Relevance Of Broadcasting To Effective Curriculum Content Delivery In Nigerian Tertiary
Institutions.
BY
LA’ARO,Oba Abdulkadir.
(B.sc,M.sc Mass Comm,Unilag)
Department of Mass Communication, Federal Polytechnic, Offa
.
Being a paper presented at the 5th Annual Conference of the National Association for the
Promotion of Studies in Religious,Education,Languages and General Studies, Held between 4th8th June 2007 at the Federal College of Education(Special) Oyo, Oyo State, Nigeria.
ABSTRACT.
Arising from the observation that little attention is being given to broadcasting as a veritable
resource for educational purposes, particularly curriculum content delivery, the present discourse
attempts to re-enact the relevance of broadcasting in education process. The justification for
these efforts can be found in the rational search for all available resources for national
development. The Nigerian
challenges among which
educational system is
undoubtedly confronted with varying
are the inadequate teaching facilities,shortage of classroom and
laboratory equpment. This Paper demonstrates the various ways broadcasting has been used; can
be used and ought to be used for curriculum delivery in all types and levels of educational
system including tertiary institutions.
.
Introduction
The focus of this paper is the relevance of educational broadcasting to effective curriculum
delivery at tertiary level of education.
Therefore, it is imperative to situate the place of
educational broadcasting within the larger concepts of Educational Technology. Consequently,
we shall attempt reviewing what scholars have conceptualized as educational technology and
educational broadcasting, which clearly delineate the boundaries of similarities and differences.
What is educational Technology?
In functional and operational terms, education has been defined as the process which draws the
best in the child with the aim of producing well balanced personalities, culturally refined,
emotionally stable, ethically sound, mentally alert, morally upright, physically strong, socially
efficient, spiritually upright, vocationally self-sufficient and internationally liberal.(Aggarwal
2004).On the other hand technology is conceived at two levels, and at times a combination of the
two: for some, technology means equipment, gadgets, tools instruments and products, which
result from the application of scientific inventions/innovations.
As a process, technology refers to the application of scientifically gathered knowledge to
practical problems.
It involves the systematic application of knowledge to the solution of
problems. When technology is deplored to tackle the education problems; a mixture of the
products and process of technology are often call to service. (National Teachers’ Institute 2004)
Broadcasting and Educational Broadcasting in Perspectives
The concept of broadcasting needs to be examined critically and be put in proper perspective.
There is tendency to mix-up what constitutes broadcasting and related concepts such as
electronic media; audio-visual media et cetera.
According to La’aro, (2004 p1.), the term
Broadcasting refers to the totality of the communication and technological process which
allows for the transmission of audio-visual signals to a large, heterogeneous mass of
people, simultaneously. The term broadcasting, if properly used, does not include closed
circuit, computer ,home video and even cable television, or other forms of radio
transmission that cannot offer, on their own, possibilities of reaching diverse audience
simultaneously
The characteristics of broadcast media that differentiate them to similar electronic media are the
ability of the media to distribute their signal to several audiences who are located at different
places and locations at the same time.
The import of the above exposition of broadcasting to other form of electronic communication is
especially discernible in the context of educational broadcasting. Devices, such as television
box, video recording and audio recording equipment are used in the teaching and learning
process. These are not broadcasting. At best, they can be classified under the terms AudioVisuals.
Aggarwal (2004:153) cited some authors who have defined the audio-visual devices used in
educational context. Among the many authors are:
Edgar Dale who says Audio-Visuals are those devices by the use of which communication of
ideas between persons and groups in various teaching and training situations is helped.
But Kunder, S. James would rather defined Audio-Visuals as any device which can be used to
make the learning experience more concrete, more realistic and more dynamic.
In the view of Mcknown and Roberts: Audio-Visual aids are supplementary devices by which
the teacher, through the utilization of more than one sensory channel is able to clarify; establish
and correlate concepts, interpretations and appreciations.
The above views enunciate the role common to all electronic media in the education process but
which the broadcast media further intensify due to certain peculiarities.
