Open and distance learning has been used in many ways in the recent past to provide both primary education and adult education. The Commonwealth of Learning works with governments, schools and universities with the aim of strengthening the capacities of Commonwealth member countries in developing human resources required for their economic and social development. Many existing policy documents link distance education with new information and communication technologies, portraying them as a promising universal access and exponential growth of learning.
This book answers the key questions to these issues and assesses the impact and effect of the experience of basic education at a distance all over the world and in a wide variety of forms. This is the first major overview of this topic for twenty years.

Open and distance learning has been used in many ways in the recent past to provide both primary education and adult education. The Commonwealth of Learning works with governments, schools and universities with the aim of strengthening the capacities of Commonwealth member countries in developing human resources required for their economic and social development. Many existing policy documents link distance education with new information and communication technologies, portraying them as a promising universal access and exponential growth of learning.
This book reviews world experience in order to answer key questions about open and distance learning in basic education. It is the first major overview of this topic for twenty years.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203187628

With contributions from some of the world's leading practitioners in the field, this volume draws together contemporary experience in the application of technology to distributed learning. It offers an appraisal of the strategies and processes for managing change in open and distance learning and presents a progressive vision for all those involved in this widespread discipline. It can be used as a guide for those implementing Web-based learning.

Originally published in 1988. This book provides an overview of women's experience, access and needs in distance education. It includes contributions on distance learning programmes in Holland, Canada, the South Pacific, West Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Kenta, Great Britain, India, Papua New Guinea, Sweden and Turkey. Within this diversity are common international themes on the nature of the educational process for women in distance learning, whether the subject is building construction or art teaching. The incorporation of a historical perspective and an evaluation of the prospects for the future contextualises the descriptions of the ways in which women are currently re-defining themselves through distance education around the world.

Remote Learning: Engaging in K-12 Literacy Instruction is about teacher candidates engaging K-12 students in remote literacy instruction during their teacher preparation programs. This book includes new case studies for tutoring diverse students remotely with diverse literacy learning needs that ranges from English Language Learners to students with special needs. It also includes remote teaching in diverse settings such as, intervention programs, virtual and private schools, and so forth. Many more web meeting tools such as, Adobe Connect, Zoom, Google Classroom made it possible for synchronous tutoring. And be sure to check out the wide range of digital resources that supported K-12 remote literacy instruction. The digital tools included CommonLit, IXL, RoomRecess, ABC Mouse, and more!

Originally published in 1982 this volume provides nine case studies of particular distance teaching universities in Canada, China, Cost Rica, Germany, Israel, Pakistan, Spain, Venezuela and the UK. These universities were mainly founded in the 1970s to teach only at a distance. The book considers the provision of distance education by universities in general and the development and characteristics of the distance teaching universities in particular. Chronicling the emergence of new university structures between 1971-1981, the book also provides an appraisal of their performance in the early years.

Originally published in 1981 this volume provides a detailed analysis of the factors - strategic, pedagogic, operational, organisational and financial -which should be taken into account in the planning and running of large-scale, centralised distance education systems at the higher education level. The book uses evidence drawn from Open University type institutions in Canada, Costa Rica, Germany, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Venezuela and the UK.

Shows how St. Thomas was big, quiet and slow to speak, thus being called the \"Dumb Ox\" by fellow students. Shows for children 10 and up how this \"Dumb Ox\" became the greatest teacher in the history of the Church. Impr. 81 pgs 16 Illus, PB

Against a background of profound wordwide social and economic change, the concept of lifelong learning has come increasingly into the public eye. As educators and policy-makers rethink the meaning of education, the purpose of schooling and the place of learning in our everyday lives, educational institutions are opening up to those traditionally deprived of the opportunity. The books in this set, originally published between 1979 and 1992, including global case studies, reflect upon major issues confronting adult educators worldwide and discuss the role of adult education in social and community action examine the relationship between class and adult education look at the concept of culture and the transmission of cultural values in relations to adult education evaluate the role of adult education in reducing unemployment

Research has indicated that assessment is a key factor in student learning. This book details the issues of assessment in the open and distance learning field, where changes in budgets, the location and environment of the students and other factors have prompted innovations in assessment.

