Priority areas for research in open and distance education in the 21st century

Abstract

[Introduction]: As Patry (1995) has pointed out, “Traditional education systems throughout the world have been stretched to the limit by the population explosion, scarcity of resources and expansion of knowledge”. In the future, open and distance education is likely to play a more significant role at all levels of education and training as globalisation becomes the norm. Indeed, the application of distance education technologies and methodologies on a global scale could well be the only viable option to meet the escalating worldwide need for lifelong learning. Further, the potential economies of scale inherent in internet-based course delivery means that online education will play an increasingly important role in the future of open and distance education. Clearly there is a need for an increased research effort focussing on this new mode of delivery.