Warren F. Seibert Papers
Abstract
Dr. Warren F. Seibert specialized in instructional television research and development. An educational psychologist and television researcher, Dr. Seibert held academic positions at Purdue University, Michigan State University and Pennsylvania State University. From 1956 to 1963, Seibert worked at Purdue University as a TV Program Research Consultant and as an associate professor. His positions at Michigan State University (1969-1972) included work as a senior research scientist at the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, and as founding chairman of the Department of Educational Resources at the School of Dentistry. In 1980, Seibert moved to the Washington, DC area to be chief of the Educational Research and Evaluation Branch of the National Medical Audiovisual Center of the National Library of Medicine. He wrote many publications on educational broadcasting and other subjects, and has lectured extensively on educational broadcasting both nationally and internationally. This collection contains instructional television studies, conference documents, materials on Seibert's participation in the National Association of Educational Broadcasters and documents regarding the Open University system.
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Warren F. Seibert Papers, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries.
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Historical Note
Warren Frederick Seibert, the son of Harry Harrison and Henrietta Caroline (Struckmeyer) Seibert, was born in Carbondale, Illinois on March 19, 1927. He served in the U.S. Navy as a Radarman 3/C from 1945 to 1946. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in education in 1950 and a Masters of Science degree in education in 1951 from Southern Illinois University. He also received a Ph.D. in psychology from Purdue University in 1956. Seibert married Nedra Alice Midjaas on March 13, 1949. They have three children, Diane Janice, Eric Larsen and Robin Suzanne.
His career in educational broadcasting research and development began as a graduate research assistant at Southern Illinois University from 1950 to 1951. He then served as Director of Student Employment at the University from 1951 to 1952. From 1952 to 1955, while pursuing his doctoral studies, he worked as a graduate research assistant and administrative assistant for the Division of Educational Reference at Purdue University. He then served as an assistant professor of psychology at the Purdue Calumet Campus from 1955 to 1956.
Seibert continued to serve in various positions at Purdue University such as TV Program Research Consultant and Associate Professor, 1956-1963 and head of the Instructional Media Research. On leave from Purdue University, he served as Senior Research Coordinator and in 1968 he served as a distinguished visiting Professor of Educational Psychology at Pennsylvania State University.
From 1969 to 1972, Seibert held several positions at the University of Michigan including professor of dentistry and psychology and senior research scientist at the Center for Research on Learning and teaching. He was also the founding chairman of the Department of Educational Resources at the School of Dentistry at the University of Michigan. He returned to Purdue University in 1972 to serve as Professor of Education and Engineering Education; as associate director of Measurement and Research center and as director of the Office of Instructional Services until 1980. That year, Seibert relocated to Washington, DC to become chief of the Educational Research and Evaluation Branch of the National Medical Audiovisual Center of the National Library of Medicine.
Throughout his career, Seibert has lectured nationally and internationally on educational broadcasting. In 1961, he served as director of the International Seminar on Instructional Television at Purdue University. From 1962 to 1972, he also served on evaluation panels at the U.S. Office of Education. He participated as an observer for the International Conference of Radio and Television Organizations in School Broadcasting in Rome, Italy in 1961, as a animateur for the Third International Conference of the European Broadcasting Union on Educational Radio and Television in Paris, France in 1967 and as a lecturer on educational media and research at the National University of Ecuador in Quito in 1968. He also served as a participant and session rapporteur for the International Conference on Evaluation and Research in Educational Broadcasting, Open University, Milton Keynes, England in 1976.
Dr. Seibert has also presented papers, lectured or served as a panel participant at organizations such as the American Psychological Association, the American Statistical Association, and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. He has also been a consultant to several organizations, school systems and companies including the Educational Communications System (ECS) Project, National Area School Television (1967), National Public Radio (1974), Addison-Wesley Publishers (1968) and the Joint Council on Economic Education (1979).
Dr. Seibert is the author of numerous articles and publications on educational broadcasting research and measurement in publications such as the Journal of Educational Psychology, the Educational Broadcasting Review, the Public Telecommunications Review, and the NAEB Journal.
Dr. Warren F. Seibert died in December 2001.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The Warren F. Seibert Papers covers the years 1943 to 1985 with the bulk of the material from 1960 to 1980. The collection documents Seibert's work as a researcher and educator in the field of instructional television at Purdue University, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Michigan. The biographical material, correspondence and publications in this collection discuss the development and study of instructional television and educational broadcasting, the development of the Open University and Seibert's participation in several international and national conferences on instructional television and educational broadcasting.
