Equipped for the 21st Century?: Audio-visual resource standards and product demands from geography departments in the UK

Abstract

Mass consumption of image-capture and image-(re)presentation technologies affords opportunities for improved teaching and learning in disciplines which utilise audio-visual data. This paper reports on a survey of geography departments in the UK in which baseline data were collected on the availability, use and opinion on the role of audio visual resources (AVRs) in teaching and learning. AVRs are regarded positively and, on the whole, hardware is readily available. However, the provision of software is uneven and there is considerable variation in the strategic commitment toward, and management of, AVRs. Furthermore, larger departments and those whose research was rated more favourably in the last Research Assessment Exercise were found to be better resourced. There are signs of an emerging resource gap with regard to more specialised AVR equipment. The findings are used to propose audio-visual resource standards and to identify audio-visual products for which there is market demand. There is demand for audio-visual products that support fieldwork activity and it is recommended that further investment is required in digital camcorders and PC-OHP projection units.