A total of 2,338 students at German universities participated in a survey, which investigated media usage patterns of so-called traditional and non-traditional students (Schuetze & Wolter, 2003). The students provided information on the digital devices that they own or have access to, and on their usage of media and e-learning tools and services for their learning. A distinction was made between external, formal and internal, informal tools and services.Based on the students' responses, a typology of media usage patterns was established by means of a latent class analysis (LCA). Four types or profiles of media usage patterns were identified. These types were labeled entertainment users, peripheral users, advanced users and instrumental users.Among non-traditional students, the proportion of instrumental users was rather high. Based on the usage patterns of traditional and non-traditional students, implications for media selection in the instructional design process are outlined in the paper.

This paper explores elements of open education within the context of higher education. After an introduction to the origins of open education and its theoretical foundations, the topics of open and distance learning, international education issues in open education, open educational practices and scholarship, open educational resources, MOOCs, prior learning accreditation and recognition, and learner characteristics are considered, following the framework of macro, meso, and micro levels of research in open and distance learning. Implications for future research at the macro, meso, and micro levels are then provided.

The lack of transparency of the quality of Open Educational Resources (OER) is often seen as a barrier to the wider adoption, use, sharing, and further development of OER in the practice of teaching and learning in ODDE. Following the UNESCO Recommendation on OER, this chapter starts providing an overview of quality assurance systems from an international perspective, and the perceptions of faculty members on OER quality. Then, based on an empirical study, a quality framework and validated instrument for the evaluation and quality assessment of OER is presented – the Instrument for Quality Assurance of OER (IQOER). The second part of the chapter looks at how such an instrument can be integrated into a quality assurance process that takes into account the different goals, roles, and functions of the stakeholders involved. It becomes clear that a cultural change toward Open Educational Practice (OEP) is also needed to reach a wider acceptance of OER.

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