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…

Participant observation techniques were used to observe and analyze a system of "informal education" practiced in a state-supported middle school of 260 students in South Yorkshire, England. "Informal education" was the term used to designate the general nature of the educational methodology of the school. The study focused…

This paper presents a study of the organization of 60 junior school classrooms in Great Britain. The study was conducted to examine changes occurring as a result of the move towards comprehensive secondary education in Britain and as a result of the recommendations of the Plowden Committee for more individualized instruction at the primary level.…

This paper discusses the growth of open education programs that were developed first in Britain and then in the United States, and it notes conflicts between the open education movement and demands for accountability that emerged in England and later in the United States. The paper then describes a study in which 23 teachers in England and 25…

This paper describes a revised teacher training program that includes Internet-based learning materials, thus demonstrating the dual mode system in which both off- and on-campus studies are integrated. The first section discusses the changing role of the teacher, including traditional teacher education and new challenges imposed by technology. The…

This paper describes the online course, Pedagogy in Open Learning, offered by NITOL (Norwaynet with Information Technology for Open Learning). Target groups are teachers, developers, and providers of ODL (Open and Distance Learning). The main goal is to prepare a basis for development and applications of ODL material that uses ICT (Information and…

The choices involved in setting up an open learning system are discussed, and the case for the mixture of interaction and independence is established. Problems involved in effecting the synthesis between activities in which the student works alone and those which bring him into contact with others are detailed. (AF)

Two studies contrasted formal and informal teaching practices in open-plan and conventional classrooms, focusing on grouping patterns and pupil choice as discriminative components of teaching style. (BW)

Reports results of research on the effects of open education on student outcomes, using classroom authority structure analysis. Maintains that student outcomes are contingent on the congruence between formal and informal authority structure. Concludes that more congruent authority structure was related to higher reading comprehension and…

Based on Fiedler's Contingency Model of Leadership Effectiveness and Leader-Match program, this study's hypothesis is that experienced school principals increase their effectiveness by changing key organizational variables to suit their personal leadership styles. Following V. D. McNamara's application of Fiedler's contingency model in a study of…

This collection is intended to show what public libraries can and would like to do to support adult learning, encourage understanding and cooperation among libraries and adult and community educators, and publicize the work already being done by libraries. The following papers are included: "The State of the Art in 1985," by Robert…

The seven papers that make up this report focus on the impact of new information technology on curriculum and resource management at the college level in England and Wales. A brief preface, an introduction, and a foreword provide background information on the report and introduce the following papers: (1) "Curriculum Developments in Further…

This booklet on the Open University includes an introductory section on the system, programs of study, students, the adult learner, the teaching package, study centers, local support, and correspondence tuition. General principles of teaching by correspondence, the role of the course tutor, and student comments are covered. Support provided by the…

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…

Results of survey of high technology educational delivery systems in nine two-year colleges (five in the United States and four in Canada) emphasize the use of computers to provide alternatives to traditional classroom teaching. Topics discussed include open education, self-paced (fleximode) learning, artificial intelligence, software, and…