SAHAJ & IGNOU Bring Higher Education to Villages

A giant step towards Bridging the Rural- Urban Divide

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New Delhi, Delhi, IND, 2009-07-10 15:14:01 (IndiaPRwire.com)
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Srei Sahaj e-Village Limited, a subsidiary ofSrei Infrastructure Finance Limited, has partnered
with Indira Gandhi NationalOpen University (IGNOU), the largest Open University offering
distance learningprogrammes, today to deliver international quality education at affordablecosts
to the rural population of India through 27,000 Common Service Centres(CSCs) that Sahaj is
setting up in the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Assam,Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, and
Jammu & Kashmir.
Thisprestigious partnership is aimed at making higher education available to thevillagers in their own
villages thus bridging the massive rural-urbaneducational gap. An estimated 100 million rural youth
population across thecountry stands to benefit through the Sahaj-IGNOU partnership.
SreiSahaj-IGNOU will jointly develop new certificated programmes especiallydesigned for the rural
youth, providing training in a blended learningenvironment to enable students to undertake a range of
internationallyrecognized qualifications.
Allcourses will be accredited to IGNOU for its use. Srei Sahaj will administer theprogrammes
including enrolments, registration, fee collection, evaluation anddo the certification online or manually
(by IGNOU directly). Currently there isa yawning gender gap in the educational status of boys and
girls and more soamongst the disadvantaged castes and tribes. Cultural, social and economicfactors still
prevent girls and SC/ST youth from getting educationalopportunities. The net enrollment ratio of the
rural youth stands at a mere7.48 percent for boys and 4.5% for girls, remarkably lower than 17.84%
and16.9% respectively for urban boys and girls.
TheSrei Sahaj – IGNOU partnership will help bridge this gigantic educationalbarrier within the rural
landscape. With the use of modern ICT platform ofSahaj available at 12,000 Gram Panchayat units, the
prestigious IGNOU highereducation will be made available to the rural youth in digital format at
theSahaj Common Service Centers (CSCs). The rural youth would have unprecedentedopportunities to
acquire IGNOU’s internationally recognized certification,diplomas, degrees right in their village within
a distance of 3 kilometers oftheir homes at ICT backed, computerized Sahaj CSCs. By the end of 2008-
09, SreiSahaj-IGNOU promises to make
thison-line university available at 27,255 CSCs in the states of Assam, Bihar,Jammu and Kashmir,
Orissa, Tamil Nadu, UttarPradesh and West Bengal.
Theeducation gap cannot be bridged by merely building more universities, as itwould mean acquiring
land and putting together the necessary infrastructure forthousands and thousands of new universities to
cater to the 150 millioncollege-age rural youth. On-line Universities, which do not require
physicalinfrastructure, have facilitated greater accessibility to education world over.This is especially
true for kinds of courses designed to cater to the needs ofstudents who do not have financial backup or
family support. The Sahaj-IGNOUtie up aimed at re-engineering higher education will bring in great
advantage towomen and those who cannot afford to travel and live in the cities foreducation.
Commentingon the collaboration, Hemant Kanoria, Chairman & Managing Director, Sreisaid
“Asacquiring higher degrees is directly related to greater socio-economic status,this is a powerful step
towards making the growth and development of Indiabroad-based and accessible by the hitherto,
remote, marginalized anddisadvantaged communities.”
Elaboratingon the partnership, Dr Sabahat Azim, CEO, Srei-Sahaj said, “This is historicstep to bridge
the educational gap between Rural and Urban India. Now parentswho for their own socio-economic
reasons were diffident about sending theirwards to pursue higher education can now rest easy. Girls
who could not pursuehigher education can do so from their own villages. In the next three monthsthis
partnership would be operationalised and with that I believe we would setup a landmark in the area of
Public-Private Partnership model to meet pressingsocial needs. Soon we will extend these centres to all
common service centreacross India by partnering with other Service Center Agencies under theNational
e-Governance Plan of DIT, Government of India.”
- End -
About Srei Sahaj e-Village Limited
Srei Sahaj e-Village Ltd. is a subsidiary of Srei Infrastructure Finance Ltd. It is a business integrator in
the field of IT infrastructure with a focus on ruralIndia. It has 65 offices across 6 states and is emerging
as one of the largest implementers of ICT-based projects inIndia.It has taken up the task of eliminating
the undemocratic digital divide between rural and urbanIndia, under the flagship of NeGP of the
Government of India. It brings government, business, and services to the ruralIndiathrough an
expanding network of Village Level Franchisee Partners.Srei-Sahaj is set to launch 26,146 CSCs across
the country. Above 12,000 CSCs have already been established, providing a single-window, one stop
solution to the citizen’s needs, under the Private-Public- Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
The parent company of Sahaj, Srei, isaHolisticInfrastructureInstitution,constantlyand
consistentlyideating to deliver innovative solutions in infrastructure space,thusplaying a significant role
in nation-building for over two decades,bothinurbanandruralIndia.Srei’s businesses include
InfrastructureEquipmentLeasing&Finance,InfrastructureProject
Finance,Advisory&Development,Insurance Broking, Venture Capital, Capital Market and Sahaj e
-Village. Srei has a pan-India presence with a networkof63officesandhasalsoreplicatedits business
model overseaswiththreeofficesinRussia.Srei is the first Indian infrastructure financing institution to get
listed on the London Stock Exchange. Srei Equipment Finance Pvt. Ltd., a joint venture between Srei
Infrastructure and BNP Paribas Lease Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of BNP Paribas, is a Srei
Group company engaged in Infrastructure Equipment Leasing and Financing Business.
About Indira Gandhi National Open University
The Indira Gandhi National Open University, e
Infrastructure and BNP Paribas Lease Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of BNP Paribas, is a Srei
Group company engaged in Infrastructure Equipment Leasing and Financing Business.
About Indira Gandhi National Open University
The Indira Gandhi National Open University, established by an Act of Parliament in 1985, has emerged
as the largestmegaUniversityin the democratic world. Today, it serves the educational aspirations of
nearly 2 million students in India and 33 other countries through the twenty-one Schools of Study and a
network of 59 regional centres, more than 2300 Learner Support Centres and around 52 overseas
centres.The University has, in a relatively short time, contributed significantly to higher education,
community education and continual professional development. As a world leader in distance education,
it was conferred the Centre of Excellence Award in Distance Education in 1993 and the Award of
Excellence for Distance Education Materials in 1999 by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL),
Canada.

IMPORTANT ABT IT INFRAstructure

Introduction | Senior Staff | Activities | What's New | Feedback | ODLIMS Forum | Contactus
INTERNET BROADBAND

One can not probably leave without internet connectivity in this age of “Information” and “knowledge”. The term, IT, has two
role associated – Information, and Technology. Information requires technology for creating content, to provide connectivity, an
the delivery to masses. Hence till we have information generated, Technology does not have much role to play at lea
beneficiaries enmasses. Technology plays a vital and important role, however, in disseminating the content gene
Information/Knowledge.

IGNOU, being the pioneer and the premiere institution and carrying the successful story for the Open and Distance Learning
has been, in some or the other way, using internet almost right from the Web Technology got its birth in mid nineties (in India
with RENNIC (Research and Educational Network of NIC – National Informatics Centre) service the university got the first 64K
established at Hauz Khas Campus, New Delhi for use, primarily, by ADIT and BIT students of IGNOU. Soon after 2Mbps (1:4
RF tower was established at the main campus in Maidangarhi. After having observed disruption of services, particularly due
 As the above picture depicts, all internet based applications for all from the Maidangarhi campus is through the 48Mbps link from Computer Division

to storms and rains, it got replaced with 2Mbps(1:1) using Fibre/copper link. The link was further established in Computer Divis
location at Mother Teresa Bhawan, Academic Complex, in 2003-04. This time it was again using RF tower based on the ex
on both the aforementioned technologies. As applications demanded better connectivity, the link was enhanced to 4Mbps fo
peak period requirements of application servers. From 4Mbps, as such, the link got extended to 48Mbps in February 2008. Sin
is being utilized by all including eGyanKosh and Sakshat portal. As the above picture depicts, all internet based applications fo
the Maidangarhi campus is through the 48Mbps link from Computer Division.

WEB 2.0

World Wide Web (WWW) got penetration in India some where in 1994-95 after it was made available for public access 199
web site browsers. Advances have given birth of second generation of web technology. The earlier version i.e. WEB 1.0 had th
of web browsing only. Today’s features like Blogging, Wikipedia, webcasting, chats etc. have given the birth of WEB 2.0. The D
able to see such applications, being used by IGNOU for all interested, through the broadband connectivity. eGyanK
IGNOUONLINE are the two such examples of such applications possible through the active support of Computer Division.

Inauguration of 48Mbps link by Hon’ble Vice Chancellor Professor VN Rajasekharan Pillai on February 14, 2008

E-MAILING and MESSAGING

IGNOU has been a prime user of Microsoft based supports and environments. As such all services for eMailing etc. started th
environments. MS Exchange was put in use for about seven years. However, having experienced uncontrolled viruses, sp
similar threats, the mailing service was routed through Googles Apps after an agreement between the two organizations in M
Entire IGNOU uses this facility covering Regional Centres. The mailing service, as it is envisaged, will get further extended t
students for better, more effective, and open communication.

INTERNET PROXIES

As the world experiences, one of the requirement of today is internet facility. In IGNOU, it started with MS environment with
broadband link from 1998. After having used for about five/six years open source environment was adopted and proxy ser
created for providing internet services at the Headquarters. All Regional Centres use such services with local ISPs.

Dr VSP Srivastav, Head, Computer Division explaining the use of 48Mbps link

IGNOU WEB SITE

The main website of IGNOU – www.ignou.ac.in is by computer division in all respect. That is hosting, creating, updat
information through IGNOU web site is done at the Division by a dedicated team. After receiving the content from
Schools/Divisions/RCs/Centres/Institutes of INGOU, contents are created and updated by the Division. Regular updating is
the input received from the concerned in IGNOU.

Dynamic information through web enabled applications like SWISS (Single Window Information and Student Support) is also
the regular responsibility after getting data pertaining to Change of Address, Material Despatch, Examinations/Tets Results,
Comprehensive Grade Card/Hall Tickets(Admit Card), Online Examination Form submission, Grievance Redressal, Alumni Re
etc. are extended through the above site. Links to other sites and hosting/connectivity of other websites including eGyanKosh
Online, DEC (Distance Education Council) etc. are done by the Computer Division. Web casting of Gyan Darshan TV chann
linked to the above web site for those who wants to see the channel directly over internet. This is, however, done after g
signals from EMPC(Electronic Media Production Centre) of IGNOU which is engaged in telecast and broadcast of Audio
IGNOU’s TV channels.
CAMPUS LAN

IGNOU has a massive network established at the Headquarters created and maintained through the Computer Division. Sta
about 150 network nodes the network has grown with above 1500 network access nodes covering all at the main campus. Th
set up has been established over a period with extensions. It has about 25 KMs of Fiber cables laid as the backbone conn
Schools/Divisions with the Computer Divison’s Server Parisar (SERENE). CISCO, ENTRASYS, D-Link switches provide the
connectivity through aggregation

A PICTORIAL PRESENTATION OF CAMPUS OFC BACKBONE

and departmental switches installed for the purpose. Entire applications and internet access is provided through the
established over a period by the Division.

The campus LAN has about 35 LANs covering all Buildings occupied by Schools, Divisions, Offices, Centres etc. The network
also supported with Wi Fi wireless connectivity at select places. This may get further extended covering all to meet the
connectivity requirements. This will be required to be done with the increasing dependency for the various applications inclu
Also it is planned to establish Wi Max and IGNOU VPN connecting all of the IGNOU’s fraternity covering entire Regional Ce
Study Centres.

ePRAANGAN

The Division established, in February 2008, a centre, in the main campus, which is linked to the 48Mbps internet broadband. T
is in enormous use by the IGNOU’s staff families. The centre was created after the feel of such requirements and subsequen
taken by Honorable Vice Chancellor Professor VN Rajasekharan Pillai. The activities, which also include short-term training
internet usage, are done and governed by Computer Division.
Inauguration of ePRAANGAN
 Honorable Vice Chancellor interacting with Staff Family Members

ERP – BACK OFFICE AUTOMATION AND IMS

IGNOU has taken the initiative to get the ERP implemented starting with back offices automation. This integrated approach fo
office automation has Finance & Accounting, Administration, Works related services on its mandate in the first phase. As p
activity a world class Data Centre through access controlled mechanism has also been created using many blade servers an
storage system. All the development, testing, and production servers are put into two racks with the storage system, fully equi
auto storage, back up and recovery systems. The entire work has been given to TCS as turn key project. The project was
October 2007 which included ERP implementation for back offices, Data Centre and network extension with state-of-the-a
features and EMC documentum software for digitization of documents, creating meta data and linking such files to the users’
wherever and whenever they are required. About six modules have been already implemented and given to users. Further six
will get rolled out in November 2008. Phase I of the ERP will be fully operational by March 2009. This facility will be unique and
the first in educational setup with central universities in India. The ERP solution is through ORACLE’s Peoplesoft and has
 ERP explained – integration with one and all through centralized data base

managed service provisioning (MSP) for four years, after the implementation, through the service provider and the system
M/s TCS.

IT INFRASTRUCTURE SET UP & SERVICES

As its major role in getting the IT infrastructure procured and set up all over the country, the Division has played pivotal role
established a much rich infrastructure with thousands of computers and such resources. Computer Division, as its one of
responsibilities, has developed a very significant chain of web based applications. Entire student specific support is throug
(Single Window Information and Student Support). Following gives a glimpse of the facilities supported through SWISS for
students.
 SWISS – for web enabled student support

As the name spells out, SWISS also contains as a single platform even for those who are not IGNOU students but are inte
IGNOU’s programme and becoming IGNOU’s students in future. Under this platform all are available for query in genera
students and otherwise.

Capacity building through regular training on various fields/topics, are regularly done through the Division and also through
(Staff Training and Research Institute in Distance Education).

Other activities, during the year, from the Division include setting up the Training Centre for IUC (Inter University Consortium)
East Asian countries; joint activity for testing of IP based Teleconferencing and Web casting through a team consisting of mem
Computer Division, EMPC, and CEMCA.

KIOSKS at Regional and Study Centres

SWISS is also made available through web enabled KIOSKS most of which are under installation and commissioning at th
IGNOU’s Regional Centres and select Study Centres. About 150 such KIOSKS have been delivered and are being set up for t
of IGNOU students and otherwise.

On Line Admission and On Line Recruitment Form Submission

The Division, having received the request to extend online facilities further, has developed and implemented two more ap
during the year. Both the applications are web enabled and accessible through IGNOU web site. On Line Admission system w
public on the 23rd Foundation day of the University on November 19, 2008 by Hon’be Vice Chancellor, Professor V N Raja
Pillai. The other application i.e. Online Recruitment was put in operation for the applicants desirous of the Multi Skill job in IGN

LAPTOPS to IGNOU ACADEMICS

The university took further initiative to strengthen all its faculty and academic staff by providing each of them with a laptop to w
wherever they want to using the internet connectivity.
organized network of Regional Centers and study centers that cater to the diverse needs of about 1.5 million
students all over the world.

IGNOU is now going for a revamp of IT infrastructure, through use of ICT (Information and Communication
Technologies), Document Management System and Infrastructure Development to improve the effectiveness
and the management of education in , and has embarked on a journey towards modernization and
computerization of its operations in a phased manner.
Scope of the Project
1. IMS for Back- Office
IGNOU is going for automation of its back office processes like Human Resources, Payroll, Purchasing, Finance
etc to cater to the requirements of the Head Quarter for approx. 1500 IGNOU employees. This initiative has
been named as “Integrated Management System”.
The IMS would involve systematic design, development, deployment and managed service provisioning (MSP).
In this direction, TCS has come up with an ERP Solution- PeopleSoft for back office processes of IGNOU.

PeopleSoft supports institutions of all sizes and types as an integrated suite of proven, scalable, enterprise-wide
applications on a single database. It is cost effective and has unique features for educational institutions.
This phase will include implementation of Finance, Payroll, HR, Purchasing, Inventory and other administrative
modules.
TCS will customize and implement three modules of PeopleSoft ERP Package for IGNOU.
 PeopleSoft Human Capital Management, Version 9.0

 Core HR

 Self Service HR

 Global

 PeopleSoft Financials and Supply Chain Management Modules, Version 9.0 Financials

 Accounts Payable, Accounts receivable, Fixed Assets, Cash/Bank Management

 Purchasing
 Materials & Inventory

 Project Costing

 PeopleSoft Enterprise Performance Management, Version 9.0

 scorecard

 Planning and Budgeting

2. Digitization
TCS will create an infrastructure for the digitization of IGNOU documents. These digitized documents would be
stored in a Document Management System and made accessible to the authorized users of IGNOU.
3. Procurement of supporting IT Infrastructure and related services
TCS will procure all the equipments for setting up the required supporting IT infrastructure within the . The
related services would include:
 Campus connectivity

 Data center

 Security

 Network Node Manager to manage the infrastructure

4. Training and Education
TCS would impart following training to IGNOU staff:
 PeopleSoft- for different modules, usage knowledge will be given.

 NON PeopleSoft - MS Office, Windows OS, Computer Concepts

5. Post Implementation Support

TCS will provide post implementation support for 4 years after Go-Live.
CORE TEAM
The Core Team consists of representatives from IGNOU who act as an interface between TCS team and IGNOU
and are closely associated with the ERP implementation project.
These representatives belong to different divisions of IGNOU who have the requisite functional knowledge about
the operating procedures of their respective divisions.
The Core Team gets regular updates about the project status and is authorized to recommend decisions. The
Core Team members take an active participation in carrying out the support activities for successful
implementation of ERP at IGNOU.

