VOL. 15, No. 2, 37-51
The article explains that interactive radio is an effective tool for open and distance learning provided it is planned, designed, implemented, and monitored systematically. The study reveals the need for setting an environment for effective learning through the audio medium, adequate advanced publicity, and providing learners control of their learning. The quality and relevance of the questions, not merely the number, are considered important for effective use of interactive radio counseling (IRC). The need to define the objectives clearly and to specify strategies to achieve the objectives is stressed. Training of those who design, present, and share information through the audio medium is crucial to the success of IRC. In addition to interaction with resource persons, the study calls for encouraging and directing interactivity among learners. The need to develop new learning techniques other than from print or teacher-based learning and systematic monitoring and evaluation of each element of IRC constitute other suggestions in the article.
Cet article explique que la radio interactive est un outil efficace pour l'enseignement à distance, et l'éducation ouverte, à condition qu'il soit planifié, conçu, implanté et supervisé systématiquement. Cette recherche révèle le besoin de développer un environnement pour un apprentissage efficace par l'audio, ainsi que le besoin d'une publicité préalable adéquate et également le besoin de fournir aux apprenants un contrôle sur leurs apprentissages. La qualité et la pertinence des questions, et non pas leur quantité, sont les considérations importantes pour une utilisation efficace de la consultation interactive radiophonique (CIR). Le besoin de définir clairement les objectifs et de spécifier les stratégies pour atteindre les objectifs sont soulignés. La formation de ceux qui font la conception, qui présentent et partagent l'information grâce à ce médium audio est crucial pour le succès de la CIR. En plus de l'interaction avec les personnes ressources, l'étude montre qu'il faut encourager et supporter l'interactivité entre les apprenants. Le besoin de développer de nouvelles formes d'apprentissage, autres que l'imprimé ou le cours magistral, ainsi que le monitorat systématique et l'évaluation de chaque élément de la CIR font parti des suggestions faites dans cet article.
In the age of rapidly evolving new-generation technology, the success of open universities will depend on their ability to exploit technology effectively to achieve their goals. Distance education and its associated technologies allow us to increase access to education, control the cost of education, and provide quality education that is otherwise often not possible through traditional means. The technologies should be viewed as the tools of the trade rather than the driving force behind education (Khan & McWilliam, 1998). Thus the emphasis will be on the opportunities technology creates, not on the technology itself.
Radio is not a new-generation technology for most of the learners as it has existed in developing countries for a long time. It is primarily being used to entertain, capture attention, hold interest, and sometimes persuade the masses. Thus radio is used for two broad purposes: transmission of factual information and entertainment.
Some international development agencies started using radio (broadcasting) to educate the public for their socioeconomic and educational development, particularly catering to the needs of those residing in rural and remote areas. Such educational broadcasting was initiated in developing countries such as India, Niger, Senegal, and others. Community listening groups were set up where villagers could assemble, listen to programs broadcast at fixed hours, and discuss the developmental messages with fellow listeners and the technical experts who were especially engaged for this purpose. Educational programs were also broadcast through radio. However, to the dismay of media and educational institutions, despite the easy access and potential of radio and the appeal of the “words-and-music” box, the vast public remained indifferent to the messages of educators.
Throughout its development, radio remained a one-way communication and one-way channel of delivery of information by the broadcasters. However, some delayed feedback based on discussions among listeners’ with technical experts and letters was received by the broadcasting agencies from the listeners’ groups. Such feedback could provide input for future program production decisions and help them assess the impact of messages delivered.
Radio broadcast has been used by the various distance education institutions in India for the last four decades. Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) made a humble beginning of broadcasting radio programs for its students in 1990 through select radio stations. The service remained a one-way communication until May 3, 1998 when for the first time since its inception in 1985 IGNOU launched its interactive radio counseling (IRC) pilot project from All India Radio (AIR) station, Bhopal. One-hour interactive sessions for its students enrolled in the Bachelor Preparatory Programme (BPP) and Management Studies Programme (MS) residing in and around Bhopal city (the capital of a central province) was started twice a month, that is, on every second and fourth Sunday.
The interactive radio counseling was based on certain assumptions regarding the strength and limitations of radio as a unisensory medium, as given below.
