Utilization of Instructional Media in Distance Education: The Case of two Distance Institutions

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Date

2008-06

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Addis Ababa University

Abstract

The major purpose of this study was to deal with utilization of instructional media. It particularly emphasized on the role, status of utilization, and major factors that hampered utilization of media in AUC and PADEA by taking the GSS distance education programme at the Addis Ababa study centers as a case. To realize the objectives stated, data were gathered from different parties by using in-depth interviews, and observations as well as document analysis. The informants were intentionally chosen based on their concerns, responsibilities, cooperativeness, experience, and other related qualities. The data rigorously collected were presented with the help of long and short direct quotations; and narrative statements based on the participants' understanding and interpretations besides the researcher's his reflective analysis. !]:If! major research findings revealed that the use of different media forms has a paramount importance so as to well-facilitate the entire instructional process at a distance. In terms of the status of utilization of media, presently both institutions have been utilizing, limited media forms out of which students were largely relied up on text-modules, but face-to-face tutorial sessions suffered from serious shortage of attendants. More or less, in the institutions some activities were observed to gear for the betterment of the existent media utilization status. Nonetheless, various factors, such as the place that media have got in the curricular materials; factors emanated from the institutions themselves; factors related to learners, tutors, finance, the medium itself; and others were found responsible to hamper the institutions' media utilization. Thus, the institutions give due attention for the inclusion of different media forms other than text media in the curricular materials; attempt to provide the necessary orientation, or trainings, and instructional materials; and at last, the institutions have to make ready themselves to cope up with the fast technological progress of the day

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Education

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