Founder and Editor (later Joint Editor with A. Tait), Routledge (Taylor & Francis) – Studies in Distance Education Series
Director‑General, Consorzio per l'Università a Distanza (Italian Distance University Consortium)
Head of School, South Australian College of External Studies (SACES)
Irish scholar and publisher in distance education, known for defining and theorizing the field and for leadership roles across Europe and Australia. His early synthesis distinguished distance education from conventional study through the separation of teaching and learning acts and the need to reintegrate them via media, organization, and two‑way communication. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Adelaide (1986), later directed distance‑education initiatives in Australia and Italy, and served as editor of Routledge’s Studies in Distance Education series. He also advanced early work on mobile learning, including the widely cited monograph “The Future of Learning: From eLearning to mLearning.” citeturn23search0turn16search12turn22search8
A theory that addresses the central characteristic of distance education—the separation of teacher and learner—by specifying how institutions reintegrate the dispersed teaching and learning acts through organizational design, media, and two‑way communication to reconstruct pedagogical interaction at a distance.
Distance Education • Journal
Analyzes several then‑current definitions of distance education to propose a comprehensive definition centered on six elements: the quasi‑permanent separation of teacher and learner; the role of an educational organization; the use of technical media to carry course content; provision of two‑way communication; the possibility of occasional meetings; and participation in an industrialized form of teaching. The article frames what does and does not count as distance education across media, institutions, and didactic models.
eleed – e‑learning and education • Journal
Reports a Leonardo da Vinci (EU) project that assessed how educational technologies affect adult distance learners. Literature reviews showed scarce evidence beyond K–12 U.S. contexts, so the study focused on adult, lifelong and distance learning, examining impacts on student experience and support needs across higher education settings.
ZIFF‑Papiere 119, FernUniversität in Hagen • Report
Positions mobile learning (m‑learning) as the next stage in a continuum from distance learning to e‑learning to wireless learning. Drawing on European projects and student trials on devices such as screenphones, PDAs, and early smartphones, it evaluates usability, didactic efficiency, technical feasibility, and cost‑effectiveness, and argues for Europe’s leadership in m‑learning applications.
Routledge • Book
Surveys the global field of distance training, proposing four models that encompass most provision worldwide. Through case studies, the book addresses structure and management, challenges assumptions about academic quality, and evaluates distance training as an efficient tool for employers in the emerging internet era.
Routledge • Book
Book‑length synthesis of the field’s origins, theories, organization, media, economics, and practice. The revised edition surveys global developments, the growth of open universities, and the rising influence of digital technologies, adding an extended case study of distance education in China. It has been widely used as a core text for students and practitioners.
Routledge • Book
Edited volume assembling international scholars to establish conceptual foundations for distance education. Contributors examine the post‑industrial character of distance provision, student support at home and work, and implications of new communication technologies, contrasting perspectives from Europe, North America, and Australasia.