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Two 1980 surveys of school staff, team member interviews, and examination of project films and documents supplied information for final evaluation of the ROCTAPUS (Really Outstanding Color Television About Practically Unlimited Subjects) program, a closed-circuit, magazine format, videotaped, television series intended to enrich the experiential background of isolated, rural Queensland children in grades 5-10. With overall expenditures of $598,000 and approximately $1 per capita cost per viewing pupil per program, average cost of producing and distributing each program escalated from about $9,000 to $13,000 over three years and influenced the decision to discontinue the program after the 1981 school year. Although intended for grade 5-10 pupils, the regular audience of approxiamtely 11,000 included a greater proportion of year 3-4 pupils than secondary pupils, making production of material appropriate to such a wide range of ages difficult. In terms of program content, schools generally valued enrichment material above syllabus material. Audience participation was successfully emphasized, fostering a sense of belonging which aided learning. ROCTAPUS' usefulness was not merely restricted to areas where normal television reception was limited and great value was placed on ROCTAPUS by school staff, indicating that possible ways to defray the cost of similar programs should be further explored. (NEC)

General transport requirements of the Priority Country Area Program (PCAP) field staff in the South-West and Central Priority Country Areas in Queensland, Australia, (exceeding 320,000 and 150,000 square kilometers respectively) for 1978-79 were evaluated, with emphasis on: duties of PCAP staff and their consequent transport needs; existing provision and availability of PCAP transport; extent of vehicle use and cost of operation; adequacy and suitability of current transportation provisions; and issues for decision makers. South-West Area staff included: a project director, primary itinerant teachers, a secondary itinerant teacher, a recreation officer, two primary remedial/resource teachers, and an audio-visiual maintenance officer. Central Area staff consisted of: a project co-ordinator, a secondary resource teacher, and an audio-visual maintenance officer. Information obtained by analysis of records, interviews with staff, and participant observation of services indicated that for efficient deployment of PCAP itinerant staff, the minimum transportation requirement is generally a separate vehicle for each officer or team in the field. Results from surveys of vehicle use (many covering 31 consecutive days) are detailed in 9 tables; maps show the Priority Areas, distances covered in South-West Queensland, and location of schools; an appendix includes information on individual vehicles used by the staff. (AW)

Effectiveness of the Mobile Field Study Unit's work in environmental education in south-west Queensland during 1979-1980 was evaluated through records kept by the Unit and the Priority Country Area Program (PCAP) office, evaluations by teachers, interviews with teachers and educational administrators, and participant observation of the Unit. The Unit was one of a number of initiatives sponsored by PCAP in an effort to bring more varied experiences to country children in "disadvantaged country areas." During 1979-1980 the Unit provided service to some 1,400 pupils, 75 teachers, and 35 schools each year, at a cost of approximately $90,000 per annum. The majority of informants judged that the Unit had provided a valuable service and that its efforts were well received. In relation to field study facilities, disadvantage previously experienced by the area's children had been effectively overcome. The Unit had been more successful in contributing to the environmental education of pupils than in influencing teachers to make greater use of environmental strategies. In the interests of cost-effectiveness, a reduction in Unit staff will be trialled during 1981, together with plans for increasing the responsibilities of visiting teachers and some decrease in Unit mobility. These changes will need to be carefully monitored. (Author/BRR)

Begun in 1978 to bring manual arts experience to children in Queensland's "disadvantaged country areas," the Mobile Manual Arts Unit by the end of the 1980 school year had visited 16 separate locations, involving 25 different schools. A total of 727 students had participated (out of a target population of 992 pupils) and a total of 259 contact days had been achieved. Traveling in the South-West and Central Priority Country Area Program (PCAP) areas--the south-west region alone exceeds 318,000 square kilometers--the two workshops and their auxiliary vehicles form a fully equipped manual arts center for work in wood, metal, plastics, or welding. Capital expenditure during 1977-1980 was $191,700. During 1979-1980, equipment, material, staff, and vehicle running costs were $87,600, rising to $101,000 for the 1981-1982 financial year. In addition to working with elementary and secondary students, adult evening classes were held where demand existed. Evaluations gleaned from a variety of sources showed that pupils, teachers, and principals were generally in agreement about the positive value to country schools of the Unit's visits because of the quality of programs offered and the professionalism of the staff. Future issues include deciding the extent, if any, to which the Unit should be shared with other PCAP regions, how to contain costs, and under what conditions could the unit be disbanded. (BRR)