Theories,generalisation and practice in distance education

Otto Peters was the first Vice‐Chancellor (or Rektor) of the Distance Teaching University in West Germany, The Fernuniversitat, a post he occupied from 1975‐84. Since that time he has been mainly occupied with research. His interpretation of distance study as an industrialised form of teaching and learning has attracted unusual attention. It is often referred to in discussions about distance education, and has been quoted and dealt with more than 50 times in the literature since Borje Holmberg and Desmond Keegan first began reporting it in the late seventies and early eighties. As can be expected with such a controversial issue discussion of it suffers from a number of misunderstandings. Otto Peters agreed to respond to them.