A 3-year, off-campus Master's degree program in human development has been implemented since 1978 in various counties in Maryland by the Department of Human Development of the University of Maryland (College Park). The main ingredient of the program is on-site, direct observation of teacher/student behavior followed up by small group sessions under trained participant/leaders and total group seminars under a trained faculty team. Each participant maintains an anecdotal record based on student behaviors. These records are then analyzed, summarized, interpreted, and shared. Based on findings, the participants begin building a repertoire of strategies, skills, and techniques; recognize patterns of academic behavior; form hypotheses; and ask and answer questions. During the first and second years of the program, participants receive three credit hours for each of the following courses: (1) Introduction to Human Development and Child Study; (2) Biological Bases of Behavior; (3) Social Bases of Behavior; (4) Integrative Behavior; (5) Learning Theory and the Educational Process; and (6) Quantitative Research Methods. The third year of the program involves independent study in specific courses, as well as large and small group meetings. The service value of delivering such alternative programs in remote areas is stressed, as well as success in transferring the model to other settings. (LL)