Empirical validation of the OCRAT framework. A holistic and systematic guideline for audio-only instructional design.

This work empirically validates 23 audio-only instructional guidelines regrouped under the Organisation Content Retention Auditory and Technology (OCRAT) framework. A total of 10 audio courses consisting of 40 audio lessons/chapters equivalent to around 3 h on various topics in agriculture and fisheries were devised based on the OCRAT guidelines. A group of 225 and 180 literate and semi-literate populations both in Mauritius and India were identified. Through a range of ten (10) courses regrouping the respective audio lessons, the framework was tested over an ACALEs platform. A survey was conducted on learners who participated and completed the course. From the collected data, empirical testing using inferences on population proportions based on the binomial distribution was conducted to validate the proposed set of guidelines. The results proved to be very conclusive. Moreover, this work elaborates even further on the validated guidelines and substantiates them with additional literature. Henceforth, it can confidently be used by instructional designers for the development of interactive audio-only courses not only on ACALEs platforms but even with conventional audio-based learning like radio programs.