Custodial History and Acquisition Information
The Warren F. Seibert Papers was donated to the National Public Broadcasting Archives, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries by Warren F. Seibert in April of 1991.
Processing Information
Processed by Sonya Ramsey, June 1992. Revised by Karen E. King, March 1996
EAD markup created using EAD database in Microsoft Access. Markup completed by Karen E. King, August 2006.
Arrangement of Collection
The collection is organized as seven series:
Detailed Description of the Collection
Series 1: Broadcasting and Instructional Television Studies, 1943-1979 (1.00 linear foot)
This series contains studies of broadcasting and instructional television conducted by Warren F. Seibert and other scholars sponsored by various universities including Boston University, Columbia University, and Purdue University. Other materials include instructional television studies sponsored by the U.S. Army and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Finally, the series contains compressed speech studies. The university studies are arranged alphabetically by university, while the other materials are chronologically arranged.
| Description | Series | Box / Reel | Folder / Frame | Item | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Instructional Television Studies -- Boston University. School of Public Relation and Communications, Division of Communications Arts. International Educational Television Seminar: 1957, 1957, January 1958 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 1 | ||
| University Instructional Television Studies -- Columbia University. Jaffe, Abram and Stanley Henshaw. Studies in the Utilization of Television in the Schools, August 1965 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | ||
| University Instructional Television Studies -- State University of Iowa, 1956, 1958 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 3 | ||
| Stuit, Dewey, et al. An Experiment in Teaching, September 1956 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 3 | item 1.0 | |
| Becker, Samuel, et al. Teaching by the Discussion Method, 1958 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 3 | item 2.0 | |
| University Instructional Television Studies -- Miami University. Experimental Study in Instructional Procedures, 1956, 1957, 1960 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 4 | ||
| University Instructional Television Studies -- Michigan State University. Kumata, H., et al. Teaching Advertising by Television; Parts 1 and 2, 1958 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 5 | ||
| University Instructional Television Studies -- New York University. Klapper, Hope Lunin, et al. Closed-Circuit Television as a Medium of Instruction, 1955, 1958 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 6 | ||
| University Instructional Television Studies -- Ohio State University -- Guba, Egon and Willavene Wolf. A Perception and Television: Physiological Factors of Television Viewing, 1962, 1964 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 7 | ||
| University Instructional Television Studies -- Ohio State University -- "Perception and Television: A Study of Eye-Movements in Television"; Wolf, Willavene, et al. Part II Eye-Movement Study of Children Viewing Television, undated | series 1 | box 1 | folder 8 | ||
| University Instructional Television Studies -- Pennsylvania State University -- Seibert, Warren. "Preliminary Examination of the Educational Potential and the Future Assessment of Edufax", June 1968 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 9 | ||
| University Instructional Television Studies -- Pennsylvania State University -- Carpenter, C.R. and L.P. Greenhill. Investigation of Closed Circuit Television for Teaching University Courses, 1955, 1958 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 10 | ||
| University Instructional Television Studies -- Pennsylvania State University -- Greenhill, L.P., et al. The Educational Effectiveness, Acceptability, and Feasibility of the Eidophor Large-Screen Television Projector, January 1962 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 11 | ||
| University Instructional Television Studies -- Pennsylvania State University -- Carpenter, C.R. and L.P. Greenhill. Comparative Research on Methods and Media for Presenting Programmed Courses in Mathematics and English, March 1963 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 12 | ||
| University Instructional Television Studies -- Purdue University -- Seibert, Warren. "Purdue Instructional Television Attitude Scale", December 1957 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 13 | ||
| University Instructional Television Studies -- Purdue University -- Seibert, Warren and James S. Miles. International Seminar on Instructional Television, October 8-18, 1961 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 14 | ||
| University Instructional Television Studies -- Purdue University -- "The Legibility of Televised Visuals: A Study of Signal Bandwidth and Other Factors" sponsored by the Instructional Media Research Unit, December 1964 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 15 | ||
