Distance education is used in this survey to cover the various forms of study at all levels that are not under the continuous, immediate supervision of teachers present with their students in lecture rooms or on the same premises, but which benefit, nevertheless, from the planning, guidance, and tuition of a tutorial organization. Familiar examples are the Open University and correspondence study. The principal components of the system of distance education are surveyed in detail, with emphasis on those aspects that appear to be important for the present and the future, and from the viewpoint of the educator. Individual chapters cover: the rationale of distance education; the goals and objectives of study; the target groups of students; the contents and structure of study matter; organization and administration; choice of methods and media; two-way communication in distance education; course creation; and revision and evaluation. Each chapter is followed by a bibliography of books and papers relevant to the subject area and a fuller bibliography is given at the end of the book. (Author/LBH)