Functional Area/Module Resource (Division)

General Ledger Mr. Aseem, Mr. Hemadri (F & A)

Accounts Payable Mr. M.P. Singh & Ms. Kanchan

Mr. Israni, Ms. Shashi (All F&A)

Accounts Receivable & Fee Receipts Mr. Kaul & Ms. Rama Kapoor (Finance)

Asset Management Mr. Aseem (Finance), Mr. Bhandari(CPU),

Mr. Vinod Khanna(Admin)
Dr. Arun Kumar(RSD), Mr. O.P. Srivastav(EMPC)

Cash Ms. Shashi & Mr. Israni (Finance)

Investments Mr. Kaul (Finance)

Budgeting Mr. Kaul & Ms. C. Kaul (Finance)

Maintenance Management Mr. U.P Sharma (CMD), Mr. Sudhir Reddy (CDU),

Audit Mr. Cherian & Mr. Munjal (Finance)

EMF Projects Ms. Kanchan, Mr. Papreja (Finance)

Ms. Suman Taneja,

Purchase Ms. Manjula Verma (Finance), Mr Vivek (MPDD),

Mr. Juneja(CPU), Mr. Prashanth(EMPC),
Mr. U.P. Sharma(CMD), Mr. Sudhir Reddy(CDU)

Project Costing Mr. M.P. Singh (Finance), Mr. U.P. Sharma (CMD)
 Mr. Sudhir Reddy (CDU)

Inventory Mr. Vivek (MPDD), Mr, Bhandari (CPU),

Mr. Prashant (EMPC)

Employee Expenses Mr. Jojy & Sharma(Admin)

Salary Mr. Sanjay, Mr. K.G. Rao (Finance)

Recruitment Mr. Jagdish & Mr. Narendra (Admin)

Mr. Shastri(Academic Coordination)

Employee Administration/Establishment Mr. Ashwani, Mr. Srinivasan, Ms. Vidya (Admin)

Mr. Shastri(Academic Coordination)

Loans & Advances (Coordination) Sharma & Mr. Vinod Khanna (Admin)

Pension & Provident Fund Mr. K.G. Rao & Ms. Dipika (Finance)

General Administration Mr. Jojy & Mr. Dagar (Admin)

Employee learning/Training Administration Dr. Basanti Pradhan, Ms. Rose, Ms. G. Maithili

Library and Documentation Mr. Parveen Babbar

SAHAJ & IGNOU Bring Higher Education to Villages

A giant step towards Bridging the Rural- Urban Divide
New Delhi, 8 June 2009: Srei Sahaj e-Village Limited, a subsidiary of Srei Infrastructure
Finance Limited, has partnered with Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), the largest
Open University offering distance learning programmes, today to deliver international quality
education at affordable costs to the rural population of India through 27,000 Common Service
Centres (CSCs) that Sahaj is setting up in the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Uttar
Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, and Jammu & Kashmir.
This prestigious partnership is aimed at making higher education available to the villagers in their
own villages thus bridging the massive rural-urban educational gap. An estimated 100 million
rural youth population across the country stands to benefit through the Sahaj-IGNOU partnership.
Srei Sahaj-IGNOU will jointly develop new certificated programmes especially designed for the
rural youth, providing training in a blended learning environment to enable students to undertake
a range of internationally recognized qualifications.
All courses will be accredited to IGNOU for its use. Srei Sahaj will administer the programmes
including enrolments, registration, fee collection, evaluation and do the certification online or
manually (by IGNOU directly).
Currently there is a yawning gender gap in the educational status of boys and girls and more so
amongst the disadvantaged castes and tribes. Cultural, social and economic factors still prevent
girls and SC/ST youth from getting educational opportunities. The net enrollment ratio of the rural
youth stands at a mere 7.48 percent for boys and 4.5% for girls, remarkably lower than 17.84%
and 16.9% respectively for urban boys and girls.
The Srei Sahaj – IGNOU partnership will help bridge this gigantic educational barrier within the
rural landscape. With the use of modern ICT platform of Sahaj available at 12,000 Gram
Panchayat units, the prestigious IGNOU higher education will be made available to the rural
youth in digital format at the Sahaj Common Service Centers (CSCs). The rural youth would have
unprecedented opportunities to acquire IGNOU’s internationally recognized certification,
diplomas, degrees right in their village within a distance of 3 kilometers of their homes at ICT
backed, computerized Sahaj CSCs. By the end of 2008-09, Srei Sahaj-IGNOU promises to make
this on-line university available at 27,255 CSCs in the states of Assam, Bihar, Jammu and
Kashmir, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
The education gap cannot be bridged by merely building more universities, as it would mean
acquiring land and putting together the necessary infrastructure for thousands and thousands of
new universities to cater to the 150 million college-age rural youth. On-line Universities, which do
not require physical infrastructure, have facilitated greater accessibility to education world over.
This is especially true for kinds of courses designed to cater to the needs of students who do not
have financial backup or family support. The Sahaj-IGNOU tie up aimed at re-engineering higher
education will bring in great advantage to women and those who cannot afford to travel and live in
the cities for education.
Commenting on the collaboration, Hemant Kanoria, Chairman & Managing Director, Srei said “As
acquiring higher degrees is directly related to greater socio-economic status, this is a powerful
step towards making the growth and development of India broad-based and accessible by the
hitherto, remote, marginalized and disadvantaged communities.”
Elaborating on the partnership, Dr Sabahat Azim, CEO, Srei-Sahaj said, “This is historic step to
bridge the educational gap between Rural and Urban India. Now parents who for their own socio-
economic reasons were diffident about sending their wards to pursue higher education can now
rest easy. Girls who could not pursue higher education can do so from their own villages. In the
next three months this partnership would be operationalised and with that I believe we would set
up a landmark in the area of Public-Private Partnership model to meet pressing social needs.
Soon we will extend these centres to all common service centre across India by partnering with
other Service Center Agencies under the National e-Governance Plan of DIT, Government of
India.”
About Srei Sahaj e-Village Limited
Srei Sahaj e-Village Ltd. is a subsidiary of Srei Infrastructure Finance Ltd. It is a business
integrator in the field of IT infrastructure with a focus on rural India. It has 65 offices across 6
states and is emerging as one of the largest implementers of ICT-based projects in India. It has
taken up the task of eliminating the undemocratic digital divide between rural and urban India,
under the flagship of NeGP of the Government of India. It brings government, business, and
services to the rural India through an expanding network of Village Level Franchisee Partners.
Srei-Sahaj is set to launch 26,146 CSCs across the country. Above 12,000 CSCs have already
been established, providing a single-window, one stop solution to the citizen’s needs, under the
Private-Public- Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
The parent company of Sahaj, Srei, is a Holistic Infrastructure Institution, constantly and
consistently ideating to deliver innovative solutions in infrastructure space, thus playing a
significant role in nation-building for over two decades, both in urban and rural India. Srei’s
businesses include Infrastructure Equipment Leasing & Finance, Infrastructure Project
Finance, Advisory & Development, Insurance Broking, Venture Capital, Capital Market and
Sahaj e -Village. Srei has a pan-India presence with a network of 63 offices and has also
replicated its business model overseas with three offices in Russia. Srei is the first Indian
infrastructure financing institution to get listed on the London Stock Exchange. Srei Equipment
Finance Pvt. Ltd., a joint venture between Srei Infrastructure and BNP Paribas Lease Group, a
wholly owned subsidiary of BNP Paribas, is a Srei Group company engaged in Infrastructure
Equipment Leasing and Financing Business.
For further information, please contact:
Braj Kishore
Vice President and Head
Corporate Communications & Brand Management
Srei Infrastructure Finance Limited
Mobile: 098360 35599
Email: braj.kishore@srei.com
Debaditya Chaudhury / Nishant Kela
Blue Lotus PR
Mobile: 9831093508 / 9874189149
Email: debaditya@bluelotuspr.com
Background Note for the editors:
1. Under the Prime Minister Flagship National E Governance Plan, Srei-Sahaj e-Village Ltd,
a subsidiary of Srei Infrastructure Finance Limited, has taken up the task of eliminating
the undemocratic digital split between rural and urban India. It brings government,
business and services to the rural India through an expanding network of Village Level
Franchisee Partners i.e., Village Level Entrepreneurs.
2. Today, Srei-Sahaj in partnership with its 12,000 Village Level Entrepreneurs, is serving
about 160 million rural citizens.
3. Sahaj is mandated to set up a total of about 27000 Common service Centres in states of
Assam , Bihar, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal. Recently it tied up with
Jammu and Kashmir Bank to help roll out the CSC project in the challenging terrain of
Jammu and Kashmir.
4. A total of 32 services are now available at Sahaj CSCs including digital photography,
digital video-shoot, NREGA photograph, NREGA data collection, government form
submission, information regarding electoral processes- addition and deletion in the
electoral roll, data entry (LA and LR), DTP, ROR, Internet, death certificate, birth
certificate, property tax payment, agricultural soil testing, agricultural diagnosis, e-
Learning, electric bill collection (WBSEDCL), BSNL bill collection, mobile top ups, railway
reservation, LIC premium collection, advertising, rural-job portal and examination results.
There are many more services in the offing like e-Commerce, matrimonial services,
distance education, postal service, IEC (Information, Education and Communication), and
infotainment.
5. Visit www.sanajcorporate.com for more information
WIKEPEDIA

In 1970 (International Education Year), the Ministry of Education and Social Welfare in collaboration
with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the UGC and the Indian National Commission for
cooperation with UNESCO, organised a seminar on `Open University'. The seminar recommended the
establishment of an open university in India on an experimental basis. The Government of India
appointed eight member working group on Open University in 1974. The leading role was given to G.
Parthasarathi, the then Vice-Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University.
The working group had recommended establishing an Open University by an act of parliament as early
as possible. The university should have jurisdiction over the entire country so that, when it is fully
developed, any student even in the remotest corner of the country can have access to its instruction and
degrees (Working Group Report, 1974).
The working group suggested several measures to be followed in instructional and management
processes of the open university which include: admission procedure, age relaxation, preparation of
reading materials, setting up of core group scholars in different fields, setting up of study centres,
vehicle of curricular programmes, live contact with teachers, and so on. On the basis of the
recommendations of the working group, the Union Government prepared a draft bill for the
establishment of a National Open University, but due to some reasons the progress was delayed.
In 1985 the Union Government made a policy statement for establishment of a national open university.
A Committee was constituted by the Ministry of Education to chalk out the plan of action of the
national Open University. On the basis of the report of the Committee, the Union Government
introduced a Bill in the Parliament. In August 1985, both the Houses of the Parliament passed the Bill.
Subsequently, the National Open University came into existence on September 20, 1985. It was named
after late Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi. The Indira Gandhi National Open University (established
by the Act of Parliament) is responsible for introducing and promoting distance education at the
university level, and for coordinating, determining and maintaining standards in such systems
functioning in the country.
In 1989, the first Convocation was held and more than 1,000 students graduated and were awarded
their diplomas. IGNOU audio-video courses were first broadcasted by radio and television in 1990 and
IGNOU awarded degrees received full recognition by the University Grants Commission in 1992 as
being equivalent to those of other universities in the country [5].
In 1999, IGNOU launched the first virtual campus in India [6], beginning with the delivery of
Computer and Information Sciences courses via the Internet. (NARESH DUA)

[edit] Prominent Features of IGNOU

IGNOU has the following prominent features:
• National jurisdiction
• Relaxed admission rules
 • Flexibility in terms of place, pace and duration of study
• Flexibility in choosing the combination of courses
• Student support services
• Use of specially prepared course materials
• Use of latest communication technologies
• Cost effective programmes
• Modular programmes
• Reformed mode of evaluation
• Two term-end examinations in a year
• Resource sharing, collaboration and networking with other open universities/distance learning
institutions
• Training and research in distance education.

[edit] Schools
IGNOU currently serves approximately 1.4 million students in India and 35 countries abroad in eleven
schools and a network of 58 regional centres, 7 sub-regional centres, 1400 study centres, and 41
overseas centres. Approximately 10% of all students enrolled in higher education in India are enrolled
with IGNOU [7]. IGNOU offers 125 academic programs comprising 1100 courses at certificate,
diploma and degree levels. In addition, a number of non-accredited extension and skill-oriented
programmes are on offer through the twenty-one Schools:
• 1. School of Humanities
• 2. School of Social Sciences
• 3. School of Sciences
• 4. School of Education
• 5. School of Continuing Education
• 6. School of Engineering & Technology
• 7. School of Management Studies
• 8. School of Health Sciences
• 9. School of Computer & Information Sciences
• 10. School of Agriculture
• 11. School of Law
• 12. School of Journalism and New Media Studies
• 13. School of Gender and Development Studies
• 14. School of Tourism Hospitality Service Sectoral Management
• 15. School of Interdisciplinary and Trans-disciplinary Studies
• 16. School of Social Work
• 17. School of Vocational Education and Training
• 18. School of Extension and Development Studies
• 19. School of Foreign Languages
• 20. School of Translation Studies and Training
• 21. School of Performing and Visual Arts
• 22. School of Computer and desigining
[edit] Programmes
[edit] Ph.D. Programmes
Education,Economics,History,Tourism Studies,Library & Information Science,Public
Administration,Sociology,Political Science,Mathematics,Physics,Hindi, English, Management,
Commerce, Women's Studies, Rural Development, Social Work, Child Development, Nursing, Gender
and Development Studies, Food and Nurtrition, Distance Education, Sri Aurbindo Studies, Agriculture
Extension, Computer Science, Mass Communication.

[edit] Master of Philosophy (M.Phil)

Computer Science

[edit] Master’s Degree Programmes

Master of Arts in Distance Education (MADE),Master in English (MEG),Master in Hindi
(MHD),Master in Economics (MEC),Master in History (MAH),Master in Education MA(EDU),Master
in Political Science (MPS),Master in Public Administration (MPA),Master in Sociology (MSO),Master
in Social Work,M.A. in Rural Development, M.A.(RD),Master in Tourism Management (MTM),Master
of Commerce (MCOM),Master in Computer Applications (MCA),Master in Library and Information
Science (MLIS),Master's of Science Degree in Dietetics and Food Service Management {MSc.
(DFSM)},M.Sc (Mathematics with Applications in Computer ion in HRD/
Finance/Operations/Marketing (MBA),Master of Business Administration (Banking & Finance)
(MBF),Master of Science in Hospitality Administration (MHA),Master in Public Policy(MPP),Master
of Commerce - M.Com (In Finance and Taxation) (MCOM, F&T),Master of Commerce in Business
Policy and Corporate Goverence - M.Com (BP & CG),Master of Commerce in Management
Accounting and Financial Strategies- M.Com (MA & FS),Master of Education (M.Ed.), Master of
Intellectual Property Laws (MIPL).

[edit] Bachelor’s Degree Programmes

Bachelor in Information Technology (BIT),Bachelor in Tourism Studies (BTS),Bachelor in Computer
Applications (BCA),Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com),Bachelor of Arts (BA),Bachelor of Science
(B.Sc.),Bachelor of Social Work (BSW),Bachelor In Library and Information Science (BLIS),Bachelor
of Science in Nursing (Post Basic) {B.Sc. N(PB)},B.Sc. (Hons) in Optometry and Ophthalmic
Techniques(BSCHOT), Bachelor in Technology in Civil (Construction Management) (BTCM),
Bachelor in Technology in Civil (Water Resource Engineering) (BTWRE), B.Tech. Mechanical
Engineering (Computer Integrated Manufacturing) (BTME), Bachelor’s Preparatory Programme
Leading to BA, B.com for non 10+2 (BPP),Bachelor of Education (B. Ed), Bachelor of Science
(Hospitality and hotel Administration) (BHM), Bachelor of Commerce (with Major in Accountancy
and Finance) (B.Com. (A&F)), Bachelor of Commerce (with Major in Corporate Affairs and
Administration) (B.Com. (CA&A)),Bachelor of Commerce (with Major in Financial and Cost
Accounting) (B.Com. (F&CA)), Bachelor in Nautical Science Leading to B.Sc. Nautical Science (B.Sc,
(NS), B.Tech. AeroSpace Engineering (BTAE), B.A. Fashion Merchandising and Production (BA
(MP)) B.A. Textile Design (BA (TD)),B.A. Fashion Design (BA (FD)), B.A. International Hospitality
Administration (BA (IHA)). CORRESPONDENTS COURSES
[edit] PG Diploma Programmes
Post Graduate Diploma in Community Cardiology (PGDCC) P.G.Diploma in Distance Education.
(PGDDE) P. G. Diploma in Higher Education (PGDHE) P.G. Diploma in Library Automation &
Networking (PGDLAN) P. G. Diploma in Maternal and Child Health (PGDMCH) P.G.Diploma in
Hospital and Health Management (PGDHHM) P.G. Diploma in Geriatric Medicine (PGDGM) P. G.
Diploma in Rural Development (PGDRD) P.G. Diploma in Radio Prasaran(PGDRP) P. G. Diploma in
Translation (PGDT) P. G. Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication (PGJMC) P.G. Diploma in
Audio Programme Production(PGDAPP) P.G. Diploma in International Business Operations
(PGDIBO) Post Graduate Diploma in Disaster Management (PGDDM) Post Graduate Diploma in
Intellectual Property Rights (PGDIPR) Post Graduate Diploma in Environment & Sustainable
Development (PGDESD) Post Graduate Diploma in Educational Technology (PGDET) Post Graduate
Diploma in School Leadership and Management (PGDSLM) P.G. Diploma in Participatory
Management of Displacement Resettlement and Rehabilitation (PGDMRR) P. G. Diploma in Financial
Management (PGDFM) P. G. Diploma in Human Resource Management (PGDHRM) P. G. Diploma in
Management (PGDIM) P. G. Diploma in Marketing Management (PGDMM) P.G. Diploma in
Operations Management (PGDOM) P.G. Diploma in Social Work (PGDSW) P.G. Diploma in
Pharmaceutical Sales Management (PGDPSM) Post Graduate Diploma in Food Safety and Quality
Management (PGDFSQM) P.G. Diploma in Legal Process Outsourcing (Online) (PGDLPO) P.G.
Diploma in Disability Management for Medical Practioners (PGDDM-MP) P.G. Diploma in Security
Operations (PGDSO)

