Personal Computers for Distance Education: The Study of an Educational Innovation

This book is about the convergence of two important streams of educational innovation: distance education and the educational use of personal computers (PCs). During the 1970s and 1980s, distance education became a significant aspect of the post-school educational provision of many countries. This trend will continue into the 21st century as a solution to the problem of providing mass education for adult learners, many of whom have work and family responsibilities while they study. Distance education relies on a variety of media both to deliver teaching materials and to provide channels of communication with students, and the potential of the PC as a distance teaching medium is only beginning to be explored.
The authors review the experiments with PCs in distance education which have taken place so far and discuss one in detail: the policy of student home computing at The Open University, UK. Over 17 000 Open University students use PCs in their own homes for aspects of their course work such as programming, computer-assisted learning, and electronic communication, as well as word processing and presentation. This is, at present, the largest application of student based PCs in any distance education system. The authors have been involved in an evaluation study of this policy and use their research to debate critical educational issues, such as the impact of PCs on student learning, equality of opportunity and access, and designing associated instruction material. They also consider the physical and social environment in which the students use their computers and the importance of providing support.
This book will be of interest to teachers and other professionals involved in distance, and other types of adult education, and those interested in the implications of information technology in education.