This study discusses benchmarking the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in teaching and learning between two universities with different missions: one an Australian campus-based metropolitan university and the other a British distance-education provider. It argues that the differences notwithstanding, it is possible to…

This paper presents a report on students who decided to drop out of the BSc program offered by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). This study was designed to determine the reasons leading to students' decisions to withdraw from the program. Identified and reported in this study are nine major reasons leading to drop out. Results of…

This paper discusses the higher education sector's role in a knowledge-based economy though research training, that is, doctoral education. It also examines how a Faculty of Education supports its doctoral candidates in their endeavours to become "knowledge producers". Two themes are explored: one is Australia's limited investment in…

This research focused on the undergraduate learners' perceptions of blended learning at the Arab Open University--Bahrain Branch (AOU-BH). It also focused on factors that influence learners' perceptions and examined the relationships between learners' perceptions and their particular demographic characteristics (age, gender, educational level,…

A differential fee policy was adopted at the Open Learning Institute (OLI) of Hong Kong after a process of conceptualization, planning, proposal, approval and implementation. Under the differential fee policy different tuition rates were charged for different courses. The differential fee policy was conceptualized at OLI based on economics,…

This study investigated the characteristics of undergraduate students in Anadolu University's Open Education Faculty (OEF) courses in economics and business administration who successfully completed their bachelor's degrees in exactly 4 school years. Data on the personal and social characteristics of students who completed the bachelor's degree…

An investigation of the phenomenon of open education (OE) was based on three questions. To answer why OE has received so much attention, researchers surveyed and analyzed arguments that influenced thinking about OE and establishment of OE institutes. To answer the question concerning the defining characteristics of OE, researchers took the…

This is a publication of a 3-year Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications project, "Balancing Quality and Access: Reducing State Policy Barriers to Electronically Delivered Higher Education Programs," designed to foster an interstate environment that encourages the interstate electronic delivery of quality higher education…

Based on a November 1990 seminar attended by tutors and development workers from Open College Network (OCN) accredited programs, this paper describes principles and practice of assessment in OCN programs in Britain. The first two sections provide information on the seminar and define assessment. Section 3 lists assessment procedures for…

The Board of Examination of the Department of Economics at the FernUniversitat commissioned a survey of 315 students who had graduated in economics to gain insights into their experiences both at the FernUniversitat and after completing their studies. A written questionnaire was developed and sent to all of the graduates who had finished their…

Critics of higher education complain that universities and broadcast television fail to meet the needs of adult learners. The creation by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 1979 of a project in adult learning was an attempt to make both television and educators more responsive to adult learners. However, the result of this project and…

This document introduces the aims and activities of the Intelligent Computer Aided Instruction (ICAI) research community situated within the Centre for Information Technology in Education (CITE) at the Open University in Great Britain, outlines the nature of the problems which come under the auspices of ICAI, and describes the research…

In the past, computing facilities at the Open University in the United Kingdom have been provided through terminals and modems in local study centers. A new policy to implement home computer use will rely on student owned microcomputers. While this policy reflects a commitment to increasing the use of computers as distance education aids, it may…

Distance higher education for adults, media selection, and country profiles are considered in conference papers. Titles and authors are as follows: "Distance Education, Trends Worldwide" (Lord Perry of Walton); "Adults in Higher Education: Lowering the Barriers by Teaching and Learning at a Distance" (Hans G. Schutze);…

Twenty essays are provided from an educational scientific symposium organized within the frame of the Festival for Dutch Culture in Hungary. Titles and authors include "Environmental Movement and Environmental Information" J. C. Th. Alles); "Principal Educational and Self-Educational Problems of Independent Activity and Autonomy in…