ABSTRACT
The challenge facing tertiary institutions of accommodating changing educational needs has been in the forefront of discussion in recent years. Much of the discussion has focused on the new demands presented by the increased use of technology in education delivery and the effect this has had on access to study and study method preferences (Tait, 2000; King, 2001). In South Africa and elsewhere, some of the major universities which have customarily only offered face-to-face programmes, are now offering open and distance learning programmes similar to the one that is the focus of this chapter. South African universities are currently in competition not only with each other, but also with foreign universities who have set up campuses in South Africa, and who have the necessary communications link with the mother university. The promise of an international degree through enrolling in these foreign universities is a major incentive for many students who equate quality with Europe or Australia.
