This report describes the background, history, development and evaluation of distance education in Sweden since its inception in 1973. A preliminary general section describes higher education and external studies in Sweden, the basic ideas behind distance education, and its scope and general organization in Sweden. Part of the preparation for the 1977 reform of higher education, the experimental activities described were designed to test different methods of teaching students who could come to an educational institution for only short periods of time. Scope, organization, and the different components of the evaluation program are described. Results presented relate to students' goals and study alternatives; background and study effort; general attitudes toward distance education; distance bridging aids; study results (achievement); and teachers' experiences with distance education. A follow-up investigation is also described, and strategies for strengthening student-teacher contact in distance education are examined in a concluding discussion. Appended are a nine-page reference list, and lists of additional reports on distance education (23 in Swedish and 17 in English). (LMM)