Dr Otto Peters is Professor emeritus of the FernUniversität (Distance Teaching University) in Germany. For 10 years he had been its Founding Rector, and for 17 years he held a chair in a discipline called, "Methodology of DistanceTeaching" in the same institution. In this capacity he conducted an extensive research project: University Study for Persons who have to Work for a Living" ('Studium neben dem Beruf'). From 1969 - 1974 he was engaged in comparative distance teaching research at the German Institute for Distance Education at the University of Tübingen. Presently he is writing a book on the "Didactics of Distance Education".

His main books include:
1965 Der Fernunterricht ("Distance Education"). Weinheim: Beltz
1973 Die didaktische Struktur des Fernunterrichts ("The Didactical Structure
of DistanceEducation"). Weinheim: Beltz
1976 Die FernUniversit„t: Das erste Jahr ("FernUniversität the First Year").
Hagen: von der Linepe 1981 Die FernUniversität im fünften Jahr
("FernUniversität in its Fifth Year"). Köln: v.d.g.s.1994
Otto Peters on Distance Education. Edited by Desmond Keegan. London:
Routledge

Biographical Notes
I was born on May 6th, 1926 in Berlin, Germany. From 1932 to 1940 I attended schools in this town and from 1940 to 1944 a teacher training institution in Neustadt (West Prussia).

After the war I started teaching schools in Berlin-Kreuzberg. In 1947 I enrolled at the University of Berlin in order to study history, English, philosophy, psychology and pedagogy.

In 1953 I visited the United States in an exchange programme and stayed there for seven months, including one semester at the university of Illinois in Champaign- Urbana. After this I continued school teaching in Berlin-Kreuzberg and studying at the Free University in Berlin, where I graduated in 1960.

In 1963 I was appointed Secretary to the Educational Centre of Berlin which was being founded at that time. Later, I became deputy director of its department for the methodology of teaching. In this capacity I wrote several books on distance education.

In 1969 I was invited to join the German Institute for Distance Study at the University of Tübingen. At this institute I was in charge of the division of Comparative Distance Education and also responsible for the training of the scientific personnel. At the same time I did post-graduate work at the University of Tübingen and earned a doctor's degreee in 1972. My thesis dealt with distance education, especially with its anthropological, sociological and historical meaning.

In 1974 I became Professor of Education in Berlin. One year later I became Professor of Education at the newly established FernUniversität in Hagen and was appointed Founding Rector of this institution. For nearly ten years I was responsible for the development of this institution which by now is catering for 55,000 students.

While I was Rector of the FernUniversität I had the chance to travel widely in order to study systems of distance study in other countries, e.g. in Argentina, USA, Canada, Great Britain, France, Holland, Austria, Japan, Thailand, India and South Africa.

I received three honorary doctor's degrees (Open University, England, and Deakin University, Australia, Empire State College, N.Y.). For eight years I served as Vice-President of the International Council for Distance Education.

Since 1991 I am professor emeritus at the FernUniversität dealing with problems of the methodology of distance education.