| Army Studies -- Rosenstein, Alvin J. and Joseph H. Kanner. Television and Army Training: Color vs. Black and White. Reprinted from Audio Visual Communications Review vol. 9, no. 1, January-February 1961 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 16 | ||
| Corporation for Public Broadcasting -- Dirr, Peter J. and Ronald J. Pedone. Uses of Television for Instruction 1976-1977, 1979 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 17 | ||
| Corporation for Public Broadcasting -- Study of Public Television Educational Services 1978-1979 sponsored by the Office of Educational Activities, February 1980 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 18 | ||
| Compressed Speech Studies -- Wood, David. Comprehension of Compressed Speech by Elementary School Children, August 1965 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 1 | ||
| Compressed Speech Studies -- Friedman, Herbert, et al. "Further Research on Speeded Speech as an Educational Medium", January 1966, July 1966, February 1967 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 2 | ||
| Pennington, James R. "The Cost of Educational Television", January 1960 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 3 | ||
| Fourth Revolution: Instructional Technology in Higher Education, undated | series 1 | box 2 | folder 4 | ||
| Educational Broadcasting Studies and Articles, 1943-1980 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 5 | ||
| Campeau, Peggie L. Selective Review of the Use of Audio Visual Media To Teach Adults, March 1972 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 6 | ||
| Grants for Broadcasting Research -- AMPEX Study, 1959-1964 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 7 | ||
| Grants for Broadcasting Research -- Title VII (PL 85-864) Research Program, 1958-1968 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 8 | ||
| TVPR (Purdue) Study Reports, 1957-1968 | series 1 | box 3 | folder 1 | ||
| TVPR (Purdue) Study Reports, 1957-1968 | series 1 | box 3 | folder 2 | ||
| TVPR (Purdue) Study Reports, 1957-1968 | series 1 | box 3 | folder 3 | ||
Series 2: Open University, 1971-1983 (0.25 linear foot)
This series documents the development of the Open University system of offering university courses via television to students in the United States and the British Open University system. Types of documents include correspondence, press clippings, articles and reports.
| Description | Series | Box / Reel | Folder / Frame | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open Line Newsletter/BBC Overseas Newsletter, November 1976-September 1983 | series 2 | box 3 | folder 4 | |
| Printed Materials, undated | series 2 | box 3 | folder 5 | |
| National Association of Educational Broadcasters. Open Learning Systems, 1974 | series 2 | box 3 | folder 6 | |
| Reports, 1972-1976 | series 2 | box 3 | folder 7 | |
| Correspondence, 1973-1978 | series 2 | box 3 | folder 8 | |
| Articles and Press Clippings, 1973-1981 | series 2 | box 3 | folder 9 | |
| International Conference on Evaluation and Research in Educational Television, in Milton Keynes England, 1976 | series 2 | box 4 | folder 1 | |
Series 3: Printed, Published Materials, 1961-1976 (4 folders)
This series contains television and radio broadcasting journals and instructional television publications. Titles include European Broadcasting Union Review and Radio Free Europe.
| Description | Series | Box / Reel | Folder / Frame | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERIC Papers, 1971-1973, 1976 | series 3 | box 4 | folder 2 | |
| Educational Broadcasting Review, 1969-1972 | series 3 | box 4 | folder 3 | |
| European Broadcasting Union Review, 1961 | series 3 | box 4 | folder 4 | |
| Radio Free Europe, 1965 | series 3 | box 4 | folder 5 | |
Series 4: European Broadcasting Union, 1961-1967 (5 folders)
This series documents Seibert's participation in two European Broadcasting Union conferences in Rome, Italy (1961) and in Paris, France (1967). Types of documents include correspondence, reports, and a book.
| Description | Series | Box / Reel | Folder / Frame | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Conference; Rome, Italy, December 3-9, 1961 | series 4 | box 4 | folder 6 | |
| International Conference Meeting Materials, December 1961 | series 4 | box 4 | folder 7 | |
| International Conference Meeting Materials, December 1961 | series 4 | box 4 | folder 8 | |
| International Conference; Paris, France, March 1967 | series 4 | box 4 | folder 9 | |
| Third European Broadcasting Union International Conference on Radio Television; Paris [book], March 8-22, 1967 | series 4 | box 5 | folder 1 | |
Series 5: National Association of Educational Broadcasters, 1962-1975 (6 folders)
This series contains articles, correspondence and reports concerning the issue of professionalism in educational broadcasting. Also included is material concerning two Wingspread Conferences in 1970 and 1975.
