ABSTRACT
The Open universiteit (Ou) of the Netherlands develops and provides higher distance education for adults. Apart from the age level of 18, no constraints are put forward as entry requirements. This results in a student population with a very heterogeneous profile: differences in aptitudes, study intentions, prior knowledge levels, prior educational levels, motivation and so on. Students are free to set their own pace and study completely independently; there is little contact between the student and the institution.
