The Reception of Satellite Broadcast in Public Administration Teaching at the University of South Africa

Abstract

The University of South Africa (UNISA) is an open learning distance education institution
with approximately 220 000 registered students for 2012. Open distance learning (ODL)
aims to bridge the time, geographical, and educational distances between the students and
the institution by removing barriers to access learning. UNISA currently uses non print
interaction, such as face-to-face contact sessions, to promote student success and
motivation. Interaction is a crucial element of the UNISA student support conceptual
framework, as students engage with their material, their lecturers and with their fellow
students to attain success in their studies. UNISA students do not attend regular classes.
The average current UNISA student encounters difficulty in mastering the content of
material in an isolated learning environment. This led to the need to consider alternative
methods of academic support. Satellite broadcast is a live or pre-recorded presentation of
lectures or tutorials to students via a television screen at remote venues across the country.
The use of satellite broadcast is especially relevant to students in South Africa studying at
UNISA, as a large number of students live in rural and remote areas, and do not have
contact with their lecturers or their peers. The researcher has been using this method of
teaching for the past two years and has found that this teaching method assists the
students with their learning processes. The researcher conducted a pilot exploratory study
on a small group of students who represent the Public Administration diploma students
who attended the satellite broadcast classes. All students who attended the satellite
broadcast class were requested to complete the evaluation questionnaire. The perceptions
and experiences of the students were ascertained through the use of the evaluation
questionnaire. With the questionnaire, the researcher wanted to ascertain the perceptions
and experiences of the students of the satellite broadcast class. The researcher found that
the students experienced this mode of teaching as generally beneficial to their overall
learning experience. This study will serve as a premise for further investigation on the
effectiveness of the ODL method of teaching Public Administration subjects so as to
improve the throughput of the students.