Broadcasting media {Radio and Television services} are mass media with peculiar
characteristics. The broadcast media have immediacy capabilities by presenting information or
event at the same time it is unfolding. Their messages reach far-flung audience that is not
spatially connected. The message of the broadcast media is the only connecting cord binding
them with their audience in a communication experience. The broadcast media have universal
value because they can break the barrier of literacy and social class. Their signals do not
discriminate on the basis of socio-economic and educational background.
This potentials informed the conceptualization of broadcasting in the context of education which
the following passage expatiates
Educational Broadcasting: Concepts and Types
The concept of educational broadcasting denotes the process by which broadcast – Radio and
Television – media are used to achieve the objectives of formal, informal and non-formal type of
education.
Educational broadcasting can be understood from the perspectives of channels of communication
that can carry information; facts and figures that are meant to fulfill instructional objectives. It
means vehicle and means that enable you to acquire knowledge.
Educational broadcasting can be viewed from four different modes/types of education viz:
1.
Formal Educational Broadcasting
2.
Non-formal Educational Broadcasting
3.
Informal Educational Broadcasting
4.
Mobilization Educational Broadcasting
Formal Educational Broadcasting:- deals with the use of broadcast media for instructional
objectives that conform with the characteristics of formal education – a formal syllabus, rigid
grade system, formal school hours, formal certificates, et cetera. This is the focus and concern of
this paper as it affects the tertiary institutions.
Non-formal Educational Broadcast:- Here the resources (human and material) of radio and
television services are used to achieve the skills needs of adult without removing them from their
work-day routines. It involves the acquisition of functional knowledge that is relevant to the
adult social/working functions.
Informal Educational Broadcasting:- refers to daily encounter with radio and television
programmes that help individual to acquire knowledge; although the individual did not set out to
acquire it but through daily experience with broadcasting. It is in this sense that broadcast
houses claim to be educating their audience. The format may come in different-pattern, for
example, news, drama, discussion programmes, et cetera.
Mobilization Educational Broadcasting:-
These are the deliberately planned broadcast
messages designed to motivate, persuade, discourage, urge,(or with similar behavioural
objectives) the general public to behave in particular, desired ways. It is about getting people to
agree to the point of view of the sponsor. The format may be in Jingles; especially composed
lyrics or any other broadcast programme format.
All the four modes can be used for different level of education, but this paper intends to explore
the formal educational broadcasting for curriculum delivery at the tertiary level of education.
How visible and relevant to curriculum content delivery?.
Educational Broadcasting Strategy
The strategy employed in using the facilities of broadcasting to foster the objectives of education
is varied depending on the type of education under focus. Generally, the strategy can be grouped
under the following headings:
Substitute for Teachers
Broadcast media facilities are used for classroom teaching. It is called direct classroom teaching
or total teaching. This is employed where there are large pupils but fewer teachers. The
condition in our tertiary institutions, where teachers face hundreds of students call for the
consideration of these educational broadcasting strategies to tackle the problem.
Supplementary/Enrichment Role
This is using broadcasting to supplement the effort of the teachers/lecturers.
Radio and
television programmes, in this instance, are designed in accordance with the curriculum content
of particular courses. The scheduling of the broadcasting programme will be based on research
findings concerning the time use pattern of the target audience. The teacher/lecturer would then
direct the attention of the students to the programme as enriching or supplementing what has
been discussed in normal classroom setting. For optimal utilization of the programme the lecturer
must impress it on student the relevance of the programme to their academic performance.
Distant Learning
The broadcast media are used basically as part of the distance learning arrangement to reach
student in the comfort of their homes or residents. This is totally dependent on the effectiveness
of the operational arrangement.
It is opened to enormous operational and environment
challenges that may be daunting indeed.
The foregoing strategies/approaches can be summarized thus:
1.
The Teaching Approach: Here the broadcast media are considered as educational
instrument in their own right, and not just a mere adjunct to the classroom teacher, that is,
the media are substitute classroom teachers.
This approach is favourable to
correspondence studies, Extra-Mural Studies and adult education.
2.
The Support Approach:
Here, the media are used to provide additional teaching
resources to enrich, complement and support the teaching-learning process; resources
which the existing educational establishment cannot readily provide through its
traditional facilities and materials. This approach can be used to support regular schools
like the higher institutions.
