ABSTRACT
Evaluation is the activity of examining and judging value, quality, significance, quantity or condition. The high investment in the development and production of distance teaching materials leads N. E. McIntosh to place considerable emphasis on formative evaluation. Soumelis' comment suggests that there are two levels: evaluation of the output, and evaluation of internal processes. Until the early 1970s educational evaluation was identified with curriculum evaluation, a field within which the 'test and measurement' model of evaluation was dominant. A number of distance education programmes have been set up specifically to extend educational access to new groups of people, while others offer a second route to an existing clientele. Given the level of investment required to develop a distance education programme, there is a considerable need for adequate market research to identify potential levels of demand. Many distance education programmes have as an objective the education of their students to a sufficiently high standard to obtain a degree, diploma or certificate.
