| Description | Minutes of the committee which was established by the Senate in 1966 as the Committee on the Educational Uses of Television, which changed its name to the Television Committee later that year, and was renamed the Committee on Educational Technology in 1969. Membership of the Committee on its establishment consisted of the Deputy Principal (chair); one representative nominated by each of the Faculties and by the Department of Education, who were not necessarily members of the Senate; and co-opted members as necessary. Its terms of reference were to investigate the educational uses of television within the University, the equipment and technical staff required and the advantaged of centralised television services already established in other universities; to ensure that information concerning educational uses of television is generally available to members of staff; to invite and consider proposals for expenditure on television equipment and technical staff during the next quinquennium and recommend a co-ordinated plan; to consider any report that may be published on the 'University of the Air' and other projects for the general transmission of University educational programmes and if necessary report to Senate
Its establishment in 1966 resulted from work which had been taking place within the University since the early 1960s in the use of closed-circuit television for teaching, particularly in certain departments like Anatomy and Psychiatry, and in the School of Biological Sciences and the Dental School. The early work of the committee focused on the investigation of educational uses of television within the University and in other higher education institutions, and the recommendation of future developments.
Minutes of the Television Committee between 1966 and 1969 are incomplete and are not an authorised set, but have been reconstituted from working papers of the Registrar. The only set of authorised minutes that survives consists of minutes of meetings from 10 May 1966 to 4 July 1966 which are filed with minutes of other Senate committees and catalogued at UB/COM/92. No set of authorised minutes survives. Minutes of the renamed Committee on Educational Technology from 1969 to 1974 are a complete authorised set
No minutes survive from 1966, but the reconstituted set of minutes and supporting papers includes a copy of the committee's report to Senate in July 1966 which gives information about visits by members to other higher education institutions, the establishment of a Technical Sub-Committee of the Television Committee, and sets out recommendations for the establishment of a Central Television Service in the University with a studio, recording facilities, mobile units, and staff. The Television Committee was designated the University's policy forming committee in all matters concerning television and related techniques, together with language laboratories, within the University and was the central co-ordinating body in this field. Its major functions were to keep under review the development of closed circuit television as a teaching aid and as a teaching medium; to consider all proposals regarding acquisition of television equipment and facilities and to make recommendations; and to consider and to recommend any necessary action to establish television linkage with other institutions in Birmingham, in the region, and in the country. It reported to Senate and through Senate to Council
The Technical Sub-Committee and the Language Laboratory Users Sub-Committee reported to it, and the minutes contain regular reports of these committees.
In addition, minutes typically contain information about projects approved; staff appointments; the purchase of equipment; and closed circuit television installed in different buildings in the University and elsewhere. Minutes of the meeting held on 27 September 1967 contain reports on closed circuit television for the new maternity hospital. Minutes of meetings held in 1967 include papers relating to proposals for the establishment of a Midlands Universities Joint Committee on Television and Visual Aids. Minutes of the meetings held on 25 January 1968 and 10 May 1968 contain papers relating to preparations for the visit of the University Grants Committee Sub-Committee on Educational Technology.
Minutes of the meeting held on 24 October 1968 contain papers on the development of the University Television Service. Minutes of meetings held in early 1969 record discussion about staffing the Television Service, educational technology developments in academic departments, and proposals for student representation on the committee, on behalf of the Guild of Students as a whole and not just Guild Television.
Business discussed by the committee after it changed its name to the Committee on Educational Technology remains largely identical. Minutes record discussion of the use of audio-visual aids in courses in different departments; submissions for the quinquennium 1972-1977; the purchase of equipment and the allocation of funds; and the productivity of the service. Regular reports of Technical Sub-Committee and Language Laboratories Users Sub-Committee continue to feature
Minutes of the meeting held on 13 February 1970 include a copy of report by L. A. Biran entitled 'A proposal for the establishment of a University Educational Technology Research and Service Unit at the University of Birmingham', National Centre for Programmed Learning, School of Education. Minutes of the meeting held on 28 April 1972 include a report on the development of the television service during the quinquennium 1972-1977 as well as discussion about the Department of Education and Science report entitled 'Central Arrangements for promoting Educational Technology in the United Kingdom', with a copy of the report included with the minutes, and references to a research post in Educational Technology in the School of Education. Minutes of the meeting held on 15 November 1973 include a copy of a Discussion Paper for the Senate sub-committee on Educational Technology entitled 'Toward the Development of a University Advisory Teaching Service' and minutes of the meeting held on 10 January 1974 include a copy of a report entitled 'Educational Development: The evolution of new teaching methods practicable by Educational Technology'. MInutes of the meeting held on 15 February 1974 include discussion of proposals to establish a Teaching Consultancy Service
Minutes of the meeting held on 25 January 1974 contain discussion of proposals to establish an Educational Developments Committee. Further discussion of this is recorded in minutes of the meeting held on 31 May 1974, which state that the new committee might incorporate responsiblity for the Educational Survey and the Working Party concerned with new staff.
The last surviving minutes of the committee are those of the meeting held on 31 May 1974, though supporting papers for a meeting to be held on 25 October 1974 also survive, suggesting that this may have been the last meeting before the committee was disbanded and its responsibilities transferred to the new Educational Development Committee (see UB/COM/74) |