ABSTRACT
There are now thousands of examples of successful ODL endeavours and institutions around the globe. But all new ventures are risky, and even though it is not always easy to define organisational success or failure, it is certainly the case that not all organisations survive (Mellahi and Wilkinson 2004: 24-41). The UK, which boasts a long and distinguished history of distance-learning institutions like the Open University, Learndirect, the National Extension College, as well as distance learning in all of its hundred universities and many other private and public establishments, has an equally long if not longer list of ventures that failed to survive. OpenTech, Open College, and most recently UK eUniversities Worldwide Ltd (MacLeod 2004: 18-19) were all government-supported, high-profile ventures into distance learning that have disappeared. Even the Open University, which has had a series of flourishing partnerships in places that might initially have seemed unlikely, like Russia and Romania, had to withdraw from its attempt to establish a US Open University (USOU). There is at least as much to learn from failure as there is from success and this chapter therefore draws on illustrations of both. Our basic premise is that to turn an initial vision of a new educational venture that involves open, distance, flexible or e-learning into reality requires careful planning.
