英语国家社会与文化 The Open University.docVIP

The Open University 摘要这种开放的思想既是对终身教育的诠释，也是英国开放大学成功之源。她的诞生不仅是英国20世纪教育改革最成功的典范，更已成为世界远程教育发展史上的重要里程碑。The Open University, originally planned by the Labor Party as a ‘university of the air’, is an educational system which would make use of television, radio and correspondence courses. It offers a non-traditional route for people to take university level courses and receive a university degree. People can register without having any formal educational qualifications. At the very beginning, many people laughed at this idea, but it became part of the Labor Party’s programme to give educational opportunity to those people who had not had a chance to receive future education for one reason or another. By 1969 plans were well advanced and by 1970 the Open University, as it was now called, had received 40000 applications. Only 25000 could be accepted for the four foundation courses offered: social science, arts, science and mathematics. Unsuccessful candidates were told to apply again the following year, when a foundation course in technology would also be offered. The first teaching programme appeared on the air and screen in 1971, with clerks, farm workers, housewives, teachers, policemen and many others as students. Study centres have been set up all over the country so that students can attend once a week, and once a year they will spend a week at one of the university’s summer schools. According to various reasons, some students need to use completely different alternative schools instead of four years full-time university. This is the reason why British Open University was founded. The Open University has pioneered the idea of ‘distance learning’. You can learn independently, and do not need to stay in the classroom. Many people are unable to participate in scheduled courses on account of work and family trivial matters, so they need flexibility. If you belong to this kind of person, the Open University is your first choice. The process is very simple. First of all, you