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This study examined the educational situation of prisoners enrolled in courses at the FernUniversitat (the German distance teaching university). A survey questionnaire, developed with the help of imprisoned students, was administered to approximately 200 student prisoners. Of the 99 returns, 95 were found usable to base the results of this study. Results included the following: (1) only half of the students had the formal educational qualifications usually required for studying at a German university. About half of the students enrolled for single courses, while the others were either full-time or part-time students of degree programs; (2) the most-cited motivations for studying were in order to make sense of the prison sentence and to improve the chances for getting a job after being released from prison. Some of the students noted preservation of health was cited as an important reason for beginning studies; (3) about half of the students did not get any financial support for their study, and most practical and emotional support came from parents, siblings, friends and teachers in the prison; (4) one third of the students had the opportunity to cooperate with other imprisoned students within the prison; (5) one third of the students had regular contacts with their tutors; (6) very few students were allowed to leave the prison for study purposes; (7) most were only moderately satisfied with their study, but about 75% thought that it helped make their prison time more endurable; and (8) many study problems were cited, partly due to the situation within the prison and partly due to regulations of the FernUniversitat that were perceived as reflecting lack of consideration for prisoners' special circumstances. Contains approximately 100 references. A copy of the survey instrument is appended. (Author)

Student-faculty contact is widely accepted as influencing retention within campus-based programs. The difficulties of implementing such contact within a distance learning environment magnify its importance as a topic for investigation. This study sought to evaluate the effect of faculty initiated contacts on student persistence within a large video-based distance learning program. The study evaluated course completion rates and student opinion for students who received informal faculty contact via phone calls and compared results to those of a control group in the same courses who did not experience faculty initiated contacts. Students (N=120) were enrolled in the following general education courses: Biology, Government, History, and Music. In addition, another group of 100 students participating in a telephone survey, indicated how helpful they considered faculty phone calls to be. The study showed that faculty-initiated efforts seem to have the greatest effect on improving course persistence among freshmen students (those with fewer than 30 earned hours). (Contains 13 references.) (GLR)

A discussion of distance learning looks at the ways in which it does or does not address issues of cultural pluralism and the needs implied by this. Introductory sections look at the way in which current telecommunications socialize individuals of all ages and at the difficulty of research into this process. Media technology applicable in the classroom are then examined, and currently common uses of those media for distance learning are outlined, including the burgeoning information and media networks, both private and publicly supported. The rapid expansion of distance learning in the United States is chronicled briefly, and the Star Schools Program, an ambitious project to bring distance instruction to students through telecommunications partnerships, is described. Problems are seen in the limited extent to which the Star Schools Program, intended to enhance the education of economically disadvantaged students, addresses specifically the needs of culturally or linguistically diverse populations. Some programs that do target these populations are noted. It is concluded that there are inadequate large-scale educational telecommunications efforts focusing on linguistic and cultural issues, and that this need must be addressed. A brief bibliography and list of resources are appended. (MSE)

This collection of documents contains four papers: (1) "An Orientation Seminar for Prospective Wine Science and Viticulture Students" (A. V. Hood), which describes an innovation organized by staff involved in the external teaching of wine science and viticulture who sought to break down the barriers and concerns of prospective students contemplating enrolling in these programs in 1990; (2) "Electronic Mail Evaluated: A Case Study" (T. R. Frost and D. W. Roberts), which reports on the use of electronic mail to promote faculty-student communication in a database systems course; (3) "Workers Compensation for Distance Educators...A Few Problems and Possible Solutions" (B. C. Williamson), which explores issues affecting academic staff involved in off-campus or off-shore residential school situations; and (4) "Data Communications and Distance Education" (R. E. Moore), which recommends that the process of media selection for distance education be informed by learning theory. References are provided in each of the papers. (GL)

The college experience involves much more than credit hours and degrees. Students likely derive utility from in-person instruction and on-campus social activities. Quantitative measures of the value of these individual components have been hard to come by. Leveraging the COVID-19 shock, we elicit students' intended likelihood of enrolling in higher education under different costs and possible states of the world. These states, which would have been unimaginable in the absence of the pandemic, vary in terms of class formats and restrictions to campus social life. We show how such data can be used to recover college student's willingness-to-pay (WTP) for college-related activities in the absence of COVID-19, without parametric assumptions on the underlying heterogeneity in WTP. We find that the WTP for in-person instruction (relative to a remote format) represents around 4.2% of the average annual net cost of attending university, while the WTP for on-campus social activities is 8.1% of the average annual net costs. We also find large heterogeneity in WTP, which varies systematically across socioeconomic groups. Our analysis shows that economically-disadvantaged students derive substantially lower value from university social life, but this is primarily due to time and resource constraints.

