This book, the basic document of the 1982 Vancouver world conference on "Learning at a Distance," describes the state of the art of distance education in the early 1980s. It includes papers on or abstracts from over 120 authors representing some 25 countries. The 118 papers are divided into seven sections. In each section the first paper is an introduction to the topic. The 10 articles in section 1 highlight important international trends. Section 2 (16 papers) focuses on the contribution of distance learning to national development. The 18 papers in section 3 discuss recent research and developments in distance learning. The 13 papers in section 4 deal with the difficult relationship between the mass-produced learning package and the diverse student base. Methods of encouraging student achievement through improved quality of contact with the institution are examined. Section 5 (22 papers) looks at the processes of policy making and management. The 19 papers in section 6 describe approaches needed to provide instruction in topics varying from music to affective relationships. Section 7 (20 papers) focuses on contributions of communications media and computer technology. Appendixes include a glossary, bibliography, notes on contributors, and author and subject indexes. (YLB)