The present report is the second of three independent yet complementary research components of the IDEAL project.

Study 1 examines the distance education currently on offer in European higher education institutions: what is offered and for whom is it designed? For this study, the programmes and course units listed on www.DistanceLearningPortal.com were analysed and a survey of distance education providers was carried out.

Study 2 consists of a survey of adult learners enrolled in distance education which analyses their social profile, their motivations, the barriers they encounter, etc.

Study 3 (current report) focuses on prospective distance education students: who are they? What do they look for? What barriers do they encounter?