Benefits of Involving Broadcasting In Formal Education
The potential of using broadcasting media facilities in the efforts to engage the contemporary
challenges of effective curriculum delivery in tertiary institutions can be seen in the following:
·
It is economical: It allows the maximum use of limited resources to convey knowledge.
Just one teacher to teach millions of students simultaneously, nationwide.
·
It helps give subjects a greater sense of reality. You can capture and relay actualities and
real life experiences with audio-visual equipment rather than just telling or describe them
to your students.
·
You can get a close-up perspective of the subject, especially when it involves some kind
of specimen.
·
Broadcasting allows flexibility of timing to adapt to the daily lifestyle of the student so
that lessons can come at a time when students will be ready.
The Nigerian Experience in Educational Broadcasting
The Nigerian broadcasting system, right from the earlier days, has had pretence to educational
service, although the kind that was on then was the informal and mobilization types Even the
Nationalist who supplanted the colonialist could not be faithful to their publicly declared
intension of using broadcast facilities for education purposes At best, their idea and practice of
educational broadcasting was the mobilization type that are geared toward motivating the
populace. The wave of educational television then was linked to national renaissance. In the
context of African struggle then, mobilization was educational.
By 1954, it was realized that broadcasting can be used for intensive – formal-educational
purposes. A pilot was done by the Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service (WNBS) under the
supervision of one Tom Chalmers. The experiment was on subject lessons to schools in Lagos
area. It was then discovered that “Schools broadcasting … could be of great use in stimulating
and helping teachers and pupils alike … could quicken the tempo of educational advance in
Nigeria.”{Adisa 2001 et al} This realization leads the British Government to second Richmond
Postage to Nigeria to study the possibility of starting school broadcasting in Nigeria. He was
instructed to report to the Federal adviser on education “a comprehensive programme on
broadcasting on English and the main vernacular at primary and secondary school levels with
particular reference to “regional needs.” {Uche 1987}
Postgate, in 1955, in his report recommends school broadcast. He also suggested that school
broadcasting should be collaboration between National Broadcasting Service{NBS} and
educational authorities. The role he envisaged for the NBS are (1) set up the broadcasting
machinery (2) Recruit broadcaster, script writer and performers (3) help in training teachers in
the use of broadcast.
The role for educational authorities is to:
(1)
Ensure that inspectors and teachers receive proper training to use broadcasting.
(2)
Determine the content of syllabus of the subject to be taught.
The Postage report could not be implemented by the Federal Government due to lack of
money. But the Northern government, in May 1957 began School Broadcasting on Radio
with a programme on English Language for primary school.
The Western Regional
government followed in the same year. {Moemeka 1981 Adisa, Uche Ibid}
The Present Reality
In spite of the set back experienced in the attempt at using broadcast facilities for formal
educational objectives; there have always been insistence on resuscitating the concept. In the
early 80s many state broadcasting stations produced educational programmes on radio and
television that were fashioned after the schools’ curriculum. For example, Radio O. Y. O in
Ibadan, Oyo State, had on air “Tam-Mo” an inter-school quiz programme based on the syllabus
for the teaching of Yoruba Language and Literature in Secondary Schools.
The Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, operator of “Radio Nigeria” produced many
programmes that are based on the books produced by the Nigerian Educational Research and
Development Council (NERDC) or other materials recommended by the council. The target
audience for such broadcasts are Junior Secondary School, Senior Secondary Students and
Primary School; teachers, especially the pivotal category. The objectives are the reinforcement
and consolidation of what the children have been taught in classroom and to refresh the minds of
the teachers so targeted.
The Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) had made contribution to educational broadcasting.
Some of the examples include: Cartoon programmes of all shades; Speak-Out, Talk French, Kidvision, Story land, Tales by Moonlight, Flying High, Work-it-Out, et cetera.
Equally, privately owned Radio and Television stations too have been airing some porgrammes
which are tagged educational programme. Examples are Brainy Bright (Debate) Scrap Palace
(Arts and Crafts); all these were once aired on African Independent Television AIT.
Examples from Radio are Students Millennium on Cool FM in Lagos, Ayoka on Radio Kwara.
