Effective Low-Cost Means for In-Plant Instruction with Reduced Teacher Contact

An experiment with a low-cost "teaching machine" is described and evaluated from the standpoint of effectiveness in an electrical engineering course given to practicing engineers at their plant. In the new teaching method the instructor is not present at two of the three weekly sessions. The method replaced a 3-hour session held once each week and was found to be more effective and convenient for the students. When compared with television systems, its advantages are low cost, ease of recording the lectures, and freedom of scheduling. Both the equipment required to conduct the course and the operation of the in-plant and corresponding oncampus classes are described. A thorough evaluation by the two groups of students and the instructor is presented, and situations in which the teaching method is useful are discussed.