Audio-Tutorial System of Instruction

Audio-Tutorial (A-T) System of instruction was originally designed as a strategy for remedial instruction, aiming for a multi-sensory approach to help develop students with low or average levels of aptitude for academic performance (Kulik, Kulik & Cohen, 1979). The key aspects of the design include using a combination of the following types of sessions:

• Independent study session
• General assembly session
• Small assembly session, including quizzes (Kozma, Belle, & Williams, 1978).

Kulik, Kulik & Cohen (1979) provide a very detailed meta-analysis of studies evaluating the effectiveness of the A-T system, looking at three measures. (At the risk of over-simplifying their analysis) their main findings may be briefly summarized in this way:

Students using the A-T system of instruction,

• sometimes did slightly better on exam scores;
• withdrew from courses at a moderately higher rate; and
• rated their satisfaction not much differently than students using the conventional system.

When reading about this model, the first thing that came to mind was iTunesU. Although podcasts have been around for a while, I think the relatively recent launch of iTunesU as a separate space for educational institutions to contribute their content has made a big difference, and the concept as a whole is only now reaching some kind of maturity. Aside from listening to course lectures that I’d never found time to as an undergraduate, I've been listening to courses in financial markets, economics and business writing to supplement my grounding in these subject areas for my work as a subject specialist librarian. I am hesitant to take full courses in these subjects because I am not training to become an economist or executive; rather what I need to know are the conventions of discourse and ways of sharing knowledge in stored and ephemeral forms by and within this community of practitioners and academics. I also find the video/audio lectures more engaging than the prospect of reading an introductory textbook on the same topics. For one, you learn how to pronounce things properly, and how practitioners or experts talk about the topic instead of absorbing abstract information. On the other hand, if there is something about the lecture that I find confusing, it does help to have a text to go back to.

The A-T system sounds like a good way to help develop good study habits for students who may not have had the opportunity otherwise to develop them – regardless of their aptitude for school. During my freshman year I had some very nerdy and hard working college mates, from whom I learned these good habits, but I can see how not all students do develop such habits at appropriate times to find them beneficial. One of the weaknesses of the PSI/Keller method was that it seemed to implicitly rely on individual learners being highly self-motivated to complete the course. I wonder if the small group aspect of the A-T system helps motivate individual learners to keep up, or learn from others. I'm not sure if I’m clear on what the key difference is between the A-T System and the PSI/Keller model – maybe only that a stronger emphasis on small group interactions part of the former, and individualized testing for mastery of a skill in the latter?

Would or could I use this approach for library instruction? In a sense the one-shot in-person library workshops map to this model. Often these sessions will begin with a small lecture/presentation to provide new information, context, and a demonstration (general assembly session). If there is time, there is usually a chance to do some kind of break out activity in small groups (small assembly session) to apply or build on the presentation. Usually there is no quiz but information may be shared and evaluated as a larger group to conclude the session. Although beyond the scope of the workshop itself, presumably participants will continue to build on those skills individually using the parameters of their specific assignment or topic (independent study session).

I’m not sure how this would work in an online environment. A virtual classroom like Elluminate Live! could accommodate a similar process for synchronous engagement. For asynchronous arrangments, I guess a combination of recorded presentation, take home assignments and a forum might be used instead for the various session types.

References

Kulik, J. A., Kulik, C. C., & Cohen, P.A. (1979). Research on audio-tutorial instruction: A meta-analysis of comparative studies. Research in Higher Education, 11(4), 321-341.

Kozma, R.B., Belle, L.W. & Williams, G.W. (1978). Instructional techniques in higher education. New Jersey: Educational Technology Publications.