What are the Major Strengths and Weaknesses of Using Audio Programmes in Education?

Strengths and Weaknesses of Audio Programmes: These are as follows:

Strengths:

1) Radio sets, tape recorders and cassette recorders are not expensive in: comparison to other electronic media.

2) Even without electricity radio tape/cassette recorders can be used with the help of battery sets.

3) These recorders can play back cassettes/tapes according to convenience of the learners. That is, these materials can be utilized for repetition, drilling, practicing and illustrating some specific teaching points.

4) Radio sets, tape/cassette recorders are comparatively handy and quite portable and as such can be used easily at various places.

s) Production of educational audio programmes is easy and does not require any technicalities.

6) Production cost of educational audio programmes is quite reasonable.

(7)Tapes/cassettes are produced according to the educational needs and conditions of special groups of learners.

Weaknesses:

(1) Audio programmes are only sound-based and have no visuals. Hence these programmes can be boring.

(2) Audio cassettes/tapes are generally developed locally, even institutional], so professional quality is often sacrificed.

(3) In case of audio there is no scope for interaction and feedback. Hence these are one-sided/one-way communication and miss the personal touch.

Effective Utilisation of Radio/Audio Programmes: In order to ensure effective utilization of educational radio/audio programmes, the following factor are to be taken into account:

(1) Provision and maintenance of audio sets/audio/tape recorder

(2) Organisation of radio/audio listening in class

(3) Pre-broadcast/play back discussion

(4) Post-broadcast/play back discussion

(5) Use of support materials

(6) Follow-up activities

(ii) Point out the guidelines of audio/radio scriptwriting.

Guidelines of Audio/Radio Scriptwriting:

(1) Script is the most important part of an audio programme. Unless it excellent, every other aspect of production is useless.

(2) To be successful it must be written in the appropriate language for the listener.

(3) The appropriate language is the language the listener can understand, so must take into account the listener’s background, education and interest The writer must, therefore, think carefully about the structure and the vocabulary’ he is going to use.

(4) The words the scriptwriter uses are not read by the listener – they are listened to. So, the words must appeal to the EAR not to the EYE.

(5) Writing for the EYE relies on the conventions of writing – punctuation paragraphs-type sizes, columns and headlines. The readier can go at his own speed He can go back to check any point of difficulty. He can stop reading, put the writing on one side and return to it later.

Writing for the EAR is quite different. The listener cannot be given too many facts. He cannot be given too many figures. It is essential to keep holding his interest. Therefore, the script must be presented in an interesting way. It must develop logically and also psychologically, i.e. his interest and emotion should be sustained. Sequencing is important. The radio writer may have to repeat, expand and reinforce. He must use the form of language which is simple and informal. It is SPOKEN LANGUAGE. The listener must be held, otherwise he switches off mentally.

(7) How is the listener held? The radio writer must think of the listener as his personal friend … He must talk with the listener, not at him. He must bear in his mind all the tones of voice that will communicate the script. He must read the script aloud to himself and ask… “What do I sound like?” “What do I mean?”