What is Open Distance Education

Educational systems should warrant learning needs of the population they serve offering a diversity of educational agents, strategies, and answers to the needs of those that seek knowledge (Caeiro, Martinho, Azeiteiro, & Carapeto, 2004). In Portugal the experience of teaching subjects related to environmental sciences via open distance learning started in 1995 at Universidade Aberta (a public university specially dedicated to the open distance learning of graduate and undergraduate courses). This experience began with general ecology, and in view of the interest showed by students (and in fact by a wider public) the university later offered other subjects such as environmental education and water pollution. Today we have a number of different subjects within the vast area of environmental sciences and are preparing an undergraduate programme in view of the recent Bolonha Agreement. The university also offers post-graduate programmes that bring together the environment and the citizen participation. The aim is to heighten the interests of our students in scientific subjects related to the environment as well as providing a practical perspective of what they can do as active citizens. The programmes are supported by necessary tools that enable students to critically analyse and discuss press articles about the environment, protocols that are designed to make industries “greener”, as well as government decisions.