A 31-year-old student of Western Governors University (WGU) plans to earn a bachelor's degree (without attending a class), by using the Internet or otherwise by teaching himself. Aside from distance-learning opportunities, WGU offers the option of standardized tests and independent projects to fulfill degree requirements. The student in question…

This textbook is designed to be used in an independent study calculus course at South Dakota State University. A unique feature of the course is a heavy reliance on color slide transparencies that are used to develop basic concepts graphically. These slides and accompanying commentaries are available for students at an educational media center.…

To examine the effects of varied roles, forms of feedback, and error spacing on subject attitudes and learning in programed instruction (PI), 125 students in an introductory psychology course were randomly assigned to treatment groups differentiated by three ways of spacing error-producing frames (spaced, semi-massed, and massed), two forms of…

It is shown that Open University students are psychologically able to sustain an independent (i.e., student-centered) program of learning and that the Open University degree structure is sufficiently flexible to incorporate truly independent study into its structure in the form of a project credit. (Author/LBH)

Reports an investigation, using an interpretive research methodology, of preservice primary teachers' prior perceptions of design and technology and changes in their perceptions as a result of their engagement in independent technology projects. Discusses implications for the design of technology education courses for preservice and inservice…

The concern with a "digital divide" has been transformed from one defined by technological access to technological prowess--employing technologies for more empowered and generative uses such as learning and innovation. Participation in technological fluency-building activities among high school students in a community heavily involved in the…

The main purpose of this research is to clarify the relationship between adult students' self - directed learning (SDL) ability and instructional technology (IT) competency. The research involves surveying 199 students who take online courses in a large Midwest state university. Preliminary results indicate a considerable positive correlation…

Independent study professionals have grown out of a largely clerical environment and are sometimes not part of upper hierarchies. Though mid-level within distance learning administration, their educational and technical competencies afford a certain power over curriculum content and format, also suggesting an important place in establishing…

The Hawaii Open Program for the Excluded (HOPE), under the sponsorship of the University of Hawaii's College of Continuing Education, is described. Reported are its study guide format, Bachelor of General Studies degree, problem areas, university faculty reaction, successes and trends, and future outlook. (LBH)

Multimedia allows for individualized learning and can demonstrate complex or dynamic concepts. Multimedia tools such as QuickTime and HyperCard are being used to customize presentations. Three examples suggest how multimedia is working in classrooms. (MLF)

Examines the rationale behind the Self-Access Language Learning Center at the University of Abertay Dundee (Scotland), outlines some practical considerations, and looks for future developments. The growth in popularity of self-access learning is due to the fact that it is learner centered and to the flexibility it offers over entirely class-based…

This paper reports on teachers' perceptions of the educational affordances of a handheld application called Participatory Simulations. It presents evidence from five cases representing each of the populations who work with these computational tools. Evidence across multiple data sources yield similar results to previous research evaluations of…

The goal of this exploratory research study was to use the self-directed learning framework in a nonformal learning environment to determine how an underserved community would use technology. The factors that support self-directed learning in a nonformal learning environment were the ability to communicate, access information, and acquire…

There is no doubt that the Internet has made a profound effect on everyone's lives. It has also begun to liberate education from the confines of traditional time and space. The first incarnation of what everyone think of as K-12 virtual school appears to have been launched in the summer of 1995, with the CyberSchool Project in Eugene, Oregon.…

A review examined briefly the past, present, and the probable future of independent study in the United States. The review considered the historical position of correspondence study, the factors that support the concept of independent study, and the trends now favoring distance education as a broader and more viable construct. It focused on the…