Audio-visual aids in higher scientific education : report of the committee appointed by the University Grants Committee, the Department of Education and Science, and the Scottish Education Department in February, 1963.

  • Great Britain. University Grants Committee
Date:
1965
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Audio-visual aids in higher scientific education : report of the committee appointed by the University Grants Committee, the Department of Education and Science, and the Scottish Education Department in February, 1963. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    14/172 (page 12)
    INTRODUCTION 1. We were appointed in February, 1963, with the following terms of reference: “To survey the current use of audio-visual aids in teaching and research in the pure and applied sciences in institutions of higher education in Great Britain and, taking into account their use in similar fields in compar- able institutions in selected countries overseas, to assess their potential usefulness and possible lines of development in Great Britain; and to report’. 2. In order to obtain at the outset as much information as possible about the use being made of modern aids in higher education in Great Britain, and to ascertain the interest taken by academic staff in these communication media, a questionnaire was circulated in March, 1963, to the universities and to other establishments of higher education. A summary of the results of this survey appears in Appendix 2. 3. Visits were made to a number of educational and other institutions. The choice was based partly on the answers given to the questionnaire, and partly on information gathered from various other sources. Details are given in Appendix 3. Members also attended several conferences where the use of modern communication media in higher education was under discussion. 4. Evidence, both oral and written, was received from representatives of national organisations in the educational field, from academic staff, from individual experts in communication, from students, from the trade, and from the Fulbright visiting professors from the United States who specialise in audio-visual methods of communication. We also received information concerning the position in France, Japan and Russia. The complete list of those who gave evidence to the Committee will be found in Appendix 1. 5. In order to see examples of the work being done in Europe, we visited the Institut fiir den Wissenschaftlichen Film at G6dttingen in Germany, and the Technische Hochschule at Aachen. An assessment of what was seen and discussed at both these institutions is given in Chapter 3. 6. In view of the great progress made in America in communication media, the Chairman and four members went to the United States in March, 1964. Visits were made to a number of national organisations, universities, technical and teacher-training colleges, and to experts in specialist media as shown in Appendix 3. An account of what members saw in the United States and some comments can be found in Chapter 3. 7. In accordance with our terms of reference, Part 1 of the Report shows the present position with regard to the use made of modern aids, both in Great Britain and overseas, together with a survey of the existing arrangements for the co-ordination of expertise, research and information. Part 2 contains a description of individual aids, with an assessment of their value and recom- mendations for their use in higher education; together with chapters on proposed local and central units, their organisation and function, and on provisions for training both of teachers and technicians. Part 3 gives a summary of our recommendations, and includes an assessment of their financial implications. 8. Although language laboratories would not seem to be pertinent to the work of a Committee which is limited to the pure and applied science dis- ciplines, because of the need for science students to read texts in languages Xil