Dreary correspondence colleges that send tatty typewritten notes to their suffering students are gradually being eclipsed by full-fledged open-learning institutions of wide educational significance. The Open University is the premier open-learning institution in the U.K., perhaps even in the world. It already offers an astronomy course as a significant part of a science major degree, and further courses are planned, including an in-service course for school teachers.

In this article I discuss:

1. 1. open learning systems, including the ways in which various educational media can be used to good effect

2. 2. some features of the existing astronomy course of The Open University, and some possibilities for future courses.