Followup student interview about Kinokuni Children's Village, a Japanese residential free school modeled after Summerhill School. School features include voluntary lessons, self-government through schoolwide and dormitory meetings, and extensive project work. The school now has secondary programs and another campus. Eight-year-old Akira, in his…

Presents data management issues faced during the design and development of an open distance learning (ODL) system for the University of Patras, Greece. Outlines the architecture, design, and services of a network-based information system that supports ODL activities. The Web-based open and distance learning information system offers synchronous…

Educational expectations mandated by contemporary health care practice have expanded dramatically during the last decade. The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions at Central Michigan University has responded to this challenge through the creation of powerful pedagogical environments in its newly constructed health …

Many British colleges of further education are moving toward a more flexible and learner-centered curriculum. Pressures for these changes are both internal and external: the colleges' funding methodology encourages student retention and achievement, and being flexible is now an economic necessity for many colleges. This two-part paper first looks…

The two issues of the journal SKOLE for 1993 contain original articles and reprints about small alternative schools, home schooling, school as community and community as school, racial and class inequalities in public schooling, and various educational philosophies and innovations. Major articles include: (1) "School As Community:…

This guide offers suggestions for developing learning materials for self-instruction by adults. It is based on methods used in the Bristol (England) Open Learning Centre. The guide covers the following topics: (1) using open (self-instructional) materials with basic education students; (2) supplying support for instructional materials; (3)…

This handbook was written to review current research on multigrade instruction, to identify key issues faced by multigrade classroom teachers, and to offer novice teachers a set of resource guides for improving instructional quality. The first chapter reviews previous research on multigrade instruction. It addresses questions regarding the effect…

Beginning with a definition of open learning as flexible learning systems in which people study how, when, and where it suits them, this summary reports on activities of the Council of Educational Technology (CET) that are designed to promote open learning systems; explains different forms of open learning systems, such as flexistudy, learning by…

This booklet is the second of three sequels to "A Guide to the Selection of Instructional Methods." Following a brief introduction, the characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of five individualized learning techniques are examined: (1) directed study of material in textbooks; (2) study of specially-prepared hand-out notes or…

This paper examines five factors that should be considered in planning an open education program in an English classroom: (1) The physical layout of the room should be carefully planned to support the learning needs and characteristics of students. (2) Three types of learning activities should be provided: activities for the entire class, for…

An examination of any school curriculum would reveal the existence of "basic" subjects such as reading, writing, and computation. Therefore a "return to basics" is not needed but rather a change in methodology in teaching these subjects. The following methodological changes are suggested: (1) Test each child to ascertain the level of achievement…

Participatory decision-making strategies have been suggested as effective in groups with the task of solving unstructured problems or creating innovations. Concerned about evaluating children's affective growth in open classrooms, eight educators in a large metropolitan area agreed to meet regularly after school hours to develop an instrument to…

Practical, classroom-tested ideas for developing classroom learning centers are presented in this book. The sixteen chapters deal with the following topics: an overview of learning centers and individualization, basic considerations in setting up a learning center, getting started, mechanics of operating learning centers, room arrangement and…

The relative achievement and appeal effectiveness of a multimedia nontraditional course with open learning adult learners and on-campus students were examined in this study of a University of Mid-America course. Focus was on (1) the achievement and appeal effects, with on-campus students employing or omitting the television component in the…

This report documents the conduct and results of activities to evaluate the first offering of The Consumer Experience to adult learners through the State University of Nebraska (SUN). A project of the University of Nebraska, SUN is a nontraditional, open learning program designed to extend postsecondary educational opportunities to persons who…