The starting point for this paper is a model of student progress and drop-out from distance education courses. The model includes components of background characteristics, motivation, academic environment, and the family, work and social environment. The model allows for the interaction of variables and the influence of one component of the model on another. The author then derives from the model a series of recommendations as to the ways in which distance education courses might be formatted so as to reduce student drop-out. Ways of enhancing intrinsic motivation are discussed. A case is put for focussing learning skills initiatives towards reorientating student conceptions of knowledge. Strategies for improving collective affiliation are described, and the employment of local support staff is advocated.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Education
Research Group:	Education Systems
Research Field:	Education Systems not elsewhere classified
Objective Division:	Education and Training
Objective Group:	Learner and Learning
Objective Field:	Learner and Learning Processes
UTAS Author:	Kember, D (Professor David Kember)
ID Code:	129801
Year Published:	1990
Web of Science® Times Cited:	13
Deposited By:	Education
Deposited On:	2018-12-18
Last Modified:	2019-01-22
Downloads:	0