Interactive radio counseling (IRC) offers the benefits of live interactivity at a relatively low cost in a medium based on familiar and available technology. Students residing within the effective transmission range of a local radio station can communicate with the resource persons and fellow students directly, engage in discussion, and provide or receive feedback. Considering this strength of the audio medium, the IGNOU launched a pilot interactive radio counseling service to provide support to students who study print material and may attend weekend tutorial-counseling sessions.
One year after its inception, the service was extended to more areas. To date there are 21 primary radio stations from which interactive radio counseling sessions are being organized on a weekly basis. It is expected that the network will be expanded to touch 150 IRC centers, that is, the IRC will be offered from all AIR stations in the state capital and will be simultaneously relayed by other stations in selected states. IRC sessions cater to the needs of the students enrolled with IGNOU in various disciplines or programs. The students can obtain the service through a telephone call from home or the workplace. Those who cannot or do not wish to incur telephone charges can benefit from the discussion between the resource persons and the students simply by listening to the interactive sessions. Thus IRC has brought learning resources to many who previously were dependent on printed text materials, those with work and family commitments, geographically isolated people, disabled people, and those lacking confidence. Easy and affordable access to IRC sessions can provide advantages to all students studying at a distance, who can pursue their learning individually by participating in IRC sessions from home or the workplace or can learn together by forming a self-help group that can assemble and participate in IRC. Thus it can meet the psychological as well as social learning needs of the students.
The broad objective of IRC was to assess whether such an alternative arrangement of student support services is effective and efficient in the IGNOU context. The present study, therefore, aimed at investigating reach and access to interactive radio counseling, the extent of its utilization in terms of participation and interaction with resource persons of IRC sessions, the effectiveness of the counseling sessions in terms of the quality of content and presentation, and the sustainability of IRC in the IGNOU context.
The study was planned in phases and was spread over a year to investigate thoroughly the effectiveness and sustainability of IRC. A multiple-source approach of data collection from the respondents was used that included questionnaires, telephone interviews, face-to-face interaction, and focus group discussions with those involved in planning, designing, implementing, and utilizing IRC sessions.
In the first phase, the reactions and expectations of the students on the curtain-raiser held on the first day of the launch of IRC were collected through telephone interviews and face-to-face interactions. Questions such as whether they liked the IRC facility, suitability of timing, their expectations from IRC sessions, and so forth were asked. Data thus collected remained qualitative in nature.
In the second phase, the study was conducted at three levels:
In the final phase the study was conducted at four levels:
The second and the final phases of study were conducted after three months and one year respectively of the launch of the IRC, that is, in July 1998 and March 1999.
Data collected through the questionnaire were analyzed in terms of percentages and frequencies. This article is based on the findings of all three phases of the study on the following variables: Personal profile, Media access, Utilization, Learning from IRC, and Peer groups.
Personal Profile
About one fourth of the respondents interviewed were female. Most were in the age group of 21-30 years, but some BPP respondents were less than 21 years of age. As per the requirement, the BPP respondents had less than a 10+2 (12th standard) educational qualification, whereas all the MS respondents were graduates or postgraduates. Some were qualified professionals (engineers, physicians, etc.). Most of the MS respondents were employed in the private sector (including personal business), whereas a large section of the BPP respondents were pursuing their degree program as students; and a good number of the female respondents were homemakers.
Media Access
Most of the respondents reported easy access to newspapers, television, and radio, followed by telephone. Access to television was higher than to radio. Interestingly, female students reported less access to newspapers and more access to radio in comparison with their male counterparts. Access to videotape-recorders, fax, computers, and e-mail was quite low among all the respondents. Computer, fax, and e-mail were mostly available at the workplaces; however, radio, TV, and VCRs were available in homes. Newspapers and telephones were available in both workplaces and homes. On the whole, the MS respondents had better access to various sources of communication than the BPP respondents.
In the second phase of the study, 82% of the respondents were aware of the IRC facility, whereas the level of awareness about IRC declined to 67% in the final phase of the study. The main source of information about the IRC sessions in the second phase was the written communication received from the IGNOU Regional Centre; in the final phase the display of the IRC schedule in the study centers was reported by the students as the main source of information. Press releases in the local newspapers were also reported as a source of information. Although frequent announcements were made on AIR, radio did not emerge as the main source of information.
