Discusses the current state of distance education in the United Kingdom and Europe. Highlights include the Open University; Open Tech, for training and vocational development to aid in economic restructuring; government's role; Open College; Open Polytechnic; Open College of the Arts; Open School, for children; and the meaning of open learning.…

A high school teacher describes the learning activities his students initiated to make math more meaningful. Students determined the height of objects without direct measurement, graphed statistical information from the presidential primaries, studied the evolution of architecture by building gingerbread models, and researched land-use problems at…

Reports on a qualitative study which focused on perceptions and attitudes of a cross section of the University of Bradford (United Kingdom) staff with respect to the use of open and distance learning. Topics include lifelong learning, accountability, learning methods and technologies, flexibility, effective change practices, and policy…

Describes the British Open University which serves more than 200,000 students a year and offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in a variety of fields. Discusses the team approach to instructional design, delivery and evaluation; educational quality; emphasis on independent learning; cost effectiveness; and partnerships with United…

Mary Leue started the Free School, an independent, alternative elementary school in inner-city Albany (New York), based on open democratic education dedicated to the authentic lives of children. Other accomplishments include a community-investment organization, a magazine of alternative education, a magazine for empowering families, and a…

Evaluates a new version of software explicitly designed to make links with several external factors, in particular with another software application for supporting investigative work in practical science. Explores the contributions to the learning process made by the teacher, the student, and the software itself. (Author/SAH)

Reviews the educational and technological approaches used in telematics-based open and distance learning (ODL). Particular reference is made to projects supported by the Telematics Applications Program (TAP) of the Fourth Framework of the EC Research and Technological Development Program. Concentrates on practice, reflecting the interest in how…

This third publication on the theme of quality in the Commonwealth of Learning Perspectives on Distance Education series widens the discussion beyond external quality assurance processes to a more generic focus on a "culture of quality." It is an extension of the earlier two publications, which came out in 1994 and 1997 and drew…

Research in distance and online education has focused on how to improve students' learning and support services. Faculty satisfaction, as one of the five pillars in Sloan-Consortium's quality framework for online education, has received less attention in research. Besides online teaching, little research has examined the experiences of academics…

The two issues of the journal SKOLE for 1994 contain original articles and reprints about small alternative schools, home schooling, the contradictions and deficiencies of public education, and educational innovations. Major articles include: (1) "Reunion" (about Rockland Project School, New York) (Alice Gerard); (2) "Children's…

Each of the four papers in this collection is concerned with open learning in one form or another. "Open Learning: Some Current Perspectives" (Ian Barnard) addresses the topic of open learning in general, commenting on contemporary views and developments, and defining the term as a collective for approaches and practices that focus on…

In Canada, the "open" education concept is applied to BTSD (Basic Training for Skill Development) in order to explore the possibilities of its application. (Author/MW)

The verbal behavior of the teachers of two London Primary School open classrooms was characterized. Four categories of verbal behavior were found and 19 percent of all teacher utterances could be classified as potentially reinforcing to students. (SDH)

Competition, in classrooms as on the athletic fields, could destroy childhood and distort an entire lifetime. In an educational institution there is no need for grading, promotion, ranking, tracking, or labeling. A tremendous burden would be removed if teachers could teach without "evaluation," if people would come to school to learn rather than…

This study attempts to analyze some aspects of open education by examining the effects of the teacher's authority style. This aspect of the structure of the school is examined in conjunction with certain status characteristics of the school population. The following variables are considered in the study: (1) community type; teacher race, sex,…