When asked the question, 'Think of the best teacher you ever had. What did that teacher do to make you consider him or her your best teacher?' the answers are never 'My best teacher gave us lots of worksheets to do, ' or 'My best teacher covered a lot of material.' Instead, typical answers range from the teachers who challenged, to the teachers who cared and the teachers who loved their subjects. Babbage calls those teachers 'extreme teachers, ' whose ultimate goal for students is 'extreme learning'. In the 'extreme learning' classroom, the students and the teacher create learning experiences which connect the real-life knowledge, talents, and interests of students with what needs to be learned today in the standards-based school curriculum. School becomes relevant to the outside world, and working harder to learn at school becomes important, beneficial, and meaningful. Babbage uses anecdotes, both his own and hypothetical, to demonstrate 'extreme learning'. He shows the disparity between training and understanding, where students are trained in standards, but they begin to truly understand the real-life application. 'Extreme learning' creates a partnership between teacher and student, where all learn and improve from each othe

Published in association with the Commonwealth of Learning
Open and distance learning has expanded dramatically in recent years across the world, across the spectrum of subject areas, and across educational levels. This book takes a detailed look at the state of the art of open and distance learning in higher education, and presents a fascinating picture of a world and its educational culture in transition.
This edited collection contains authoritative analyses of key issues together with current accounts of practice in each region of the world. It includes
*open and distance learning in relation to internationalisation, lifelong learning and flexible learning
*costs of distance education
*the impact of telecommunications
*applications of open and distance learning in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.
It draws together experts in the field from all over the world, and has a truly international perspective on the phenomenon of open and distance learning. Its unparalleled breadth of coverage makes it an indispensable work of reference for experts and newcomers alike.

This volume of essays from leading British, North American and Australasian contributors looks at the issues of the convergence of distance and conventional education. The term 'convergence' refers to the breaking down of barriers between open and distance learning and conventional institutions, and the creation of more and more institutions working across a range of modes. Such convergence has been driven by a number of factors, including the new technologies for teaching and learning, the impact of lifelong learning policies, the entry of larger than ever numbers of adult part-time students into tertiary education, and the demands of both employers and individuals for professional and work-related education throughout their working lives.
The fourteen chapters engage critically with a range of aspects of convergence, including:
* how well is open and distance learning carried out by conventional institutions for which it may continue for a lengthy period to be seen as of secondary importance?
* to what extent will open and distance learning be more effectively carried out by conventional institutions able to offer a variety of modes to a wide range of learners?
* how well will the variety of learners be served by systems that are converging?
* what are the managerial issues at institutional level where converging systems are being developed?

This volume of essays from leading British, North American and Australasian contributors looks at the issues of the convergence of distance and conventional education. The term 'convergence' refers to the breaking down of barriers between open and distance learning and conventional institutions, and the creation of more and more institutions working across a range of modes. Such convergence has been driven by a number of factors, including the new technologies for teaching and learning, the impact of lifelong learning policies, the entry of larger than ever numbers of adult part-time students into tertiary education, and the demands of both employers and individuals for professional and work-related education throughout their working lives.
The fourteen chapters engage critically with a range of aspects of convergence, including:
* how well is open and distance learning carried out by conventional institutions for which it may continue for a lengthy period to be seen as of secondary importance?
* to what extent will open and distance learning be more effectively carried out by conventional institutions able to offer a variety of modes to a wide range of learners?
* how well will the variety of learners be served by systems that are converging?
* what are the managerial issues at institutional level where converging systems are being developed?

'For a more balanced view of the challenges, achievements, and future of distance learning worldwide, in mind, scope, and spirit, this reviewer recommends this edited work.' - Higher Education in Europe

This open university reader is a wide-ranging interdisciplinary collection of material from primary sources, illustrating the relationship between cultural change and religious belief in sixteenth-century Europe. It contains more than eighty extracts drawn from a variety of genres including political, religious, philosophical and legal writing, diaries, letters, plays, poems and fiction. Some have never previously been published, others have not been reprinted since their original appearance in the sixteenth century, and a number are translated into modern English for the first time.
Culture and Belief in Europe 1450 - 1600' includes writing from such renowned thinkers as Erasmus, Luther, Machiavelli, and Sir Thomas More, besides that of lesser-known authors. Works of literature also feature extensively, and writings from Cervantes, Rabelais, Edmund Spenser, and Sir Philip Sidney amongst many others are all to be found here.
A general introduction describes the anthology's central aim - to explore aspects of the interrelationship between the politics, religion and writing of the period. The book is divided into eight thematic sections.
Spelling in the extracts has been sensitively modernized throughout, and the editors provide a headnote and appropriate explanatory annotation for each item.