Utilization
The utilization of IRC sessions in the second phase was reported as high. The findings of the final phase of the study revealed a decline in the level of participation of the respondents in the IRC sessions. Unlike the findings of the second phase of the study where BPP students showed higher participation, only MS male respondents participated in the IRC sessions in the final phase. The study in the final phase revealed a reduction in the number of students who were aware of the IRC service, those who listened to the presentations and discussions, and those who actually interacted (asked questions or raised queries) with the resource persons. Some of the students who were aware of the service did not participate in the sessions, so the participation of IGNOU students in the IRC sessions remained low. On the other hand, many students enrolled with other universities or colleges (both open and conventional) and enlightened members of the public participated in the sessions and interacted with the resource persons. Thus the participation of non-IGNOU students was more encouraging than that of the IGNOU students. These students may have been motivated by their teachers who were involved in conducting the IRC sessions. Thus although a number of respondents were aware of the IRC facility, they did not participate in it. The main reasons respondents gave for not participating in the IRC sessions are as follows:
For increasing the participation in the IRC sessions the respondents suggested that
One finding that remained constant in both phases of the study was that those who participated and/or interacted in the IRC sessions appreciated the advantages of interactive radio counseling. They received substantial benefit from participating in the IRC sessions, and they found it one of the cheapest modes of learning. Some believed that if they attended IRC sessions seriously, they would not need to attend face-to-face counseling sessions. The analysis of data on the quality of content and its presentations revealed the following points.
Some suggestions from respondents were as follows.
Peer Groups
The respondents expressed willingness to form peer groups to help each other and also to participate in IRC sessions. Due to lack of coordination among themselves or being busy, they could not form peer groups. However, they were of the opinion that peer groups would provide a forum to share their academic problems, ideas, and information and make learning interesting and productive. They also thought that they could better understand the difficult topics by discussing them with their fellow students.
The discussion in this section is based on the conclusions drawn from the study conducted on the IGNOU pilot project in all three phases. It draws on the interactions with students, resource persons, audio producers, and others involved in the planning and delivery of IRC and on-the-spot observations of IRC sessions at both the teaching and the learning ends.
Access to Radio
AIR has a network of 194 radio stations serving 97.3% of the country’s population and about 90% of its geographical area. The cost of a radio set or transistor is affordable by most students pursuing higher education through the distance-open learning mode. Thus radio is and can be made available and accessible by the open learning institutions to all the students in their home and/or the place of work. The service can also be made available at the study centers where students can assemble and participate in the IRC sessions. Therefore, the students located in both central and remote locations can receive support from IRC sessions. The present study also revealed that most of the IGNOU students had easy access to radio, although some households that had television did not have radio sets. This is particularly true in urban areas where television has overshadowed radio. Thus either the radio sets are not available in some houses or they are not in use because of the presence of television. Some students reported that they did not listen to radio programs these days. This might be a reason for nonparticipation by some of them in the IRC sessions. They needed adequate motivation to use the opportunity created by interactive radio.
Setting the Learning Environment
There is a need to prepare students who learn through the audio medium, that is, radio. They need to be informed as to what they are going to learn, why the topic is important for them and its link with other topics in the course, and the prerequisites needed to learn the topic. Establishing an environment conducive to learning will facilitate the exchange of ideas and views. IRC sessions are not aimed at teaching, as “real” teaching is taken care of by the learning text. The IRC is aimed at engaging the students in meaningful discussion on the topic, creating critical thinking among them, and equipping them with skills to solve their academic problems systematically. Therefore, their active involvement in the learning process is a prerequisite for the optimum utilization of IRC sessions. So efforts should be made to create an environment where the student is motivated to think critically on the issue(s) being discussed, raises serious questions on the learning materials, and can resolve his or her doubts and queries. The resource persons should guide students in their learning. This type of environment can be created by personalizing the entire process of sharing information to allow the students to feel a part of IRC. Creative resource persons can motivate the students to read relevant units and come prepared to the sessions. The topics for discussion should be selected in consultation with students, local resource persons, and the faculty of the school concerned.
The publicity about the IRC sessions given through an accessible medium seemed to make a difference in the participation rate. When the students were properly informed about the IRC sessions by the IGNOU Regional Centre, they showed greater interest in participating in the sessions. They were briefed about the advantages of interactive radio and advised to derive optimum benefits from the facility. When the students enrolled in the January 1999 group were informed through the display of the IRC schedule on the notice board in the IGNOU Study Centre, the level of participation in the IRC sessions decreased. Even those who could see the IRC schedule displayed on the notice board did not show much interest in participating in IRC sessions. On the other hand, when they were individually informed by the Regional Centre staff, their participation in IRC sessions was higher. Therefore, besides other means of communication such as TV, radio, newspapers, and so forth, the students can be informed through personalized letters, and the information should reach them well in advance.
