A questionnaire developed in six languages--English, French, German, Polish, Russian, and Spanish--was mailed to more than 1,500 organizations known by the FernUniversitat in West Germany to be connected in some way to distance education, correspondence education, or home study. The study was undertaken as a response to the lack of systematic documentation on distance teaching institutions, and the creation of a databank that would allow easy access to the information was an important goal. The questionnaire was comprehensive and asked for statistical information of a sensitive nature, as well as information on organization, teaching, learning, counselling, examining, student service, and media applications. Useful replies received from 203 institutions included 37 from the United States, 23 from the United Kingdom, 22 from Australia, 16 from Canada, and 15 from the Federal Republic of Germany. The responses were subjected to both quantitative and qualitative analysis and the findings reported in this document provide information on: (1) the organization of distance teaching schools and universities; (2) the media used; (3) general principles of teaching and learning with special reference to the degree of independence expected of distant students or developed by distance education; and (4) student support and examinations. (THC)