JISC

Television has the power to mould the thinking of a nation. It has long been acknowledged, perhaps tacitly, that the medium can be immensely effective not only in enhancing the education experience, but also in leading it. Because television covers such a broad range of subjects, there is something for everyone. Whether you are teaching ‘A’ Level biology or undertaking doctoral study in economics, there will be a programme of relevance to you. Students, teachers, university administrators, even Vice-Chancellors, can all use such content to enrich the learning experience.

How, though, can you tap into these resources, when the programme you need may have been shown many years ago? How can you find out what relevant programmes have been shown, let alone locate a copy? The best place to start is the Television and Radio Index for Learning and Teaching (TRILT), one of the unique database services of the British Universities Film & Video Council (BUFVC). Users of the full TRILT service (who must be from BUFVC member institutions – see more information) are able to search across records of five million broadcasts from more than 330 radio and television channels received in the UK, going back more than ten years. Not only that, but the BUFVC operates an Off Air Recording Back Up Service which can supply copies of missed programmes to its members, providing they hold an ERA licence. The Service records up to 44,000 hours per annum of programmes from seven UK television channels. The two services are now linked and users of TRILT can instantly see what programmes are available from BUFVC while they are searching the database.

The TRILT service was enhanced thanks to funding from the JISC's Learning and Teaching 5/99 programme.