[edit] Advance Diploma Programmes

Advanced Diploma in Construction Management (ADCM), Advanced Diploma in Water Resources
Engineering (ADWRE) advanedhok'pl;,\ jkbiioklajhyizajkas
'===Diploma Programmes=== Diploma in Civil Engineering (G) (DCLE(G)), Diploma in HIV and
Family Education (DAFE), Diploma in Creative Writing in English (DCE), Diploma in Youth in
Development Work (DCYP), Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education (DECE), Diploma in
Nutrition & Health Education (DNHE), Diploma in Tourism Studies (DTS), Diploma in Women's
Empoerment and Development (DWED), Diploma in Value Added Products in Fruits and Vegitables
(DVAPFA), Diploma in Production of Value Added Products from Cereals, Pulses and Oilseeds
(DPVCPO), Diploma in Meat Technology (DMT), Diploma in Dairy Technology (DDT), Diploma in
Nursing Administration (DNA), Diploma in Mechanical Engineering(DME), Diploma in Retailing
(DIR), Diploma in BPO Finance and Account (DBPOFA), Diploma in Management (DIM), Diploma in
Primary Education (DPE), Diploma in Civil Engineering (Army Personnel only) (DCLE), Diploma in
Electrical & Mechanical Engineering (Army Personnel only) (DEME). diploma in nutrition & health
education

[edit] PG Certificate Programmes

PG Certificate in Professional Development of Teachers (PGCPDT), PG Certificate in Cyber Law
(PGCCL), PG Certificate in Patent Practice (PGCPP), Post Graduate Certificate in Endodontics
(PGCE), Post Graduate Certificate in Implantology (PGCOM), Post Graduate Certificate in Project
Management (PGCPM), Post Graduate Certificate in Security Operations (PGCSO), PG Certificate in
Agriculture Policy PGCAP.
[edit] Advance Certificate Programmes
Advanced Certificate in Power Distribution Management(ACPDM)

[edit] Certificate Programmes

Certificate in Disaster Management (CDM) Certificate in Environmental Studies (CES) Certificate in
Food & Nutrition (CFN) Certificate in Human Rights (CHR) Certificate in Computing (CIC)
Certificate in Guidance (CIG) Certificate in Sericulture (CIS) Certificate in Organic Farming (COF)
Certificate in Nutrition and Child Care (CNCC) Certificate in Consumer Protection (CCP) Certificate
in Rural Development (CRD) Certificate in the Teaching of English (CTE) Certificate in Tourism
Studies (CTS) Certificate in Laboratory Techniques (CPLT) Certificate in HIV and Family Education
(CAFE) Certificate in Food Safety (CFS) Certificate in Health Care Waste Management (CHCWM)
Certificate in Competency Enhancement for ANM/FHW (CCEANM) Certificate Programme In
Newborn and Infant Care (CNIC) Certificate Programme in Maternal and Child Health care (CMCHC)
Certificate in Teaching of Primary School Mathematics (CTPM) Certificate in Business Skills (CBS)
Certificate in Functional English (Basic Level) (CFE) Certificate Programme in German Language
(CGL) Certificate in Community Radio (CCR) Certificate in NGO Management (CNGOM) Certificate
in Primary Education (CPE) Certificate in Primary Teaching (Module-I of BPE) (CPT) Certificatein
Primary Curriculum and Instruction (Module-II of BPE) (CPC) Certificate Programme in Spanish
Language (CSL) Certificate in Craft and Design (Pottery) (CCDP) Certificate in Shoe Upper Cutting
(CSUC) Certificate in Shoe Upper Stiching (CSUS) Certificate in Shoe Lasting and Finishing (CSLY)
Certificate in Elementary Teacher Education (CETE)

[edit] Non Credit Programme

Computer Literacy Programme (CLP) Certificate Programme in Motorcycle Service and Repair
(CMSR) Awareness - Cum - Training Packages in Disability (Mental Retardation Visual Impairment,
Hearing Impairment and Cerebral Palsy)

[edit] Appreciation Programmes

Appreciation Course on Environment (ACE) Appreciation Course on Sustainablity Science (Online)
(APSS) Programme in Dairy Farming for Farmers (ADPF) Value Added Products from Fruits—zulfi
sheth 18:11, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Divisions
The Indira Gandhi National Open University has the following Eleven Divisions to take care of various
activities.
• Academic and Coordination Division
• Administrative Division
• Construction and Maintenance
• Computer Division
• Finance and Accounts Division
• International Division
• Library and Documentation Division
• Material Production and Distribution
• Planning and Development Division
 • Regional Services Division
• Student Registration and Evaluation

[edit] Institutes, cells, centers, and consortia

• Distance Education Council
• Electronic Media Production Center
• National Centre for Innovations in Distance Education
• Inter-University Consortium For Technology-Enabled Flexible Education & Development
• Centre for Extension Education
• Staff Training and Research Institute of Distance Education
• National Council for Differently Abled
• Public Information Unit
• Hindi Cell
• Legal Cell
• SC/ST
• Vigilance Cell
• Horticulture Cell

[edit] Accreditation & Recognition

IGNOU is granted the authority to confer degrees by Clause 5(1)(iii) of the IGNOU Act 1985. IGNOU
is also recognised as a Central University by the University Grants Commission of India [8]. The
Association of Indian Universities (AIU) recognises IGNOU conferred degrees as on par with the
degrees conferred by its members [9][10] and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)
recognises the Master of Computer Applications and Master of Business Administration program of
IGNOU [11].
In 1993, IGNOU was designated by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) as its first Centre of
Excellence for Distance Education empowered "to actively participate in Commonwealth co-operative
endeavours to identify, nurture, and strengthen open learning institutions throughout the
Commonwealth, particularly in the Third World .." [12].
IGNOU also operates as an accreditor for open university and distance education systems in India
through the Distance Education Council (DEC). Authority to do so is granted under Clause 16 and
Statute 28 of the IGNOU Act 1985 [13].

[edit] Convocations in the Past

Number of
Degrees/
Convocation Held On Chief Guest Designation Honoris causa Awarded Diplomas/
Certificates
/ Awarded
Sh. Rajiv Dr. Shridath S. Ramphal,
Ist 21.02.1989 Prime Minister 1171
Gandhi Secretary General, COL
Dr. S. D.
IInd 27.04.1991 Vice President 3807
Sharma
 Minister for
Sh. Arjun
IIIrd 25.04.1992 Human Resource 4907
Singh
Development
Sh. R. Former President Prof. G. Ram Reddy,
IVth 05.05.1993 4444
Venkataraman of India Former VC of IGNOU
Prof. James A Prof. James A Maraj,
Vth 16.04.1994 President of COL 7580
Maraj President of COL
Ministry for
Sh. Madhav
VIth 06.05.1995 Human Resource 9246
Rao Scindia
Development
Chairman,
Justice R.N. National Human
VIIth 11.05.1996 12301
Mishra Rights
Commission
Deputy Chairman,
Prof. Madhu
VIIIth 08.03.1997 Planning 16149
Dandavate
Commission
Sh. Krishna
IXth 07.03.1998 Vice President 25080
Kanth
Ms. Mahasweta Devi,
Dr. Karan Member of
Xth 14.03.1999 Eminent Writer & Social 33119
Singh Parliament
Worker
Deputy Chairman Prof. V. C.
XIth 04.03.2000 Sh. K. C. Pant Planning Kulandaiswamy, Former 53328
Commission VC of IGNOU
Prof. M. G. K.
XIIth 03.03.2001 Eminent Scientist 62369
Menon
Minister for
Prof. Murali
XIIIth 21.03.2002 Human Resource 78074
Manohar Joshi
Development
• Sir John Daniel
Assistant Director
• Dr. K.
General, UNESCO
XIVth 22.02.2003 Sir John Daniel Kasturirangan, 81931
and Former VC of
Chairman, ISRO
UKOU
Former Chairman,
• Field Marshal S.
ISRO and Former
H. F. J.
Secretary
Manekshaw
Dr. K. Department of
XVth 21.02.2004 • H. H. Shaikh 74603
Kasturirangan Space,
Khalifa Bin
Government of
Salman Al-Khalifa
India, Member of
Rajya Sabha
XVIth 05.03.2005 His Excellency, President of India • Kamal Idris, 71298
Dr. A. P. J. Director General,
Abdul Kalam World Intellectual
 Property
Organisation(WIP
O), Geneva
• Dr. G. Madhavan
Nair, Chairman,
ISRO

Chairman, Atomic
Energy
• Sh. N.R. Narayana
Commission and
Dr. Anil Murthy, Chairman,
XVIIth 18.02.2006 Secretary, 75174
Kakodkar Infosys
Department of
Atomic Energy,
Govt. of India
• Prof. M. S.
Swaminathan,
Hon'ble Justice
Chief Justice of Renowned
XVIIIth 17.03.2007 K. G. 111699
India Agricultural
Balakrishnan
Scientist

• Prof. C. N. R. Rao
• Dr. Anil Kakodkar
• Prof.
Hon'ble Vice- M.S.Valiathan
Dr. Hamid
XIXth 16.02.2008 President, • Pandit Shiv Kumar 101346
Ansari
Republic of India • Prof. Rahman Rahi
• Prof. Indira
Goswami

[edit] eGyanKosh
The website eGyanKosh shares digital learning resources developed by open and distance learning
institutions in the India. Items in eGyanKosh are protected by copyright and registration is free.

[edit] See also

• List of universities in India
• Universities and colleges in India
• Education in India
• Distance Education Council
• University Grants Commission (India)

[edit] References
1. ^ [1][2]
2. ^ Dept of Education, India: The Indira Gandhi National Open University Act, 1985 (Act No. 50
of 1985) (URL last accessed on April 29, 2007)
 3. ^ World Intellectual Property Organization: Indian University Honors WIPO Director General
(URL last accessed on April 29, 2007)
4. ^ IGNOU Website: Objectives (URL last accessed on April 29, 2007)
5. ^ IGNOU Website: Milestones (URL last accessed on April 29, 2007)
6. ^ Newsbytes: IGNOU Launches First Virtual University in India, July 6, 1999 (URL last
accessed on April 29, 2007)
7. ^ IGNOU Website: IGNOU - A Brief Profile (URL last accessed on April 29, 2007)
8. ^ UGC Website: Universities Directory - Indira Gandhi National Open University (URL last
accessed on April 29, 2007)
9. ^ UGC: UGC Circular No. F1-52/2000 (CPP-II), May 5, 2004
10.^ AIU: AIU Circular No. EV/B(449)/94/176915-177115,January 14, 1994
11.^ AICTE: AICTE/Academic/MOU-DEC/2005, May 13, 2005
12.^ COL Website: IGNOU named "Centre of Excellence", COMLEARN, October 1993 (URL
last accessed on April 29, 2007)
13.^ DEC Website: Statutory Authority

[edit] External links

• Indira Gandhi National University - Official website

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KOCHI - The Indira Gandhi National Open
University (IGNOU), The Advanced Center for
Informatics and Innovative Learning (ACIIL) • Future of Microsoft Technology!
and IBM India have signed an MoU that would
re-invent IT education in the country.

As a part of the MoU, IGNOU and IBM India

would partner each other skills to students on
IT standards in emerging verticals like
healthcare, financial services and retail that
have a significant growth potential, in addition
to providing open source software skills and
open standards, with live projects.
Attend
The three programs that will be offered in the Microsoft PDC09 November 17-19,
first phase under this MoU would include: A 2009 in Los Angeles! Get immersed in
Certificate in Open Source Software, Diploma keynotes and jump start product
in Open Source Software and Industry Vertical planning with sessions about the future
Domain Open Standards and Advanced of Windows, the Web, devices,
Diploma in Industry Vertical Domain Open developer tools, and our services
Standards (Healthcare/ Retail/ Insurance). platform. Register by September 15th
and save $500! Visit
The Innovation Centre for Open Standards www.MicrosoftPDC.com.
(iCos), an online platform, will be the Read more...
underlying framework for the engagement
between the IBM and the IGNOU for the
execution of the courses.

The IBM iCos platform links students' project

based learning with IT industry and mentors.
This will be seamlessly integrated to IGNOU's
in house developed Unified Learning Platform
in due course.

This effort will fill up the finishing school • Crucial:

efforts of the IT Industry today, enabling the
day one deployment.
The students will immensely benefit from the
flexibility of learning at their own pace,
anytime, anywhere and make the students
future-ready.
Speaking on this, Professor Srivathsan, Pro-
Vice Chancellor, IGNOU said, "The MoU aptly
fits into IGNOU's vision of democratizing the
education and offering quality education to all.
It opens up the modernization of IT and
Computer Science education as well as their
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Workshop Report #71