| Description | Series | Box / Reel | Folder / Frame | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Materials, 1965-1969 | series 5 | box 5 | folder 2 | |
| Professionalism, 1970-1975 | series 5 | box 5 | folder 3 | |
| Professionalism in Broadcasting, 1970-1974 | series 5 | box 5 | folder 4 | |
| Professionalism - Articles and Reports, 1962-1975 | series 5 | box 5 | folder 5 | |
| Educational Broadcasting Review Editorial Board, 1967-1971 | series 5 | box 5 | folder 6 | |
| Wingspread Conference, 1970, 1975 | series 5 | box 5 | folder 7 | |
Series 6: Miscellaneous Files, 1968-1985 (3 folders)
This series contains articles and correspondence concerning educational broadcasting and public television. Significant topics include the Children's Television Workshop and the early years of Sesame Street.
| Description | Series | Box / Reel | Folder / Frame | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's Television Workshop: Sesame Street, 1968-1972 | series 6 | box 6 | folder 1 | |
| Articles, Correspondence, 1970-1975 | series 6 | box 6 | folder 2 | |
| Correspondence, 1957-1985 | series 6 | box 6 | folder 3 | |
Series 7: Audio Tapes, 1961 (44 audio cassettes)
This series contains forty-four audio tapes of the Purdue International ITV Seminar.
| Description | Series | Box / Reel | Folder / Frame | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 1, 1961 | series 7 | box 6 | folder 4 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 2, 1961 | series 7 | box 6 | folder 5 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 3, 1961 | series 7 | box 6 | folder 6 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 4, 1961 | series 7 | box 6 | folder 7 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 5, 1961 | series 7 | box 7 | folder 1 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 6, 1961 | series 7 | box 7 | folder 2 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 7, 1961 | series 7 | box 7 | folder 3 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 8, 1961 | series 7 | box 7 | folder 4 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 10, 1961 | series 7 | box 7 | folder 5 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 11, 1961 | series 7 | box 7 | folder 6 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 12, 1961 | series 7 | box 8 | folder 1 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 13, 1961 | series 7 | box 8 | folder 2 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 14, 1961 | series 7 | box 8 | folder 3 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 15, 1961 | series 7 | box 8 | folder 4 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 16, 1961 | series 7 | box 8 | folder 5 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 17, 1961 | series 7 | box 8 | folder 6 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 18, 1961 | series 7 | box 8 | folder 7 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 19, 1961 | series 7 | box 9 | folder 1 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 20, 1961 | series 7 | box 9 | folder 2 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 21, 1961 | series 7 | box 9 | folder 3 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 22, 1961 | series 7 | box 9 | folder 4 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 23, 1961 | series 7 | box 9 | folder 5 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 24, 1961 | series 7 | box 9 | folder 6 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 25, 1961 | series 7 | box 9 | folder 7 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 26, 1961 | series 7 | box 10 | folder 1 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 27, 1961 | series 7 | box 10 | folder 2 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 28, 1961 | series 7 | box 10 | folder 3 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 29, 1961 | series 7 | box 10 | folder 4 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 30, 1961 | series 7 | box 10 | folder 5 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 31, 1961 | series 7 | box 10 | folder 6 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 32, 1961 | series 7 | box 10 | folder 7 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 33, 1961 | series 7 | box 11 | folder 1 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 34, 1961 | series 7 | box 11 | folder 2 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 35, 1961 | series 7 | box 11 | folder 3 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 36, 1961 | series 7 | box 11 | folder 4 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 37, 1961 | series 7 | box 11 | folder 5 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 38, 1961 | series 7 | box 11 | folder 6 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 39, 1961 | series 7 | box 11 | folder 7 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 40, 1961 | series 7 | box 12 | folder 1 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 41, 1961 | series 7 | box 12 | folder 2 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 42, 1961 | series 7 | box 12 | folder 3 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 43, 1961 | series 7 | box 12 | folder 4 | |
| Audio Recordings of October 1961 Purdue International ITV Seminar -- 44, 1961 | series 7 | box 12 | folder 5 | |
Related Material
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Selected Search Terms
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Subjects
- European Broadcasting Union.
- National Association of Educational Broadcasters.
- Open University.
- Seibert, Warren Frederick, 1927- -- Archives.
- Television in education -- United States.