"The initials SITE stand for Satellite Instructional Television Experiment. In this publication, commissioned by Unesco, the accent is on the word experiment. It is a summary and a critical assessment of the majority of the research studies relating to the whole complex operation, not an evaluation
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of the programme itself. The SITE project involved in- and out-of-school instruction and participation; it had complex managerial, technical and economic problems. Research had also to be organized at the formative, operational and summative stages of the experiment. This study tries to cover each of these dimensions. SITE as a project had about 50 research studies as essential components, the reports of which comprise 19 volumes. They are of especial interest to social scientists concerned with the developmental impact of modern communication techniques in rural areas and they are particularly relevant in view of the present proposal to establish a more permanent satellite-based communication system in India in the near future. However, it is unlikely that the totality of the research carried out on SITE will reach a wide audience, if only because of the considerable volume In this publication, of data produced. It therefore seemed useful 19 Unesco to commission a summary of the research findings and to present these, not as a retrospective evaluation of the project, but as a digest of what was discovered. Professor M. S. Gore of the TATA Institute in India - an eminent sociologist - was asked to undertake this formidable task. He was asked, first of all, to reduce the 19 volumes to a document of manageable size, while retaining what was essential and of universal interest. In addition, he was asked to look at the "SITE studies" from the point of view of their methodological adequacy and hence the validity of their findings. In his report he has also tried to answer in some degree the more general question as to whether the SITE experience has been worthwhile and can perhaps be transferable in suitable circumstances to other nations and regions." (Preface)
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"This volume is composed of an introduction and seven chapters, all of which are relevant to the educational use of mass media in Less Developed Countries (LDCs). Each chapter deals with one of the salient issues that LDCs educators and decision-makers inevitably encounter when they think about usin
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g mass media to further the country's education and development. These problems are: (1) the actual potentialities of audiovisual media, (2) the choice between or combination of network broadcasting and local broadcasting; (3) the use of educational mass media for curriculum improvement; (4) the impact of radio on education and development; (5) the choice of language(s) for instruction and radio's role in language teaching; (6) the possible expansion of educational TV in the 1980s; and (7) the appropriateness of each medium for use in LDCs. The original contributions were slightly modified and shortened." (Page 3)
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"159 titles (not annotated) on radio schools and educational television." (commbox)
"The difficulties, shortcomings and failures of experimental projects are as significant as their successes. It is in this open-minded spirit that we have traced the history of the experience in Senegal and sought to evaluate its impact. Throughout the foregoing pages, attention has been drawn to si
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gnificant lessons. It may, however, be useful to summarize once more certain principal conclusions. The application of radio and television to adult education does not grow organically out of existing structures and practices. Neither the media, when in fact they do exist, nor the institutions and organizations concerned with adult education are necessarily predisposed to a joint comprehensive effort. The condition of success is the solution of political, administrative and financial problems, the more rational use of existing facilities and staff, the provision of new resources in funds, hardware and personnel, and the elaboration of a methodology adapted to the needs and aims of adult education. A great deal of time, money and personal effort had to be spent on this preparatory phase, and it was only thanks to political support by the Head of State, to collaboration between the media and the interested agencies, and also the active participation of the target audience itself, that valid results could be obtained. The second set of conclusions concerns the material resources, finance and time required for such an undertaking. Unfortunately, it was not possible to obtain a clearcut economic evaluation of the entire project, in particular of its television component, but certain lessons are clear: A project of this kind should be neither underfinanced nor endowed with excessive resources. Lack of facilities and personnel made it impossible to pursue the numerous initial objectives and to use fully the various audio-visual media. Regrettably, the teaching of literacy had to be abandoned owing to lack of resources." (Conclusion, page 52)
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"This report is the outcome of an expert mission, undertaken at the request of several Member States in the African region, by Unesco with the co-operation of the International Telecommunication Union and the Economic Commission for Africa. The mission approached its task from the point of view of t
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he economic feasibility of a regional satellite broadcasting system. By studying educational needs and costs, and projections of population and gross national product; believing that the massive use of television would be necessary to solve the problems of education and information dissemination in the region; having estimated the costs of the various components of a system for television distribution by satellite - the mission evolved a model of a system which met the criteria it established. The report describes that model and mentions a number of variations to it and a possible phased implementation. As the mission itself points out, the report is not to be construed as a recommendation for an African satellite system, but assesses the potentialities of this new technology in the African context, and identifies some possible options worth detailed investigation." (Foreword)
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