This paper describes a qualitative study of asynchronous electronic conferencing by three tutorial groups on the same postgraduate course ("Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Worldwide"), forming part of an MA in Applied Linguistics (via Distance Education) at the Open University, UK. The groups varied in the degree to which…

This study sought to evaluate the goals and functions of practical tests for undergraduate students in the natural sciences in university distance education (DUE) programs in the Netherlands, and to compare the findings with results from similar research conducted in regard to science practicals at the Open University of the Netherlands (OuN) and…

This paper describes the Australian Open Learning Initiative (OLI), a program to facilitate access to postsecondary education. The program will provide off-campus or distance education courses for which there is evident high demand. Program features include an independent brokering agency, coordination by a university or group of universities,…

This report is made up of 20 case descriptions of tertiary level distance-delivered educational programs developed specifically for indigenous students in three countries: Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Included in each case is a description of the institutions and stakeholders involved in each course or program, history of the initiative,…

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…

Sri Lanka has a literacy rate of 90 percent despite a gross national product per capita of only $584. It has nearly 190,000 teachers of whom 50,000 were recruited between 1985 and 1995, working in 10,000 public schools (primary through college). Following the Hindu and Buddhist traditions of Sri Lanka, teachers are greatly respected and seen as…

This paper describes distance legal education as conducted by the Open University of Sri Lanka. The paper opens with a description of legal education in Sri Lanka which began in the period of British colonial rule. Also described are more recent efforts to make legal education available to a larger segment of the population culminating in the…

Education, a basic need, is the foundation of developing countries such as Bangladesh. Ignorance and illiteracy are obstacles to growth and technological progress. Formal schooling must be supplemented with nonformal education, distance education, and out-of-school education for workers who want to continue their studies. Universities must develop…

A study for the South Australian Government gathered data on student enrollment and graduation rates in Diploma and Associate Diploma courses; documented initiatives for multiple entry and exit structures; proposed other possible approaches, using selected courses as case studies; investigated problems associated with providing multiple entry and…

The organization, methods, and outcomes of the distance education systems at the Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia (UNED) in Spain and The Open University of the United Kingdom are compared. The following topics are covered: higher education in Spain, UNED's ideology, student characteristics in both universities, organization,…

In this paper the design of a workflow support tool for competence based distance learning in a group setting is discussed. The design is based on a stakeholder analysis and crash-tested in an actual course setting. Preliminary findings suggest that some well-known problems have been solved, but further more in depth research is needed to assess…

Distance education is offered by 4 universities and 34 institutes/directorates in India. All open universities have been brought under the direction of the Indira Gandhi National Open University with regard to networking and determination of grants. The networking has avoided unnecessary duplication of course preparation costs. Distance education…

This handbook describes what must be done to coordinate and manage distance education activities, shares practitioners' tips, provides guidelines for ensuring quality and strategies for building successful programs, and tells how to find specialized information. In addition to offering an introduction to the concepts and activities of distance…

Home study is practiced by most managers, who read or write reports, reflect on work projects and problems, and catch up on professional journals at home. A goal of home study advocates is to make such home study as useful as possible. A management development process known in England as action learning requires that 60 percent of study be done at…

Proceedings of an international conference on open education cover five themes: philosophy and concept, development trends in international perspective, dichotomy of equity and quality, graduates' employment, and the management challenge. Among the 41 conference papers and authors are: "The Idea of an Open University" (Preeda…