The uses of the electronic media by three universities in Thailand: a case study

Author

Susan Justice De Bonis

Date of Award

8-1986

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Communication

Major Professor

Herbert H. Howard

Committee Members

Paul Ashdown, George Everett, Kelly Leiter, Robert Orr

Abstract

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville instituted a working relationship with academic officials in Thailand in the early 1980s, with the primary focus of the cooperative effort in research in the areas of agriculture, education, and urban planning. This study, suggested by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville's previous work, was designed to answer two basic questions regarding the uses of the electronic media by the universities in Thailand: What are the electronic media used and how are they used; and, what electronic media are used by the populations served by the universities and how are the media used?

These particular questions were investigated during the Summer of 1985 at three universities in Thailand: Kasetsart University, Ramkhamhaeng University, and Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University. Using personal interviews, on-site investigations, and support documents from governmental sources, each university was studied on its uses of the electronic media.

The study showed that the three universities use the electronic media in some form. Kasetsart University, a traditional university, uses the electronic media in traditional academic ways, such as support materials for teachers in the classroom and through the Extension Center. Ramkhamhaeng University, with its open admission policies and large classes, combines the traditional methods, such as those at Kasetsart, and the innovative concepts of distance learning. The third university, Sukhothai Thammathirat University, an open university using the concepts of distance learning, has no formal classrooms and depends heavily on the media for disseminating the course material.

Recommendations include the centralization of production facilities, especially between Ramkhamhaeng and Sukhothai Thammathirat Open Universities, and more trained Thai technicians at each of the universities.

Recommended Citation

De Bonis, Susan Justice, "The uses of the electronic media by three universities in Thailand: a case study. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 1986.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/12234