For many of the students, radio, like TV, is a medium of entertainment. The IRC can help people to go beyond this mindset to use radio for education as well. The first step would be to inform them about the sessions and benefits of learning through interactive radio. Until they become used to learning from interactive radio, they should be regularly informed and motivated to participate in IRC sessions. The information should be comprehensive enough to cover the broadcast time, day, topic(s), relevance of the topic, resource person(s), and so forth.
Learners’ Control
It has been observed that in the IRC sessions, by and large, the discussions were controlled by the resource persons and not by the students. The IRC sessions need to provide students with adequate opportunities to express their ideas and views on the topic being discussed. The IRC session should initiate interaction with students and motivate them to come prepared. The role of the resource person is to direct the sessions so that the students do not lose track. However, they should be given the freedom to take control of their learning. The presentations by the resource persons should deal with academic problems faced by the students and provide them with a rich source of learning support.
At times, when a question was raised, the resource person said that the question would be taken up later, but in many cases there was no time left for a response. Handling telephone calls smoothly was often difficult, and this was also a problem in teleconferencing sessions. Other agencies also found that they received too many telephone calls at once. Naturally, some participants had to be put on hold. Many resource persons were flooded with questions from the participants while they were responding to the previous question, and this led to some questions being lost or disregarded (Gulati, 1997).
The resource persons should give priority to the problems of the students and adjust their presentations accordingly. The resource persons can help students plan their study and manage their learning. Thus IRC sessions, besides helping students in their learning, can motivate them to continue their study, be active learners, and contribute to sustaining their motivation.
Trained Presenters
The role of the resource persons is crucial for the sessions of IRC. They should appear as friends, managers, and directors of students’ learning.
The resource persons involved in IRC who are experts in their respective areas may be more concerned about completing their presentation and attending to questions raised by the students. The information shared by the resource persons may not have the desired impact on the students if is not properly designed. It is, therefore, imperative for the resource persons to possess or acquire the necessary skills for designing, presenting, and sharing information through radio. They need to be exposed to the subtle nuances of the aural medium. This implies that the resource persons should possess skills and competences in the following areas:
The success of the IRC sessions also depends on the quality of learning experiences based on local conditions, context, and cases. The students expect that the resource persons will give a local touch to the content being discussed by giving examples and illustrations from the activities of daily life.
Quality versus Quantity of Questions
Most of those who were involved in the planning and implementation of IRC judged its effectiveness in terms of the number of questions asked in a particular session. The students were also repeatedly requested during the IRC sessions to ask question(s) on the topic being discussed. At times, quite general questions were raised for their own sake, and the students who expected serious discussion found such questions elementary. These students emphasized the need to screen questions. However, a greater number of questions raises a variety of issues, which facilitates clarity and comprehension. For this it is important that relevant, specific, and brief questions are raised.
It was also perceived that the students did not comment or enlarge on the questions asked by other students, as they interacted only with resource persons. Interaction among the students needs to be encouraged and directed properly if IRC is to have a wider impact.
Disadvantaged Groups
The reach of IRC was traced to disadvantaged groups such as poor and physically and visually challenged people who tried to take advantage of the aural medium to add to their knowledge. Surprisingly, despite high access to the medium, most of the female students did not participate in the IRC sessions, although they were available not only on their doorsteps, but in the confines of their homes. However, they appreciated the initiative taken by the IGNOU in starting IRC service.
An interesting trend was observed during the telephone interviews with the female students who asked questions in the IRC sessions (during one year). Some gave wrong names and telephone numbers to hide their identity. The young unmarried female students used either their sister-in-law’s (brother’s wife) or married elder sister’s name on telephone. Similarly, some young married female students used their sisters’ or sister-in-laws’ (from the parents’ side) names. Social taboos—including a conservative and discouraging social or home environment—perhaps accounted for such a tendency. The issue of their low participation needs further research in both the participatory and nonparticipatory modes to make IRC more suited to the needs of female students.
