Teaching, Media Choice and Cost-Effectiveness of Alternative Delivery Systems. IET Paper No. 264.

This discussion of the usefulness of audiovisual technology for vocational training begins with a brief overview of changes in vocational training in Europe with the introduction of open learning and distance teaching methods and the increase in technologies available to trainers. Procedures for deciding on appropriate audiovisual media are then considered, with an emphasis on the context of the decision, e.g., the training needs of a large manufacturer vs. those of a service industry. Criteria for this decision-making process are discussed, including the issues of access, i.e., when and where the employee will learn; costs for the production and delivery of instructional materials in various media formats; the presentational characteristics of audiovisual media as they relate to teaching strategies; the control over the medium that is available to the learner, e.g., broadcasts vs. cassettes; and the policies and structures within a training organization that can support or hinder the use of audiovisual media for training. Some general recommendations for the design of a training system using audiovisual media conclude the paper. The text is supplemented by four tables. (EW)