The interactive educational television system proposed in this paper enables the participants in a satellite TV session to view and hear the presenters via a typical satellite broadcast system and interact with the presenters and each other using an Internet computer conferencing system. Thus it consists of two parallel information systems operating side by side, with the added ability to display the Internet conference output on the television broadcast. The base layer consists of a typical satellite TV broadcast system. The second is an Internet multiuser conferencing system, such as a multiuser dimension (MUD).
In this paper the current educational delivery services termed 'interactive television' are surveyed, discussed and the need for interaction using Internet is described. Practical plans for educational system implementation are proposed.
It is argued that the proposed system enables an optimal level of interactivity in satellite teaching and learning for topic areas where immediate student questions and discussions are essential for overcoming learning bottlenecks (Tuovinen & Hill, 1994). It is also argued that this system is a particularly cost effective means of distance teaching and learning for Australian school systems, TAFE and university education.
