A questionnaire was distributed to 486 two- and four-year colleges and universities with an enrollment of at least 1,000 students in order to determine the extent to which campus media service units were providing nonprint media services to their students and faculty. Administration, distribution services, maintenance services, video production…

Television has unique teaching functions that are significant for university education, and new developments in technology enable television to overcome some of its previous difficulties and weaknesses. Television's presentational power gives it two unique teaching characteristics: its ability to provide learning materials otherwise unavailable to…

Issues concerning telecommunications courses offered by California universities and colleges are reviewed with a focus on the progress made over the past 6 years regarding the lack of incentives for faculty to use instructional technology in their teaching, lack of coordination among interested institutions and agencies, and high initial costs for…

The way that the Open University system in Great Britain operates and the use of the mass media are discussed in detail. A number of problems the adult student is likely to face are identified, along with basic differences between U.S. and British societies that influence the application of an open university approach. Attention is directed to:…

This paper summarizes the development of educational technology in China from 1949-1966 and from 1976 to the present, and training in educational technology since 1980. It also summarizes research in educational technology--which has recently shifted from an epistemological to a methodological perspective--with higher levels of research being done…

Resulting from a 1980 workshop and a survey of 12 selected distance learning systems (or correspondence study programs), this paper had four aims: (1) to provide a framework to describe distance learning systems using audiovisual media and to locate the 12 surveyed institutions within that framework, (2) to identify common problem areas in the…

An examination is provided of University of Mid-America/State University of Nebraska (UMA/SUN) multimedia adult learners, based on market surveys in 1973 and 1974. One of the major responsibilities of SUN was to complete the planning of a two-year postsecondary open learning curriculum to be offered, including enumeration of courses in order of…

The relative achievement and appeal effectiveness of a multimedia nontraditional course with open learning adult learners and on-campus students were examined in this study of a University of Mid-America course. Focus was on (1) the achievement and appeal effects, with on-campus students employing or omitting the television component in the…

This report documents the conduct and results of activities to evaluate the first offering of The Consumer Experience to adult learners through the State University of Nebraska (SUN). A project of the University of Nebraska, SUN is a nontraditional, open learning program designed to extend postsecondary educational opportunities to persons who…

Technical writing teachers at the U.S. Air Force Academy enhance student motivation by bringing real Air Force writing situations into the classroom through short videotapes which allow students to see how scientists and engineers cope with report writing in their daily work. Also, a special English honors course, which is part of the "Blue…

The nine reports contained in this monograph describe in some detail projects to improve instruction initiated in 1974 at Memphis State University. The initial pages describe the criteria used to select the programs for funding. The nine projects fall into five areas: 1) computer-based instruction; 2) video technology; 3) individualized…

Project Outreach is a consortium of public higher education institutions in California that aims to provide access to learning opportunities, by use of televised instruction, to those in the community who do not have access to educational institutions or programs. This document describes the first year of the project, Phase 1--planning. The…

The Open University is discussed from the standpoints of problems, the design of the Student Application Form, an analysis of the student's progress, data collection techniques, and the course unit reporting system. Problems discussed include: the devising of an integrated multi-media system suitable for teaching degree-level courses; teaching…

Describes four online information service packages developed for schools: (1) Dialog's Classroom Instruction Program; (2) Addison-Wesley's Einstein; (3) WNET's Learning Link; and (4) McGraw-Hill's Information Exchange (MIX). Databases offered in each service are described, as well as accompanying curriculum materials, and costs for the services…

In this interview David Attenborough, the celebrated natural history film maker and writer, talks about his highly successful television series, "The Living Planet." Devoted to the exposition of the world's ecosystems, the film represents a significant example of popular geographic education. (RM)