Follow-Up
The IRC sessions were planned and organized locally at the IGNOU Regional Centre level. It was assumed that the students might follow up the discussions held in the IRC sessions. They would contact the resource persons (who were also local), either by telephone or in personal meetings for further clarification of residual questions. Moreover, they might be motivated to attend the face-to-face academic counseling and teleconferencing sessions more frequently. Inertia and apathy on the part of the students were perceived in this regard. Some students, however, formed informal peer groups as a platform to discuss the problems related to their study.
IRC is a project with bright future. It has the potential to contribute to increased access to an additional source of education and to improve the quality of learning. However, it should be implemented with caution, taking into consideration all the challenges and problems. Much more needs to be done in the area of designing, planning, implementing, and evaluating the IRC sessions.
To learn effectively from television and radio broadcasts, students should prepare in advance by reading the material supplied and by skimming the relevant sections of it. They can greatly increase the benefit they obtain from sessions by spending time afterward writing down the main points they learned. With radio they can take notes as they listen, but with TV it is often hard to do more than watch. Learning from TV and radio is transformed if students can record the broadcasts and replay them in their own time and as often as they wish.
The IRC can be made effective by
The support services should be systematically planned and implemented. The students reported that IRC sessions demand study of particular topics, whereas face-to-face counseling demands study of other topics to gain the optimum benefit from the counseling sessions. On the other hand, teleconferencing sessions expect the students to study specific topics before participating in the sessions. The examination system and assignment questions demand that students follow a different path of preparation. In such a situation, at times they find themselves confused. The students stated that they decide their plan of action depending on the spare time available for study, to work on assignment questions, and pass term-end examinations. Thus there is a need to coordinate all these processes.
The experience reveals that the frequency of face-to-face academic counseling sessions may be reduced to accommodate IRC sessions. This will economize the distribution of support services among students irrespective of where they are located. The IRC sessions can replace the services of academic counselors, as IRC is cost-effective and has a wider reach in catering to otherwise busy persons, poor people, disabled people, women, and rural students.
There is no working model available in India for designing and organizing IRC sessions for a heterogeneous group of learners. Different methods and strategies need to be used to bring liveliness and spontaneity to IRC sessions. Besides the presentations-question-answer format (an often-used method in the IRC sessions), a variety of formats can be tested such as incidental presentation (teaching), only questions-answers (students and resource persons), questions-answers initiated by students only, debate, quiz, case study, and answering frequently asked questions (FAQs).
Whatever formats are used, the sessions should be organized in a relaxed atmosphere. Humor, if pedagogically valuable, can be added to make students comfortable in terms of thinking, feeling, laughing, listening, and learning. As learning from interactive radio is a new experience and relatively unfamiliar to most of the students, they need to develop learning techniques that are different from those for learning from print or teacher-based learning.
There is a need for systematic monitoring and evaluation of each element of the IRC service. All the personnel involved in planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating should receive constructive feedback on a regular basis and at each stage of IRC, which can be translated into action. Research needs to be made an integral part of the system, providing two-way communication to all the stakeholders.
This model views all the stakeholders in IRC communicating with each other in a continuous loop. The learner forms the pivot of all activities and is involved in selection of the topic so that it is based on need. One IRC session may be mutually exclusive; nonetheless, it is interlinked with the next session (by informing the learner about the topic, date, etc. of the next session). The built-in interactivity is strengthened by setting a proper learning environment where trained resource persons with clear, measurable goals interact with learners and among themselves. Research forms an integral part of the entire system.
To make interactive radio popular among people, some noncredit programs and extension education initiatives can be developed and delivered through radio. The programs on involving community in health and hygiene, revenue-generating activities, and so forth can be developed and launched through radio.
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Gulati, D. (1997). Distance education of ICDS functionaries in Madhya Pradesh through SABICON technology—A report. New Delhi: NIPCCD.
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Sohanvir S. Chaudhary is an associate professor in the School of Education, IGNOU. He has 20 years of experience in open and distance education and has worked as Joint Director (Media Research and Training) in the Electronic Media Production Centre for three years. His e-mail address is chaudharysvs@mailcity.com.
Kiron Bansal is an assistant professor in the Electronic Media Centre, IGNOU. She is interested in media research in the areas of educational media, gender, and social issues. Her e-mail address is kiron_b@yahoo.com.