ABSTRACT
The last 25 years has witnessed an amazing growth in the use of self-instructional materials. Self-study courses, such as those offered by Wolsey Hall in the United Kingdom and other national correspondence colleges around the world, have been available for many years. However, the establishment of the United Kingdom Open University (UKOU) in 1969 marked a significant point in the use of self-instructional material for adults and in the methods of materials production. It developed and refined the practice of assembling a small group of educationalists, with experience of designing self-instructional material, into a course team. The course team model is widely practised and well documented, and has dominated the UKOU production system for over 25 years. However, in many instances this practice is not always possible, appropriate and cost-effective.
