Abstract
M.Ed. (Media Studies)
The lack of guidelines for the use of the telephone in distance
tuition often leads to either the indiscriminate use or underutilisation
of the medium. It can cause the lecturer to be
inadequate at the structuring of individual telephonic conversations
or telephonic presentations such as telelectures, teleconferences
and multimedia telephone usage.
The aim of this study, from the context of distance tuition and
the usage potential of the telephone, is to provide guidelines
for the use of the telephone by both the lecturer and the
learner. An effort was made to elucidate the uniqueness of
distance tuition and the specific possibilities of the telephone
by means of a literature study, supplemented by personal
practical experience and that of colleagues and experts in the
field of distance tuition.
In order to get a perspective on distance tuition, the different
components involved in the integration of the telephone were
considered. Subsequently the potential of the telephone as a
medium was discussed. The aspects above culminated in the provision
of guidelines.
The conclusion drawn from the study is that the average distance
lecturer is not fully conversant with the possibilities of the
telephone, with the result that the telephone is underutilised
locally. The possibilities of the telephone as part of a multimedia
package are often underestimated and warrant further
investigation.