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Show Learning Channel could be major education force from the Public Broadcasting System Sys-tem and other national outlets. According to Jones, KULC is directly addressing issues of quality, quali-ty, accessibility and productivity. "We can identify and use some of our best tracers; we can make education accessible. For example, some engineers at Hercules and Morton Thiokol will be taking USU engineering courses at work this fall. And KULC obviously reduces the cost of travel for students and teachers." KULC is a small operation for now. "We spend in a year what a commercial station spends in a week," says Capener. But the station sta-tion can become a real educational force in Utah, "if we get the commitment com-mitment from the state to support it," he says. Hopefully, a successful fall broadcast schedule will sell legislators legisla-tors on the potential of this "home classroom," says Capener. course. "Schools contact SETOC with telecourse ideas and proposals are considered by a SETOC advisory committee and the Board of Regents Re-gents office," says Ted R. Capener, Capen-er, U of U vice president for university univer-sity relations. Capener was instrumental in-strumental in saving the station from being offered by the Federal Communication Commission to another bidder last year. "The station license was held originally by Weber State College, which had difficulty raising the necessary funds for a transmitter to get on the air. An FCC deadline was approaching after which the station would be offered to another bidder," bid-der," says Capener, a veteran tele- SALT LAKE CITY Utah's new all-educational television station sta-tion KULC has been broadcasting just four hours a day since January 1987, but University of Utah administrators admi-nistrators foresee it becoming an important part of the state's educational educa-tional delivery system from kindergarten kinder-garten through graduate school. KULC ULC stands for Utah's Learning Channel broadcasts on Channel 9 over regular airwaves and on Channel 14 over cable. Its signal reaches the Wasatch Front from Ogden to Payson, including Utah, Salt Lake, Tooele, Davis and Weber counties. This fall it will extend ex-tend to Brigham City and Cache Valley and broadcast five hours a day between 5-10 p.m. "KULC-TV is not a University of Utah operation, but a system-wide system-wide educational station for all state institutions, including the public schools," says Douglas E. Jones, coordinator for State Educational Educa-tional Telecommunication Operations Opera-tions Center based at the U of U. "SETOC's function is really coordination coor-dination among institutions." Four colleges are offering courses over KULC fall quarter. Salt Lake Community College is teaching "Invitation to Fly," which provides all coursework required re-quired for a pilot's license. Southern Utah State College is offering two courses: "How to Start a Business" and "Planet Earth," a basic geology course acceptable for college general education edu-cation credit. Snow College will sponsor "The American Adventure," which corresponds cor-responds to introductory American history courses at Utah colleges and may be taken by high school seniors. Utah State University will broadcast broad-cast an undergraduate course in mechanical engineering and a graduate gra-duate course in electrical engineering. engineer-ing. These will be "simulcourses," which means they are broadcast as they are taught on the USU campus," cam-pus," says Jones. Personnel in the SETOC office at the U. will answer students' questions ques-tions over the phone and refer them to the school which offers the tele- vision broadcaster. "I knew the value of such a station for education, educa-tion, so I talked to the Council of Presidents of the Utah Higher Education Edu-cation System." The Board of Regents approved the recommendations of a committee commit-tee headed by Capener. Each state college and the state government put up money which the federal government matched, and KULC was retained for Utah's educational system. Capener says the station is now used by colleges, but it has great potential for public schools. "During "Dur-ing the Channel 9 opening ceremonies cere-monies Gov. Bangerter said he hoped we could use the station to teach driver's education and like courses. He's hoping we can deal with some of the critical pressures ' in public education, and I think we can." Jones points out that KULC also offers a chance to showcase "local talent" in the form of Utah professors profes-sors and teachers. He says the station sta-tion will rely increasingly on "home-grown" programming rather than purchasing programs |
