The still-unfolding economic crisis is bigger, more fundamental, and for good or ill, transformational for all of society. Yet the reaction in higher education has been, for the most part, strikingly timid. The timidity could be especially harmful considering all the challenges colleges already face, including the coming demographic shifts in the…

The Open University (OU) has a long and distinguished history of teaching biology at a distance by a supported open learning model. This article examines some of the challenges in delivering biology via distance teaching, explores some of the lessons learned, and discusses the opportunities and hazards of new teaching technologies that the OU has…

The paper attempts to provide relevant data on the achievements, albeit quantitatively, of the National Correspondence Institute of Tanzania over the past 30 years as a case study in distance education innovation. The case-study data reveal reasons for the near collapse of the distance education programme during the 1990s, and the renewed policy…

Openness has been a feature of higher education for many decades, particularly through the establishment of open universities, although there remain debates about what openness means in practice. Digital technologies, some based on open principles, and digital content, aided by open licences, have both contributed recently to an extension of what…

Nigeria no doubt is at the threshold of transformation in information and communication technology (ICT), a development that should be utilized to meet the demand of time, especially in the education sector. One area in which ICT has made enormous impact is in open and distance learning. Undoubtedly, the demand on the conventional higher education…

This study aims to describe the similarities and differences in the science interests of males and females from Israeli and Arab Middle Eastern countries, as derived from over 1,000 science questions sent to an international ask-a-scientist site. Our findings indicate that while the stereotypical gender gap in interest persists, and significant…

This article discusses the results when integrating digital versatile disc (DVD) technology in full-time second-year geography for BEd degree students at a university in South Africa, a developing country. It proposes a framework for the integration of the DVD in geography teaching and learning, steered by students' needs, feedback and…

This paper calls for a new theory of learner support in distance learning based on recent findings in the fields of learning and motivational psychology. It surveys some current learning motivation theories and proposes that models drawn from the relatively new field of Positive Psychology, such as the "Strengths Approach", together with…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and implementation of an open access, graduate education course where openness, connectivism, and social learning are guiding principles. The described experience aims to offer insight into developing courses that respond to changes in the manner in which individuals learn, connect, and…

This article looks at what constitutes an open educational resource and considers the issues and benefits to an educational institution that is moving to participate in open educational resource development and to adopt more open educational practices. It describes the initial steps in these directions being made by the Educational Development…

In October 2007, EDUCAUSE Vice President Richard N. Katz met with several senior leaders of the Open University: Professor Brenda Gourley, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University; Professor Denise Kirkpatrick, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching; Professor Andy Lane, Director of OpenLearn; Niall Sclater, Director of the Virtual…

This article considers the impact that peak oil and climate change may have on the future of higher education. In particular, it questions the role of technology in supporting the provision of a higher education which is resilient to a scenario both of energy depletion and the need to adapt to the effects of global warming. One emerging area of…

In like manner as conventional education and teaching approaches distance education tends to model the same procedures. Indeed, formerly enriched on printed material served as a primary source. However, thanks to the developments in technology and evolution in education, computerised information has made inroads in distance education programmes.…

This paper analyses problems of course evaluation in the frame work of open learning. It introduces the process of quality assessment of one specific blended learning course. The centre of research is an individual student. From his perspective, an attempt is being made to look at the course as an opening to new study possibilities. In addition,…

Research provides ample evidence that students rarely or often inadequately use instructional interventions in learning environments. This lack of use becomes especially problematic in open learning environments, where students have a large amount of control over tool use. In this contribution it is studied whether advice on the use of tools can…