To make a start on criteria, the concept of comparative merits
between media is offered as a more fruitful idea than the usual
"advantages and disadvantages" of individual media. When media
are being compared, it's common to appraise each medium for both
its strengths and weaknesses, yet invariably, the evaluation can
be expressed as a comparative merit. For example, print is rather
impersonal, whereas audio-visual media can portray the teacher
in person. This pair of evaluations can be expressed as a single
comparison: personalising the teacher is a merit of audio-visual
media compared to print.
In the last few years, I've been helped to build up a substantial
list of such comparative merits, offered by participants of seminars
held in several countries and by colleagues at the UKOU. Table
1 gathers together those merits which such contributors have agreed
are important for rational deployment of different media to different
learning contexts and objectives.
| 1 |
Audiovisual (broadcast or cassette): advantages
over print |
| 1.1 |
unique ways to help learning, e.g. drama, animation,
demonstration |
| 1.2 |
provision of realistic experiences, e.g. sounds,
places, events |
| 1.3 |
the medium's realism has a strong impact on
feelings, appreciations, attitudes, motivations |
| 1.4 |
personalisation: teachers are portrayed as
people, rather than as impersonal text |
| 1.5 |
the richer symbol system breaks the tedium
of print |
| 1.6 |
literacy is not essential |
| 2 |
Print: over audiovisual (broadcast or cassette) |
| 2.1 |
Reproduction quality and random access at the
student's own pace help both the presentation and the deeper
study of
data in quantity, e.g. glossary, study-guide
fine detail, e.g. equations, photos
|
| 2.2 |
the stability of print allows students to browse
and select from bulk material |
| 2.3 |
print can carry more information
for example, one newspaper can carry 4,000 words, equivalent
to about 9 hours of TV (3 video cassettes)
|
| 2.4 |
print is adequate to cover most of the syllabus
the symbol system of the print medium is adequate to present
the majority of topics and teaching functions of the (traditional)
syllabus
|
| 2.5 |
print is a more familiar medium for education
students and teachers might therefore feel more comfortable
with print
|
| 2.6 |
easier teacher access and control over print |
| 2.7 |
print production skills are more adequately
resourced
in contrast, as argued earlier, the skill and time required
to exploit the distinctive attributes of audio-visual media
are frequently underestimated
|
| 2.8 |
reception is not affected by power cuts |
| 2.9 |
the family doesn't dispute access |
| 3 |
Broadcast audiovisual: over cassette, print |
| 3.1 |
cheaper for large audiences |
| 3.2 |
study pacing
fixed broadcast slots encourage students to keep up to
date
|
| 3.3 |
sense of importance
because the transmission is nationwide
|
| 3.4 |
sense of community
students know that their classmates are watching simultaneously
|
| 3.5 |
sense of immediacy
the realism of the images and the association with live
broadcasts makes the action appear to be happening now
|
| 3.6 |
non-stop viewing/listening is good for the
overview function
students can't choose to get hung up at a particular sticky
conceptual point
|
| 3.7 |
national resource
accessible to the secondary target audience: the general
public
|
| 3.8 |
recruitment of students
from the secondary target audience-the general public
|
| 3.9 |
public/academic exposure
public relations
|
| 3.10 |
top experts agree to appear
because of the higher status and exposure of broadcasts
|
| 4 |
Print or cassette (stop-activity-start design
with notes): over broadcast |
| 4.1 |
student chooses when to study, e.g. when alert
and preparatory work done |
| 4.2 |
student can stop and reflect, annotate notes |
| 4.3 |
student chooses repeats |
| 4.4 |
lessons can have variable length
whereas broadcast slots are normally of fixed duration
|
| 4.5 |
enables lesson subdivision into digestible
segments with interspersed activities
activities consolidate learning, enhance receptivity of
next segment
|
| 4.6 |
cassette is better for group discussion and
classroom viewing
easier to convene meetings and to replace segments for
group re-deliberation
|
| 4.7 |
frequency of lessons can be varied
e.g. two lessons on topic A this week, no lessons in week
2, etc
|
| 4.8 |
cassette can achieve closer integration with
print-e.g. easier to cross-reference |
| 4.9 |
cassette can carry socially sensitive material
because the general public is denied access
|
| 4.10 |
The entertainment industry competes for broadcast
slots |
| 5 |
TV/video: over radio |
| 5.1 |
more compelling, in general |
| 5.2 |
more interesting/glamorous to produce |
| 5.3 |
pictures/images are supplied
thus engaging the sense of vision, as well as that of
hearing
|
| 6 |
Radio: over TV/ video |
| 6.1 |
student access to (cheaper) equipment |
| 6.2 |
cheaper to produce |
| 6.3 |
evokes better images!
the absence of pictures can evoke better mental images
|
| 6.4 |
translation is easier to implement |
| 6.5 |
portability of equipment |
| 7 |
Video: over audio with notes/visuals (audio-vision) |
| 7.1 |
synchronised pictures and sound (effects +
commentary)
two advantages: pictures with synchronised sound effects
create realism, imaginative picture-word composition can
create picture-word synergy
|
| 7.2 |
the field of view is predetermined
although some might see this teacher-control as a demerit
(see 8.1 below), I believe it has its place for a clear
exposition of the teacher's conception
|
| 7.3 |
moving pictures
this is only a merit if the topic genuinely benefits from
moving pictures (see 8.2)
|
| 7.4 |
picture-search facility |
| 8 |
Audio with notes/visuals (audio-vision):
over video |
| 8.1 |
student choice of when to look where
in contrast to 7.2, the field of view is under student
control
|
| 8.2 |
cost-effective when the topic needs pictures
but not moving pictures
because lower levels of facilities and production skills
are sufficient
|
| 9 |
Audio with notes/visuals (audio-vision):
over print |
| 9.1 |
verbal commentary over diagrams is easier to
process than the analogous technique in print: margin notes
commenting on the main text
because margin notes necessitate repeated switching of
visual attention, whereas with audio-vision, students can
listen and look in parallel
|
| 9.2 |
students can more easily revise from the sparsely
laid out notes, without replaying the audio
notes can be sparse because of the audio back-up; they
need to be sparse in any case, to facilitate synchronous
looking while listening
|
| 10 |
Radio: over all others |
| 10.1 |
the short lead-time enables
remedial tutorials
errata, news and information
|
