Introduction

Institutions which teach at a distance inevitably face many of the same administrative problems as conventional institutions which teach only face-to-face. Conventional institutions must have in place, for example, arrangements to deal with the registration of students, teaching, and the provision of support. Distance teaching institutions must also deal with arrangements for registration and teaching, and the great majority also provide student support services. There are, however, many differences between the nature of the tasks as they are actually performed. This distinction applies not only between conventional and distance teaching institutions but also between individual distance teaching institutions, since the latter exist in so many diverse forms and sizes and operate in so many different ways.