Towards a more effective model for distance education

What is the most effective model for academic distance education, given that drop-out numbers intraditional distance education institutions are too high and the demands from the various stakeholdersare changing? In this paper this question is answered from the perspective of the Open University ofthe Netherlands (OUNL). The OUNL has planned to redesign its educational model from the traditionalguided self-study model towards a model of active online learning. In essence this means thateducation will be less content driven; more focus is put on activating students to engage with realworld problems supported by tutors and peers using distance media. The drivers for change, thechange process and the resulting redesign of the educational model are presented in this paper.