1st Edition
Distance Education International Perspectives
Distance education, for long the Cinderella of the educational spectrum, had emerged in the 1970s and early 1980s as a valued component of many national educational systems in both developed and developing countries. The foundation of the Open Universities, developments in communications technology and in audio-, video- and computer-based learning, a new sophistication in the design of print-based materials and better support systems for the student learning at a distance had all contributed to the availability and quality of distance education programmes.
Originally published in 1988, this book chronicles this great change in distance education. It presents the best writings on the subject published during the previous ten years. The articles selected for this volume provided a new scholarly basis for the theory and practice of distance education. The editors have brought together contributions from many countries and present authoritative introductions to each of the nine sections. This book provided those in both developed and developing countries with a guideline to one of the most rapidly expanding areas of education at the time.
Preface. Acknowledgements. Section 1: The Concept of Education Introduction. On Defining Distance Education. A Theory for Distance Education. Distance Teaching: A Contradiction in Terms? Section 2: Theories of Distance Education Introduction. On a Theory of Independent Study. Distance Teaching and Industrial Production: A Comparative Interpretation in Outline. Guided Didactic Conversation in Distance Education. Section 3: Distance Education and Society: A Rationale Introduction. Back Door Learning in the Learning Society. Adverse Factors in the Development of an Open University in Latin America. What Advantages Can Conventional Education Derive from Correspondence Education? Section 4: Students and their Progress Introduction. Student Demand and Progress at the Open University – The First Eight Years. External Studies at New England – A Silver Jubilee Review, 1955-1979. Research and Development Activities in the Field of Distance Study at NKI-Skolen, Norway Section 5: Choice of Medium: The New Communications Technology Introduction. Trends in the Use of Audio-Visual Media in Distance Education Systems. Education by Satellite: Australia Possibilities. On Choosing Teaching Methods to Match Educational Aims Section 6: Course Development Introduction. A List of Ideas for the Construction of Distance Educaiton Courses. The Student’s Freedom of Choice Within the Didactical Structure of a Correspondence Course. Tell Me How to Write Section 7: Student Support Services Introduction. Teaching for the Open University. Interaction and Independence: Getting the Mixture Right. The Consultation in the Process of Distance Education Section 8: Economics Introduction. The Economics of the Open University Revisited. The Economics and Management of Small Post-Secondary Distance Education Systems. Economics and Cost Structures. Index.
Biography
David Sewart, Desmond Keegan and Börje Holmberg
