By accepting mainly school-leavers of above average ability and channelling them into full-time courses on the basis of their performances in related school subjects, universities and other tertiary institutions have tended to evolve curricula and teaching methods appropriate to the needs of able young full-time students. Adults entering post-secondary education at any stage of their life will have different needs, particularly if entry is not dependent on past academic achievement. Changing the existing pattern of higher education to accommodate adults in a system of continuing education, will pose problems. Some of these are already apparent in a few Australian universities where adults are enrolled as part-time external students in degree courses intended for full-time students. Different problems are emerging from the experience of the Open University in the United Kingdom. There is no easy answer to the question of whether it is better to provide for continuing education within the framework of existing institutions or to evolve new institutions.
Comparing the British and Australian approaches to external teaching gives some insight into a few of the problems which will have to be faced if continuing education becomes a reality. The two approaches are fundamentally different. Both are effective for some students. One, the Open University approach, caters mainly for a relatively small number of geographically isolated students, selected for academic ability, by enrolling them in courses designed for internal students who form the major part of the student body in the many institutions concerned. The other* caters for a very large number of students, mostly unqualified for attendance at conventional universities and living within reach of urban study centres. These students enrol in courses designed for independent study which are produced by the staff of a single institution without internal students.
The main difficulty with the Australian approach is that the external