Consultative Meeting for
Open Distance Learning Programs in Agriculture
New Delhi, India
March 18, 2005
Organized by IGNOU
July 12, 2005
1
Compiled by Indrani Lahiri
Workshop Report #7
Consultative Meeting for
Open Distance Learning Programs in Agriculture
New Delhi, India
March 18, 2005
The knowledge gap is an important factor in enlarging the divide between the rich and poor, both
among and within nations.. In the agriculture sector, the rising cost of higher education along
with other disincentives such as the lack of employment opportunities, declining teaching
standards, and limited access to further education has constrained the capacity to develop well-
trained experts in developing countries. Presently, the widening gulf between global advances in
agricultural science and technology and its dissemination to user groups in developing countries
has called for reorganizing the system and develop strategies wherein the large body of
knowledge generated by agriculture scientists and researchers globally are made accessible to a
larger audience.
It is well known that disseminating a large body of knowledge to a large and distributed user
Search
group can be addressed by a open and distance learning (ODL) system. The Global Open Food
and Agriculture University, an open distance education program of the Consultative Group on
International Agriculture Research (CGIAR) intends to reinvigorate the food and agricultural
system in developing countries by strengthening the capacity of universities to deliver high-
quality postgraduate agriculture education through ODL. . This CGIAR Program is to be
initially implemented in collaboration with selected distance education and traditional
universities in South Asia and Africa to strengthen their academic programs in Agricultural
Economics and Agroecology. The program is highly collaborative with partners in the
developing and developed countries.
On March 4, 2005. the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and the International
Subscribeofby
Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) signed a Memorandum Email... to collaborate
Understanding
in developing and delivering postgraduate level distance education courses in Agriculture. This
program further proposes to include several State Agricultural Universities (SAU’s) in India to
collaborate in developing and delivering these courses. As a first step towards forging linkages
between Agricultural Universities in India and the Global Open Food and Agriculture
University, a consultative meeting was organized at IGNOU on March 18, 2005 and vice
chancellors of six State Agricultural Universities—TamilTamil Nadu Agriculture University,
Coimbatore; G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar; Maharana Pratap
University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur; Narendera Deva University of Agriculture
and Technology, Faizabad; Rajendra Agriculture University, Pusa; and Yashwantrao Chavan
Maharashtra Open University, Nashik were initially invited. The objective of this preliminary
meeting was:
2
1. To learn about the Global Open Food and Agriculture University;
2. To discuss opportunities for open distance education in agriculture;
3. To determine the level of interest of each SAU in the Global Open Food and Agriculture
University; and
4. To identify areas of collaboration between SAU’s, the Open University, and IGNOU.
The discussion focused on
1. Strengths of collaborating systems.
2. Partnership issues,
3. Action plan and activities for the future program, and
4. Issues related to signing MOUs amongst the partnering organizations.
A number of issues emerged from these discussions and will form a basis for developing the
concept paper for implementing this Program in South Asia and developing the tripartite
agreement between the SAUs in India, IGNOU and CGIAR through IFPRI.
Strengths of the Collaborating Systems
During the proceedings, the disparity between the human resources needed for the transforming
agricultural sector and those being produced by the universities was discussed. It was agreed that
agriculture education today needs to be of high-quality, relevant, dynamic and provide livelihood
security. It was seen that the collaboration between IGNOU, SAUs, and the Global Open Food
and Agriculture University will help address this need. The objective of this collaboration should
be to develop a synergy to utilize the strengths of the different collaborating systems. It was also
agreed that distance education was the only mode by which this world-class knowledge in
agriculture, that was hereto inaccessible, can be made available to a wide array of agriculture
professionals of the developing world.
In India, the apex body of the universities, the University Grants Commission, has recognized
distance education as an important mode for imparting learning. During an all India meeting of
Vice Chancellors of Indian Agricultural Universities, the issue of using distance education was
discussed and it was mandated that in timeagricultural education through distance mode will be
an essential component of all agricultural universities. In India, IGNOU has an excellent
infrastructure that can be use to deliver the agriculture courses developed collaboratively by the
Open University partners. IGNOU presently offers 101 program with 900 courses through
distance mode via a network of 48 Regional Centers and 1,200 study centers in India. IGNOU
also offers some of its programs in 35 overseas centers especially in Asia and Africa,. IGNOU
has a strong School of Agriculture which is already involved in developing a Postgraduate
program in agriculture in collaboration with experts from IFPRI . Many agricultural universities
in India have signed MOUs with IGNOU for development and delivery of agriculture programs,
and several others are in the process. Although some agricultural universities are running non-formal
programs in Agriculture, keeping the strength of IGNOU in mind, the conventional Agricultural
3
Universities agreed that they would need to use IGNOU’s system for delivering these academic
programs
as they do not have experience in ODL.
.
The Agricultural universities in India have an immense knowledge base and have been
contributing to the agricultural development in their respective regions The SAUs taking part in
the consultative meeting viz Tamil Nadu Agriculture University University, Coimbatore; G. B.
Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar; Maharana Pratap University of
Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur; Narendera Deva University of Agriculture and
Technology, Faizabad and Rajendra Agriculture University, Pusa, are premier centrers for
agricultural education and research in India. Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University
(YCMOU) Nashik, the state/regional open university in Maharashtra state of India has a strong
department of agriculture and has been developing and delivering a number of agriculture
courses through distance mode in the Maharashtra state .
While discussing the ODL system, it was seen that the scope of ODL today is expanding and
ODL universities are better funded. With the growing interest in distance education they have the
capability of generating more revenue in the future. However the credibility of education through
ODL is sometimes questioned because of inconsistency in the examination and evaluation system.
Improving the credibility of degrees from Open Universities is an issue that will need special attention.
Attention will also be needed towards bringing about an attitudinal shift of partners universities from
teacher centric to learner centric learning. In the distance mode of learning and teaching there is
a basic pedagogical shift as the teacher becomes a facilitator for the motivated learner. The
challenge lies in ensuring the quality of teaching material matches the learning standard of the
learner.
Another issue discussed by the forum was the weak linkage between practical and theory in the
Indian Agricultural Education System. This weakness is mainly attributed to the resource crunch
being faced by some Agricultural Universities. The issue of resources will need to be kept in
mind when delivering the jointly developed Open University courses so that the on hand learning
aspect of the courses is not compromised. Doubts were raised by conventional universities about
the effectiveness of imparting practical education through distance mode. It was explained that
with experience IGNOU has learnt that conducting practicals through distance mode is very
convenient as the practical component is done through face-to-face teaching at the study center.
Preparation of the study material on the other hand, is more challenging as the teacher has to be
built into the text so that complete and comprehensive knowledge is delivered effectively
through the distance learning study material.
Delivery of ODL courses in developed countries is heavily dependent on technology and e-
learning methodologies. However it is essential to know how distance learners of developing
countries learn. The delivery model for the courses developed under this Program therefore has
to be framed accordingly and this common model can be implemented uniformly across South
Asia and Africa.
4
Partnerships
The CGIAR systems as well as the NAARS have tremendous human and physical assets, and
both systems have mutually benefited from each other in the past in terms of research and
education. IGNOU has established its credibility as the largest ODL university in the democratic world
and delivery of the courses through IGNOU was welcomed by the participating institutions. The forum
was informed that during prior discussions and meetings held by the CGIAR, it was decided
that this Program in collaboration with its partners would offer Postgraduate academic programs
in Agricultural. Certificate courses of 6 months duration, Diploma of 1 year duration and
Postgraduate Degree of 2 years duration could be considered. Doctoral or Research degree, if
offered could be for 3 years. The aim of this Program is to strengthen the collaborating partners
and also use the existing strengths of the collaborating partners. The forum was also informed that
while
GOAFU will not be in the business of giving degrees, it is positive about its logo being used in
the collaborative program. The participating experts however emphasized that the courses of this
collaborative Program should have uniform standard of content, delivery, evaluation and
certification and that the Global Open Food and Agricultural University would have to set
standards to achieve this end.
It was proposed that in the collaborative arrangement, the Open University Program could
undertake the needs assessment, prioritizing, monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment while the
regional universities could be involved in monitoring, certifying, and evaluating the programs. The
SAUS can also contribute to generating and incorporating local knowledge into the course and
curriculum content, developing study material, and mobilizing funds for the implementation of
this Program.
Many SAUs have already entered into MoU with other organizations and they welcomed
collaboration with the CGIAR system. The SAUS offered to give their research centers for use for
this Program and agreed to share the knowledge generated at their university. All the SAUs were
keen that their PhD students should be given the opportunity to undertake research at CGIAR
Centrers and financial support be provided by the Program.
At most universities in India, teachers are not upgrading their knowledge base and therefore
teaching is not dynamic and this issue is a major concerned of the represented universities. The
SAUs expressed that they would be looking at upgrading the skills and capabilities of the
teachers through training provided by the Open University Program, and CIAR's assistance in
conducting training programs for the faculty would be welcomed. It was also discussed that since
few scientists deliver content in the same fashing, the contribution of individual scientists will need to
be
reflected in material brought out through this collaborative arrangement. Agreement on the terms of
such
arrangements will need to agreed upon with all the partners of this Program.
Action Plan and Activities for the Future Program
In the action plan for the Global Open Food and Agriculture University, it has been decided that
postgraduate courses in agroecology and agricultural economics will be offered. As
globalization and free trade has brought about a shift in the knowledge requirements in South
5
Asia and Africa, it was proposed that a need assessment of the demand existing in the region
may be useful to identify the courses to be offered within the area of agroecology and
agricultural economics. Also, the selected courses for offering will need to be develop so they can be
adapted and expanded over time .
Although the experts agreed that the two areas, agroecology and agricultural economics have
been well thought of for implementation in the first phase, some experts were of the view that in
the fast changing needs of the region agroecology and economies may not offer job opportunities to
the learners. As agriculture is acquiring interface with industry, market oriented agriculture seems to be
the need and the courses being offered through this Program should be demand driven and should make
the students job generators and not job seekers. Some emerging frontier areas in agriculture like
biotechnology, food security, watershed management, knowledge management is agriculture and
information technology in agricultural development, agro biotech management (MBA), agro
biodiversity,
farming development and management, sustainable agriculture, research methods & statistical analysis,
project planning and management, knowledge management, entrepreneurship development, sustainable
development, operational research and strategic planning could be thought of and taken up in
subsequent phases.
Four to five years are required for developing a postgraduate programme. However this time frame can
be reduced by using material already developed in the CGIAR system and the partnering institutions,
and
converting them into distance education mode while ensuring that the quality of the material is
maintained. Also a strategy has to be developed on how to share experiences amongst the regions and
the
adaptation of the course material to the local level.
Modalities have to be worked out to ensure that the courses developed are of world class quality
and are internationally stamped. An implementation model for this will therefore need to be
developed with the consensus of the partnering organizations. For conversion of the material into
distance learning mode and delivery, the IGNOU model will first be looked into but the Open
Univesity
Program will be open to any method that will work. It was concluded that CGIAR through IFPRI could
organize content; IGNOU would focus on conversion into ODL mode and delivery while SAUs would
provide the local input. There would be a focus on quality and competitive fee structure and for
evaluation quality standards could be set by the Global Open Food and Agriculture University. The
Open
University will also focus on upgrading teaching staff through training of staff members.
Along with the strategy of bringing together and developing material, we will also need to think of
building capacity for systemic research in how to deliver distance education agriculture courses
through
distance mode. A small module on Distance Education may need to be incorporated within the course
to
bringSUBMIT
about a change in the mindset of the conventional learner.
Issues Related to Signing a MOU Amongst Partnering Organizations
All the participants wanted a clear mechanism on how the collaborative arrangement would work and
the
obligations of each organization clearly stated. Even through the Global Open Food and Agriculture
University is a virtual collaborative arrangement, it should have a structure. It was suggested that some
apex body, which could be IFPRI at Washington, could coordinate as the Headquarters while IGNOU
and
6
the University of South Africa (UNISA) could be Regional offices which would coordinate the working
of all partner universities in their region.
It was emphasized that the names of all the partners will need to be stated in any collaborative
arrangement. In India and the rest of South Asia, partnership with the CGIAR system will go a long
way
in giving credibility and a stamp of quality to the course.
 ✘

The mechanism for sharing finances and material was an important issue and all the institutions
expressed that in a collaborative arrangement, the regional universities (SAU's) should be given
proper status in terms of funds granted and there has to be proper sharing of resources and
receipt between the partners. Also the agriculture universities expressed that they would want the
degrees to be jointly given.
The issues thrown up during this discussion will form the basis for developing a concept paper on the
distinct areas of partnership and models for collaboration. The partnership model worked out can be
implemented in South Asia and other international ODL imparting organizations can also be partners in
this collaborative arrangement according to their strengths. The concept paper will be circulated among
the prospective partners for their views before another meeting is held.
List of Participants
X2
1. Prof. H. P. Dikshit
Vice- Chancellor, IGNOU
2. Prof. S. C. Garg
Pro-Vice-Chancellor, IGNOU
3. Dr. Panjab Singh
Professor, SOA, IGNOU
4. Dr. Suresh Babu
IFPRI, Washington
5. Dr. Rex Navarro X
ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India
6. Ms. Valerie Rhoe
IFPRI, Washington
7. Dr. P. L. Gautam / Dr S. P Gupta, Director, Extn and Communication X
Vice Chancellor,
G. B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology,
Pant Nagar, Udham Singh Nagar, Uttaranchal
8. Dr. C. Ramasamy
Vice Chancellor,
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
2
X represents those who could not attend the meeting
7
9. Dr. Rajan Madhaorao Welukar
Vice Chancellor
Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University,
Nashik, Maharashtra
10. Dr. Surya Gunjal
Prof. & Director, School of Agricultural Sciences
Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, Nashik
11. Dr. S. L. Mehta X
Vice Chancellor,
Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture & Technology,
Udaipur, Rajasthan
12. Dr. B. B. Singh X
Vice Chancellor,
Narendra Deva University of Agriculture & Technology,
 Kumarganj, Faizabad, U.P.
13. Dr. S. R. Singh
Vice Chancellor
Rajendra Agriculture University,
Pusa, Samastipur, Bihar
14. Dr. M. K. Salooja
Dy. Director, SOA, IGNOU
15. Dr. M. C. Nair
Dy. Director, SOA, IGNOU
16. Dr. Indrani Lahiri
Asstt. Director, SOA, IGNOU
17. Sh. Jaya Raj
Sr. Consultant, SOA, IGNOU
18. Dr. D. S. Khurdiya X
Senior Consultant, SOA, IGNOU
19. Dr. P. L. Yadav
Senior Consultant, SOA, IGNOU
20. Dr. P. N. Pandey
Senior Consultant, SOA, IGNOU
21. Shri Rajesh Singh
Consultant
22. Shri Rajiv Ranjan
Junior Consultant
8

