Discusses two studies to teach children to be more critical of commercial appeals by showing them instructional films that teach how commercials attempt to persuade. Indicates that those who view the most television gain most from the films. (JMF)

The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss learner responses to the television component of the various courses developed or offered by the University of Mid-America (UMA). Implications for courseware development are outlined, and research questions to be addressed are suggested. Four courses were offered by UMA: (1) Accounting I, (2)…

Discusses the development of curricula to make children more critical evaluators of television content. Evaluates the extent to which children learned the content of the curricula, applied it to their reasoning about television programs, and used it to mediate between exposure to selected content and the effects of that content. (JMF)

Closed circuit television equipment was used to produce two versions of a program on the psychology of learning for showing to student teachers. Program A was designed in accordance with the suggestion that the more a presentation approximates reality, the more effective it will be. Program B was designed in accordance with the suggestion that a…

The critical viewing curriculum employed in this study helped young children improve their understanding of important dimensions of television commercials. Each of the three instructional approaches (lecture, audiovisual discussion, and role playing) was successful in raising awareness and skepticism about commercials, but the role playing method…

Though the television program "The Electric Company" was intended for a second and third grade audience, in May of 1975 the Children's Television Workshop undertook an evaluation of the effects of the program on four, five, and six year olds. The research was aimed at measuring reading gains, the retention of reading gains, and the…

The second phase of field testing for an Introductory Psychology course offered in the regional open learning program of the University of Mid-America is reported. Learner characteristics and learner evaluations of the instructional units are compared with findings from the first course offering. Throughout the paper, learner comments are inserted…

Describes a media literacy project that provided fifth graders with a hands-on approach to study of television form and nature of message transmission to improve their understanding of media-related concepts. Results of a media literacy test reveal course participants performed significantly better than the control group. (MBR)

A second year of experimental research on young children examined the instructional power of television in facilitating the acquisition of cognitive skills. In addition, researchers investigated the efficiency of an instructional support system designed to maximize the results of educational television. Subjects were three- to five-year-old Native…

Introductory Psychology is a multimedia course that may be taken for college credit from the University of Mid-America, which allows the learner to proceed at his own rate, and which encourages a support system of administrators, faculty, and learning center staff to assist the learner in the accomplishment of educational goals. The evaluation…