COME September Suraj Anand will pursue an MA in Economics from a prominent State university through Distance Learning (DL) mode. “Though I found eco dull in school, a job stint in finance made me want to know exactly how our country's economy works,” shares Suraj. The university will prescribe the syllabus and books.

 

The cost of the programme is Rs 8,000, and books will need to be purchased separately. At the end of the semester he will write the exam. This is pretty much how a traditional DL programme works. However, some institutes and universities across the country are attempting to make learning more engaging by harnessing technology. VSAT-based virtual classrooms and e-learning are two platforms used by institutions in varying measure.

 

If you cannot come to the institute, let the institute come to you! This could easily be the mantra for DL courses offered by IIM-C, XLRI, IIM-K and MICA, some of India’s most prominent institutes. A classroom-like experience is simulated using VSAT Technology wherein your Professor will conduct his lecture from a studio located on his campus. And you, the student will attend his lecture seated in front of a PC at a Study Centre (SC) in your hometown. Prof. Supriya Kumar De, who teaches Information Systems in XLRI shares his studio experiences.
 

Here he must deliver the lecture either seated in front of a high-tech console or standing at the whiteboard, making notes (akin to a blackboard). The console enables him to view students seated in multiple centres and engage with students using chat and the “raise a hand” option, which alerts him that a student has a question. “Some lecturers like to invite questions immediately after a lecture. It varies from faculty to faculty,” shares Prof. De who invites questions through chat. The white board also doubles up as mouse-pad – enabling him to manage slides and more. Another interesting feature is that another faculty member or student in a different location, can be a co-presenter.

 

The eligibility criteria for the programmes is working professionals with minimum two years of experiences. Many satellite-based DL programmes attract even senior professionals with years of experience! “We have 300 contact hours, six hours a week, on weekends and in the evenings on week days,” shares Prof De who is also Associate Dean-Satellite Programme, XLRI. “Selection is through a personal interview, and we ask for a statement of purpose. We also try to gauge whether they can cope with programmes pressures,” he adds. This and the cost of the programme ie Rs 1,90,000 plus service tax, weeds out anyone who is not 100 percent committed to learning, not to mention attending lectures regularly. This is important because there are no repeat lectures and Hughes Communications India, one of XLRI’s technology partner, also keeps a tab on attendance of participants.

 

The Learning Management System (LMS) or interactive portal, is another learning platform, which can be accessed anywhere, any time and encourage self-study. Online tests is one interactive feature that seems to be popular amongst students. Media professional Tanya Munshi who pursued a Certificate Course in Instructional Design from Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning (SCDL), would regularly log in to SCDL’s portal. “The Q&A part after every chapter was my favourite. It’s all objective but fun, and every wrong answer has an explanation,” shares Tanya. Her enthusiasm seems to also be shared by students of Sikkim Manipal University, which has an LMU called EduNxt.

 

According to the web statistics of EduNxt, quizzes had the most number of visitors, second only to the Self-Learning Material (supported by related case studies, flowcharts and presentations). Discussion forums, though not as popular, are an important aspect, as students can post a topic and peers located across the country can chip in. eBooks had the least number of takers. However, according V Sivaramakrishnan, President, Distributed Learning, Manipal Education the popularity of video lectures has dwindled.

 

SMU has Learning Centres (LC) located across the country. Here students don’t attend live lectures. “Doubt clearing happens where students pursuing MBA, BBA, MCA and BCA, interact with local faculty certified by SMU. On weekends especially the centre is packed,” shares RP Sharma, Centre Manager at SMU’S South Extension I centre in Delhi. Students also come for another reason – practicals. When I visited the centre, BCA students were attending practicals under the guidance of an SMU-designated trainer Anand Pandey. Even though the SMU offers a large number of UG and PG programmes, each LC is equipped to certain programmes.

 

For instance, the South Extension I centre is not designated to handle Fashion Design or Biotechnology as this demands a different infrastructure. The minimum classroom/lab area requirements are specified by the University, the necessary instruments, labwares and chemicals, computer specifications, audio visual requirements and facility to support VSAT sessions. Students are advised to check this when choosing programmes that need a hands-on approach. The cost for pursuing a BA programme through SMU is Rs. 15,600 for the full course.

 

“To curb impersonation during exams we conduct them at our study centres,” shares Partho Banerjee, President & MD of Hughes Communications India. For e.g, XLRI’s exams are conducted both online and offline and comprise MCQs and descriptive-type questions.
 

However, many DL programmes allow students to take online tests where impersonation is possible and in this case the sincerity of the student matters. “You can cheat. But I didn’t and sat without my book! Otherwise what’s the point of studying and giving an exam?” shares Tanya. At SMU all exams are MCQ-format. Of these 58% are conducted offline with pen and paper, and of 42% are online.

 

“Our next cycle in January will be 100% online. In our discussions with DEC and UGC we are introducing a component of descriptive-type questions in October 2011,” shares Sivaramakrishnan. Descriptive tests will be assessed using an on-screen marking system by Meritrac, a testing and assessment firm. BA and BCom, which have just been introduced by SMU will move in this direction.

 

”Every course has projects where they take a problem from the industry and try to solve it. Similar to projects in the full-time programmes,” shares Prof. De. Typically, students can submit projects and assignments online, through the LMS available to them.

 

A resourceful Learning Management System can make self-study more engaging. So can faculty-delivered lectures in a virtual classroom set-up because they give you access to a peer group, as opposed to watching them at home where Internet bandwidth could be a problem. At the end of the day, technology must empower you to study better! 

Photographs courtesy Hughes Communications India