Andragogy by Design? Control and Self‐Direction in the Design of an Open University Course

Abstract

This article briefly describes the philosophy behind the development of the British Open University's third‐level course ‘Education for Adults’ and analyses the significance of the evaluation data from the first year of presentation of the course in 1984. The course strongly emphasizes the independence and autonomy of the adult learner, and the design of the course is itself an attempt to implement an andragbgical approach within the constraints of a highly structured distance teaching system. The authors highlight the challenge presented to educational technologists in trying to design mass‐produced, packaged courses consistent with andragogical principles of learner autonomy.