Work Experience

Dr. Michael Moore is recognized throughout the world by clients and colleagues in academia, government, and private corporations as a pioneer of distance education beginning with his first conceptualization of the field published in 1972. As a distance educator, his experience designing and implementing distance learning programs is extensive, spanning university teaching, research, and consulting for governmental, academic, military, and corporate clients throughout the world including Brazil, Egypt, Malaysia, Russia, and South Africa.

His work is characterized by his capacity for conceptualizing, teaching, and promoting distance education; for his leadership in the use of audio, audio-graphic, computer, and video teleconferencing for distance learning; planning and organizing meetings aimed at stimulating and generating research on distance education. He has directed the American Center for the Study of Distance Education and served as editor of the American Journal Distance Education at Pennsylvania State University since establishing it in 1986; founded and supervised the Distance Education Online Symposium, a computer conference network; acted as Vice President of the International Council for Distance Education from 1988 to 1992; and organized and hosted the ICDE World Conference in June 1997.

Moore’s work at American Center for the Study of Distance Education, at Pennsylvania State University, is exemplary of his work and research in the field. There, he invented, designed, and implemented the first international distance learning teleconference program of courses using interactive audio, video, and computer conferencing technologies to provide in-service training to finance-sector workers, university teachers, and others. Over ten years, he built the program incrementally, starting with three sites in the United States, and expanding to sites in Mexico, Finland, and Estonia.

Work History

Partner, Knight, Moore Telematics for Education and Development, Communications Development Incorporated, March 1997–present. Advise on design, implementation, and evaluation strategies and policy frameworks for integrated, multi-media educational and training systems to national and regional governments, corporations, and educational organizations.

Consultant, The World Bank, May 1996–May 1997. On sabbatical from Pennsylvania State University, worked with Electronic Media Center, Human Development Department, and Learning and Leadership Center.

Senior Counselor, The Open University (Milton Keynes, UK), 1977–81 and 1984–85. (managerial as well as academic position); (1981–84) Education Studies Faculty (designing university level distance education courses).

Associate Professor, St. Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia, Canada, 1973–76. Taught courses, advised graduate students, taught adult  education to students from developing countries at Coa International Institute.

Assistant to Charles Wedemeyer, University of Wisconsin (Madison), 1970–73. Engaged in research and teaching about use of media in education.

Education Officer, University of East Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, 1967–70. Responsible for continuing education programs in each of the country’s four cities.

Education Officer, Kisumu, Kenya, 1963–67. Fulfilled administrative responsibilities and taught courses in economics, developing and teaching a correspondence-radio course, one of the first distance education programs in Africa.

Teacher, Horley, Surrey, UK, 1960–63. High school teacher of geography and history, and instructor in public school adult education classes.

Education and Training

Ph.D. University of Wisconsin–Madison, Continuing and Vocational Education, minor in Psychology

Knight. University of London, Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Teacher Certification)

B.Sc. University of London, London School of Economics, Economics.

Selected Publications of Relevance

Sole, principal, or contributing author of roughly 70 books, chapters, and journal articles in the field of distance education, plus numerous unpublished reports and papers.

Moore, Michael G. 1985. “Adult learning at a distance.” Effective Teaching a Distance. Madison, Wisconsin: Department of Continuing and Vocational Education.

_____. 1975. “Cognitive style and telemathic (distance) teaching.” ICCE Newsletter 5(4): 3–10.

_____. 1991 “Computer conferencing in the context of theory and practice of distance education.” Applications of Computer Conferencing to Teacher Education. A.J. Miller, ed. Columbus, OH: Ohio State University.

_____. 1987. “The Concept and Practice of Distance Education.” Methods and Materials in Adult and Continuing Education. C. Klevin, ed. Klevins Press. pp. 121–130.

_____. 1980. “Correspondence education in the light of a number of contemporary teaching models; a review.” Distance Education 2(1): 91–97.

_____. 1991 “Distance education in the U.S.A.; and Perspectives on the future development of distance education.” T. Rekkedal, B. Johnsen, and D. Blom, eds. Distance Education a Developing Method. Oslo. The Norwegian State Institute for Distance Education and the NKI Publishing House.

_____. May 1987. “Learners and Learning at a Distance.” International Council for Distance Education Bulletin. Vol. 14, pp. 59–65.

_____. 1990. “Management of distance learning.” International Encyclopedia of Education: Research and Studies Volume 2. T. Hausen and T. Postlethwaite, eds. Oxford: Pergamon Press

_____. 1970. “Survey of Fundamental Education in the Coast Province of Kenya.” Nairobi, Kenya: Ministry of Cooperatives and Social Services.

_____. 1973. “Towards a theory of independent learning and teaching.” Journal of Higher Education 44: 661–679.

_____, ed. with Peter Cookson, Joe Donaldson, and B. Allan Quigley. 1990. Contemporary Issues in American Distance Education. Oxford: Pergamon Press.

_____, and Greg Kearsley. 1996. Distance Education: A Systems View. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

_____, and M. Thompson. 1991. “The Effectiveness of Distance Learning: A Summary of Literature.” University Park, PA: The American Center for the Study of Distance Education.

_____, and M. Thompson. 1991. “Teleconferencing: An American Contribution to Distance Education.” An introduction and overview of literature of its effectiveness in two–way communication in distance education. H. A. Hagen, ed. Fern Universitat.

_____, and C. Wedemeyer and C. Woods. 1971. The Open School. Madison, Wisconsin: The Governor's Commission on Education.