Vocational/Technical and Adult Education: Status, Trends, and Issues Related to Electronic Delivery.

Overview & Synopsis

A large scale satellite-based telecommunications system has the capabilities of delivering educational programs to large numbers of people over a wide geographic area. However, to implement such a widespread system requires the definition of broad curricular areas and the delineation of institutional settings. This lengthy memorandum investigates the current status of both vocational/technical education and adult education throughout the United States. Vocational/technical education patterns of enrollment reveal that the growth potential at least through 1975 is good, and that the most fertile area for telecommunications is in career education orientation and teacher training. Telecommunications has the most utility in compensatory adult education. This approach is in use in rural areas of Wisconsin and Kentucky and has been considered by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as a viable means of either increasing the viewer's coping skills or preparing him for high school equivalency examinations. The investigation is based on extensive surveys and is intended for those involved with telecommunication systems design. (MC)