PAGE ElrA-4T Televised Classes Aid in Education Televised classes. where a television screen brings the instructor into additional classrooms. may be a partial solution to the growing pains of the American•educational system The closed circuit television experiment at the University has been termed "pioneer" and the prediction made that it will be "ahead of all other schools if television develops into an educational use." The project, financed by the Ford Foundation's Fund for the Advancement of Educa tion, includes three independent television systems within three classroom buildings chemistry, liberal arts, and engi-1 veering. I scores by students in the tele-, Among the classes televised are, vision, the origination room survey courses in psychologY.;were students are in the pres-1 political science, sociology and:ence of the instructor, and the chemistry. These are all courses ' rotation of these two. where enrollment is great. I Take Part in Experiment One of the advantages of tele-1 In a rotation experiment in a, vision is that the best instructor political science course, studentsl is able to meet an unlimited num - !attended class for four weeks in ber of students at the same time. the face-to-face lecture, and then, Enrollment Rising !for four weeks received the lec 'The number of college stu-, ture in a TV viewing room. After' dents is continually increasing this rotation, they were given a but the number and quality of !choice of the kind of instruction the faculty is steadily diminish - 'they preferred for the remainder ing," said Dr. Alvin E. Eurich.'of the course. vice president of the Fund for the Out of 219 students, 70 per cent, Advancement of Education, when, or 154 students, selected the TV he spoke at a University Faculty - lrooms, 27 per cent, or 59 students, Trustee dinner. !preferred the face-to-face lec- In 15 years, he said, college / ture; and three per cent were ab enrollment is likely to have dou - Isent at the time of the choice. bled, but only 20 per cent instead' 72 Prefer TV of the present 40 per cent of the I In a similar rotation experi faculty members will have PhD's. i ment in a commerce course, 47 Today about 32 per cent of per-per cent, or 72 students, preferred sons of college age are students, television and 53 per cent, or 82 but in 1970 more than 60 per centl students, selected the regular are expected to be in college, he , class. added. Many things contribute to these Demand May Top Supply (choices, L. P. Greenhill, associate Thus the demand for faculty:director of the project, said. They members created by this in-' i may include attitudes toward the creased enrollment will outstrip,eourse, the use of visual aids on the supply. ITV, the performance of the in- Philip H. Coombs, seeretary,structor on television, and atmo and director of research for the;sphere of the classrooms. Fund, said last week that "the! Few Visual Aids University has the potentialities In large lecture classes that of helping introduce in education are usually held in auditoriums, new and improved methods students in the rear of the room which will help solve the central are often handicapped in seeing problem of education today." land -sometimes hearing. In this The attitude toward TV teach-,type of class, it is very difficult ing is becoming increasingly fav-;to accompany lectures without orable. According to a progress',pictures and other graphic ma report released by the Instruc- terials. tional Research Program at the' In certain courses, television is University, generally 53 per cent ' used to aid instruction with vis of the students on the average ual material. TV sets,are placed enjoyed it, 10 per cent were in-lat approximately 20-foot inter different, and 37 per cent dis- val.% along the side of the room. liked it. 'Thus students watch the sets and Answer Five Questions the magnified visual aids, while These figures are the result of the instructor is lecturing at the questionnaires answered by stu-!front of the room. dents participating in television No Change Noted sections last semester. The ques-1 The effect on learning of the tionnaire contained five choices: number of students in each TV . (1) disliked it somewhat: (2) dis-!viewing room was also investi-, liked it intensely; (3) had no par- i gated. No difference on per-, ticular feelings about it; (4) en- formance was noted whether joyed it somewhat; and (5) en-:there were 15 or 150 in the class. joyed it very much. The project also provides train Studies indicate that students ing and part-time work for 24 earn similar grades from tele-!undergraduates in camera oper-' •vision instruction as from attend-I ating, camera control work, and ing a classroom lecture. This was'eng - ineering. and for 23 graduate proved by the comparison of test ! assistants in supervising TV _ _ WELCOME from PORTER BROS. 41 YEARS OF BUSINESS EXPERIENCE --All Work Fully Guaranteed We Specialize in Paint and Wallpaper, Armstrong Linoleum, All Types of Tiles & Magee Carpets Floor Polishers and Sanders for Rent Special Discounts to All PORTER BROS. . DECORATORS 128 Frazier St, AD - 7-2783 By JUDY HAEKISON Fraternities TI-IF. DAILY COLLEGIAN, STATE COLLEGE. PENNSYLVANIA • 'classes and leading discussion sessions. This semester the experiment is aimed in the direction of adapt ing courses to television, develop ing in demonstration, and making the most effective use of teaching assistants. Provides Test' Instructor These advances in instructional television will not only help pro-1 vide for an increase in enroll- I ment, but will also enable the best instructor to meet more stu dents. The instructors will - lec ture via television, and teaching assistants will lead discussion and problem work during reci tation periods. The quality of classes is expected to improve because an instructor lecturing over TV is more apt to present a better prepared lecture and use more visual aids. A talk-back microphone system enabling students in the TV view ing rooms to question the pro fessor during his lecture was put into operation three weeks ago. This system was installed in re sponse to a frequent complaint of students that questioning is impossible with televised classes. Supports . Television When Dr. Alexander J. Stod dard, consultant for the Fund for the Advancement of Education, visited the University and studied the project, he said: "Television is a more powerful medium of communication, and the Ford Foundation wants to support at tempts to find out what can be done." The University's experiment is still in the trial stage and has much to be perfected. However. after one and one-half years of research, it has substantially indi cated a bright spot on the educa tional horizon. FOR THE FINEST IN QUALITY and SERVICE 3-HOUR LAUNDRY AND DRY CLEANING AVAILABLE PENN STATE LAUNDRY and CLEANERS 301 W. Beaver Three ROTC Groups Exist at University Since Penn State is a land grant university it is required by Federal law to provide a reserve officer training corps program. Four semesters are required of all physically fit male students. The student may choose between Army, Navy, and Air Force training. Army and Air Force cadets must take two years of train ing with two years of advanced training optional. Navy cadets must take a full four years of training. To enroll in Navy ROTC a student must either take a national test before he arrives on campus or he must apply for admission to the pro gram on campus no later than the third day of orientation week. If he has taken the test before arriving on campus, he becomes 'a regular student in Navy ROTC. If he applies after arriving on campus, he becomes a contract student in Navy ROTC. A contract student may be pro. meted to regular status by exam ination after the program is under way. Regular Navy cadets receive Isso per month and payment for books for all four years. 'Army and Air Force cadets and NavyN contract students get 90 cents subsistanee pay per day dur ing their junior and senior yers if they choose to take the advanced two years of training. Navy cadets must take three summer cruises before they are graduated. Army and Air Force advanced cadets must take a four Ito six week training program at I some military base during the sum nner between their junior and sen ior years. After graduation regular Navy cadets become Ensigns in the U.S. Navy, and contract students be- I come Ensigns in the Naval reserve. Army and Air Force advanced cadets become second lieutenants !in their reserve branches. Ad vanced cadets of all three branches must go on active duty. 3 Grants Received For Cancer Work Research on cancer will be con tinued at the University under three special grants. The Damon Runyon Memorial Fund has provided grants of $9500 to D. Robert F. Gentry and Dr. Howard W .Dunne, of the depart ment of veterinary science, and $5900 to Dr. M. Frank Mallette, associate professor of agricultural and biological chemistry. The third grant of $4600 was provided by the American Cancer Society which for the past three years has been supporting research by Dr. Eugene Ackerman, assist ant professor of physics. Laboratory Director To Present 2 Papers Dr. Merrell R. Fenske, director of the Petroleum Refining Lab oratory at the University, will present two papers in Venezuela during a two-week visit_ in that country from Sept. 24 to Oct. 5. He will be the guest of the Creole Petroleum Co. He will give a talk before the pipe line and production research group in Maracaibo and another lecture to the Creole board of directors in Caracas on the chem istry of petroleum refining and the production of petrochemicals. ROTC Brass Polishing Clothes Study Lamps - Padlocks Waste Baskets - Sporting Goods Athletic Supplies - Keys Duplicated "Operated by Penn Stater for Penn Staters" WESTERN AUTO 200 W. COLLEGE AVE. For Your Convenience SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9. 19% PHONE AD 7-7629
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