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The purpose of this study is to explore the characteristics and potential effects of teaching and learning through audio teleconferencing (dial-in) with a cell phone. In addition, the study aims to identify the associations between the audio teleconferencing and video teleconferencing in a 12-week postgraduate course.

The study is a cross-sectional survey conducted at the Department of Educational Innovations at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology from March to June 2020. The purposive sampling technique was used to sample 100 postgraduate students who registered for a course in the department. The data for the study were collected using the System Usability Scale (SUS) and 17-item self-administered eQuestionnaire. Multiple Linear Regression analysis, ANOVA, Independent sample T-test and Mann–Whitney U-test were used to estimate the differences in course achievements of students who experienced education through audio teleconferencing and those who experienced education through video teleconferencing.

In total, 59% of the participating postgraduate students chose to attend the synchronous online lectures via audio teleconferencing (dial-in). The participants gave a high SUS score (SUS > 80.3; Grade A; Excellent) for audio conferencing service. Among the students in the audio teleconferencing cohort, the results evidenced a strong positive linear correlation, (r (57) = 0.79, p < 0.05), between the individual adjective ratings and the SUS scores. There was marginal significance among demography of students in the audio teleconference (AT) cohort with regards to their perception about the dial-in lecture. There was no statistically significant difference, (t (98) = 1.88, p = 0.063), in the achievement test for AT students and video teleconference (VT) students. The instructors and the students were satisfied with the AT.

Based on the students’ preference, AT offers equal benefit as VT with regards to system satisfaction and perceived quality of online teaching. AT, as teaching modality, should be an option for students who reside in communities with high latency internet connectivity. It is recommended that instructors are trained on how to engage and motivate students via AT.

Higher education institutions in Ghana are facing decisions about how to continue learning and teaching through flexible pedagogy, while keeping their faculty members and students protected from the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these institutions have canceled the brick-and-mortar education and other conventional learning practices and have instructed faculty to adopt online teaching through synchronous video teleconferencing platforms. However, the learning experience is not the same for students who reside in remote or rural communities with low bandwidth. There is very little research in this topic, especially in developing countries like Ghana, and the present study aims to bridge the gap in the literature by exploring the characteristics and potential effects of teaching and learning through audio teleconferencing (dial-in) with a cell phone, in the context of a 12-week postgraduate course.

The projected growth of teleconferencing for the remainder of the 1980s parallels the dynamic growth of computers in the early 1970s. At the beginning of the current decade, the proliferation of personal computers for managers and executives, and word‐processing technology for secretarial operations plus burgeoning access to online research services clearly signalled the integration of computers into the mainline of American business and professional life. By the 1990s teleconferencing will be integrated into the communications technology in both the public and private sectors making the next decade the era of teleconferencing.

Since 1972, when AT & T introduced its Picturephone system, it has been technically possible for people to communicate with each other at distant locations with sound and movement shown on a video screen. Now, however, video teleconferencing has become so widespread that Holiday Inns has started a joint venture with Comsat General to offer videoteleconferencing by satellite in its 1500 US facilities. While many corporations are using video teleconferencing, some are starting their own networks—Atlantic Richfield is planning its own $15 million satellite complex and Federal Express has awarded a contract for a $16 million private satellite network. Another indication of the widespread use of videoteleconferencing came in a reader poll taken by Frequent Flyer magazine, published by the Official Airline Guides in April, 1982. One question read, ‘Have you ever participated in a meeting via teleconference?’ 39·3 per cent of 6200 returned questionnaires said yes; this is almost two out of every five and these are frequent flyers. AT & T offers the service in 11 public rooms across the country and has started a New York‐London service: so have several other companies—the costs for this service have come down from around $2400 an hour to about $625 an hour.

Some of the strengths and weaknesses of using microcomputers, video (disc and tape) and teleconferencing (which may combine with other technologies even when distance is a factor) in business education are explored. It is argued that computers and interactive video appear to be among the most effective methods for learning and that one of their drawbacks – cost – is coming down.

This article is based on a study commissioned by the British Library Research & Development Department to consider the feasibility of setting up a national distance learning scheme for information and library studies in the United Kingdom. It reviews recent developments internationally in the field of distance learning and provides an assessment of the enabling technologies. A number of models for future action are proposed.

With new technology being introduced at an ever increasing rate, the need for training and retraining is growing at an extraordinary pace. It has been estimated that employers will have to retrain office workers five to eight times during their careers in the near future. This demand for training is presenting tremendous financial demands on organisations. It is not uncommon for training budgets to reach millions of dollars in larger organisations.

Surveys of corporate real estate executives in North America and elsewhere in the world indicate significant shifts in their thinking in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Aside from the predictably much greater concern with planning for emergency escape from buildings, executives indicated that the greatest shifts in their thinking centred around issues of security of information technology and communication systems; greater use of teleconferencing and video‐conferencing (reducing travel); and more new ways of working such as homeworking, satellite and neighbourhood work centres, and hotelling. Along with such changes in practice, executives also indicated the desire to create stronger communities within their organisations, even as they also expect further to disperse their activities across locations. There is a slight shift in preference away from downtown locations and a much higher overall concern with occupancy control over the spaces that they occupy. In North America especially, there is a shift away from occupancy of high‐profile named buildings. Overall the surveys indicate that corporate real estate executives are moving ahead with distributed work‐location strategies, increasing their reliance on virtual technologies for collaboration, and re‐thinking the branding of their physical assets and the nature of community in their organisations. All of these changes further indicate the increasingly integrative role of corporate real estate within wider business strategy and a closer alignment of corporate real estate activities with human resources, organisational development and information technology.

The paper reports the feedback collected from students of the Master of Social Work (MSW) Programme of the School of Social Work (SOSW), Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), through open and distance learning (ODL), in India. The paper discusses findings related to learner profile, student support services, assignments, academic counselling, fieldwork, audio/video/teleconferencing facilities, Internet access and challenges faced by the learners. The findings will be useful for researchers and practitioners, will help in improving the overall quality of the programme, in designing the delivery mechanism as per the needs of MSW learners and in preparing them to be trained professionals to work in social development sector in India.

For data collection, a questionnaire was prepared and sent to all the students of the MSW programme along with assignment, across India. Responses from 290 students were voluntarily received.

The research findings are that MSW (ODL) students are older, mostly married with the average male learners age being 35 years and that of female learners being 30 years, there are more female learners than male learners, majority of the learners are Hindu from general category, tend to be employed, mostly full-time and some part-time, with work experience. They are from urban, semi-urban, rural and tribal areas with Internet access. Most of the students preferred to read printed self-learning materials than digitally available on eGyanKosh or IGNOUmobile app especially in rural areas though with increasing access to Internet, students are gradually opting for online materials while filling up the admission form. Majority of students found the quality and standard of study materials to be very good. Though maximum respondents gave positive feedback about the student support services and their learning experiences, some of the learners faced challenges like unco-operative staff members, administrative delays, non-allotment of academic counsellor/fieldwork supervisor, irregularity, late reception of study materials, lack of staff members at study centre, far distance of regional centre/study centre from residence, etc.

The findings will help in designing and delivering the MSW programme in a more effective way. Based on the feedback received, the next revision of the programme will take into consideration the concerns of the learner. The limitation of the study is that not all learners responded to all the questions. Not all potential MSW learners filled the questionnaire and submitted it at the school. And those who responded had left some questions unanswered. Those who did not submit response may differ in their responses from what is received.

It is an original work and will be valuable in understanding the distance learner of MSW programme in India, programme delivery and challenges.