,002 responses obtained in Australia and New Zealand, respectively, represented 76% and 77% of U3A group members in the two countries. Data were collected…

This paper describes the Open University's Postgraduate Certificate in Education, a postgraduate preservice teacher training program in the United Kingdom. The program provides access to the teaching profession for those who cannot train by conventional routes. It is characterized by: distance education; school-based partnerships; an explicit…

This report, one of a series of country studies on higher education and employment particularly in continuing professional education, looks at recent developments in Finland. An opening section reviews the structure of continuing education in Finland where most continuing education is arranged by private employers with universities. The paper…

College curricula and instruction, differentiation, and innovation and change in American and Japanese higher education are discussed in 18 papers presented at the 1984 international seminars of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Higher education in three European countries is also addressed. Titles and authors…

Personal contacts students have with their tutors through the telephone tutoring system established at the Open Learning Institute, British Columbia, Canada, were investigated with completing and noncompleting students. Attention was directed to the frequency of contact with tutors and supportive behaviors tutors extend. For the 118 students, the…

The progress of students under 21 years old at the United Kingdom's Open University (OU) was compared with a sample of mature students, using sociological and psychometric research methods. The research goal was to consider whether the OU's teaching system originally designed for adults is suited to the needs and circumstances of students in the…

These conference papers deal with many topics of current interest to community college educators in Canada and the United States. Subjects discussed include: performance-based, individualized, self-paced, and personalized systems of instruction; institutional goals; systems approaches to instruction; the integration of community colleges, public…

Research investigated the relationships between the characteristics of adult learners, aged 17 to 67, and their responses to learning via multi-media instructional programs. Students read materials in accounting and psychology, viewed video lessons and listened to audio tapes; post-treatment data were then collected. Results showed that: 1) the…

Describes a project-based distance learning course design in an open university course. Discusses approaches to course design in distance learning and suggests that students are not as easily manipulated by instructional devices as course designers may think. (CFR)

Hong Kong's economic fortunes have always depended on trade with China. By the mid-1980s, the colonial higher education system was catering to only 6% of the 18-20 age cohort and there was a backlog of adult learners who had been denied access. The Open Learning Institute of Hong Kong was launched in 1989 to overwhelming public response. It…

This article examines open-distance learning in Nigeria and the role it plays in personal, community, and national development. Following consultation with existing literature, a qualitative survey was conducted using questionnaires, interviews, and participatory experience. Although particular emphasis was paid to the Nigerian context, the…