ERIC Number: ED341301
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1991
Pages: 18
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Who Benefits from Distance Education? A Study of Athabasca University Graduates, 1985-1990. Draft Paper.
Owen, Michael; Hotchkis, Richard
This study examined the student characteristics of Athabasca University (AU), Alberta, Canada, a distance and open university, and asked whether AU serves the student clientele that its mission proposes and to what the AU graduates attribute success. Established to make it possible for people to earn a university education regardless of where they live or work, or their commitments to careers or families, AU removes the barriers of time, space, past educational experience and to some degree level of income. Using biographies, responses to a graduate survey and institutional studies data, the study found that AU does reduce the major barriers of time, space and previous educational attainment to higher education in Alberta, Canada. Data indicated that many graduates attended AU to improve their career prospects though many entered or re-entered to obtain their first degree. Most students (68 percent) and graduates (63 percent) are women who study for self-improvement and intellectual stimulation rather than for higher professional qualifications, a frequent reason for men to study. Data also suggested that AU does reduce barriers to higher education study for women. The data also indicated that the AU experience assisted students to gain in self-esteem and self-confidence. Included are 17 references. (JB)
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Administrators; Policymakers; Teachers; Practitioners
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A