ABSTRACT
As has been often mentioned in this book, open and flexible learning has become the fashion and is now a mainstream activity after several decades of struggle. One of the reasons that open and flexible learning (OFL) has become more robust and tremendously successful in meeting the needs of the greater majority of people is the fact that the planning and management of all the complex activities and operation within OFL are well structured to lead to visible outcomes which all can see and appreciate. Central to this is the role that instructional design and development plays in the provision of education through this alternative route. The design of instruction using a set of tested theories and strategies has distinguished OFL from the face-to-face teaching mode and has singularly conferred on OFL the characteristic of quality and an effectual mode of teaching and learning. Instructional design and development needs to be integrated into the management processes of OFL to make this mode of teaching and learning responsive to the popular need to study at one’s own pace, anywhere, anytime and through any medium.