Online Graduates & Employment: A Case Study Of

Ignou Graduates
Ashok Kumar Gaba, Ph.D
Senior Research Officer
Staff Training & Research Institute of Distance Education
Indira Gandhi National Open University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi
ABSTRACTS
Abstract: The objective of this micro research study is to know how online graduates are
accepted in the job market. The findings of the study (37 respondents) indicate: majority of
the respondents got job, joined further study and enhanced their skills despite of facing
problem at initial stage.
INTRODUCTION
The nature of linkage between the job market and graduate supply from any mode of
education assumes a great significance in a study of trends in the development of higher
education. There is also a possibility of mismatch between demand and supply of the human
resources in a country. International Labor Office (ILO) reports stated that people out of work
and looking for work available in the world was 185.9 million in 2003 in comparison to185.4
million in 2002. The number has increased marginally in all the continents, but the situation in
South Asia remains stable during this period. The unemployment rate has not changed much
despite 5.1% of GDP growth rate. (ILO, 2003). But, it does not affect India much. 55th Round
(1999-2000) Survey of NSSO found that the absolute number of unemployment as well as the
incidence of unemployment as a percentage of labour force increased. The unemployment
rate has been increased from 7.32% in 1999-00 to 5.99% in 1993-94. Our employment
elasticity (the ability to generate jobs) went down from 0.52 in 1980s to 0.16 in late 1990s.
Therefore, the graduate unemployment situation is also not too bright. The number of job
seekers registered with 939 employment exchanges in the country (all of whom are not
necessarily unemployed) were 41.6 million during September 2002. 70% among them were
having qualification of 10th standard and above, and 32% were aged between 20 to 24 years.
(GOI, 2003). The focus of the present paper is to know, how online graduates are accepted in
the job market, whereas the fresh graduates from the traditional mode of teaching (F2F) and
traditional mode of distance education programmes are facing very steep competition to get
employment.
NEED FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING THROUGH ONLINE
Demand for skilled labour has risen significantly as a result of globalization, changes in
technology, and the organization of work. The information technology and software industry
have roared back from recession and are likely to create more than 1,00,000 new jobs in 2004,
compared to the 75,000 jobs it did in 2003. In the business process outsourcing sector, the
number of new jobs this year is likely to be more than 1,50,000. The job market grew 30%
last year. This year it could be 50% ( Bhatia, G, 2004). The process of skill development in
the informal sector in developing countries is more important, since formal training
institutions do not have the capacity to train all those, who want to acquire skills, and a few of
those, who want to acquire the skills, have the means to afford formal training. The ability to
learn, to transform existing knowledge into new knowledge, is a source of competitive
advantage of increasing significance. In such enterprises, daily learning has become an
integral part of the job. A part of such learning relies on the exchange of tacit knowledge
among employees. To meet this need, one should pursue a model of Internet based learning
such as the virtual campus model. The workplace of tomorrow, at least in the leading and
successful organizations, will comprise of Internets, Intranets and Extranet. It is presumed
that students, who would have obtained their education by negotiating their learning
resources over the Internet, would find themselves much more acceptable to their employers.
To find out their acceptability is the major focus of this micro study.
Studying through the Internet will also bring to the learners a large amount of current
information related to curriculum. Many employment agencies, including those recruiting for
positions abroad are using the Internet for this purpose. Higher education opportunities
abroad, including formats for financial aid etc., are also available more easily through the
Internet. The use of the Internet by the students, therefore, gives access to a whole new way of
learning, although there is some additional effort and cost towards this; the end result is much
more significant in terms of quality of learning and future employment. The workplace of the
future is moving towards use of teleworking to create virtual organizations and to achieve
global presence. Students learning through the Virtual Campus fit into these very naturally.
To meet growing demand nationally and internationally IGNOU had introduced Bachelor of
Information Technology (BIT) programme through virtual mode.
BACHELOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMME
The rapid development of Internet, since 1990, has made online learning admired among
higher education institutions in India. In view of this trend, Indira Gandhi National Open
University, New Delhi, India introduced Virtual Campus in September 1999 and offered
‘Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT)’ programme through online delivery mode. This
programme has been developed keeping in view the changing market demands, particularly to
meet the demands of multi-national companies entering into the Indian market due to
economic reforms over the period of last couple of years.
Instructional system
A student in this programme is expected to be a very intense student who can independently
access learning resources and participate in learner interactions, which take place through the
Internet and the worldwide web (www). Apart from the I.T. resources infrastructure, some
human element at the tele-learning centre ensure that the it works, and that there is a
conducive environment for independent and collaborative learning; and while experts on all
subjects may not be available, there would be a number of people with a facilitating approach
towards the student.
In this programme, innovative teaching methodologies have been used with emphasis on
using emerging technologies to empower students. The teaching methods include: (a) live
satellite based teleconferencing lectures; (b) recorded video lectures; (c) computer lab; (d)
CBT's - Computer Based Training / Tutorials; (e) internet learning resources by internet
browsing; (f) online interactive chat- with peer group, with faculty, with external experts. In
addition to this, face-to-face Academic Counselling at Study Centres, the School regularly
supports counselling through other media modes like (a) radio counselling; (b) telecast of
lectures through Gyan Darshan TV Channel. TLCs empanelled are having the infrastructure
including sufficient number of appropriate computer systems vis-à-vis number of students,
specified software, internet connectivity, facilities to receive telecast through Gyan Darshan,
teleconferencing, etc. These centers organizes a short duration orientation through personal
contact programme to train students on how to study the course through the above modes of
delivery. In terms of the design of the academic content itself, significant changes from the
traditional distance education approach are pursued. Outcome based education, a mode of
study drawn from the UK educational system is the thread, which runs across the
implementation of these programmes.
The programme is offered on a trimester basis. The learning model available to a student are:
(a) The teacher takes online counselling of a course by hosting on the web, materials for about
a week's study and informing them of what material would be hosted during which week. This
schedule are available on the website. (b) The learning materials have been divided into
smaller, intensive, interactive sessions of about 25-30 minutes each. This is somewhat similar
to an episode of a serial TV programme. During the first trimester, the students rely mainly
on an instructor delivered video lecture format, supplemented with self-learning materials on
CBT's and Internet based resources. Gradually, this changes towards a greater self-learning
and mentoring approach. A typical matrix reflecting the change in learning styles has been
presented in Table 1:
Internet Chat
With
With With
Record Labora- CBT's Internet
Tri- Live
external
faculty peer
tory learning
Satellite ed
mester
experts
group
 resources
video
Based
lectures
1st 35% 5% 35% 5% 4% 10% 4% 2%
2nd 25% 10% 25% 10% 5% 15% 5% 5%
3rd 10% 5% 20% 10% 15% 20% 10% 10%
Table 1: Learners learning style in BIT programme.
Source: Prospectus of BIT programme, 2003, IGNOU
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The trend of learners profile in BIT programme indicates that the majority (about 65%) of the
learners were unemployed before joining IGNOU programmes. The objectives of this study
are to identify the utilization of degree for learners’ career path in terms of getting
employment, promotion, continuing education and other reasons and to study the perception
related variables to measure views on the acceptability of their degree in the job market.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Learner’s profile at the time of joining online programme: the trend of enrollment of online
learners presented in Figure 1. Of the total population, most of them (87%) were male, about
99% were having 10+2 qualification (minimum requirement for enrolment in BIT
programme), 74% were from urban areas and all of them were unmarried. Originally, the
study was designed in three phases. In the first phase, survey method was adopted among the
first batch of 180 BIT learners, who had completed their graduation in December 2002 and
217 ADIT learners, who had completed their graduation in December 2001. In the second
phase of the study, interview was to be conducted among 30 learners to know the utilization
part of the degree in their career path. The sample for interview was suppose to be taken to
those learners, who got employment after getting online degree. In the last phase of the study,
employers’ interviews were to betaken to know the performance of online graduates at their
respective enterprises, who provided employment to online graduates. The next two phases of
the study was based on response rate of the first phase. But, the response rate of the survey
was not much encouraging. Therefore, the present research study is based on survey design.
The next two phases were not attempted in this study.
The structured questionnaires sent to all 180 BIT learners (online graduates), who completed
BIT programme through online mode during December 2002 term end examination. The
questionnaires were administrated through ordinary post to all the successful 180 learners
during the month of October, 2003. The researcher waited for three months. At the end of
three months i.e. January 2004, a total of 37 (about 21%) filled-in questionnaires were
received from the learners. Therefore, the findings were based on these responses. The
findings indicate that the majority of the respondents (89.2%) were female, all of them were
from urban areas and 23 students (62%) were from Delhi. Most of them 32 (86.5%)
belonged to age group in between 21-25 years and the rest of them were between 26-30 years.
28 (75%) were having 10+2 qualification and the rest of them were graduate and post
graduate. About 90 % respondents were having their own computer. 15(40.5%) were having
intermediate internet skill before enrolling BIT programme in comparison to 13 respondents
(35.1%), who were beginner, and 5 (13.5%) who were experienced and expert in online
environment. All the respondents’ parent were graduate (10th standard and above) and 27
respondents’ parents were in service sector, 5 respondents’ parents were retired from service.
Most of the respondents parents (20) belonged to higher income group i.e. Rs. 15,000 (about
US $ 330). The source of funding of 33 respondents was their parents for this programme and
4 respondents were self-financing.
 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
Objective: the objective of most of the respondents (35%) was to get job and better career
prospects. 27% respondents informed that they took the programme out of interest. 24% said
that they had particular occupation in mind before enrolling for this programme.
Respondents status before and after getting degree through online: All the respondents were
fresh learners. They had obtained their 10+2 qualification from formal institutions before
their enrollment in BIT programme. Most of the students 10 (27%) got regular job followed
by 9 respondents (24.3%) who were doing job and. studying in higher education through
distance mode after completion of BIT programme. 5 respondents ( 13.5%) joined further
studies and were looking for job in comparison to 4 respondents (10.8%) studying and doing
part time job and the same number of respondents were doing nothing as shown in following
Figure 2.
Out of those respondents (18), who joined further studies vis a vis doing job, most of them
(16) were doing MCA and MBA programmes from IGNOU and the rest of them joined
regular MCA prgramme in different formal institutions.
Job analysis
On the other hand, those respondents, who got regular and part time job were working as
software designer, digital coordinator, digital multimedia designer in private sector and
UNDP project. 10 respondents among them were getting salary less than Rs. 5000 p.m. (
about US $ 110) and 5 respondents (13.5%) were getting salary in between Rs. 5001-10,000
(US$ 111-220) and the same number of respondents were getting salary in between
Rs.15,000- Rs 20,000 (US $ 221-440) PM. How many person were working at their
respective enterprises were also questioned? Most of the respondents (27%) replied that
number of staff at their respective enterprises were in between 101-125, 5 respondents said
they were employed more than 150. The same number of respondents said that they were in
between 41-50. 54 % respondents said that the BIT degree was one of the prerequisite for
obtaining job.
Respondent’s views on the usefulness of BIT programme’s content
• Most of the respondents 10 (27%) were natural with the statements that BIT
programme helped them in getting job.
• 15 (40.5%) respondents agreed and 9 strongly disagreed that BIT programme
enhanced their skill.
• 9 respondents agreed and 5 respondents strongly agreed this statement that the
programme helped them in their job performance.
• 14 respondents ‘disagreed’ and 9 strongly disagreed to do the statement that due to
common group of this programme they were able to get job.
• Majority of the respondents were neutral, disagreed and strongly disagreed that due to
optional units of BIT programme, they were able to get job.
• Most of the respondents agreed and strongly agreed that they were well aware of the
content of this programme before enrollment.
• 5 respondents each agreed and strongly agreed that due to this programme they were
able to manage and develop themselves for the present job.
• Majority of the respondents were agreed (10) and strongly agreed (5) to the statement
that due to this programme, they were able to work effectively as a team member.
• A large number of the respondents agreed and strongly agreed that due to this
programme, they were able to communicate in writing and participate in verbal and
non-verbal communication.
• Most of the respondents strongly disagreed to the statement that this programme did
not help them at all.
Options No Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Total
reply disagree agree
(a) Programme helps me in 9 4 5 10 4 5 37
getting my job. (24.3) (10.8) (13.5) (27.0) (10.8) (13.5) (100.0)
(b) Programme enhanced my 4 9 0 0 15 9 37
skill. (10.8) (24.3) (40.5) (24.3) (100.0)
(c) Programme helps me in 4 9 0 5 9 5 37
my job performance. (10.8) (24.3) (13.5) (24.3) (13.5) (100.0)
(d) Due to common group of 4 9 14 5 5 37
this programme, I am able to (10.8) (24.3) (37.8) (13.5) (13.5) (100.0)
get Job.
(e) Due to optional units of 9 9 4 10 5 0 37
this programme I am able to (24.3) (24.3) (10.8) (27.0) (13.5) (100.0)
get job.
4 0 5 9 14 5 37
(f) I was well aware about the
(10.8) (13.5 (24.3) (37.8) (13.5) (100.0)
content of this programme
before enrolment.
(g) Due to this programme, I 9 9 4 5 5 5 37
am able to manage and (24.3) (24.3) (10.8) (13.5) (13.5) (13.5) (100.0)
develop myself for the present
job.
(h) Due to this programme, I 9 9 4 0 10 5 37
am able to work effectively as (24.3) (24.3) (10.8) (27.0) (13.5) (100.0)
a team member.
4 9 4 5 10 10 37
(i) Due to this programme, I
(10.8) (24.3) (10.8) (13.5) (27.0) (27.0) (100.0)
am able to communicate in
writing and participate in
verbal and non-verbal
communication.
(j) This programme does not 4 19 0 5 0 9 37
help me at all. (10.8) (51.4) (13.5) (24.3) (100.0)
Table 2: Respondents views on the content of BIT programme
Note: Figures in the brackets are the percentage total. 0= not responded to this item.
Preference to online mode than F2F and traditional mode of ODL
Majority of the respondents (10) informed that they preferred online mode of teaching to F2F
and traditional ODL because this programme is being affiliated with international university.
Out of those respondents (19), who got job, 9 among said that this programme was not
available in F2F and traditional ODL institutions. 4 respondents said they preferred online
mode to get admission, though online was easy and the same number of respondents
informed that they preferred online because they could study other programmes together vis a
vis they could do job as well.
Problem faced by the learner due to online degree: Of 28 students who got job and joined
further studies after getting degree from IGNOU through online, 24 of them faced problem
for obtaining job and admission in higher education programmes at first instance. But at later
stage, the degree was accepted.
Usefulness of BIT degree in career path
Getting better pay: Most of the respondents informed that they did not get better pay,
promotion, new job as shown in following Table 2. However, 10 respondents informed that
they became self-employed after getting BIT degree and degree was crucial and helpful.
Changes No, it hasn’t Yes, it has happened and getting BIT degree from IGNOU
happened in my course was:
No Crucial Helpful Not Don’t know
Reply important
(i) Got better pay 19 13 0 5 0 0
(51.4) (34.1) (13.5)
(ii) Got promotion 24 13 0 0 0 0
(64.9) (34.1)
(iii) More specialist 14 13 5 5 0
job in the same (37.84) (34.1) (13.5) (13.5)
promotion
(iv) Got new job in 19 13 5 0 0 0
another institution (51.8) (34.1) (13.5)
(v) Entered first time 10 27 0 0 0 0
in job (27.0) (73.0)
(vi) Become self- 4 18 5 5 5 0
employed (10.81) (48.7) (13.5) (13.5) (13.5)
Table 3: Importance of BIT degree in respondent’s career changes since completion of BIT
Programme
Most of the respondents (51.4%) projected themselves that they would be doing the same
type of work at higher rank in comparison to 27% respondents who said that they would be
doing a different type of work at higher rank than the present ones.
Respondent’s comments
One of the respondents (Divya Bhatia) said that “she enrolled with BIT programme for
better career prospects. She was a fresh student and passed 10+2 before enrolling in this
programme. During the study, she got job in a company which was not related to BIT
programme. Her nature of job was not related to her course. Therefore, she preferred to
enroll in MBA programme than MCA programme after getting degree through online. She
further stated that due to online mode of delivery she was able to do job and completed her
graduation. But due to BIT degree, she was able to learn basic skills in computer, which has
valuable weight age”.
CONCLUSION
Online teaching has been breaking all barriers for those people, who could not have access to
higher education programme, but also for those who can earn while learn. Although this is a
small survey, which has shown a little change of the respondent’s career, but it is the grey
area of research particular in developing countries. The study was conducted with the
intention to finding out as to how the BIT online graduates utilized their degree. In the
process, we could see quiet a few problems faced by the respondents. The presents study is
not a final one, further research requires to be conducted at macro level on the employers’
choice of online graduates in comparison to F2F or traditional ODL programmes.
REFERENCES
Bhatia, G. (2004). The hunter gather tribe. Outlook, February 2, 46-52
Brennan, J., Mills, J., & Shah, T. (1999). Part-time Students and Employment: Report of A
Study of the Collection and Use of Information on the Employment of Part-time Students,
Gratudates and Diplomates. Centre for Higher Education Research and Information.
Gaba, A. (1999). Distance education and job market: A case study of IGNOU
graduates. Indian Journal of Open Learning, Vol.8 (3), September, New Delhi: IGNOU
Gaba, A. (2002). Employment prospects of distance education in India: A case study
of IGNOU graduates. University News, 40 (4).
GOI (2003) Economic Survey of India, Government of India, New Delhi.
ILO (2003) World Employment Report-2003
www.ilo.org
1833
1794
2000
1800
1600 1267
1400
921
1200
Number 1000
800
600 355
400
200
0
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Year
Figure 1: Trend of enrollment of BIT porgramme through online mode
Source: School of Computer & information science, IGNOU, New Delhi
Respondents status 10
Got job
Doing job and further studies 9
Joined further studies and looking for job 5
Joined further studies only 4
Doing nothing 4
4
No reply
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Number
Figure 2: Respondents’ status after obtaining BIT degree through online mode
 International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning c
ISSN: 1492-3831
Vol. 1, No. 2 ( January 2001)
Online Delivery Of Programmes: A Case Study Of
IGNOU
Ramesh Sharma
Abstract
Online education is the most exciting segment in the Indian IT space. A
host of e-education sites continue to enter the market with focused offer-
ings, linking up students and teachers, almost on a daily basis. This
is happening because the new medium seeks to supplement – not re-
place – traditional teaching-learning methodologies. Keeping in view the
global and in country/domestic market changes, India has to play a vi-
tal role in terms of software exports, skilled manpower support, and on-
line education. With India currently in the midst of a ”dotcom” wave,
Indira Ghandi National Open University (IGNOU) has taken the ini-
tiative in launching online in January 2000 two of its educational com-
puter programmes. In July 2000 it launched twenty capsule courses
(each comprising three courses) in different specialization areas of man-
agement [http://www.ignou.com/index.htm]. Each of these capsules ad-
dresses one specific functional or specialization area, one basic course per-
taining to that specialization and a project course. The Bachelor of In-
formation Technology and Advanced Diploma in Information Technology
programmes are offered through a Virtual Campus Initiative (VCI). Man-
agement Programme capsule courses are offered through Project MEIDS
(Management Education through Interactive Delivery Systems).
Organisation of the Case Study
This paper describes various issues and concerns experienced in the launching
of online delivery at Indira Ghandi National Open University (IGNOU). First,
distinguishing features of IGNOU are explained, in terms of significance, estab-
lishment, instructional system, academic programmes and modes of programme
delivery. Various parameters that led to the initiation of online delivery of pro-
grammes in addition to the traditional print-based (offline) distance education
programmes are given next, followed by the sequence of events in the emergence
of the current format of delivery. This online programme delivery initiative has
special consequences for IGNOU, learners and the delivery mechanism; these
are explained next. This case study concludes with a discussion of the impli-
cations of such initiatives for IGNOU, and for the distance education system
in the country as a whole (as IGNOU is the resource centre and apex body of
distance education in India for nine other State Open Universities).
Online Delivery Of Programmes: A Case Study Of IGNOU 2
Introduction
The establishment of IGNOU on September 25, 1985 by an Act of Parliament
heralded the arrival of an important innovation in India. It provided a gateway
to all those desirous of improving their qualifications and sharpening their aca-
demic skills, through the open and distance education system. In a relatively
short period of 15 years since its inception, IGNOU has positioned itself among
the top educational institutions in the country and in 1993 received the Centre
of Excellence in Distance Education Award conferred by the Commonwealth of
Learning.
IGNOU has now close to 600,000 students with varied profiles on its rolls, spread
throughout the length and breadth of the country, and serves these students via
a network of 44 regional and 630 study centres all over India. Taking a cue
from IGNOU, some states have also established their own open universities.
Currently there are nine state open universities and one National Open School
along with full-fledged state open schools in Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala
and Madhya Pradesh as well as separate departments within the State Board
of Secondary Education in West Bengal and Rajasthan.
Institutional Culture and Structure
IGNOU is the first institution in India to offer programmes designed to meet
the identified needs and interests of a wide variety of learners throughout India.
No formal qualifications are required to study most courses. Almost anyone can
be admitted into a programme, irrespective of previous education. In the event
they are needed, preparatory courses are offered. Since students are drawn from
the widest spectrum of backgrounds, age groups, geographical distribution and
other socio-economic traits, learners can start and take as long as they wish to
complete courses. Most programmes are structured on a modular pattern with
provision for multiple entry and exit points as well as mobility across and within
programmes. To ensure low costs, the Government of India subsidizes most of
IGNOU’s study programmes.
To decrease learner isolation and to provide academic, administrative and in-
formative support to learners, Student Support Services operates two types of
support centres – regional centres and study centres. The latter play an im-
portant role, delivering self-learning course material and supplementary learn-
ing aids (audio, video, teleconference, interactive radio counselling, etc.) and
providing opportunities for learners to enhance their learning through contact
programmes.
To provide support services to learners in areas not having institution-based
support facilities, individuals who have post-graduate degrees and who are per-
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning
Online Delivery Of Programmes: A Case Study Of IGNOU 3
manent residents in given areas may serve as distance learning facilitators. They
include retired teachers/officers, professionals, housewives, or even motivated
unemployed individuals. Similarly, with the objective of extending the outreach
of education on a single window basis (making all facilities available at one
place), IGNOU in collaboration with the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and
Indian Navy, has launched an educational project to cater to defense personnel
in different parts of the country. For this purpose, Recognised Regional Centres
have been established at the five Army Commands, seven Air Force Commands,
and four Navy Commands.
Communication technologies play a pivotal role in IGNOU’s instructional sys-
tem. Multimedia packages prepared for learners incorporate a range of technolo-
gies: print, audiotapes (average two to four per course), videotapes (average one
to two per course), interactive radio counselling, one-way video/two-way audio
teleconferencing, television lessons, CD-ROMs, and Web-based content delivery,
and so forth. On average, these form nearly 20% of a course. The Electronic Me-
dia Production Centre of the university, set up with a grant from Japan Govern-
ment, prepares audio and video cassettes. Radio programmes are broadcast in
the form of Interactive Radio Counselling (IRC) through All India Radio (AIR),
a national government agency that serves 97% of the people in India through a
network of 198 broadcasting centres [http://air.kode.net/about.html]. Be-
sides IRC, video teleconferencing is available to learners at the study centres
through the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Training and Devel-
opment Communication Channel.
To take advantage of the common resource pool and to avoid duplication of
effort, some state open universities use course materials produced by IGNOU
(Sharma, 1999). Academic telecounselling of nearly all IGNOU programmes is
shared by some state open universities (Sharma).
The Ministry of Human Resources Development provides maintenance and de-
velopment funding to IGNOU. Development funding is provided in two parts
– for IGNOU’s infrastructure developments and programmes, and for develop-
ment of State Open Universities. IGNOU has also received support from such
international agencies as Overseas Development Agency of UK, the Common-
wealth of Learning, and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency.
With respect to its maintenance funding, IGNOU is unique in that: (a) Com-
pared to any traditional university in the country, income earned in the form of
student fees, sale of admission prospectus and other publications, and so forth
is substantial; and (b) as a proportion to the total annual revenue expenditure
(operating costs), maintenance grants from Government subsidies are progres-
sively declining. Since its inception, there has been a steady increase in the
number, range, variety, and diversity of the programmes launched by IGNOU.
The university has grown from 2 programmes and 4,528 students in 1987 to
more than 60 programmes, 600 courses and 200,000 students in 2000. With this
expansion in programmes and enrolment, the income-generating capacity of the
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning
Online Delivery Of Programmes: A Case Study Of IGNOU 4
university has increased considerably.
Launching Online Delivery: Issues, Efforts and
Events
IGNOU offers popular and successful print-based programmes, namely Master of
Business Administration, Master of Computer Applications, Bachelor of Com-
puter Applications, and Certificate in Computing, enrolling more than 100,000
students. Different extra-institutional factors and institutional environmental