Educational and Educative Programme: Vital Observations
From the foregoing review of the concept and practice of educational broadcasting, it is
noticeable that there is need for some clarifications. There seems to be a misconception of what
constitute educative programme and educational programme. Aluma (1998) quoting Ignacy
Wanievics notes that the distinction between the two forms of programming lies on the purpose
and effects of these programmes.
Any programme, in any form, could be considered as educative if its primary purpose is not to
provide pure entertainment, political propaganda or commercial advertising, but rather to
broaden horizons, deepen understanding and sensitivity, refine tastes, and so on … programmes
which have definite enlightening values, but are not instructional, that is, are not planned to
provide education in a systematic way.
Following this distinction, the following characteristics are identified for programme that will
qualify as educational broadcasting (Adisa: 2001)
(a)
Programmes concerned with supervised education, leading through examinations to
credits towards the attainment of a particular educational level or degree, and requiring
their audience to be registered or enrolled in a course of instruction.
(b)
Programmes not connected with a system of formal or supervised education, but whose
educational nature will be judged by their objective to [1] provide a continuity of content
aimed at a systemic acquisition or improvement of knowledge or skills within a given
circumscribed field of interest, [2] would bringing insight and awareness or vocational
training, arousing and developing aesthetic responsiveness or remedial education
connected with urgent economic and social problems.
Educational Broadcasting and Tertiary Level of Education
The application of broadcasting to educational objectives, particularly for formal types of
education, has largely, if not exclusively, being at the primary and secondary level. Yet a
cursory look at the nature and potentials of broadcasting in the education process, does not
suggest inapplicability of the concept and practice of educational broadcasting at the tertiary
level of education.
The Nigeria Universities and Polytechnics, are currently ravaged by a number of challenges,
some of which the concept of educational broadcasting can be explored to tackle. It is common
knowledge that our Polytechnics and Universities are finding it difficult to cope with high
admission rates.
The classroom now burst at the seam, the laboratory is not adequately
equipped, yet teachers are expected to demonstrate objects or concepts, concretely to a large
number of students. Even the intrepid policy of consolidation of polytechnic and colleges of
education into universities, does not promise reduction in population.
At the liberal and humanities classes; the large number of students constitutes a daunting
challenges even to the most skilful and hardworking lecturer. Skill based courses which require
in-depth teaching and constant practices suffer because lecturer can not impart meaningful
knowledge to a large number of students just within the usual two hours lecture time-table per
week.
The supplementary and complementary strategies of educational broadcasting can be deployed to
tackle these challenges.
For what the broadcast media can do in the instructional purposes, {Aggarwal, 2004 193)
summarized thus: According to him educational broadcasting;
v Permits the use of the best available teacher to teach a subject for a large number of
student viewers. It preserves the expert teaching skills of such teachers on video tape or
film for later use.
v Provides a common experience to all students when they all see the same basic ideas or
techniques on television.
v Provides technical advantages not readily available in normal classrooms for illustration
or demonstration.
v Makes possible close-up (TV) magnification of small objects, components, intricate
mechanisms, diagram, et cetera, giving students a “front-row-seat.”
All these are possible for students within the comfort of their home.
CONCLUSION
We must restate, in conclusion, that this paper does not make pretence to any possibility of using
broadcast facilities to supplant the need for physical structure and personnel in education process
.Rather we have striven to call attention to how broadcasting has been used, can still be used and
ought to be used in educational process. The point of emphasis of this paper, however, is on the
possibility of realizing effective curriculum delivery at the tertiary level of education through the
facility of existing radio and television stations. Considering the vast number of broadcasting
stations in Nigeria and the various teething problems being faced by tertiary institutions, we can
not afford the flippant dismissal of the SUPPLEMENTARY and COMPLEMENTARY roles
radio and television stations can play to ameliorate the challenges.
REFERENCES
.
Aggrawal, J.C. (2004): “Principles and Techniques of Teaching”, New Delhi, Vikas publishing
House PVT Ltd.
NTI 2004, Course Modules, Kaduna national Teachers Institute.
La’aro O.A. (2004): “The Basis of Radio and Television Broadcasting”, Osogbo Voice
Publication.
Adisa, et al 92001): “Educational Broadcasting”, (M.Sc. Seminar Presentations), Department
of Mass Communication, University of Lagos.