Teaching via Interactive Television: An Examination of Teaching Effectiveness and Student Satisfaction

Interactive television (ITV) is becoming more commonplace in higher education as an effective means of reducing costs and expanding course offerings as well as increasing the number of students served in outlying areas. This article examines concerns of the instructor faced with teaching via ITV for the first time: teaching effectiveness and student satisfaction. Teaching effectiveness was researched in two main areas: in a comparison of performance on exams by students in remote and live settings, and in teacher satisfaction as a component of teaching effectiveness. Research findings show that though “remote” and oncampus students performed equally well on exams, ITV teachers are mixed in their level of satisfaction with the medium, which requires extra training and preparation. Students generally considered ITV a good alternative.