demands (e.g., spread of Internet to many cities of India, new technological
developments, etc.) have led IGNOU to experiment with transforming the uni-
versity into a global virtual university whereby it may make learning opportu-
nities available through the click of a mouse to anyone, anywhere, anytime. In
1998, the university authorities decided to provide services to learners in the
new technological format at their own desk. This approach was thought of as
a way to remove at least three types of tyrannies – spatial, temporal, and fixed
curriculum. It was realized that through the Internet, course content would be
equally available to learners, irrespective of their geographical locations. Simi-
larly learners would not be forced to learn at fixed hours of the day.
To realize the dream of removing the spatial, temporal and fixed curriculum
tyrannies, the university collaborated with the Edexcel Foundation (a UK regis-
tered charity), to provide education and training. Two Web-centric programmes
were launched, namely the Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) and Ad-
vanced Diploma in Information Technology (ADIT) under a new project called
Virtual Campus Initiative (VCI), whereas the School of Management Studies
offered MBA degree programmes, post graduate diploma and capsule courses
with online support through a project called Management Education through
Interactive Delivery Systems (MEIDS). Both these projects are explained in
the next section. Other grounds that led to the initiative of launching online
delivery are geography, economics and competition, all described below.
Geography
India is a vast country with many languages, cultures and so forth. There
are difficult terrains ranging from the desert in Rajasthan, to the snow-capped
mountains in the Himalayas, and the Southern Plateau. To serve its learners in
all these regions, the Faculty of Computing Sciences and Management Studies
recommended the online mode of delivery as a viable medium. At the same time,
computer networking was being established both nationally (at the district level
by the Government of India), and in the university (in 1997) at all the regional
centres by linking them through e-mail and the Internet. The Vice-Chancellor
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning
Online Delivery Of Programmes: A Case Study Of IGNOU 5
appointed a committee (headed by a Director) to look after the progress in
this regard. The IGNOU headquarters were thus connected with its regional
centres via the Internet. Once this basic infrastructure was created, in 1998
university management decided to deliver the programmes and services through
the Internet. Examination results also began to be relayed by e-mail to the
regional centres, thus further reducing the time factor. Thus the university was
considered adequately equipped to adopt the new mode of online delivery.
Economics
The mode of material distribution in IGNOU has been constantly changing. Es-
tablishment of regional warehouses and sending material by post involved huge
costs. Both students and study centres complained of late receipt or non-receipt
of material in some cases. The School of Computer Sciences and Management
Studies saw offering courses via the Internet as a way to lower various costs in-
volved in production and distribution of course materials. Study materials could
be made available simultaneously for students to download from the WWW,
thus reducing the time and cost of shipping materials to all places.
Competition
New educational providers have recently entered the Indian educational scene.
Examples include (a) training organizations in the private sector (e.g., informa-
tion technology), (b) professional areas such as management, (c) development
of on-the-job education and training establishments, and (d) various foreign in-
stitutions. To keep pace with the technology and changing educational scenario,
the Faculty of Computing Sciences and Management Studies decided to provide
student support services through the Internet.
Diploma in Management
In this era of knowledge explosion, management education is an area that is
prone to rapid obsolescence as far as the ways and techniques of managing
are concerned. The management programmes (Diploma in Management) were
launched in 1987 with an initial enrolment of 2,800 students; the mode of deliv-
ery was print-based. The first cohort of 800 students finished in 1989. In 1999
the numbers enrolled had increased to 18,000. Another programme, the MBA
in Banking and Finance, was started in 1999.
In that same year it became apparent that as long as continuing education pro-
grammes in management were limited solely to print-based delivery, the School
of Management would not be able to meet the demand, particularly from clien-
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning
Online Delivery Of Programmes: A Case Study Of IGNOU 6
tele who lived in areas where convenient access to study or learning centres is
nonexistent. As a result, Management Education through Interactive Delivery
Systems (MEIDS) was launched in 1999. Specific capsule courses for continuing
management education, that is self-instruction courses providing synchronous
and asynchronous interaction with experts via the Internet, were designed and
launched in various functional areas (e.g., Human Resources Development, Hu-
man Resources Planning, Management Control Systems, Management of Infor-
mation Systems, Marketing, Operations Management) in connection with the
award of Diplomas, Post-Graduate Diploma and MBA Degree. This endeavour
was designed to parallel the existing and mainly print-based and fully off-line
MBA programme. Rather than replace print-based management programmes,
the MEIDS project was designed as an additional effort to make management
programmes accessible to those who could gain professional education at their
own place aided with technology. The main objective behind MEIDS was to cut
across the distance (via the Internet) and to simplify administrative processes
(e.g., admissions) by automation whereby a student logs on to the site, pays
the requisite fee and gets registered immediately. While admission to offline
management programmes is through an entrance examination, admission to the
programmes under MEIDS is relatively relaxed and for capsule courses only, no
entrance test is required.
The Faculty of Management Studies proposed the programme be delivered
through specifically identified Partners in Advanced Learning System (PALS)
institutes, which have the approval of All India Council of Technical Education
(an autonomous organization in India that sets norms for management, profes-
sional, technical and vocational courses). Possessing complementary resources,
these management institutes were regarded as ideal starting points for network-
ing and were designated PALS on the basis of applications solicited through
advertisements or face-to-face discussion. They provided facilities for admis-
sions, organizing counselling sessions through teleconference, examinations, and
acted as local resource centres for the School of Management. Because these
continuing education programmes in the form of short-term capsules were to be
offered nationwide, the school proposed to its partners (a) complete computer
Internet connectivity, (b) a suitable mechanism for electronic library access and
data transfer (this electronic library was to be built up of full text articles, ex-
periences and developments in industrial management and updated regularly),
(c) counselling support through teleconferencing, and (d) self-instructional ma-
terials.
Following advertisement of admissions in newspapers in 1999, the first cohort
of 128 students began capsule courses in January 2000; the second cohort of
141 students began in July 2000. The programme uses a multimedia approach
consisting of self-instructional printed course material and relevant audio/video.
Students collect their material from the PALS. As a means of student support,
some relevant course material, assignments and question papers from previous
years are available on IGNOU’s Internet site and may be downloaded by students
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning
Online Delivery Of Programmes: A Case Study Of IGNOU 7
using an ID and password. Currently in offline delivery mode (non-MEIDS)
there are two tutor-marked assignments and one computer-marked assignment
for management programmes, out of which the best two are counted for the final
grade. But under the MEIDS project, two computer-generated assignments are
administered online and evaluated by the computer. A protected site is used
for student registration, assignment generation, assignment submission, digital
reference materials, and evaluation. Assignments are made available on the
WWW and downloadable course materials are available in HTML and MS-
Word formats. Students go to PALS to complete the assignments, consisting
of multiple-choice questions. Results become available as soon as the student
submits the completed assignment and grades are automatically transmitted to
headquarters. Online entrance testing for admission to this programme is under
consideration by the authorities.
Presently there are 17 PALS distributed nationally, equipped with Internet con-
nectivity, teleconferencing systems, and faculty support. The distribution of
students to these PALS is uneven; most of the students are from Delhi. The
low number of students reflects marketing and the fact that project is still in
initial stages. Despite the underwhelming enrolment in the MEIDS project to
date, the mutually beneficial learning partnerships are expected to enable the
university to manage the task of reaching a large and diverse population and
thus to fulfil the continuing education needs of Indian managers.
Computer Programmes
From 1990 (when the first programme, the Diploma in Computers in Office
Management, was launched) until 1997, the School of Computer and Informa-
tion Sciences delivered its programs in print format. When the Internet become
available across many cities of India, however, the School of Computer Science
realized the potential of the Internet and decided to make computer programmes
available online for the Certificate in Computing, Bachelor’s in Computer Ap-
plications, and Master’s in Computer Applications. The course content, already
in print form, was converted to HTML and uploaded to the Web site. Because
at the time IGNOU study centres were not equipped with computer or Internet
facilities, more than 100 institutes were designated Empanelled Internet Access
Points (EIAPs) throughout the country. Although these EIAP institutes do
not offer courses that are recognized, accredited or affiliated to IGNOU, they
provide convenient Internet access and faculty support to learners. In places
where the Internet is not available, students are provided printed material and
CD-ROMs. This phase of online programme development evolved into an inte-
grated mode in 1999 when students were provided study materials in electronic
form and additional support was available at regular study centres.
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning
Online Delivery Of Programmes: A Case Study Of IGNOU 8
Virtual Campus Initiative: Efforts to go online
In 1999 the School of Computer and Information Sciences launched two presti-
gious programmes through the Virtual Campus Initiative (VCI) – the Bachelor
of Information Technology (BIT) and Advanced Diploma in Information Tech-
nology (ADIT) – in collaboration with Edexcel and the Government of India
Ministry of Information Technology, respectively. The deployment of VCI may
be viewed as a response to recommendations of the National Taskforce on IT
and Software Development [http://it-taskforce.nic.in/vsit-taskforce/
bbr3/] to achieve excellence in distance education through the creation of virtual
institutions in different parts of the country. In May 1998 the Prime Minister of
India appointed a National Taskforce on Information Technology and Software
Development to formulate a long term national IT policy for the country. See
[http://www.nasscom.org/] and follow the link “IT Policies in India.” This
taskforce was set up with the objective to suggest measures for India to become
an IT software superpower. In association with IT Human Resources Develop-
ment companies, the taskforce recommended attainment of 100% IT literacy at
senior secondary level (10+2) in 5 years and at secondary level in 10 years. The
Taskforce also called upon all institutes offering engineering education, includ-
ing polytechnics and industrial training institutes, to ascertain within 3 years
the ability of all engineering students to serve in the IT enabled services sector
as well as in IT industry directly.
The infrastructure provided by VCI (at the development end, learner end, and
the network) was envisaged as a scalable model for higher end online IT training
that meets international standards. Although access to the Internet is not yet
easy or widespread, given the recommendations of the IT taskforce, the Internet
appears to be poised for rapid expansion and integration within future work-
places. It is therefore expected that students with sufficient skills related to the
Internet occupy advantageous positions in the job market. Education through
the Internet will also provide learners current and vast information. The School
of Computing Sciences has also discovered that international certification such
as for Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, and so forth may also be accomplished through
online examinations via the Internet.
Initiation of new delivery format
These programmes (BIT, ADIT or MEIDS project) did not exist previously in
non-online format rather, since inception, have followed an Internet-centric ap-
proach, with learning resources and counselling delivered through the Internet.
The Virtual Campus Initiative incorporated the following learning resources and
experiences, and thus efforts were undertaken to produce (a) live satellite-based
teleconferencing lectures, (b) recorded video lectures, (c) practical laboratories,
(d) computer-based training tutorials, (e) learning resources accessible through
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning
Online Delivery Of Programmes: A Case Study Of IGNOU 9
Internet browsing, and (f) online interactive chat with peer group, faculty, and
external experts.
To provide online services to the learners of BIT and ADIT, Tele-Learning
Centres (TLC) were established in 1999 at institutes, organizations, and cen-
tres with computer facilities where students could perform practicals, submit
assignments, write term-end examinations in supervised conditions, and partic-
ipate in video-conferencing. The university decided that, to provide appropriate
facilities to the learners, each TLC should have at least 50 Pentium computers
as well as printers, scanners, digital cameras, colour televisions, data projectors,
and microphones. In addition, TLCs were equipped to provide student access to
library facilities with reference books, recorded video lectures, computer-based
training and CD-ROM courseware, and access to the Internet.
In IGNOU there has been a great increase in student enrolment in computer
programmes. Enrolments have grown from 484 students in 1990 to more than
100,000 students enrolled in 2000. In 1990, practicals were conducted at either
Work Centres or Programme Study Centres and tens of thousands of rupees
were being paid to such centres as compensation for computer hire charges.
These work centres, owned by private persons, and programme study centres,
situated either in colleges or private institutes, provided relevant hardware and
software facilities for Certificate in Computing (CIC), Bachelor of Computer Ap-
plications (BCA) or Master in Computer Applications (MCA) students. This
money was going out of the IGNOU system, which otherwise would have been
spent for maintenance or updating of the university’s own IT resources. An-
other disadvantage of such an arrangement was that because these non-IGNOU
centres operate their own other programmes and accommodate their own stu-
dents, scheduling theory and/or practical sessions to fit the convenience of IG-
NOU students was not a high priority. Consequently, to gain better control
over scheduling, and utilization of machines, Regional Computer Laboratories
(RCL) were established in 1999 at six regional centres in the first phase, with
eight more established in August 2000. Student enrolments at these 14 RCLs
are now high. They differ from TLCs and other study centres in the sense that
RCLs are directly administered by regional centres, whereas TLCs are owned
by private persons who may either work for IGNOU or share their facilities with
IGNOU in addition to their own students. The RCLs are each provided with
30 computer systems, network connections to the Internet through leased lines
and LAN, and software pertinent to the course curricula.
At each RCL a full-time consultant was appointed to look after BIT and ADIT
and other computer programmes. Because the teaching mode at TLCs was
student-centred, rather than teacher-centred, students contacted their counsel-
lors through e-mail or chat mode.
Learning resources also included printed materials, daily activities for students
and linkages to various other Web resources. The Faculty of Computer Sciences
realized that supporting online education through the Internet requires more
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning
Online Delivery Of Programmes: A Case Study Of IGNOU 10
effort than the traditional approach. In a study (IGNOU, 2000) it was found
that students in the first cohort who had easy access to Tele-Learning Centres
found it exciting to learn online as compared to the students who did not have
access to Tele-Learning Centres and who reported difficulties in pursuing the
programme. The main reason for this difference was that the programme had
not been designed to provide support to students in the traditional (print or
offline) mode of distance learning.
Extra efforts are required to develop content for the Web, uploading to servers,
and keeping track of and responding to student queries and feedback. The design
of academic content of courses for Internet delivery is significantly improved
from the traditional distance education approach. Although learning objectives
are mentioned at the beginning of each unit in offline IGNOU courses, in the
BIT and ADIT online programmes, more emphasis is placed on the importance
of outcomes. Assignments are designed so as to demonstrate that expected
outcomes have actually been realized. Another feature calls for learners to be
informed about skills to be learned, and for online delivery, they are provided
quizzes, assignments, and projects to enable them to demonstrate attainment
of these learning outcomes. This model of outcome-based education in IGNOU
has been borrowed and adapted from the UK education system.
Consequences of Launching Online Programme
Delivery
The efforts of launching Internet-centric programmes have had both intended
and unintended consequences in relation to IGNOU’s institution-wide systems,
course development management systems, and course delivery management sys-
tems. The aim of the Virtual Campus Initiative was to achieve democratisation
of educational opportunities through nation-wide access to high quality learn-
ing resources and experiences. But this innovation has also had the unintended
consequence of increasing the gap between learners residing in big and small
cities, as the services of online education and the Internet are not yet available
in small cities.
Because student contact with teachers is absent from the current model of Vir-
tual Campus Initiative, students can neither see the instructor nor engage in
interaction with the instructor. Pre-recorded video lectures of teachers are made
available to the students at Tele-Learning Centres. However, students may in-
teract and pose questions through e-mail or telephone to the faculty/academics
at the university headquarters. As most of the learners are beginners without
any computer background, they are given an online orientation via the Inter-
net. Computer-based tutorials are made available at TLCs for basic computing
programmes.
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning
Online Delivery Of Programmes: A Case Study Of IGNOU 11
An intended consequence of this initiative has been to move IGNOU toward
a paperless style of work environment. Increased use of Internet for accessing
information and working remotely, online registration, database-driven content
delivery, online tutorials, online reference library, online assignment submission
and evaluation are additional intended consequences of the move to online pro-
gramming.
The liberation of academics in the sense that they can offer the programme from
anywhere with access to the Internet, without the shelter of an institutional
umbrella is another unintended consequence. The need to develop suitable
mechanisms for faculty compensation and protection of intellectual property
rights are additional crucial issues for the university administration.
Course material
Course materials in the traditional mode consist of printed self-instructional
booklets whereas in online electronic courses, materials consist of CD-ROMs, or
are provided on the Internet for downloading from IGNOU’s site [www.ignou.org]
in MS-Word and HTML formats. There are other differences. In a traditional
IGNOU course, units form a part of a block, and a block equates to a certain
number of credits. One block corresponds to one booklet and the term unit is
used synonymously with the course. In traditional computer courses, terms such
as course code (assigned to a particular course), blocks (collections of units),
and units (individual chapters) are used. But in the case of online courses, the
nomenclature is slightly different, e.g., the formal approach used with Higher
National Diploma instructional design calls for course codes to be broken down
into learning outcomes that in turn, are subdivided into sections or sessions.
For evaluation of each learning outcome, there are specific assessment criteria
based on the common skills used.
Support services
While in traditional mode students are attached to a study centre of their choice,
in the Internet mode students do not necessarily go to study centres. Instead,
they may have computer/Internet access either from their home or office or
through an IGNOU Empanelled Internet Access Point. Tele-Learning Centres
and Regional Computer Laboratories provide access to additional student sup-
port.
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning
Online Delivery Of Programmes: A Case Study Of IGNOU 12
Counselling
While traditional mode students attend face-to-face counselling at study cen-
tres, online students have access to counselling via the Internet. (For IGNOU,
counselling, as opposed to highly course content-oriented tutoring provided by
a subject specialist, refers to student-centred and problem-solving interactions
provided by a person who is able to relate to the personal and individual needs
of the learner.) Logging on to the IGNOU site, students may receive counselling
either synchronously (chat mode) or asynchronously (e-mail).
Assignments
Students are assessed through continuous evaluation and term-end examina-
tions. Assignments form the continuous evaluation part of assessment and carry
25% of the overall evaluation scheme. For each course there is one tutor marked
assignment (evaluated by a counsellor) worth 10% and one project assignment
worth 15%. All assignments are compulsory and differ from traditional mode
assignments. Here students can submit their assignments electronically as at-
tachments through e-mail to either the faculty or school e-mail addresses. The
online modality makes it possible for students to download corrected assign-
ments from IGNOU’s Web site at the end of a course. The term-end evaluation
is worth 75% of the overall evaluation.
Practicals
Traditional mode students must participate in practicals conducted at study
centres wherein the relevant hardware/software are made available to the stu-
dent by the university. Internet mode students must make their own arrange-
ments for practicals.
Lead time
For traditional programmes, the lead time (time required for programme pre-
launching, including developing course material, identifying learning centres,
identifying and orientating counsellors, etc.) necessary for the start of the two
programme sessions per year is more than 6 months. In Internet-based pro-
grammes, programmes are offered four times a year (trimester based) and lead
time is only 3 to 4 weeks.
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning
Online Delivery Of Programmes: A Case Study Of IGNOU 13
Management Systems
With the deployment of new technology and delivery of learning resources and
interactions, IGNOU has discovered that management structures must reflect an
agenda which is target oriented, emphasises decentralisation, and readily adopts
new technologies for competitive advantage. Under the new system, the control
must be simple and complex – simple in the sense that the programme delivery
and assessment may be manipulated from only one location, and complex in the
sense that now operations may be internationalised.
Implications of Online Programme Delivery
Online delivery of programmes through the Internet is fast emerging interna-
tionally as a mode through which knowledge can be disseminated around the
clock to large numbers of learners, located at geographically distant places. Un-
der the IGNOU-Edexcel collaboration, IGNOU offers courses that match the
delivery and quality norms of the Business and Technology Education Coun-
cil, thus ensuring international standards of quality. Curricula are devised and
regularly upgraded to keep pace with the changes in technology, market condi-
tions, and employers’ demands. Because online support is available continually,
learners are not dependent on access to on-site faculty. Learners have the choice
of approaching any Tele-Learning Centre of their choice.
Online delivery has implications for IGNOU administration as well. Although
http and mail servers already provide Internet and intranet services to adminis-
tration and faculty at headquarters, the IGNOU Web site has up until now been
maintained on a rented server. After we have our own Web server, administra-
tion of Internet services will be under direct control of IGNOU. As materials
can be uploaded to the server as soon as they are ready, Web delivery reduces
delays in making study materials available to students. Since all course material
is put on the Web for downloading by students, printing and associated costs
of storing and distributing printed materials will be reduced. For up to date
Web-based resources to be accessible for learners at all times, it is anticipated
that effective Web administration will become a major concern.
There are also notable implications for academics. Only the most qualified will
be acceptable. Not only must they be adequately prepared to develop courses in
the online environment, but they must also be ready to provide timely solutions
to learners’ queries through chat or e-mail. Regular upgrading and evaluation
of course material are other vital tasks for academics. In fact, in the open
university system, it is presumed that much of the time of the faculty is spent
either developing new courses or revising old courses. The usual interval for
revision of non-online courses is set at 5 years, but for computer courses where
the technology (and the corresponding course content) changes quickly, suitable
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning
Online Delivery Of Programmes: A Case Study Of IGNOU 14
mechanisms for more timely evaluation, review and revision of the academic
programmes need to be put in place. When developing learning resources, aca-
demics must keep abreast of emerging international standards for online course
content. Adherence to international quality norms and processes are strictly
observed under the new mode of online delivery. To ensure students have the
prerequisite skills, and that subsequent performance meets quality standards,
appropriate mechanisms for monitoring the activities of the Tele-Learning Cen-
tres will have to be developed through the use of information technology.
Prognosis for the Future
Ayyagary and Ramalingam (2000) reported that:
If e-ducation is the future, only firms with a mixture of content, cus-
tomisation, and geographical reach will be able to grab it....Surfers
have to give up classroom interaction, which could take some getting
 used to. But online e-ducation is here to stay. (p. 60)
Having assessed the opportunities and challenges related to the possibility of
offering courses over the Internet, IGNOU has decided to pursue global outreach.
The university is now planning to offer online courses not only in computer
programmes but also in other subjects. With its strong network of regional
and study centres equipped with the latest technology, modern resources, and
unmatched experience in distance learning, IGNOU finds itself in a key position
to emerge as a global player in development and delivery of online education.
Initially, in 1999, there were some difficulties related to launching of online
programmes, particularly in the creation of Web-based content, video lectures
for teleconferencing and provision of laboratories at Tele-Learning Centres, but
such problems were temporary and solved by dispatching courseware CD-ROMs
to students. Currently in IGNOU, approximately 10% of students are involved
with online education as compared to other formats.
In creating a niche for itself in the huge market of offering online courseware,
provision of online courses may be both an opportunity and a challenge for
IGNOU as an institution. Internationally, various universities of USA, UK, and
Europe already provide accredited and non-accredited courses online. It will
be a challenge for IGNOU’s Virtual Campus Initiative to stay ahead in the
competitive market of providing short-term courses.
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning
Online Delivery Of Programmes: A Case Study Of IGNOU 15
References
Ayyagary, N. & Ramalingam, A. (2000, July 22 – August 6). Learning lessons
at the virtual academy, Business Today, p. 60.
IGNOU, (2000). Management education through interactive delivery system:
Networking through learning partnerships. New Delhi: IGNOU.
Sharma, R.C., (1999). Networked distance education in India. Indian Journal
of Open Learning, 8 (2), 147-156.
Citation Format
Sharma, Ramesh (January 2001) Online Delivery Of Programmes: A Case Study Of IGNOU.
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning : 1, 2.
http://www.icaap.org/iuicode?149.1.2.11
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning

