Discusses the Assessment of Prior Learning (APL) and describes a pilot project at the Open University (United Kingdom) that introduced credit for APL in one course. Steps in the assessment process are outlined, including constructing a student portfolio; and workload, staff development, and costs are considered. (LRW)

Discussion of information technology in Japan includes historical background, government-initiated movements for school reform backed by computer networks, and the introduction of an information technology course in senior high schools. Describes a nationwide open education project in Korea and the state of cyber universities supported by the…

This annotated bibliography includes 140 entries with information on open and distance learning in teacher education worldwide. Listings range from well-known international journals to smaller, more localized newsletters. The bibliography provides a keyword index and a listing of relevant journals and newsletters. (SM)

Examines the rise and fall of the open education movement of the 1960s and 1970s, considering the lessons that current school reformers might take from it. The paper notes that contemporary educational research indicates children can and should be taught in the ways they learn best, and it is time to reconsider the benefits of open education. (SM)

Radical changes occurring in the university's environment, from reconstitution of the student body to reengineering of the technological infrastructure, will require very different institutional arrangements. Distance education will not bring enough change, and open learning ignores the strengths of the current system. Higher education must guard…

During this period of social and political transformation in the former Soviet Union, there is no typical Russian school. Open-type schools generally emphasize student self-development. Students' intellectual, personal, and spiritual upbringing depends on a school's socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental context. Teaching practices must be…

Educational research has been criticised by governments and practitioners. For some politicians and policy makers, there is a tendency to look for direct links between research and successful, effective and efficient practice. Research is needed to inform their evidence-based practice as policy makers, and to provide the kind of research teachers…

In the West African Region of Africa, the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is the first full fledged university that operates in an exclusively open and distance learning (ODL) mode of education. NOUN focuses mainly on open and distance teaching and learning system, and delivers its courses materials via print in conjunction with…

Nongraded education is the practice of teaching children of different ages and ability levels together, without dividing them into groups labeled by grade designations. As the year 2000 approaches and schools are being re-evaluated in light of changing social and economic conditions, nongradedness is the focus of renewed interest. This publication…

This book deals with various aspects of learners' engagement with open and distance education using biographical material. The book begins with two chapters that cover the diversities that open and distance teachers can expect in learners' backgrounds. The first thoughts of enrollment through the issues involved in students' experiences of open…

The articles contained in this report represent a diverse collection of pedagogical issues involved in teacher training at a distance in countries throughout the world. Distance education offers pre-service and in-service teachers with both skills training and an opportunity to complete teacher training programs or degrees. The proliferation of…

A system was developed in the Open Learning Centres to make resources and instructional materials available to adult basic education (ABE) students. The materials were organized so that information could be provided to students to help them make choices among the items. Initially, a color coding system was devised, but it was found that it was not…

The advent of many new technologies to make access to education and open learning more and more possible requires parallel developments in instruction to support and serve the student better. There are three aspects of student support: pre-enrollment, tutorial services, and counseling and advising services. However, the developments in technology…

Based on a national project to collect "diaries of 1,000 adult learners," this book contains the writings of men and women from across Britain about the joys and challenges of learning. Some write about courses such as those run by further education colleges or Open University, Workers' Educational Association, and Women's Institute.…

This memorandum presents and explains the position of the Commission of the European Communities on issues of higher education. In establishing the context for the memorandum it notes population and labor market changes. This memorandum identifies a series of actions which could be taken and raises a wide agenda of issues which argue for a…