Realizing the critical need to dramatically improve access to higher education in Papua New Guinea, and the impossibility for traditional modes of education to adequately address this situation given major economic and geographic variables in that country, the National Higher Education Plan 11 (2000-2004) assigned a primordial role to the …

In Mexico, Distance Education (DE) is defined as an "extracurricular form of education" that offers great flexibility from the standpoints of space and time coupled with the official validation and accreditation enjoyed by the country's traditional educational system. In the past 50 years, DE in Mexico has evolved from an academic area…

This handbook, which is intended for adult and community education (ACE) organizations and vocational education and training (VET) providers, outlines more than 40 practical successful pathway models that provide opportunities and options for women's transition from informal, noncredit ACE courses to accredited VET courses. Discussed in the first…

In the Information Society of the new millennium, the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is becoming essential for the rapid dissemination of information. In this context, Open and Distance Learning (ODL) will have a growing role in effectively training people to have active roles in society. However, modern learners have a…

These 14 essays address convergence--the breaking down of barriers between open and distance learning and conventional education, and the creation of more multimodal institutions. "Convergence of Distance and Conventional Education" (Tait, Mills) is an overview to the book. "Efficacy and Ethics of Using Digital Multimedia for…

Examines whether the use of computers has changed the context of teachers' work in such a way that the goals of constructionism and independent learning are more attainable. Focuses on a private school in Australia where the relationships among goals, structures, and resources were integrated in support of independent learning. (MJP)

This article examines the potential for open, distance, and flexible learning (ODFL) to mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS on young people. Based on experience from a field study in Mozambique and South Africa, the authors show how ODFL can support and extend the work of existing infrastructures supporting vulnerable youth. As neighboring…

SOCRATES is the European Community's new education program for the member states of the European Union (EU) (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom) and the European Economic Area (EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). Its aims…

This issue contains five articles, including reports of activities of the University of Hong Kong's English Center, five action research reports, reflections on various conferences, and a book review by Ray Mackay of "Asian Voices in English." The five articles are: "Cultural Syntonicity: Co-operative Relationships between the ESP Unit and Other…

These five papers prepared for the annual Technical and Further Education (TAFE) Senior Executives' Conference emphasize policy implications. "Does Research Influence Policy?" (W. Hall) makes the point that some important policy decisions have been taken on nonexistent or flimsy research evidence. The next four papers are research…

The 18 papers presented at the conference reported in this document are grouped into four major sections. The first section, on the nature of open learning, includes "How Open Is Open Learning?" (H. Temple); "Open Learning and Community" (I. Cunningham); "Are We Really Open--With Our Learners and Ourselves?" (W. J. K.…

A study examined the experience of teachers, students, and college administrators in the following three open learning schemes for adult students in Great Britain: Flexistudy at Abraham Moss Open College, the mathematics and communications workshops at Bradford College, and the Technical Education Council programs at Moston College of Further…

The Open University offers part-time courses for adults by means of a multimedia distance teaching system. By adopting an open admissions policy and offering undergraduate courses, it is aiming for excellence and equality on a cost-effective basis. The university does appear to have achieved a high academic standard, both in its courses and its…

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…

Describes activities of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in the United Kingdom related to ways that information technology may contribute to learning. Topics discussed include cognitive science; evaluation of changes in learning; language skills; learner-machine interface; policy and management issues; teacher education; computer…