Wired Village Project, National Informatics Centre,

Pune, Maharashtra, India
Introduction
Description of case Study
The National Informatics Centre (NIC) is a premier Information Technology organisation in
India which is committed to providing state-of-the-art solutions for the IT needs of the
Government of India at all levels. NIC carries the distinction of being the largest IT
organisation in the country. It has set up a satellite-based nationwide computer
communication network, called NICNET, with over 1400 nodes connecting the national
capital, the state capitals and the district headquarters with one another. The IT services of
NIC range from Consultancy, Software Design & Development, Office Automation and
Networking Services to Training, Video Conferencing, CAD, EDI, Multimedia and Internet
Services, including Web Site Development and Hosting. NIC has a nationwide presence, with
offices spread all across the country, from Leh to Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The Warana Co-operative Complex is famous as one of the forerunners of successful
integrated rural development resulting from a co-operative movement. The sugar factory in
Warana village which was established in 1955 led to the movement, resulting in the formation
of 25 co-operative societies for milk production, sugar, women’s co-operative credit societies
and education, to name a few. The education department of this co-operative movement
called Warana Vibhag Shikshan Mandal was instrumental in co-ordinating with the
government for this project.
The Warana project is jointly carried out by the National Informatics Centre (NIC),
Government of Maharashtra (GoM) and the Warana Vibhag Shikshan Mandal (the Education
Department).
Aim of Project
To create appropriate Information Technology infrastructure in a cluster of contiguous
villages. The objective of the project is to demonstrate the use of IT infrastructure in the
accelerated socio-economic development.
Role of ICTS
Each telecentre will have 8 to 10 computers, and will be provided with Receive Only Very
Small Aperture Terminals (VSAT) (DirecPC), along with dial-up link. The computer will be
installed in a room of 20'x 20'. The centre will provide the following facilities: -
Tele-education
o
Computer-based education.
o
Open University access (Indira Gandhi National Open University)
o
Imaging (one of the centres)
o
Sources of Funding
Funding Agencies: NIC, Maharashtra State Government, and the Warana Vibhag Shikshan
Mandal
Budget of Rs. 25 million (US$ 600,000) that was borne jointly by the three agencies in a ratio
of 50:40:10.
Project process
Initiated by Mr. Vinay Kore, the son of Mr. Tahasaheb Kore and the present Chairman of the
Warana Co-operative Society. It was launched by the IT Task Force of the Prime Minister's
Office in 1998 to demonstrate the use of IT infrastructure to accelerate socio-economic
development of a cluster of 70 villages around Warana in the Kolhapur and Sangli districts of
Maharashtra State in April 1998.
The project is jointly implemented by Government of India through National Informatics
Centre (NIC), Government of Maharashtra and Warana Co-operative Society with the share
of financial support being in the ratio of 50:40:10. The manpower and maintenance cost is
borne by the Warana Co-operative Society itself. This society includes a total of twenty-five
cooperative societies, with an annual turnover of Rs. 6 billion (US$ 134 million), for the
production of sugar and dairy products, poultry and building construction.
This project has been initiated to serve the information needs on different crop cultivation
practices of major crops, sugarcane cultivation practices, pest and disease control, marketing
information, dairy and sugarcane processing information etc. to the farmers, right up to their
village level.
Performance review was initially carried out through NIC Pune site visits to ensure everything
was going smoothly but now Warana Co-operatives ensures the smooth functioning of the
project.
Points of Interest
The project has already increased the efficiency of the sugar cane growing and harvesting
process, both in terms of time saved by the farmers on administrative transactions as well as
in terms of monetary gains. Before computerisation, it used to take two or three days for
farmers to find out how much they had spent and how much they had earned during the
harvest, while now all it takes is a visit to the village kiosk. And as a result of computerisation,
fertiliser stocks are now smaller and better managed, which is said to have brought savings of
about US$750,000 to the cooperative.
A current problem is the non-participation of local villagers in the creation of additional
content, more specifically of women. At present there is very little content available for
women. Therefore the project is considering inviting participation from the villagers, especially
the women.
People are not literate so there is no way they can use the services on their own. They have
to rely on the booth operator’s help.
 Press note
The Indira Gandhi National Open University has decided to
establish at least one Study Center in each Block of the Muslim
dominated districts identified in the Sachar Committee Report where
educational opportunities are less. Muslim educational institutions
and madrasas in Bangalore, Gulbarga, Belgaum, and Dakshina
Kannada districts who are desirous of establishing Study Centers of
IGNOU under Sachar Committee – Educationally Backward Scheme
may contact The Karnataka State Minorities Commission, Bangalore
for application form and Other details. The Stady Centres will offer
vocational programmes in addition to BPP, BA, B.Com programmes of
IGNOU which may help in imparting educationAnd income generation
to the minority population, especially the girl children.
(Syed Mudeer Aga)
Chairman
Karnataka State Minorities Commision,
Bangalore.
Indira Gandhi National Open University
ESTABLISHMENT OF LEARNER SUPPORT CENTRE AT ECONOMICALLY AND
EDUCATIONAL BACK WARD BLOCK (EEBB)
The type of Learner Support Center proposed to be established (Please indicate Regular
Study Center / Programme Study Center / Special Study Centre / Study Centre under North
Bihar Pattern) / Sub Study Centre. Details about them are given in the enclosed Information
Brochure):______________________________________________
BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSTITUTION
1 Name of the Village /Town / City where the
Learner Support Centre is proposed to be
established
District
Block
2 Geographical Situation (Enclose map, if
Possible)
3 Area likely to be covered by the proposed
Learner Support Centre
4 Approximate population which can be
Benefited by the Learner Support centre
5 Percentage of population of the following
Communities in the area
a) SC
b) ST
c) Muslims
d) Other Minorities
e) Women
6 Percentage of literacy
a) Male
b) Female
c) Muslim
d) Muslim Women
7 Language spoken
 8 Number of institutions of higher education
In the area (Please attach separate sheet
And also indicate the minority institutions
With a mention about the religious
Inclinations)
9 Nearest IGNOU Study Centre and its
Distance from the place
10 Name and address of the host institution
11 Telephone & Fax Number
12 Name of the Management / Government
Body
13 Situation in the city / town / village Centrally located:
(Please indicate)
On the outskirts:
Other specifications:
14 Year of establishment
Type and nature of the Institution
(Government / NGO / Private / Aided /
University / School / Any Other)
15 Is it among the following?
a) Navodaya Vidyalaya
b) Kendrya Vidyalaya
c) Madrasa
d) Gils’s School
e) Gils’s College
f) Any Other (Please Specify
16 Teaching faculties available
(Please attach separate statement for
More detailed Information such as
educational qualifications, experience etc.)
17 Infrastructure facilities available
a) Number of lecture rooms
b) Laboratories
c) Computer facilities
d) Library
e) Hostel for girls
d) Any other
18 How many rooms can the institution spare
For IGNOU Office? Please indicate their
Size in a separate sheet
19 Three names proposed in the order of 1 …………………………………………..
Preference for appointment of Coordinator 2 …………………………………………..
Of the proposed Learner Support Center 3 …………………………………………..
(Please enclose their completed bio-data)
CERTIFICATE
Certificate that the proposal for establishment of IGNOU ___________ (mention
type of the Centre) and the panel recommended for appointment of Coordinator of
the Learner Support Centres have been duly approved by the Governing Body of the
institution. The Governing Body Has also agreed to provided __________ number of
rooms for exclusive use of IGOUN Learner Support Centre without charging any rent.
The institution is ready to work for promotion of open And distance learning system
and the people residing in the Economically and Educationally Backward Blocks
identified by the Sachar Committee and the Planning Commission on the terms
Conditions laid down by IGNOU.
Date:___________
Signature of the Head of the Institution
Name: _________________________
Designation: _________________________
Seal: _________________________

