Tuesday, July 26, 1966 Summer Session Kansan
Page 9
Britain promotes E-TV, too
By Dennis Buck
Educational television has caught the attention of British educators, and their teachers are as much interested in the field as American teachers.
That's the observation of Gale R. Adkins, associate professor of radio and television, who recently returned from a nine-month Fulbright professorship in England.
THE BRITISH only recently have become intent on using educational television on a broad scale. Adkins pointed out this week.
Adkins is now writing his final report on a study of the feasibility of closed circuit TV on technical colleges in England. The report will be published in England by the National Foundation for Audio-Viaual Aids in Education.
"The strongest area of interest is in closed circuit television on the college level, and this includes the technical college," he said.
The upswing of interest in educational television in Britain is
On radio 'pirates'
Asked about off-shore "pirate" radio stations that have figured in the news recently from England, Adkins declared that while they are regarded as outside British government control, they all have advertising offices in London.
These stations, less than 10 in number and all started within the last five years, operate in international waters outside the 12-mile limit around the British coast.
"Their main offering is popular music. Their revenues and profit come from selling advertising which is mostly for consumer products." Adkins said.
They have set up their transmitters at any location they could find, Adkins pointed out. Some stations have transmitters in moored ships. Others have used abandoned lighthouses or deserted World War II anti-aircraft tower miles out in the ocean.
For some time the British have discussed whether or not they should legalize such stations and thereby regulate them. Such a step could possibly trigger the establishment of independent private broadcasting stations in England. Adkins explained.
Adkins noted that the present British radio programs and television programming is on the whole excellent. The EBC radio programs are comparable to the KANU programming on the KU campus.
the result of several developments. Adkins explained.
"Its partly because the British are now confronted with new and acute problems of overcrowded classrooms. And it's partly because the British are determined to improve technological education in an effort to assist the development of British industry," he said.
DURING HUS STAY in England, Adkins was connected academically with the social psychology department of the London School of Economics. He was engaged in research in the Greater London area. Additional field work took him to other cities in England and Scotland.
The main office for his research project was at the National Audio-Visual Aids Center, a government supported agency for demonstration and training in all kinds of audio-visual aids.
Some of Adkins' time was devoted to instructing in demonstration courses on television education techniques at the National Audio-Visual Aids Center. British teachers were offered short courses to acquaint them with what television studio equipment does and how to employ television instruction in the classroom.
"I FOUND BRITISH teachers just as intrigued with closed circuit television as American teachers are," Adkins said. "They recognize that television will be a part of the classroom of the future."
Until now, Adkins said, only one community in the British Isles has operated an extensive system of closed circuit television.
"Glasgow, Scotland, has been using a city-financed closed circuit TV system to serve elementary and secondary schools. Mathematics and French are taught in a number of grades," he said.
Some instruction series, mainly on the elementary and secondary levels, have been broadcast by the BBC and Independent television. Less attention, however, has been given to college programs, Adkins said.
"The British are responding to many world changes these days. They are very conscious that they must compete with other nations"
"American industry has been hiring away many of their top men in science and technical fields. Competition pressures are causing them to step up their efforts to train more people for business and industry," he said.
Adkins noted that this expanded interest in instructional television is in a British educational system setup on somewhat different lines than the American educational system.
"THE SO-CALLED British technical college has no real counterpart in the American education system. Such colleges specialize in technical subjects in the broadest sense. They are definitely on the college level and students may earn degrees," he said.
"The technical colleges are primarily day colleges with full time students, but they also put great emphasis on evening programs and on adult education."
Long-established British universities have programs that are still confined chiefly to traditional academic areas, Adkins declared, the technical colleges being newer institutions and more progressive. Several are now becoming universities.
"Quite a number of these technical colleges and other college-level institutions in Great Britain are starting modestly with closed circuit television education," Prof. Adkins said.
Radio programs are supplied the British public through the non-commercial British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Three frequencies, each with different programs are offered the British radio listener, Adkins explained.
"EDUCATIONAL RADIO has been well established in Great Britain for years. The BBC is still offering excellent educational radio programs on the elementary and secondary school levels."
As with radio, television programs are available to the British people through the BBC television services. This government facility provides the viewer with two channels. On a third channel, the British viewer can see programs provided by the Independent Television Authority, which is owned by private enterprise.
BRITISH CITIZENS are required to buy separate government licenses when they install radio and television sets.
concerning a proposed university of the air, an institution that would offer degrees.
During his stay Adkins also was involved in planning sessione
"This has been supported by Prime Minister Wilson, and a government committee has already submitted a report on it," Adkins said.
This university of the air, as the British are contemplating it, would operate partly through television, partly through correspondence study and partly through discussion meetings While it may come about in the next several years, Adkins said such an institution would require the cooperation of many institutions.
Adkins was accompanied to England last September by his wife Paula. They lived in the Kensington area, which is close to the center of London.
DURING HIS nine months' research, Adkins also attended discussions which explored benefits of linking several major universities together with closed circuit television.
Commenting on the London winter, Adkins said that it was mild compared with Lawrence weather. He experienced the London fog only one day.
Collins,Young home after annoying flight
SPACE CENTER, Houston — (UPI)—John Young and Michael Collins, who performed the nation's most ambitious space flight, finally got home early yesterday following the frustrations of airplane engine trouble.
A crowd surprisingly large considering the lateness of the hour greeted the space heroes at Ellington Air Force Base. The astronauts apologized "for keeping you folks up so late."
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