Educational screen & audio-visual guide (c1956-1971])

burg; KGBT and KGBT-TV, HarUngen; and KRGV and KRGV-TV, VVeslaco. Ten of the programs have been independently developed and sponsored by the College (Table I), and four have been developed by outside agencies and sponsored jointly by these groups and the College on either a state-wide or a nationwide scale (Table II). All of the time has been donated by the stations, and the College has been given complete freedom in developing its programs. The first two of these programs— "Let's Speak Spanish" (TV) and "Let's Talk English" (R)were basic language courses. Although slanted toward different audiences, they were complementary and were designed to give listeners a working knowledge of the two languages used in the area. The method in each case was primarily conversational, but textbooks were available for listeners interested in serious study. In one semester some 400 texts were sold to the "Let's Speak Spanish" audience. "Nature Trails of the Magic Valley" (TV), planned to famiharize viewers with plant and animal life native to the region, was the third program of the series. Described by one viewer as "a rare combination of scientific information and contagious humor," it starred such characters as rattlesnakes and barn owls which, judging from the comments of the audience, often put on "breath-taking" performances. .\t almost the same time the College introduced "Rio Grande Jury" (TV), a discussiontype program organized around a moderator and a four-member panel. In the year and a half that the program was presented, some 125 people—college students, faculty members. Valley civic leaders and prominent visiting educators —sat on the jury. They discussed topics of current interest, many of which were controversial in nature and some of which were suggested by the viewing audience. These discussions dealt with such topics as "General vs. Specialized Education," "What Is a Great Book?" "In Terms of Religion, What Is a Miracle?" and "Education Trends." "Bookman" (R) joined the list of presentations in February, 1957. Designed to increase interest in good literature and to help listeners become more competent readers, the program covered both the reading and the critical analysis of good short stories. Selections were chosen on the basis of their literary value and included the works of such authors as Thomas Wolfe, Tolstoi and Maupassant. The next program, "Candid Camera" (TV), and its sequel, "Off the Cuff" (R), were informal person-to-person interviews. Ranging from concert violinists to cattle breeders, the guests were people whose personahties, hobbies or occupations cast them in interesting roles in Valley life and came from both sides of the Rio Grande. "A Sus Ordenes" (R) was designed for the Spanish-speaking people of the Valley. Its purpose was to provide information otherwise unavailable to those who do not understand English. The program was usually divided into two parts: the first five to eight minutes being devoted to news items about the College and its students and the remaining 22 to 25 minutes to discussions of topics of general civic interest. These discussions included such topics as "How Mothers Can Help 5Year-Olds" (pre-school preparation), "Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens," 'The Work of the Juvenile OflScer," "School Immunization Program" (Salk vaccine), and "The Importance of Cleanhness in Health." "Pan American Panel" (R) was a tape-recorded discussion program which made possible the participation of panelists not available at the time of the broadcasts. Being taped, it provided for a more scholarly preparation and sometimes a less sensational discussion of current topics than had been possible in the somewhat impromptu atmosphere of "Rio Grande Jury." In November, 1958, the College introduced the last program of this series, "Sportscaster" (R). It was a program with special appeal to students and other sports-minded residents of the Valley. Planned to publicize forthcoming athletic events, "Sportscaster" was topical, as well as seasonal, in nature and consisted of interviews with coaches and athletes who were participants in these events. Pan American College undertook the role of joint sponsor for the first time in September, 1956, when it joined with Texas College of Arts and Industries at Kingsville in representing one of the 14 districts created by the Texas Education Agency to present a 26-week statewide program in teacher education. Aimed at relieving the teacher shortage in Texas, "Education in Today's Society" (TV) was designed primarily for college graduates whose baccalaureate degrees did not meet Texas certification standards. By completing the course as regularly enrolled students at one of the sponsoring institutions, these prospective teachers qualified themselves for valid Texas certificates. State-wide enrollment in this program totaled 543, ten of whom represented the Valley. IN September, 1958, the College again joined with the Texas Education Agency and 46 other Texas teacher-training institutions in presenting "Texas Curriculum Studies" (TV). The program had a double purpose— "to recruit teachers and to stimulate the instruction of teachers already in service"— and permitted the immediate certification and employment of any college graduate enrolled in a participating institution. Upon completing the course, ten students enroUed through the College received a Texas teaching certificate valid for one year and renewable for two additional years. Pan American College became the Valley sponsor in October, 1958, for the coast-to-coast television program known as Continental Classroom, presented by the National Broadcasting System and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. Of the three courses offered to date, two have been taken for college credit by Valley viewers. The first course, "Physics for the Atomic Age" (TV) had a total enrollment of ten for the 1958-59 school year, seven for the first semester and three for the second. The current course, "Modem Algebra" (TV), has an enrollment of fifteen for the first semester. Each of these two courses has also attracted one high Educational Screen and Audiovisual Guide — February, 1961 n