This book is aimed at those who are considering, or just starting to plan open and distance learning courses. It offers practical advice on how to find your students, expand your audience and become cost-effective without compromising quality. The main areas covered are: basic principles and different approaches to ODL different types of self-study materials, media, and student support from your institution building quality assurance into the development process With a wide range of practical, tried-and-tested examples and case studies, the book provides a complete guide to setting up ODL courses.

This book is aimed at those who are considering, or just starting to plan open and distance learning courses. It offers practical advice on how to find your students, expand your audience and become cost-effective without compromising quality. The main areas covered are: basic principles and different approaches to ODL different types of self-study materials, media, and student support from your institution building quality assurance into the development process With a wide range of practical, tried-and-tested examples and case studies, the book provides a complete guide to setting up ODL courses.

Online distance education and training is being adopted throughout the world as a cost-effective, flexible answer to widening access for all. This enthusiasm has led to many initiatives and policies from governments to encourage online learning at international, national, regional and institutional levels. Also, changes in distance learning continue to take place as a result of educational discourse and innovations in ICT. Distance learning courses are therefore under pressure to reform, and successful management of external policy planning and internal change management is key to the implementation and maintenance of reforms. World-class leaders, researchers and practitioners share their experiences, research and critical reflection in this book, providing guidance on how to balance quality management with quality learning. Subjects covered include policy and planning, institutional management, management of processes, quality assurance and accreditation, and internationalization. This book will aid anyone involved in running or wanting to implement distance education to effectively manage an online learning programme.

A Guide to Administering Online Learning provides an overview of tasks to be accomplished in order to direct dynamic online initiatives. Experienced distance learning teachers and administrators share their insights regarding what must be done to administer effective online learning.

We live in a society with ever-changing needs and expectations. Education practitioners and policy makers need therefore to face the challenges of new economic, social and technological conditions in their work. There is a global concern to develop forms of education and training which are open to the demands of needs of learners, and which are accessible at times and places suitable to those learners. Governments, institutions and practitioners are developing and implementing policies which reflect these trends. The overall theme of this book is the relationship between government and organizational policies and the work of practitioners in open and distance learning. The book does this by exploring a selection of international examples. The authors, many of them recognized experts, write from a wide range of international and organizational perspectives. Each one draws on significant experience within his or her field. Terry Evans is Head of the Graduate School of Education at Deakin University. He was the foundation director of the Master of Distance Education course there and has extensive experience teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students. Daryl Nation is Deputy Head of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Monash University. He is Associate Professor in the School and divides his time between policy development, research and teaching.