Strategies for Sustainable Open and Distance Learning (World Review of Distance Education and Open Learning) Book

The pioneers who started the world's first open universities flew by the seat of their pants. Their successors, now launching and reshaping open-learning programmes in the internet age, no longer need to. Drawing on forty years' experience of implementing open and distance learning, this book will guide decision makers - in the private and public sectors - about how they can teach and train more students, more effectively, learning from the successes and avoiding the failures of the past. The book is richly illustrated with case study materials from varied international experiences, and the main issues covered include: Pedagogical options - teaching materials, student-support and tutorial arrangementsAdministrative options - single-mode/dual-mode institutions, recruitment strategies, communication structuresCollaborative options - market alliances, public-private partnerships and the necessary conditions for successFunding - capital and recurrent expenditure, factors for cost-effectivenessQuality control, accreditation and assessment - awarding credits and monitoring the quality of the institution This book is written for anyone planning to develop programmes or projects of open and distance learning, either through an educational institution or for training in the private, corporate or NGO sector.Read More