Two other schools reported "minimal" cost; 9 stated that so far there had been no maintenance expense, since the equipment is new; and 1 gave the expense as "negligible for the first year of operation, but increasing." One school is renting the laboratory equipment for $95 a month with the option of buying it at the end of the school year. The information pertaining to cost which results from the survey may be summarized as follows: 11 tape recorder, 1 phonograph, no booths. The range of costs in the 91 institutions of higher education and the 27 secondary schools is shown in the following table: Many of the questionnaires were incomplete as to average unit cost of individual items of equipment, and extreme ranges in costs for the same item were reported. The following table shows averages: One university laboratory, which is used by 150 language students on a required basis and by others on a voluntary basis, furnished a detailed account of its equipment. Since specific examples are more useful than generalizations, this list is included here. Complete cost of a sample laboratory Item Dual track tape recorders. Magnetic disk recorder. Phonographs. Headsets, mike, disk recorder, selector switch. Master control console with 7 amplifiers, 6 tape drive mechanisms, inputs for simultaneous piping of magnetic tape, disks, phonograph records, radio or voice programs to a maximum of 120 booths via each of 6 channels. Monitoring jacks to permit instructor to monitor students recording or playback in up to 6 booths from position in aisle. 16-millimeter sound movie projector.. Opaque projector... Strip film projector.. Automatic 2- by 2-inch slide projector.. Wall screen. 16-millimeter sound movies-6 French, 3 Spanish. Film strips-2 French, 2 Spanish, 1 German.. Sets wall charts. Records and prerecorded tapes. Reusable magnetic tape and disks. Plastic reels with file boxes... Tools, meters, etc... Disk player for instructor's use in correction.. Total cost.. With the exception of the central control and monitoring provisions, all the above audiovisual equipment is frequently used in classrooms as well as in the laboratory. The director points out that the record collection was begun more than 30 years ago. 2. Maintenance costs (service and parts) An example of maintenance expenses may be cited from additional information attached to 1 of the questionnaires from a laboratory being used by 140 language students. Estimated cost per year, without depreciation, for service and parts, amounted to $317.70 in the first year of operation. The itemized listing is as follows: In addition to the above total, the faculty made personal purchases for the laboratory amounting to $200. 3. Estimated cost per student-hour of use.-Only 38 of the 214 institutions of higher education and 5 of the 47 secondary schools estimated the cost of the language laboratory in terms of cost per student-hour of use. Some replied that it was impossible to estimate this figure, and several of the newer laboratories indicated that it is too early to tell what the cost will be. The 38 estimates from colleges ranged from 3 cents per student-hour to 80 cents, with both an average and a median of 21 cents. The five estimates from high schools ranged from 21⁄2 cents to 46 cents per student-hour of use, with an average of 16 cents and a median of 5 cents. The director of one of the larger laboratories, having an attendance of 200 student-hours per day, stated that his estimate of 30 cents per student-hour was fairly accurate. This estimate included the director's salary as one-fourth of the cost, equipment amortized over a 10-year period, service, parts, and materials. Most of these figures are not really meaningful, however, because of the variation in items included in the estimates. Many did not include salaries, for example. One of the college laboratory directors commented as follows: "Since lab classes are conducted by the regular instructor as part of, or over and beyond, his normal teaching load, there has been no instructional salary directly chargeable to laboratory operations other than that of a student technician who is paid at an hourly rate. In 1955-56 maintenance, service and parts cost approximately 5 cents per hour for 2,050 hours of operation. In 1956-57, the cost was approximately 32 cents per hour for 3,610 hours of operation despite higher replacement factors. These figures disregard the fact that we play host to between 500 and 600 visitors annually (high school classes, teacher organizations, etc.), each of whom spends an average of 1 hour in the laboratory. Nor do they consider voluntary use of the laboratory by students in language classes where laboratory attendance is not required." 4. Student fees.-Only 46 colleges and universities of the total of 214 make a charge to the students for use of the laboratory. With the exception of the Yale Institute for Far Eastern Studies, which has a laboratory fee of $30 per semester, the student fees range from 50 cents to $10 per semester, with an average of $5. Of the 47 high schools, only 4, all private, have a student fee. These fees are 50 cents, $1, $2.50, and $7.50, respectively, per semester. (A list of institutions having language laboratories, which was appended to this article, has been retained in the committee files.) |