Presents views of three faculty members at Penn State about online distance instruction. Discusses their opinions on interaction with students; whether online courses are demanding; instructional effectiveness; faculty support; student profiles; and reasons for distance education. (AEF)

Suggests that in distance education, "anytime" learning is as important as "anyplace" learning, and that true "anytime" learning is directly related to how much technology is used to make admission and enrollment flexible, and to allow students to move forward at their own pace. Using computer technology to make time more flexible for students is…

Suggests that distance education advocates and critics alike should learn that responding to learners' needs for independent learning is a fundamental principle. Discusses learner autonomy; new admirers of distance education; lack of sensitivity to individual learning differences and the increased use of streaming media; and the position of Dr.…

Focuses on migration, a strategy for giving faculty and their students enough time to adjust to requirements of online teaching and learning. Lists information that has proven to be useful to both on-campus and remote students. Discusses acquainting students with the course Web site; making the course interactive; holding a remote session; working…

Examines what distance education offers, and the difference between computer-mediated and traditional classroom instruction. Discussion includes investment in education; the reduced cost of travel; standard training and liberal education; prejudice in favor of traditional instruction; the uniqueness of the Internet; matching instruction with…

Discussion of the growth of distance education programs focuses on program evaluation. Describes the American Evaluation Association http://www.eval.org, the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation (ERIC/AE) http://ericae.net; lists steps for planning formative evaluation; and considers the appropriate uses of new technology. (LRW)

Discusses inconclusive results in educational research about how mediated instruction affects the learner. Topics include the influence of microcomputers; flaws in comparative studies that concentrated on the physical attributes of the medium rather than instructional design issues; aptitude treatment interaction analysis; and media attributes and…

Discusses issues related to course evaluation and reliable feedback from students in distance education. Considers features that should be taken into account in the design and development of an evaluation instrument, including contemporary theoretical principles in distance education; contemporary critical practices in the field; and ascertaining…

Discusses next generation distance education systems, which include research in cognitive science, systems science, and communication theory to provide a learning environment with student autonomy congruent to prior learning, learning objectives, and content materials to be mastered. Describes Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL), object…

Discussion of what works in distance education highlights why theory-based data is needed; the paucity of research literature and the increase in descriptive articles; benefits of theory-based research, including assessing costs and benefits, accelerating accreditation, evaluating learning outcomes, comparing programs, and designing authoring…

Briefly highlights the work of one of the early pioneers of online education, Dr. Linda M. Harasim. Harasim stated five characteristics for online education and included active learning through peer communication and social process of knowledge building in the overall theory and definition of distance education. Other early contributors to…

Suggests that for distance education to become a more articulated discipline, researching theory-based practice, collecting data from it, and interpreting data within the theoretical framework of the field is of utmost importance. Discusses the problems with a theoretical reporting of projects and practice, and briefly highlights contributions of…

Discusses how to keep students from dropping out of distance education courses, based on experiences at the British Open University. Highlights include students taking responsibility for their learning; time management skills; managing study space; maintaining good communication; establishing learning communities; and responses to student email.…

The third in a series defining the field of distance education and its related concepts, this article focuses on flexible education, a term closely associated with open education. Discussion includes flexibility, autonomy and learner control; individualizing instruction; and management of instruction and instructional management software. (AEF)

Continues discussion of a distance-education systems model (presented in previous issues). Examines societal systems, the next level of this hierarchical model. Discusses responding to social needs, social and economic change in the 1990s, and distance and higher education in the 1990s. Provides samples of newspaper articles, one of the main…