ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to guide the policy maker in considering the suitability of open and distance learning for a particular audience and educational need. Distance education stands or falls according to the learning that results. This in turn depends on the participation of learners. With a very few exceptions, distance education is used for teaching and learning in postcompulsory or non-formal settings. Most distance learners participate on a voluntary basis, many turn to distance education as a more convenient alternative to traditional learning methods, and completion is not compulsory. Relations between learners and providers in distance education are thus quite different from those between pupils and teachers in schools.
