Describes a workshop which was held for the academic and technical personnel of the Chinese Central Broadcasting and Television University (CCTU). The purpose of the workshop was to describe recent developments in distance education, principally in Great Britain, and contrast this with experiences in other parts of the world. (Author/LLS)

The concept of an open university, with courses available to those unable to go to college, is being developed in mid-America, with a planned curriculum using texts, study guides, audio cassettes, and television. (JD)

In undergraduate distance education, two approaches are emerging: (1) an individualized model based on correspondence study, giving students flexibility and control; and (2) the distributed classroom, cohorts working collaboratively and independently in resource-rich environments. The distance learning population is so diverse as to make the…

Discusses issues related to open and distance-learning (ODL) in developing countries, using the virtual campus initiative of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (India) as an example and model of on-line program delivery and on-line, for-profit telelearning centers. Suggests strategies to enable open and distance-learning institutions to…

Open and distance learning provide particular (and sometimes overlapping) contexts for discussions of student retention. This paper argues that the environment for learning created by distance learning tutors is a key factor in student retention, whether retention is taken to refer to student completion of a single course or student persistence…

The success of any open and distance learning course depends on how well it is designed, executed, and evaluated. Evaluation of a course not only demonstrates its strengths, but also points out any inherent shortcomings in the course. This is why course evaluation constitutes an important function in an open and distance learning system. The…

This paper provides an overview of adult learner participation in open and distance education by focusing participation needs based on selected socio-demographic variables such as age, years of working experience and monthly income. The related study involved a sample of 454 Open University Malaysia students from a number of learning centres…

This paper reports on research to investigate design features of asynchronous discussion systems for higher education. The research aims to identify features that increase the benefits of discussion systems and reduce the problems. The paper focuses on a major theme that emerged from interviews with learners and teachers: information overload.…

Computer-mediated-communication (CMC) tools allowing learners to be in contact with native speakers of their target language in other locations are becoming increasingly flexible, often combining different modes of communication in a single web- and internet-based environment. The literature on telecollaborative exchanges reveals, however, that…

While interaction in online language learning in the area of written computer-mediated communication is well researched, studies focusing on interaction in synchronous online audio environments remain scarce. For this reason, this paper seeks to map the nature and level of interpersonal interaction in both online and the face-to-face language…

This article discusses "Universities of the Third Age", whose function is quite distinct from established universities' traditional role in teaching, research, and community services. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop a model of partnership between traditional universities and Universities of the Third Age, ensuring better…

There is no centralized policy for using television and radio for inservice teacher education in Britain. Teacher training colleges have their own low cost production units, two cities have all their schools linked on a closed circuit cable system, and the BBC broadcasts on open circuit one or two series for teachers each year. The largest user of…

The author makes a distinction between adult training and adult education and tells what part television plays in both processes. She discusses the current state of educational television and predicts the future of televised learning, including audiences and technological advancements. (Author/CH)

It is often said that if educational technology is to be of real service it must be an integral part of the learning and research system which is a university, not merely an afterthought. In the case of the British Open University a successful attempt bas been made to design the institution using educational technology as a basic approach. It is…

Since January 1972, the Open University has been operating a project for the undergraduate education of the growing number of hearing-impaired students. These students face psychological, social and linguistic problems and other difficulties which arise from their isolation in the world, their limited ability to communicate and their educational…