Professor of Methods of Distance Teaching, FernUniversität in Hagen
Founding Rector, FernUniversität in Hagen
Professor of General Didactics, Pädagogische Hochschule Berlin (Teacher Education College)
Head/Lead, Comparative Distance Education Research, Deutsches Institut für Fernstudienforschung (DIFF), University of Tübingen
Secretary; later Deputy Director, Department of Didactics (Methodology of Teaching), Pädagogisches Zentrum Berlin (Educational Centre of Berlin)
Undergraduate/initial university studies, Humboldt University of Berlin
Visiting student (one semester, exchange), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Otto Peters (born May 6, 1926, Berlin) is a pioneering scholar of distance education, Founding Rector of the FernUniversität in Hagen (Germany), and a principal architect of the industrialization theory of distance teaching and learning. After early service at the Pädagogisches Zentrum Berlin (1963–1969) and research leadership at the Deutsches Institut für Fernstudienforschung (DIFF) at the University of Tübingen (1969–1974), he became Professor of General Didactics in Berlin (1974) and then Professor of Methods of Distance Teaching and Founding Rector at the FernUniversität (1975–1984; professor until 1991, when he became emeritus). His scholarship reframed distance learning as a distinct, systematized mode of higher education shaped by organizational design, production logics, and media, and later examined the pedagogical implications of digital learning environments and autonomous learning. He has authored or edited more than two dozen influential books, including Learning and Teaching in Distance Education (Kogan Page) and the multi‑edition Distance Education in Transition (BIS Oldenburg), and is widely recognized internationally (e.g., IACE Hall of Fame; ICDE Prize of Excellence). citeturn7search3turn4search3turn6search1turn12search0turn10search3
The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (IRRODL) • Journal
Analyzes how digitized learning environments affect established practices in distance education. Focusing on pedagogy rather than technology per se, Peters examines the didactic possibilities and limitations of digital media, asking whether innovations threaten or improve teaching and learning and identifying opportunities and foreseeable disadvantages for learners and instructors. citeturn13search0
BIS-Verlag der Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg (ASF Series, Vol. 15) • Book
Presents 20+ portraits of prominent critics of digitalization and reflects on potential collateral damage of digital technologies for society and learning. Peters urges distance‑education enthusiasts to confront ambivalences and trade‑offs to avoid naïve techno‑optimism, situating digital change within broader cultural and ethical debates. citeturn12search3
BIS-Verlag der Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg (ASF Series, Vol. 5) • Book
Collects and updates Peters’ key contributions across three themes: (I) distance education as the most industrialized form of education; (II) emerging ‘new learning spaces’ enabled by digital technologies; and (III) autonomous learning. The 5th edition adds four new chapters and a comprehensive overview of the industrialization theory. citeturn12search0
Kogan Page (London) • Book
Synthesizes traditions in academic teaching, adult education, educational technology, and empirical research to articulate a coherent pedagogy of distance higher education. Presents core factors that distinguish distance teaching from campus instruction and outlines how guided self‑study, media use, and institutional structures shape learning. citeturn11search0
Routledge (Routledge Studies in Distance Education) • Book
Curated collection of Peters’ seminal essays on the industrial model of distance education, tracing historical development from correspondence study to contemporary media‑supported systems and analyzing the advantages and limitations of industrialized educational production. Includes Peters’ account of founding and managing the FernUniversität. citeturn8search2turn8search4
In D. Sewart, D. Keegan, & B. Holmberg (Eds.), Distance Education: International Perspectives (Croom Helm/Routledge) • Chapter
Foundational statement of the industrialization theory of distance education. Peters interprets distance teaching through categories such as division of labour, mass production, planning, and standardization, arguing that distance education is the most industrialized form of teaching and learning and requires distinct organizational and pedagogical frameworks. citeturn10search0
Beltz (Weinheim) • Book
Monograph (in German) elaborating the educational structure of distance education as an industrialized mode of teaching and learning, linking anthropological, sociological and historical analyses to implications for course design, organization and learner support in large‑scale systems. citeturn3view0