The decision about how and when to open schools to in-person instruction has been a key question for policymakers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The instructional modality of schools has implications not only for the health and safety of students and staff, but also student learning and the degree to which parents can engage in job activities. We consider the role of instructional modality (in-person, hybrid, or remote instruction) in disease spread among the wider community. Using a variety of regression modeling strategies, we find that simple correlations show in-person modalities are correlated with increased COVID cases, but accounting for both pre-existing cases and a richer set of covariates brings estimates close to zero on average. In Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) specifications, in-person modality options are not associated with increased spread of COVID at low levels of pre-existing COVID cases but cases do increase at moderate to high pre-existing COVID rates. A bounding exercise suggests that the OLS findings for in-person modality are likely to represent an upper bound on the true relationship. These findings are robust to the inclusion of county and district fixed effects in terms of the insignificance of the findings, but the models with fixed effects are also somewhat imprecisely estimated.

Throughout the world, women are underrepresented in technical fields as a result of the segmentation of the labor market and the internalization of expectations for women. Distance education can make an important contribution in overcoming barriers to women's participation in technology in the developed and developing world. The Open University in Britain has been successful in using distance education to recruit women into a course designed to help women who had qualified as engineers to bridge career breaks with updating education. An Australian initiative for rural women involved a community-based distance education program intended to increase the number of mature women entering science and engineering courses, characterized by its consultative approach to program development and strong student support systems. In Guyana, a community-based distance education program involved training for local women in the design, construction, and use of appropriate technologies related to energy saving. These distance education initiatives involving bridging courses, conversion courses, and community-based programs show that distance education can achieve results in facilitating the participation of women, both young and mature, in technological education. For women to become full participants in technological fields, however, wider efforts are needed to combat gender bias. (Contains 36 references.) (KC)

This report discusses forces that are shaping alternative approaches to the delivery of postsecondary education, particularly distance education and open learning. One of these forces is the ever-changing composition of the student body, whose demands are increasing and whose needs are becoming more disparate because of a more and more sophisticated labor market. Distance education is being used successfully as a more cost- effective and less labor-intensive way in which to educate large numbers; in view of that trend tailored solutions for affordable student-centered education and some stylized models for open universities are provided. In addition to sketching background information, this report also explores specific issues regarding oversight of open-learning programs by the state government for consumer protection, the logistics of credit transfer and credentialing, and strategic considerations for implementing open learning situations and technologies. (BEW)

This document, which is intended for staff of state occupational information coordinating committees (SOICCs) and career information delivery systems (CIDS), examines the pros and cons of career information hotlines and their use in selected states. "Foreword--Career Information on Call" (Juliette N. Lester) provides a brief overview of selected states' efforts to provide career information and lists benefits of CIDS hotlines. The hotlines can reach a broad spectrum of the public; offer users a degree of privacy and anonymity; help callers clarify their information needs; and are a cost-effective way of serving large and diverse populations. "Career Counseling by Telephone in Rhode Island" (Mildred T. Nichols) describes a model for using paraprofessional counselors to provide home-based adults (primarily women) with career counseling and information by telephone. "Fourteen Years and 42,000 Calls: Virginia's VIEW" (Carl McDaniels, Mary Anne Knoblock, Gale A. Watts, Mary Landon-Moore) details a comprehensive, multimedia state CIDS. "Starting a Career Information Hotline? Experiences and Insights from the Texas SOICC" (Caesar Andreas) discusses a career information hotline that focuses primarily on secondary school students, teachers, and counselors throughout Texas. A list of SOICC contacts for career information is appended. (Contains 15 references.) (MN)

Applications of telecommunications technologies in rural businesses, schools, health care institutions, and government agencies can help make these institutions more efficient and effective, overcome problems of rural isolation, and diversify rural economies. This report considers some of the issues surrounding these possibilities and discusses the challenges raised by two requirements for such benefits to accrue: the need for a rural public telecommunications infrastructure that is capable of supporting advanced equipment and services at reasonable prices; and the need for communities to make informed decisions about the planning, purchase, implementation, and evaluation of new information technologies. Four primary goals are recommended: (1) a rural service delivery system comparable to the urban infrastructure in quality, availability, and cost; (2) adequate preparation of rural communities to plan for, implement, and evaluate new services and equipment; (3) access by rural communities to adequate capital financing and other sources of funding for equipment and services; and (4) telecommunications-related development strategies that are integrated with the larger economic development strategies of the community and region. More specific suggestions are also delineated. The report calls for a coordinated effort by telecommunications policy makers, the telecommunications industry, and economic development professionals to help achieve these goals. (RAH)

