To many people, learning is something that happens in a classroom, starting at the age of five and finishing somewhere between the ages of 16 and 21. But millions of others have already discovered that learning can happen any time, in any place: on the bus, in the office, on the night shift. It is no longer necessary to be in a classroom in front of a teacher to be in a 'place of learning'. Traditional ideas about education are undergoing a metamorphosis as the concepts of open learning, lifelong learning and distance learning gain familiarity.

Although the two terms are often used interchangeably, they are differences from each other. Open learning is an umbrella term for any scheme of education or training that seeks systematically to remove barriers to learning, whether they are concerned with age, time, place or space. With open learning, individuals take responsibility for what they learn, how they learn, where they learn, how quickly they learn, who helps them and when they have their learning assessed.

Distance learning, on the other hand, is one particular form of open learning in which tutors and learners are separated by geographical distance. This is sometimes called a home-study or correspondence course. But many modes of communication are used for distance learning, not just postal correspondence. If you stop to think about it, most of us use distance learning techniques in some form in our daily lives: we read books and newspapers, watch programs on television and request information over the telephone. These are all learning experiences which 'educate' in the broadest sense.

The concept of distance learning is not a new one. It can be traced back to St. Paul who, in effect, created an early form of correspondence course by teaching people through letters. The first structured distance learning or correspondence courses were probably the shorthand courses offered by the Pitman organization at the end of the 19th century.

At that time, most of the providers of correspondence courses were private colleges, described as a 'hidden jungle' as there was little known about them until, in 1963, the Consumers' Association magazine carried out a survey on correspondence courses. The survey used test subjects who analyzed the quality of university courses and tutorial services. They uncovered a gloomy picture of narrowly constructed courses of dubious quality. Many course providers seemed more concerned with the money students paid than providing a comprehensive service.

At about the same time, Michael Young, who later founded the National Extension College, visited Soviet Russia, and discovered that distance learning was operating there on a large scale. That visit provided the seeds from which the Open University and the National Extension College (NEC) grew up. The NEC was set up in 1963 as a pilot project to see if quality distance learning could work. It was, essentially, the testing ground for the notion of an open university. The NEC used well-qualified and experienced tutors from the Universities of Cambridge, Keele, Bristol, Harvard and Hull.

Following an article in the newspaper 'The Guardian' about the establishment of the NEC, there was a flood of enquiries from people who wanted a second chance at education. Many of them were people who had missed out on their education because of the Second World War.

The success of the NEC paved the way for the Open University, which was set up in 1969. The timing was opportune - in the UK, the Robins Report on Higher Education had just been published, supporting the principle that education should be available to anyone with ability.

These new initiatives generated a new approach to teaching and learning. Over the past 30 years, much expertise had been built up in the writing and design of courses and learning materials. One of the most important lessons is that distance learners need much more than a tutor who marks assignments and sends them back. Any successful course provider needs to ensure additional support for learners through excellent administration systems and access to accreditation and qualifications. Many organizations also provide summer schools and social events for students, creating a virtual learning community. This kind of networking is invaluable to all learners, and more especially to students of distance learning.

Although print is still the most popular and flexible medium for delivering open learning, new technology will obviously play a key role in the next century. Radio and television have been an essential part of Open University courses, and many distance learning programs incorporate computer-based packages. E-mail and the Internet also offer exciting possibilities. There may come a time when many learners will use multimedia as a matter of course, and communicate with their tutors by e-mail. In the USA, Anvilla University and Carlow University are already using new technology.