TUESDAY. JANUARY 19, 1960
The Lectern
Courses Must Be
For Effective TV P
Dr. R. Hadly Waters, professor
of transportation, was one of
eight professors cited for "ex
cellence in teaching" at com
mencement exercises last June.
Having taught several courses
by TV, his observations are
especially appropriate at this
time when the University is
trying to extend the oppor
tunity for students to learn
from superior teachers through
television courses.
Waters received his Bachelor
of Science in economics, his
Masters of Arts degree and
Doctor of Philosophy from the
University of Pennsylvania
Wharton School.
By DR. R. HADLY WATERS
Since Penn State is the
only institution in the coun
try where a course in trans
portation is being taught
by television, at profession
al meetings my colleagues
frequently ask my opinion of
this new teach-i-ng medium. I
must admit that I began using
closed-circuit TV with some
skepticism, but now with three
semesters behind me, I can say
that I have been generally
pleased with the results and
think that it can be quite ef
fective. There are, however,
some limitations or qualifica
tions which must be made.
First of all, I would not claim
that TV is superior to the small
personally taught class, but it
may be better than the large
lecture class, or small sections
taught by graduate assistants.
Strangely enough, TV does not
destroy the personal element in
a class as might be expected,
since the viewer feels that the
professor is speaking directly
to him—a relationship which
does not exist in a large lec
ture room.
The beginning course in any
subject matter deserves the
best possible instruction, and
in transportation, where it is
difficult to obtain quality in
structors for multiple sections,
TV seems to be the answer. In
addition, by economizing on
faculty time, it insures the con
tinuance of small classes for
the advanced courses in the
field.
Second, I would not like to
give a class entfrely on TV.
However, by presenting two
TV lectures each week and then
meeting in conventional small
groups for the third class
period, it is possible for the
professor to become personally
acquainted with his students,
and to discuss with them the
material presented in the TV
lectures.
Although we have available
the "talk-back" system', I have
found that it has been used
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THE DAILY COLLEGIAN, STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA
rather infrequently in my class,
probably because the TV lec
tures are devoted primarily to
informational material, and
controversial issues can be re
served for thorough discussion
in the weekly face-to-face
meeting.
Third, I do not think that
TV instruction is suitable for
all kinds of courses: instead, it
should be used only where the
screen affords new possibilities
DR. R. HADLY WATERS
in the presentation of material.
For example, it would not
seem very effective for a course
in business law, where nothing
can be done on TV that could
not be done equally well in a
lecture hall.
The effectiveness of TV in
the basic course in transporta
tion is due primarily to the
fact that much of the work
consists in getting the student
acquainted with the available
facilities and then• role in a
modern economy. Since it has
been said that a picture is
worth a thousand words, it is
possible to present visually
more information and to do it
more effectively.
A few pictures or a movie
can describe vividly the opera
tions of a trailership or of the
piggyback system; while a map
or sketch can portray clearly
the economic implications of
the St. Lawrence Seaway. A
pie chart shows the division of
traffic among the various
modes in a manner which will
be remembered, and an inter
view with an industrial traffic
manager brings home effec
tively the importance of trans
port to a shipper. •
Finally, TV can 'be most ef
fective only if the course pro
cedures are completely revised
to make the best use of the
new facilities. Definitely, a
Altered
resentation
course should not be trans
ferred from conventional teach
ing to TV without change. The
material must be rearranged so
as to present via TV those data
and facts which lend them
selves best to visual presenta
tion, and to reserve for the
non-TV. meeting. the, issues
which require thoughtful an
alysis and give-and-take dis
cussion.
In some cases. it appears that
the re-thinking involved in
preparing the course for tele
vision has had the effect of
greatly improving the vitality
and interest in the course.
Nov, what do the students
think of TV instruction? Prob
ably a majority of them begin
the course with some prejudice
against the system, and a few
retain this attitude. However,
an unsigned questionnaire at
the end of the course has re
vealed that about 85r; judge
the use of TV as either "very
good" or "fairly good."
A comparison of exam grades
before and after the introduc
tion of TV shows no observable
difference in results. In short,
while television does not pro
vide a cure-all for all the in
structional problems growing
out of increased enrollments,
it can if used judiciously allevi
ate some of our difficulties,
and it may in some courses
actually result in raising the
level of instruction.
Blackboard-
(Continued from page four)
the exr.ting society, but an in
tegration into the workirigs of
this society without the pater
nal pat on the head or the
sympathetic smile, They want
acceptance as full-statured be
ings, capable of making a
worthwhile contribution to so
ciety.
The students are naturally
the most discerning and most
sensitive of this emerging ele
ment in society. They are the
ones who would look past the
humanitarian ventures of
Schweitzer and criticize him
on more ideological grounds,
A recent best-seller, The
Ugly American, poignantly il
lustrates through the character
of Ambassador Sears what is
all too common among officials
dealing with these people to
day. Sears is an ambassador
only by virtue of his partisan
political prominence and not
because of an understanding
of and concern for the people.
The motives of Ambassador
Sears certainly cannot be con
sidered in the same category
as Schweitzer's motives. But
Sears' refusal to learn , the
(Continued on page seven)
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PAGE FIVE
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