The Learning Resource Centres (LRCs) of Ontario (Canada) are in the midst of a technological metamorphosis unprecedented in their 25-year history. The LRCs are becoming centers for independent, self-paced, experiential learning, places in which students actively create, evaluate, experience, and interpret a world of information through technology. LRCs in Ontario are being influenced by national, provincial, and local trends. As they adopt a broader vision of the future, they plan for important roles in: (1) information literacy; (2) alternative learning; (3) software; (4) production; (5) instructional telecommunications; (6) distance education; (7) curriculum design and delivery; and (8) classroom design. Few of the Ontario LRCs are structurally, financially, or technologically prepared for their new and expanded roles. A transformed role for the LRCs implies significant change in alternative learning, information literacy, leadership, access, standards, staff training, and funding. (Contains 44 references.) (SLD)

This technology survey provides an overview of the educational technology options specifically available in the distance education and open learning arena. It examines technological options and their delivery modes in the context of each application. For each option, a definition is provided. Costs are estimated for each application; and advantages, disadvantages, and availability in Australia are sketched. The following technologies are explored: (1) facsimile transmission; (2) computer mediated communication; (3) audio; (4) audiographic; (5) computer assisted instruction; (6) videoconferencing; and (7) television and teleconferencing. The review of available applications makes it apparent that many organizations in Australia have dabbled in the area of educational technology, but few have evaluated the options formally in terms of their appropriateness for course requirements and learner needs. Three appendixes list features of educational technology, applications, and journals and special interest groups dealing with educational technology. (Contains 54 references.) (SLD)

Country profiles compiled through a survey of distance education in Africa form the contents of this document. International organizations and 35 countries were surveyed: Algeria; Benin; Botswana; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad; Congo (Brazzaville); Djibouti; Ethiopia; Gambia; Ghana; Guinea; Ivory Coast; Kenya; Lesotho; Liberia; Malawi; Mali; Mauritius; Mozambique; Namibia; Nigeria; Rwanda; Somalia; Sudan; Swaziland; Tanzania; Togo; Tunisia; Uganda; Zaire; Zambia; and Zimbabwe. Some or all of the following information is presented for each country: population, area, languages, and per capita income; overview; and institutions involved in distance teaching. For each institution the following is included: address, contacts, aims and objectives, staff size, annual budget, course details, research, and special features. (NLA)

We use standardized end-of-course knowledge assessments to examine student learning during the disruptions induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Examining seven economics courses taught at four US R1 institutions, we find that students performed substantially worse, on average, in Spring 2020 when compared to Spring or Fall 2019. We find no evidence that the effect was driven by specific demographic groups. However, our results suggest that teaching methods that encourage active engagement, such as the use of small group activities and projects, played an important role in mitigating this negative effect. Our results point to methods for more effective online teaching as the pandemic continues.

Much attention has been focused on the accountability, student learning outcomes, transfer of credit, and illegal file sharing provisions of the two related bills that have moved through the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives to amend and extend the provisions of the 1965 Higher Education Act (S. 1642 and H.R. 4137). One of the provisions that appears in both versions should be of particular interest to institutions and programs that offer distance education. The proposed legislation requires "an institution that offers distance education to have processes through which the institution establishes that the student who registers in a distance education course or program is the same student who participates in and completes the program and receives the academic credit." WCET's (WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies') Steering Committee, representing some of the country's leading online higher education institutions and programs, have prepared this briefing paper to inform its members about this impending development, solicit additional approaches and strategies for academic integrity, assist the WCET community in continuing to provide high quality online education, as well as contribute to the development of appropriate federal guidelines (if the legislation is adopted).

This paper describes how audiovisual media have influenced the way students have learned--or failed to learn--at the Open University at Walton Hall. The paper is based in part on results from a large body of research that has repeatedly demonstrated the interrelatedness of a wide range of factors in determining how or what students learn from audiovisual media. For instance, the administration's policy toward the assessment of broadcast material will affect not only the way many students approach the programs, but may determine whether or not a student will watch at all; the benefit a student obtains from a program will be affected by how much he has read in the correspondence texts; and that in turn will be influenced by the timing of the TMAs (tutor marked assignments). Primarily a literature review, this paper discusses the following topics: general theory and research relevant to the Open University; the roles of audiovisual media in Open University learning; case studies and documentaries; television as reinforcement; delivery of instruction; students' prior experience with learning from television and radio; student control over audiovisual media; relevance of program material; individual differences; and the need for broadcast notes. An extensive bibliography is included. (THC)