Who We Are

Association for Distance Education and Independent Learning is a professional association for all those engaged in, or interested in distance learning. The goal of the organization is to provide professional development opportunities as well as opportunities for collegiality and interaction.

ADEIL is a one-person, one-vote organization, with the primary emphasis of furthering the cause and understanding of independent study and providing service to the membership. It encourages personal commitment, cooperation, and sharing.

The association’s primary activities include an annual conference as well as electronic and print communication between and among members. The preferred pronunciation of the acronym, ADEIL, is “a deal”.

Only individuals can be ADEIL members. ADEIL has no institutional members. ADEIL does not accredit, evaluate, or endorse any institution, organization, or program providing independent study or distance education.

Our History:

In 2005, ADEIL launched an oral history program. While the main objective of this project has been to document the formation and development of the organization, another important aim has been to highlight the careers of individuals who have played a vital role both in ADEIL and the development of distance education in general as a viable and respected method of study. During his career, R. Dwight Laws distinguished himself as one of those people.

Although the emphasis has been on producing an audio record, the ADEIL Oral History Program has also generated written recollections where live interviews were not possible for different reasons. The following questionnaire is part of that written record and was completed by Dr. Laws on 21 December 2007.

Questionnaire completed by Dr. R. Dwight Laws