Join your favorite hippo, Fiona, the adorable internet sensation from the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, in this story of sharing and caring about friends-and the good thing about a little rain storm too. It is raining, but Fiona still wants to hang out with her good friends at the zoo. When Flamingo stops by Hippo Cove for a visit, she brings her big umbrella. Young readers will enjoy learning more about Fiona and her friends in this Level One I Can Read about the little hippo that has captured hearts around the world with her inspiring story and plucky personality. Fiona and the Rainy Day is: An endearing animal book that's a perfect gift from parents and grandparents An inspiring story of sharing and caring about friends A Level One I Can Read story geared for children just learning to read Created by New York Times bestselling artist Richard Cowdrey of Fiona the Hippo; A Very Fiona Christmas; Fiona, It's Bedtime; Legend of the Candy Cane; Bad Dog, Marley; and A Very Marley Christmas fame

As institutions and organisations around the world move to more open and flexible delivery of educational and training programmes, there is increasing need for effective forms of staff development to encourage and support change. Staff development is not only critical in helping teachers and trainers acquire and improve their knowledge and skills in alternative modes of delivery, but in helping to shape the policies, procedures and attitudes that are needed for more learner-centred approaches. This book draws together the experiences, insights and findings of some of the world's leading staff developers in open and flexible education. It is designed to provide an overview of the trends, influences and events which are shaping the work of these professionals, and the policy changes, processes and outcomes they are helping to bring about in this expanding field. The book offers various frameworks and strategies for staff development activities, with examples from commercial, professional and educational settings, and shows how these can be refined and adapted to more specific contexts.

A comprehensive overview of open and distance education. It integrates historical, contemporary and future aspects of distance education. Featuring international case studies, it goes beyond looking at the methods and technology of distance education, giving Otto Peters' visions on the sociological and social impacts of distance education. This new edition includes a new section on virtual universities.

Dissecting in detail the arguments underlying the costs and economics of open and distance learning, this text should give the reader an insight and the confidence to cost their own open and distance learning projects.

Dissecting in detail the arguments underlying the costs and economics of open and distance learning, this text should give the reader an insight and the confidence to cost their own open and distance learning projects.

Online Education is a comprehensive exploration of blended and fully online teaching platforms, addressing history, theory, research, planning, and practice. As colleges, universities, and schools around the world adopt large-scale technologies and traditional class models shift into seamless, digitally interactive environments, critical insights are needed into the implications for administration and pedagogy. Written by a major contributor to the field, this book contextualizes online education in the past and present before analyzing its fundamental changes to instruction, program integration, social interaction, content construction, networked media, policy, and more. A provocative concluding chapter speculates on the future of education as the sector becomes increasingly dependent on learning technologies.

This edited collection focuses on the early development, gradual evolution, and present status of distance learning and online education in the social work profession. Relevant for social work students and educators in baccalaureate, masters and doctoral programs, this book is an authoritative statement authored by widely recognized educators on the cutting edge of technological innovation. In addressing the future of web-based social work education, the collection demonstrates the power of distance learning and online technology. The chapters cover a comprehensive range of topics, including organizational and administrative aspects, teaching and practice, recent research and the challenge of creating intimacy and interaction. The volume provides a valuable set of insights into how distance learning and online education are transforming how social work is increasingly being taught today, and will surely be offered in the future. This book was originally published in the Journal of Teaching in Social Work.

We live in a society with ever changing needs and expectations. Education practitioners and policymakers need therefore to face the challenges of new economic, social and technological conditions in their work. There is a global concern to develop forms of education and training which are open to the demands and needs of learners, and which are accessible at times and places suitable to those learners. Governments, institutions and practitioners are developing and implementing policies which reflect these trends. The overall theme of this text is the relationship between government and organizational policies and the work of practitioners in open and distance learning. It does this by exploring a selection of international examples. The authors write from a wide range of international and organizational perspectives. Each one draws on significant experience within his or her field.

Distance education and training provision has expanded dramatically over the past few years. This best-selling introduction to the field has helped many to understand the origins and background of distance education, and has been used by students and professionals as a guide to policy and practice. It has now been updated in the light of the developments in recent years in Eastern Europe and the enormous advances in the use of new technologies. A new case study of distance education in China is also included.