This discussion of multimedia is intended to give training and development specialists and educators some understanding of the legal issues involved in developing their own multimedia materials for use in open learning. It provides an outline of key legislation and legal terminology in the United Kingdom. (Author/LRW)

Describes the European Community's Development of European Learning through Technological Advance (DELTA) program, which is concerned with the technological resources needed to support open and distance learning in continuing or higher education. Activities in the United Kingdom are emphasized, and several DELTA projects are described. (LRW)

Open learning offers a coherent methodology and a range of practical techniques for developing continuing education. (JOW)

To help in the exploration of developments in increasing learning flexibility in Great Britain's further education system, this paper suggests the development of learner flexibility profiles as devices for analyzing and recording the nature and extent of student choice or discretion. The introductory section reviews developments in open learning…

Discusses the application of communication and information technologies (C&IT) in education and vocational training for 12 member states in the Commission of the European Communities (CEC). Highlights include funding sources; major activities; the DELTA project, which supports training through new technologies in an open learning environment;…

An outline is presented of Barnet College's flexistudy program, a system for providing a wider range of learning opportunities through a more flexible arrangement of course times and content to students who are unable to attend college regularly, who are too few in number to form a specialist class, or who wish to start school at some time other…

Presents a case study of Sainsbury's, a United Kingdom food retailer who adopted innovations in retail technology and whose resulting training needs were met in part through open learning technology. Highlights include networked personal computers, course materials created by trainers, and implications for higher education. (LRW)

A British study of 92 adult basic education students and 32 tutors showed that individualized learning was emphasized at the expense of small groups. "Preferred types" of students, those most likely to be able to do well in open learning, tacitly emerged, limiting access for adults with learning difficulties. (SK)

Feature articles include the following: "Engaging with Guidance: Twenty Years of Educational Guidance for Adults" (Eagleson); "What Is Educational Guidance?" (Brown); "Guidance and Unemployment in Canada" (Edwards); "The Great Training Debate: Let's Have One!" (Imeson); "Educational Guidance and…

This book shows how project work can be used in open and flexible learning. It is divided into three sections. Section A provides background on the use of project work in education and training. Chapter 1 introduces the features that characterize project work and related activities. Chapter 2 examines the varieties of project work and provides…

Because the current Council for Educational Technology (CET) open learning systems (OLS) program is ending and the new OLS program being planned has very different concerns, this report reviews the initial program, assesses its impact since 1975, and identifies factors which aided its success as an innovative program. Aims and objectives for each…

Discussion of the Just-in-Time Open Learning (JITOL) project supported by the European Commission in its DELTA Programme considers attributes of open learning and the main tasks of learners and tutors. Information technology-based tools for open learning are described and related to these tasks, and planned JITOL user trials are summarized. (17…

Discussion of independent learning and informal interaction between students and between student and tutor focuses on a survey conducted at the Open University (United Kingdom) that explored students' attitudes and behavior in scheduled contacts as well as unscheduled, informal interaction. Student desire for additional learning support is also…

This newsletter contains articles in French and English on events relating to educational policy in various European countries. Part 1 contains an essay on the essential aims of education and a suggestion for incorporating work and study in university education. Part 2 includes the following news items: Austria's school education act; Belgium's…

Discusses the current state of distance education in the United Kingdom and Europe. Highlights include the Open University; Open Tech, for training and vocational development to aid in economic restructuring; government's role; Open College; Open Polytechnic; Open College of the Arts; Open School, for children; and the meaning of open learning.…