This issue consists of four papers which have an orientation towards the student's perspective. The first paper, "CSU Distance Students' Attitudes toward Computer Use" (Helen Geissinger), presents the results of a survey which examined students' responses to the use of computers in their courses and their attitudes to the more frequent…

Examined are open learning systems in Australia, Canada, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Iran, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Lebanon, Poland, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United Kingdom, and the United States. The implications of open-learning and its relation to nontraditional student and continuing education, educational and social…

Examines the operation of the Downtown Open School in Minneapolis, which serves children of parents who work downtown. Describes how the school follows the structure of a Basic School, focusing on effectively connecting classrooms and resources to enrich the curriculum. Details school characteristics, including mixed-grade classrooms, grade-level…

This book provides a record of the literature on library issues pertaining to distance and open learning. It also covers library services for part-time students and remote access to electronic library resources. The bibliography contains references to 518 articles, papers, reports, book chapters, theses, and dissertations, most published after…

This book examines flexible delivery of vocational education and training in Australia's technical and further education (TAFE) sector. Discussed in chapter 1 are issues in the invention and implementation of flexible delivery with general reference to Victoria's TAFE sector, vocational education and training, and selected precursors of flexible…

Intended for individuals engaged in open and distance learning activities, this guide is designed with an applications focus that provides a "quick start" for immediate work needs. Built on an intuitive set of "How do I" questions, the book presents the foundation needed to teach from a distance. The format is a multimodel approach, combining…

The major portion of this publication consists of 13 papers presented at the seminar on out-of-school education. The papers include both general treatments of the subject and analyses of particular case studies. The papers are organized into four broad topical groups--possible approaches to the planning of out-of-school education, the Esfahan…

Gender disparity in education has usually been experienced as disadvantaging girls. Although this continues to be the case in many places, the phenomenon of boys' underachievement--both in terms of participation and performance--has also become an issue in a number of countries. This book reviews the research on boys' underachievement and presents…

The architectural characteristics and the educational program of a new open plan Sri Lanka school are the subjects of this case study. The school is open both to the pupils as well as to the rest of the community, a departure from the traditional Sri Lanka school building. The study begins with a discussion of scope and objectives followed by a…

This report examines some of the many varieties of alternatives now available, their problems and pitfalls, and their hopes for the future. After defining alternative schools, the report discusses the rationale for having alternatives and then summarizes the range of alternatives available at both the elementary and secondary levels. Separate…

Drafted for the Learning Technologies for Basic Education project, this document assembles case studies which provide an overview of multichannel learning, or reinforce learning through the use of several instructional paths and various media including print, broadcast, and online. Through the cases, multichannel learning is depicted as an…

A study was conducted to develop practical options that could help shape an Australian national staff development strategy for vocational education and training (VET) staff engaged in flexible delivery. Data were gathered from the following: analysis of the literature, evaluation of 15 case studies in two Australian states and one territory that…

The changing educational needs of midwives in England were assessed, and an open learning package for midwives was developed based on the findings. Data were collected from the following: questionnaires mailed to 1,100 registered midwives (70% response rate), all 205 coordinating supervisors of midwives in England (83% response rate); 1 randomly…

Research problems and issues of concern to educators in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are discussed in 21 papers. Papers fall into the general categories of educational history and current practices. Papers in the first category cover the following topics: a history of the Education Inquiry of 1824-1826, the "hedge" or…

This document defines informal education and discusses some common misconceptions held about what constitutes informal education. The early development of informal education is traced from several theories of child development and learning through its period of trial and error implementation in Great Britain and in the United States. In an effort…