Distance Education Symposium

The purpose of a symposium on research in distance education was to continue the process of building the network of scholars and climate of cooperation and communication necessary for further development of distance education, and to provide an opportunity for discussion. Four main areas of focus for the symposium are identified in a brief preface by Michael G. Moore: Learning and Characteristics of Learners; Course Design and Communication; Instruction and Learner Support; and Theory, Policy, and Management. There are five papers in this collection: (1) "Researching Practice and Practicing Research: Critique of Distance Education Research and Writing" (Michael F. Beaudoin); (2) "Education for Each: Learner Driven Distance Education" (Connie Dillon and Dana Blanchard); (3)"Changing Perceptions of Learners and Learning at a Distance: A Review of Selected Recent Research" (Chere Campbell Gibson); (4) "Responding to Change: Designing a Flexible Learning Organization for Distance Education" (Andrew Woudstra and Stephen Murgatroyd); and (5) "Research on Selected Aspects of Learner Support in Distance Education Programming: A Review" (Stephen J. Wright). Each paper contains an extensive bibliography. (ALF)