Voices of the people: Experiences with two-way interactive television in the City Colleges of Chicago

The general goal of this qualitative participant observation multiple-case study was to investigate the experiences of participants teaching and learning via two-way interactive television (ITV) in a major United States city. The setting was the City Colleges of Chicago, public inner-city community colleges. The research questions were focused on the students'/participants' perceptions of ITV in two general areas: (1) the need for ITV and the student population the system would serve, and (2) learning on the system and in what ways instruction transmitted through this system might help or hinder learning. Studies investigating student satisfaction with ITV were discussed in the literature review. Compared with the experiences of participants in previous studies, the participant observer found experiences that could be considered unique to these urban participants.;The research was conducted over three 16-week school semesters, involving as many as three sites online. The teacher/participant observer and 32 students/participants were engaged in teaching and learning in an educational psychology class that serves as one requirement for teacher certification in the state of Illinois. The principal sources for data were the teacher/participant observer and students/participants. In-depth interviewing was the principal data collection method, augmented with several qualitative and quantitative data collection methods.;The data revealed interesting themes: (1) We are adults. We are adult learners facing social and economic changes and using technology to make adaptations to these changes. (2) ITV is a pedagogical tool. (3) ITV allows us to share ideas and meet people from different Chicago community areas. These three themes were related to a story of Chicago and its citizens that surrounded the participants' perceptions. The most unique findings were the incidental benefits that ITV provided for improvements in instructional delivery, student learning enrichment, and the growth and development of Chicago.;Recommendations were made for distant educators and students who want to teach or learn via ITV in a similar multicultural setting. Specific recommendations were made for the City Colleges of Chicago and its institutions that were involved in this research.