Miami-Dade Community College's Open College allows students to enroll in classes, purchase course materials, and proceed through coursework at their own pace without having to go to a campus except for course examinations. Three major components of the distant learning program are audio, video, and print materials which are used in conjunction with a two-way, computer-based communication system. This system permits faculty/student dialogues in a written mode. A distant learning student responds to a faculty-designed questionnaire which assesses the student's progress at strategic points along a course of study, in both the cognitive and affective domains. Based on the responses obtained, a letter is returned to the student which contains an individualized "prescription for learning". The prescription, formulated by the instructor and transmitted to the student via computer, is based on the student's unique educational strengths and needs. As a result of this process, impersonal materials are utilized to deliver personalized instruction. Additionally, the student is able to act as the principal initiator of learning. A graphic model of the distant learning program is included as is a flow chart depicting the operation of the computer-based instructional program. (JDS)