Describes four experiments conducted in Brazil which used programed instructional materials and compared three instructional approaches--independent study, student-directed study, and the Keller method. Subjects were high school students and adult learners seeking high school equivalency certificates. (JJD)

Distance education is characterized, and its trends are discussed. Computer assisted tutoring, audiocassettes, videodiscs/videocassettes, and microcomputers are analyzed in terms of their interactive characteristics and their role in bettering independent study. Ten references are listed. (Author/MBR)

DUET, a project of Mount Saint Vincent University, uses cable television and video teleconferencing to solidify links between the university and community it serves. DUET is also an experimental laboratory for the university to explore video production and distribution systems as support tools for higher education. (Author/MBR)

The impact of individual or cooperative goal structures on the achievement, interpersonal behavior, and attitudes of learning disabled (LD) and non-LD students (grades seven and eight) was studied. Cooperative goals, especially following training in cooperative behavior, may facilitate achievement and interpersonal relations of LD and non-LD…

Investigation of the attitude of lecturers toward use of independent learning packages (ILP's) in higher education received 110 useful responses to a questionnaire from lecturers at Bristol Polytechnic. Analysis of responses is presented with conclusions concerning effects of ILPs on personal contact, student need, flexibility, and use of teaching…

The oral history and ethnographic interview are two techniques for providing depth and direction for fieldwork experiences. Students use these techniques to enhance interaction with others they encounter in the field, and the methods occasionally change the students' perspectives and enliven later research efforts. (MSE)

Hampshire College, representing an innovative response to student discontent, and Amherst College, the exemplar of the liberal arts tradition, are compared. Seen from Amherst, Hampshire's curriculum is trendy, its standards lax, a remnant of California counterculture. From Hampshire, Amherst appears a bastion of cultural elitism and authoritarian…

Suggests individual student projects for extra-credit work to enhance student individuality. Provides a sample information sheet for independent projects (with suggested activities), a listing of project requirements, and a project evaluation checklist. (DS)

In order to illustrate his claim that children are able to plan their own work and develop the strategies which are most aporopriate to themselves, the author presents his class notes on a science experiment designed and conducted by one of his elementary students. (Author/SJL)

Described is the development of the Self-Schedule System, which aims at optimizing instructional time by teaching students to manage their own time and tasks. Program components for training students and for providing structural and ecological supports for flexible usage of school resources are outlined and research findings discussed. (SJL)

Undergraduate and graduate students in an educational media equipment course were studied to examine the effect of independent study as a mode of instruction upon their attitudes, cognitive style, and personological variables. These variables were also studied as predictors of media equipment proficiency, GPA, and absences. Twenty-five references…

A number of individualized approaches to student learning are reviewed: Keller plan, refined linear model, variable route model, modular learning model, and independent study. Each successive approach offers students an increasingly wider degree of choice to determine goals and the means of achieving them. (Author/MLW)

Describes a model which recognizes active and passive roles of teachers and learners as a means of identifying five basic methods of teaching. (CHC)

Although decision making should be shared between teachers and learners, teachers should take a leadership role in establishing learning objectives, organizing learning activities, and maintaining a positive social environment for learning. (SK)

Suggests that music listening and musical concepts such as tempo, melody, and form can be taught to students of any age by programed tapes with accompanying study guides. Provides instructions for recording such a tape and discusses appropriate content for the study guide. (SJL)