Developing Distance Education courses implies taking into consideration not only organizational, curriculum design, media selection issues, but factors regarding the nature of the distance learner as well. Studying the characteristics, needs and motivational aspects of the learner may lead to an understanding of the causes that might prevent students dropout from distance courses and help account for the adjustments necessary to help students complete their programs of study.

Students' perceptions about the influences on their external courses were studied by Agnes E. Dodds, Jeanette A. Lawrence and Patrick de C. Guiton,http://www.usq.edu.au/dec/DECJourn/
v5n284/dodds.htm. The research revealed that students identified family, job and life circumstances as major influences on external university study. The advantages of external study were self-reliance and finances, and the disadvantages observed were related to access to the library and academics' demands. The study showed that students expressed preference for studying on-campus or by the combination of campus and external courses which was available at the university. The study provides base-line data about students' perceptions of contextual frames or constraints on external study. Investigation carried out on the possible barriers for students completion of their studies showed that these barriers had to do with the students' concerns about situational, institutional, dispositional and epistemological obstacles. Maureen R. Garland,http://www.usq.edu.au/
dec/DECJourn/v14n293/garland.htm, supports the idea that Ethnography should be accounted to elucidate barriers to completion in natural resource sciences distance education. Increasing understanding of the variables associated with persistence and withdrawal, would help discern better the role of disciplinary content in these phenomena. Elucidation of the epistemological problems makes it evident that course content itself cannot be ignored in any theoretical or practical consideration of distance education attrition.

Academic performance is also related to students' satisfaction with interactive courses. According to Biner, et. al. http://www.usq.edu.au/dec/DECJourn/v18n297/biner.htm, students reported their satisfaction with various aspects of their telecourses. In addition, high levels of relative performance were demonstrated as regards student satisfaction with the technological aspects of the courses, as well as student satisfaction with the promptness of material exchange with the instructor.

Students' causes of dropout from distance education courses may be due to their degree of achievement in previous courses. A study of student attributes and achievements in previous Open University courses was undertaken by Eli Eisenberg and Tony Dowsett,http://www.usq.edu.au/dec/
DECJourn/v11n290/eisenber.htm, to find out what effect they had on the drop-out rate and achievements on a project work course. The main aim of the study was to help the staff when advising prospective students (of various drop-out risks) and to distinguish between students requiring different levels of assistance on the course. The findings indicate that particular attributes such as occupation affect the drop-out rate, while achievement in the project course appears to be influenced by the students' performance in some previous courses.

The distance learner may be affected by a variety of internal and internal factors that account for the discontinuity in their studies. According to Kevin M. Brown, http://www.usq.edu.au/dec/DECJourn/brown.htm, the role of internal and external factors in the discontinuation of off-campus students was assessed in students formerly enrolled in the Faculty of Arts, Deakin University, Australia. These factors influenced the students' decisions to leave the course of study. Contrary to some other findings in this field, the research showed that factors `internal' to the university were cited as major reasons for discontinuation. Insufficient support from tutors and difficulties in contacting tutors were major contributory factors to discontinuance for a majority of the sample. Only those who left purely for reasons of employment change did so wholly for what could be termed factors `external' to the university. Those who left due to changes in family circumstances or for a combination of reasons involving family and employment, still cited problems with tutors as being an important impetus for their discontinuance.

Guidance and counseling should as well be provided to external students so that they receive orientation their required responsibilities, advice as how to study for a particular course, or information regarding the demands of courses. Research on counseling in distance courses has been studied by Roger Lewis, http://www.usq.edu.au/dec/DECJourn/v1n280/lewis.htm, at the Leeds Counseling Project of the National Extension College, Cambridge. Lewis sought to investigate the needs of adult correspondence students outside the Open University. A local counselor whose aim was to help them to pursue their courses of study successfully contacted students in Leeds. The results of the study showed that the value of local counseling seems clear and considers ways in which this help might be provided and supported.

Factors affecting students' completion of distance courses is discussed by D. M. Billings (1989), in his Model for Completion of Correspondence Courses. Billings bases his study on the premise that it is the educational background of students what determines the possibilities of success. The model, relates this assumption to several variables, such as organization, learners' outcome and attitudes as well as environmental conditions, in so far as they bring about changes in performance. Students who are able to complete their courses are mostly those who submit their first assignments on time, depending on the degree of success they have achieved on their GPAs, class level or previous experience on correspondence courses. Course completion also depends on the actual intent by the students to do so. Environmental factors such as, employment, family conditions and support, or proximity to the instructor may favorably or unfavorably influence this decision. From a personal point of view, factors relating to fluid interaction with both content and instructors, satisfactory course expectations as well as my own purposeful intent to complete the course have had an impact on my possibilities of course completion. Even though it was necessary to overcome some personal difficulties, my engagement in the course was largely facilitated by the frequent communication with the instructors and ample access to content materials. Other external factors such as possible employment promotion on course completion and the commitment in complying with the requirements of my grant award animated my aspirations. Moreover, I was highly motivated by the syllabus topics and the approach of the course design that would inspire me in designing courses in the future.