Discusses the adoption of online instruction for distance education in the context of the Open University of Hong Kong. Academic and non-academic services that can be offered online are described. The importance and benefits of instituting electronic tutorials are addressed, including time savings, peer interactivity, and student/tutor…

Purpose: To share the experiences and challenges faced by the Open University Library (OUL) in developing a content management (CM) system for its subject guides. Design/methodology/approach: A summary of multi-format subject guide production at the OUL is provided to justify the decision to develop a new system for their production using a…

The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) is a distance education university with about 22,500 students. In fulfilling its mission, the university has adopted various Web-based and electronic means to support distance learning. For instance, OUHK uses a Web-based course management system (CMS) to provide students with a flexible way to obtain course…

Tutors working for The Open University of Israel (OUI), a distance learning institution, are often the only academic staff who have direct contact with students. Their performance is therefore crucial for the university. The nature of their job, however, might hinder optimal performance: they are temporary and part time employees, and thus have…

When faculty development is viewed as an ongoing need and when we approach faculty development as a long-term, continuous effort, community building becomes a part of the process. Carefully designed faculty development approaches can facilitate and create a culture that supports a thoughtful focus on teaching, while at the same time, nurture a…

The articles contained in this report represent a diverse collection of pedagogical issues involved in teacher training at a distance in countries throughout the world. Distance education offers pre-service and in-service teachers with both skills training and an opportunity to complete teacher training programs or degrees. The proliferation of…

The advent of many new technologies to make access to education and open learning more and more possible requires parallel developments in instruction to support and serve the student better. There are three aspects of student support: pre-enrollment, tutorial services, and counseling and advising services. However, the developments in technology…

This paper explains the effectiveness of distance teaching in Sri Lanka and shows the importance of face-to-face components in distance learning to meet the needs of students and resources. Distance education in the Third World and the current status of distance education at the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) are described, and the…

This paper describes the role of open universities in the developing world, particularly al-Quds Open University (QOU) in Jordan which serves Palestinians. An introduction notes the rapid expansion in higher education enrollment in the developing world and the demand for education due to changing labor conditions. The paper goes on to compare…

A project evaluated general and specific learning objectives for undergraduate science practicals in institutes of higher education in the Netherlands. Of 50 institutes offering education in the natural sciences that were surveyed, 36 returned 2 instruments that were used to determine the perceived importance of the learning objectives and a…

Europe's socioeconomic climate will undergo rapid change as the single market becomes a reality and technological change accelerates. With companies in some countries now spending more collectively on training than their governments spend on the higher education sector, it is essential to map out a new European strategy for training for the 1990s.…

This paper presents a collection of experiences from the Canadian educational institutions that offer distance education. The first of four major sections defines the need for an alternative to traditional, classroom-based education, and describes the characteristics of distance education. The second section discusses the three institutions in…

This information sheet defines teleconferencing as a meeting of three or more people at different locations by telephone and communicating via audioconferencing, audio plus graphics, slow scan television, or full motion video conferencing, and discusses some of the advantages and various applications of this technology. Three major projects that…

These annotated bibliographies are intended to assist researchers, students, and other practitioners interested in the topic of education and aging. How-to guides, research studies, literature reviews, essays, state-of-the-art reviews, and program descriptions are included. Works are arranged by the following subject areas: general, learning…

The English version of a Polish journal on higher education is presented. Included are 19 articles on the problems and experiences of these institutions, three articles on teacher's workshops, and three review articles. Titles and authors include: "Polish Science in 1973-1986" (Benon Miskiewicz); "The Humanism of the Contemporary…