Broadcasting Knowledge: The Role of the Television Archive in the Pedagogical Legacy of OU’s A305 History of Architecture and Design (1890-1939)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60923/issn.2280-9481/22017Keywords:
Audiovisual archives, Design, Media archaeology, Open University, Television historyAbstract
The paper explores the critical role of television archives in preserving and reviving forgotten histories of pedagogical experimentation, with a specific focus on the Open University’s A305 course, History of Architecture and Design 1890–1939. The analysis begins by contextualising the shifting nature of television as a medium, once deemed ephemeral and now rediscovered through archival efforts. It underscores how early dismissals of television’s educational potential led to the loss of valuable content, while grassroots initiatives and researchers, such as Joaquim Moreno, have since worked to reconstruct and revalorise these overlooked materials.
The A305 course, delivered via a hybrid of television, radio, print, and interactive assignments, exemplified a revolutionary approach to education. Developed by the Open University in collaboration with the BBC, it dismantled traditional boundaries between academia and everyday life. By broadcasting lessons into homes, the course democratized access to design and architectural history, reaching tens of thousands of formal students and public viewers. Its multimedia ecosystem incorporated filmed lectures, radio interviews, guided reading, and printed visual aids, enabling a dynamic and participatory learning experience.
Moreno’s recovery and digitisation of A305’s fragmented materials illuminated both the scope and the innovative nature of this pedagogical model. His curatorial efforts, culminating in an immersive exhibition, emphasised the archive not just as a memory repository but as an active educational tool. Through this case study, the paper argues that television, when framed as an ecological and convergent medium, can function as a powerful vector for knowledge production. The rediscovery of A305 provides a compelling prototype for rethinking how media and education intersect, and how archival work can resurrect visionary models of cultural transmission that remain relevant today.
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