Art-by-Telephone: Design and Evaluation.

The Art-by-Telephone program, funded under Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, involved rural high schools in Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah. The program was designed to offer art instruction from a master teacher to students enrolled in high schools with limited financial resources. Instruction in art was provided by joining a number of widely separated small rural high schools into a conference situation in which all units of the system, including the instructor, were served by a common, 2-way-communication, amplified telephone service. The necessary telephone lines were leased at a special conference service rate for 50 minutes per week. In accordance with a prearranged schedule, the telephone conference operator initiated the necessary line signals to bring all participating schools and a master teacher into a joined, open-line communication setting. Each school was equipped with a telephone amplified receiver and transmitter so that students in any area of their classroom could hear all conversation and could also initiate oral responses. In addition to the amplified telephone equipment, each participating school was equipped with an overhead projector, 35-mm slide projector, tape recorder, and projection screen. The program operated for 2 years and was considered a pioneering success for the Western States Small Schools Project. Eight appendices are included. (AL)