PROPOSAL TO OFFER
TUTORED VIDEO INSTRUCTION BASED OPEN CERTIFICATION AND
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY APPRECIATION COURSES FOR TEACHERS IN
ENGINEERING COLLEGES USING NPTEL AND OTHER CONTENT
Submitted to the AICTE Board of Studies, NPTEL and IGNOU
By the
Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management – Kerala
April 2007
1. THE OPPORTUNITY
National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning, or, NPTEL, in its first phase of
content development, has produced video recorded lectures of full course length in over 110
courses of value to the engineering colleges. These lectures systematically cover a typical course
having about 40 hours of classes. NPTEL has also produced supplementary content of value in
another 120 courses. Both the NPTEL and AICTE are now faced with challenge of how to use
this content to improve the quality of technology education offered in the more than 1000
colleges that do not have experienced teachers.
There is this tremendous need to train and orient thousands of teachers (at least 10,000 teachers
to get started against a potential demand for 1,00,000 teachers) in the engineering colleges and
also facilitate them to conduct the courses in their respective colleges effectively. We have to
address the problem of providing engineering education of god quality reaching the nearly 1.5
million students in the engineering alone. The proposed system will immediately benefit at least
20 % of the engineering colleges that have the potential and commitment to offer quality
education. This will reduce the pressure on the IITs and the social stress on good students going
through agony of entrance examinations will considerably reduce and yet not getting admitted to
good institutions. Over the medium term, this will also supply good students for the postgraduate
programs.
Tutored Video Instruction, or, TVI is a well established methodology that allows for
innovative adaptations to impart quality instruction using video recorded lectures augmented by
appropriate tutored mediation and interaction processes. TVI as a method was developed
initially
by Prof. James Gibbons, Dean of Stanford University for reaching out Stanford’s classroom to
working professionals in the Silicon Valley. Subsequently various universities in North America
and elsewhere have adopted this method with telling effect. There are studies available over the
Internet to show that this method results in students doing better than normal classroom – exams
approach. In India, the ElNet-3L training program of IIT Kharagpur under the guidance of Prof.
A.K. Ray practiced this method successfully.
Here we propose a two-phase approach to make effective use of the NPTEL initiative. In the first
phase, we propose extensive teachers training and appreciation programs using the NPTEL
content and offer the young inexperienced teachers in the engineering colleges proficiency
certification through a program approved by the Distance Education Council using the
Education
Grid systems, NPTEL (and other relevant) content and IGNOU’s infrastructure. In the second
phase, we propose an extensive Open Supported Learning Network, or, OSLN that supports
diverse Technology Enhanced Learning and Teaching, or, TELT services for the universities
and colleges.
2. PILOT PHASE RESOURCES & FACILITIES FOR TVI IN THE COLLEGES
The proposed TVI methodology here is an adaptation of the one developed at Stanford, and the
one practiced by the ElNet-3L of IIT Kharagpur. Our adaptation takes into account the
availability of modern LMS platforms, wikis, collaboration systems developed under the
Education Grid of IIITM-K, online libraries and open publishing gateways and
EDUSAT/IGNOU SIT facilities. We assume that the following facilities/resources are
available. The resource requirements for the pilot launch of Education Grid TVI are estimated
based on the equivalent of supporting up to 10 of the NPTEL and IIITM-K courses in a sample
set of colleges in Kerala and southern Tamil Nadu in the launching, or, pilot phase. The
certification/training courses will use the following.
(i) Systematically delivered lectures from expert faculty under the NPTEL and IIITM-K
are pre-delivered and loaded to run from a local streaming video server in the
colleges. It is enough if the streaming server are run from two basic PCs (for
redundancy and performance) on LAN with about 1 GB RAM and 100 GB SATA
HDD each.
(ii) A central course wiki is maintained in the Education Grid Portal for supplementary
content and to support community driven supplementary content development.
(iii) A discussion forum or blog for the courses is maintained and serviced by the
Education Grid for conducting the TVI.
(iv) A Moodle LMS system will be maintained by the Education Grid for the registered
teachers/ candidates taking the course.
(v) TVI group learning facility in the colleges: This involves a single multimedia PC with
large screen around which about 4 to 8 learners may sit and attend the classes using
streamed video lectures.
(vi) IGNOU’s Satellite Interactive Terminal facility (or a suitable EDUSAT facility) for
conducting interactive tutorial sessions will be used about once a week for each
course.
The processes of conducting the TVI based instruction and evaluation is explained in the next
section. The suggested process is adapted to the availability of reasonable Internet connectivity,
modern ICT tools and systems in e-Learning as already stated. We assume that the participant
teachers will have their email and access to a fair quality Internet. If necessary, the same can be
provided from the ERNET PoP at IIITM-K.
3. THE PROPOSED TVI APPROACH
The proposed TVI based teachers proficiency certification and advanced technology appreciation
programs is also intended to be used for priming the concerned colleges to get equipped and
oriented for TELT driven education for their regular students also. We assume that it will take a
little while before TELT over the Education Grid is taken as part of the learning infrastructure as
part of the knowledge network of the country. There are the three following major areas to be
addressed in establishing the TVI based Teachers Proficiency Certification (TPC) Program.
(i) Recognition of the Certification (and other Diploma/Degree program that may come
later)
We recommend that these training programs are given due recognition by the AICTE. They may
be approved under the Distance Education Council. IIITM-K is ready to offer the certificates
under its purview. The proficiency certificates will be conducted with due assessment
process and will carry formal recognition of value for teachers’ career and growth. The
formal certificates may be issued by the IITs/IISc (by anyone of the IITs, or, an empowered V-
IIT) under the NPTEL, by IGNOU, or by IIITM-K (with due recognition of AICTE), or an
affiliating university.
(ii) Establishing minimal TELT facilities for managing the TVI in the colleges
The objectives of the proposed certification training programs are two fold. First is to put in
place new capacity building processes that result in generating large number of qualified
teachers. The second objective is to concurrently ensure that both the college and the
teachers concerned become familiar with using TELT effectively to sustain quality
education. Hence we recommend that the colleges that wish to enroll their teachers in the
proficiency certification program be also equipped minimally to support TELT environment.
This will help the same teachers adopt TELT and TVI methodologies in their regular courses for
the students. Typically the facilities include minimal streaming server, a caching web-server (to
overcome network response problems for access to the course wikis) and a mail server. IIITM-K
Education Grid team is ready to assist the colleges in the setting up of the minimal facilities. It is
important that the participant teachers are given facility to play the video-on-demand within the
college LAN outside the scheduled hours of the course.
(iii) Checklist of readiness for conducting the certification courses
For effective TVI based instruction we need to have in place following items working in reliable
manner.
1. The entire set of about 40 hours of NPTEL video recorded lectures in compressed form
for a course is preloaded in the local streaming video server for the college.
2. The Education Grid Wiki for the course is set up with two parallel tracks – one with
supplementary content, parts of which may be openly editable, and one with clearly
defined course time schedule of modules, learning activities and evaluation to be done in
each are indicated.
3. A Moodle instance is created in the Education Grid Portal and assigned to the course for
providing the LMS services to all the teachers registered in the course.
4. The course is assigned two or three instructors/associate instructors who are subject
experts. The subject experts oversee the conduct of the TVI based course. They support
weekly SIT based tutorial sessions in response to doubts of and observations made by the
learners and also to add supplementary examples and solutions to problems.
5. A continuous evaluation is designed that gives weights to the different learning and
evaluation activities as stipulated in the course wiki. The course is strictly time bound for
each module and the overall course has to be completed within the stipulated period.
6. A term paper and presentation will also be encouraged to evaluate the articulation skills
of the teachers as a final test. The subject experts will evaluate this paper-presentation.
7. Places well equipped (like NIT-C, good college labs, IIITM-K, a national lab like the
RRL and such others) may offer their facilities for practice sessions associated with
subjects that have such curricula.
8. Seminars of state-of-the-art may be recorded in a place like IIITM-K, or the NPTEL
Centres of the IITs and broadcast through cable channels and also made available as
compressed video files from facilities offered by BSNL and others.
9. A final certificate with a grade is given to each registered candidate.
Thus a complete technology enhanced learning and teaching eco-system is readily established
and programs commenced in a very short time, particularly in specific areas like engineering
under the NPTEL. Other subjects will take a lead-time about two years. We may note that the
same minimal facilities may be augmented in the colleges for the benefit of all students and
teachers to benefit from NPTEL content and Education Grid services in all available courses and
for inter-collegiate collaborations.
4. ADVANTAGES OF THE TVI BASED EDUCATION
The advantage of the proposed TVI model for teachers certification program is that it
augments and supports conventional college education while grooming good teachers. It
minimally disrupts the established routines and provides both the colleges and affiliating
university the room to improve their own functions.
We may go one-step further, announce the formation of a Virtual IIT (VIIT) approved
under the DEC mandate and initially launch these Proficiency Certification Courses. This
only demands minimal additional effort on the part of the IITs. VIIT over time may focus
on building collaborative postgraduate programs. Such a VIIT will be an asset to the country
and vastly strengthen the social responsibility functions served by the IITs, or by the toothless
QIP courses today.
The affiliating universities have to give up control of the college education in the colleges over
time. There cannot be good education where the teacher is kept away from the evaluation process
of his/her own class. Good educational institutions like those of the IITs thrive on the sacrosanct
teacher-taught relation that is not questioned by any bureaucratic bodies and centralized
examination system, but by the peer pressure of the students, teachers and the society at large.
By extending and adapting (not blindly adopting) the TVI model to the regular courses in the
colleges, the affiliating universities will enable the colleges teach better and over time steadily
increase the autonomy to the colleges. Over time, affiliating universities are morphed into
servicing and supporting educational technology and resource centers of excellence. With
colleges satisfying some norms like minimal number of teachers with proficiency certification
and those with PG qualifications, more and more of them may be given full autonomy.
The direction proposed herein will pave the way for the much-needed educational transformation
that is urgently needed if at all India were to move towards the 2020 vision. The process stated
herein will ultimately fulfill the true pyrpose of MPTEL, i.e., establishing quality education
through appropriate use of ICT.
5. BUDGET REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PILOT TVI
IIITM-K is ready to launch a national pilot along with the IITs using its Education Grid and
ERNET facilities. An indication of budget requirements was given in an earlier document titled,
“Education Grid Course Support Services for Effective Use of NPTEL Content in the
Engineering Colleges”. The amount requested for the pilot initiative is Rs. 120 Lakh. IIITM-
K is ready to roll out the program within three months of receiving the funds.
Two annexure documents are attached with this proposal. The first provides the details and
budget requirements for the Education Grid services to conduct the TVI based certification
program. The second provides an outline of the resources needed in the colleges and the mutual
relations between the NPTEL, Education Grid services and the colleges systems.
Draft submitted by IIITM-K
Authored by: K.R. Srivatsan
Dated: April 20, 2007
ANNEXURE - I
EDUCATION GRID COURSE SUPPORT SERVICES
FOR EFFECTIVE USE OF NPTEL CONTENT
IN ENGINEERING COLLEGES
Project Proposal submitted to NPTEL by the
 Indian Institute of Information Technology & Management – Kerala
March 2007
1. BACKGROUND
Following the release of the first set of courses by the NPTEL, the Government of Kerala is keen
on ensuring that they are deployed in the Engineering Colleges of the state. A letter issued by the
Special Secretary (IT) to the Chairman, NPTEL, has communicated the same. This proposal
outlines the approach, actions to be taken and the methodology to be adopted in supporting the
use of NPTEL content with associated services and programs under Education Grid to the
colleges.
The first phase of NPTEL has resulted in making content available in about 230 courses of
importance to the engineering colleges. The content is either in video recorded lectures, or as
web-accessible/downloadable form authored by subject-experts. These are broadly aligned with
the syllabi adopted in AICTE approved colleges. The objective of NPTEL itself is to assist the
colleges in improving the quality of instruction provided to the students in the colleges. To
achieve this objective we need systems and processes that help the teachers of these courses in
the colleges. We also need fairly advanced network infrastructure in the colleges that links to the
network. Thirdly we need centrally coordinated subject specific portals for dynamic interaction
between the teachers, students, subject experts and the subject world of information accessible
across the Internet. This proposal addresses these requirements.
2. PROPOSED SUPPORT SERVICES
There are two major systems components and two types of services oriented programs that
constitute the proposed Education Grid Course Support Services. These respectively are stated
below.
Systems Component 1: Establishing reference systems and gateway configurations for the
colleges that desire to take the course support services. These reference systems in They will
follow the general recommendations submitted to the AICTE by the committee on college
infrastructure. These will provide the following minimal facilities in the colleges.
(i) College Gateway and Portal Systems
These include the main Internet Gateway access, minimal college portal, firewall and proxy
systems, secondary DNS and Mail Server.
(ii) Basic Computational Facilities
For some of the courses, the colleges need packages like Scilab (that is available free, instead
of Mathlab that costs license charges), SPICE, relevant scientific and engineering packages
for the students to do th exercises.
(iii) Basic Streaming Video Server
The college needs streaming video servers to host on its LAN the video recorded lectures for
easy access and distribution to teachers and students in the colleges. This will complement
the main streaming video services that NPTEL itself is likely to host at the national level.
(iv) Digital Library and Open Access Publishing facility
Each college needs at least a Dspace and WinIsis/GenIsis type library packages and facility
for linking subscripted e-journals that it may subscribe to.
(v) Learning Management System
The FOSS based Moodle LMS will be installed for each course within the college. This
provides for group discussions, student interactions, personalization of the course content as
suited to the college itself, question banks, quizzes and such facilitations needed to run the
courses effectively within the colleges.
(vi) Server for Automation of Students Affairs
There are several office automation and other packages that many vendors and developers
support for managing students registration, registry functions and students counselling. An
 Open Linux server will be made available to support these functions. Vendors may have their
products certified for use and have college staff trained in these functions.
All the above functions will be packaged into one vertical rack of servers, their configurations
integrated and versionized. The same will be recommended as recommended FOSS solutions
that complies with the Services Oriented Architecture (SOA) that is needed for the colleges to
benefit from modern networked systems of information and collaboration. Colleges will be
encouraged to procure hardware by themselves and have the systems integrated by the
Education
Grid team.
Motiva-
tional
Teachers’ support,
Instructors’
Certification/
Reference
Training
Course
Case Studies,
Wiki/ Subject
Examples CORE
TELpedia Experts
NPTEL COURSE
(Moderated Group
Exercises & CONTENT
by subject
Learning (Linked NPTEL
experts)
Course Portal
Activities
Area)
Challenges
Education Grid
Open Blog for
TELT Support
Students & others
Area Services
Fig. 1: EDUCATION GRID TELPEDIA COURSE SUPPORT SYSTEM
– A Functional View
Systems Component 2: Developing the Education Grid Course Wiki and Blog support systems
that provide the feedback driven supplementary content development and teachers – students -
experts interactions. This supplementary content system is essential to invite content
development and effective utilization of the NPTEL content already developed. The components
of the TELpedia systems are illustrated in Fig. 1. The Education Grid team at IIITM-K will
develop, configure and commission these systems for use in the state’s colleges.
TELPedia SERVICES: Supplementary content through an TELpedia established and managed
over the Education Grid Portal. The components of the TELpedia as it would appear on the
Education Grid Portal are illustrated in Fig. 1.
Teachers Orientation, Training and Certification Programs
This forms the second set of services to be supported under the Education Grid. For every
NPTEL supported subject, a group of two to three subject experts will be constituted to referee
and guide the TELpedia evolution, respond to teachers queries and monitor the open blog
discussions. Further, they will be encouraged to conduct teachers’ orientation and proficiency
certification programs.
3. BUDGET REQUIREMENTS FROM NPTEL
This proposal solicits support for seeding the above four developmental and services activities.
(i) Systems Component for Colleges: Rs. 15 Lakh - first version to be completed in
about six months. (Rs. 10 Lakh for hardware & systems + Rs. 5 Lakh for integration,
training and deployment initiatives)
(ii) TELpedia Development: Capital expense: Total Rs. 30 Lakh (consisting of Rs. 15
Lakh for server upgrade + Rs. 10 Lakh for software developments and integration +
Rs. 5 Lakh for launch related awareness and training programs over a one-year
period.)
(iii) TELpedia Services: Budget of Rs. 30 Lakh proposed. We propose to launch fairly
comprehensive TELpedia services in selected 10 NPTEL Courses. The cost per
course per year is estimated at Rs. 3 Lakh. This will support the courses for a period
of one year.
(iv) Orientation and Teachers’ Certification Programs: Budgeted at Rs. 25 Lakh for a
period of one year. Formal Teachers orientation certification programs will be
announced in the selected ten NPTEL courses. The programs will be designed with
due process of evaluation carried out by the subject-experts nominated by the NPTEL
and the state DTE. The certificates may be issued by the IIITM-K under its extension
services, if possible in association with the concerned affiliating universities.
Under (iii) and (iv) above, IIITM-K along with NPTEL will also convene national
workshop with the AICTE on how we propose to establish the Technical Education
Grid and reach the benefits of this project to all the engineering colleges of the
country.
(v) IIITM-K Services Overheads: Rs. 20 Lakh: IIITM-K will also summarize its
experiences and findings of this project. It will propose a similar initiative under the
AICTE to cover all the engineering colleges of India.
The total budget for the Education Grid Support Services for utilization of NPTEL content
in the engineering colleges therefore comes to Rs. 120 Lakh. This program will cover the
engineering colleges of Kerala and neighboring Tamil Nadu region.
This proposal is submitted to the NPTEL for inclusion under its Phase-II implementation.
Submitted by
[Director, IIITM-K]
Dated: March 19, 2007.
References
1. K.R. Srivathsan, “Management of Refereed Content Generation and Utilisation in Formal
Education”, Global Journal of Flexible Systems and Management, Vol. 4, Nos. 1 & 2,
Jan.-June 2003. Available for download from the following link.
http://www.edugrid.ac.in/webfolder/download/paper_1.pdf
2. K.R. Srivathsan, “Future ICT Infrastructure for Education”, A report prepared for and
presented at the ISRO Edusat Southern Regional Heads of Institutions Consultations,
held Jan. 19, 2004 at Anna University. Download from
http://www.edugrid.ac.in/webfolder/download/paper_7.pdf
3. K.R. Srivathsan, “Concurrent instructional services over NPTEL content for quality
education in the colleges”. Download from
http://www.edugrid.ac.in/webfolder/download/cis-nptel-92k5.pdf
 ANNEXURE - II
DEPLOYMENT OF NPTEL CONTENT AND MANAGEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY
ASSISTED INSTRUCTIONAL DELIVERY AND EVALUATION PROCESSES
OVER A NATIONAL EDUCATION GRID
Proposal by the
Indian of Information Technology and Management – Kerala
April 2007
1. THE NPTEL OPPORTUNITY
Under the MHRD’s National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL: visit:
http://nptel.iitm.ac.in/), the IITs and IISc have generated content in over 230 courses of relevance
for improving the standards and quality of education in the engineering colleges. These contents
are in the form of recorded video lectures and web-accessible supplementary material for the
courses. NPTEL is also planning Phase-II to continue such developments in more courses. Our
immediate need is to come up with methods of deploying the content and augmenting the
teaching – learning methods in the AICTE accredited colleges so that they will overcome the
several deficiencies in the present system and support quality education to their students.
In parallel to NPTEL, IIITM-K had been developing the Education Grid (www.edugrid.in) as a
reference and collaborative portal for the colleges, teachers and students in the colleges.
Combining both, we had earlier suggested in [1] the launching of ‘Concurrent Instructional
Services (CIS) over NPTEL Content’ as process to enhance the quality of instruction in the
colleges. This paper may be downloaded from the following link.
http://www.edugrid.ac.in/webfolder/download/cis-nptel-92k5.pdf
The same is appended with this proposal. In this paper we state specific approaches that AICTE
may launch for reaching the benefits of NPTEL to all the colleges. In the next section we state
the systems and process requirements for effective use of NPTEL content in the colleges.
2. INFRASTRUCTURE AND LOGISTICS REQUIREMENTS FOR TELT AND OSL
Our goal is to improve the quality of instruction very substantially through Technology
Enhanced Learning and Teaching (TELT) in the colleges that is serviced by the NPTEL
Portal and Education Grid for Open Supported Learning (OSL). We call this as OSL because
it supports the more conventional classroom teaching and education by TELT driven open
support processes. The resulting consequences in terms of quality of education offered in all the
colleges will be far reaching.
The first requirement is that the NPTEL institutions of IITs and IISc have to set up
effective open courseware repositories of the content generated (and new content being
added) in the NPTEL web sites. The work towards this has already commenced. The web-
content is being made available. The video content is being suitably edited and compressed for
distribution to the colleges. A broad agreement has been arrived at that the video lectures will be
made available in compressed H.264/MPEG-4 format at 512 Kbps. this may be played using the
free Quicktime player.
The second requirement is that we need a master National Technical Education Grid
Portal as a web-accessed collaborative and coordination forum. The role of this portal is to
service the query management, subject or course specific collaboration moderated by experts,
add contextually linked content in each course, and invite the teachers, students and the subject
community at large to participate in discussions and blogs. The portal will also have a reference
template on how each module may be taught with associated instructional delivery
considerations with associated feedback, learning activities and recommended evaluation
processes.
The third requirement is that each college has a minimal Technology Enhanced Learning
and Teaching Infrastructure for effective practice of NPTEL content facilitated OSL over the
Education Grid framework. A note on the second and third requirements [2] has already been
sent to the AICTE and some members of its Board of Studies. The same document is also
appended with this paper.
The fourth requirement is that AICTE has to nominate about three subject experts to steer
and moderate the OSL in each course. They, as subject experts will ensure that the queries and
requirements of of teachers are responded promptly. They will also help conduct appropriate
teachers orientation and training programs in the colleges. The experts will be backed by the
Education Grid Portal and serviced by professionals deployed under the TELT services of
Education Grid.
There are reasons for separating the content and learning resources development under the
NPTEL and the servicing of content, its deployment and utilization in the colleges. The first part
is best served by highly qualified academicians in premier institutions. The TELT driven OSL
part is a major virtual institution itself. An independent National Technical Education Grid best
serves this role. The second one will provide the necessary feedback as relevant for content
upgrade and learning resources development. The total system of a national TELT driven OSL
framework appears as illustrated in Fig. 1 below.
LA
Subject E N
Affiliating
Experts
A Y
Universities,
from
R W
Colleges &
different
N H
Programs
institutions
E E
R R
S E
Education
NPTEL
Grid
Fig. 1: Proposed National Open Supported Learning
System for Technical Education
The figure illustrates the different systems that have to be in place to drive the OSL in the
colleges. The dotted lines are used to show that the concerned portals are openly available to the
concerned learners.
3. LAUNCHING OF OSL SERVICES – IMMEDIATE TASKS
AICTE can benefit immediately from three programs that can be launched by the collaborative
systems as outlined in Fig. 1. These are summarized below.
(i) Deployment of Basic Systems in the colleges
The concerned minimal systems were outlined in an earlier document and the same is appended
to this proposal. The systems conform to the recommendations of the AICTE-Industry Conclave
held at Infosys Bangalore and given by the IT Infrastructure Group. IIITM-K in collaboration
with ERNET India is ready to provide the base configuration systems for the colleges. AICTE
should provide a directive to the colleges to establish the recommended configuration. The basic
systems will provide the following facilities: Video on demand streaming server, Learning
Management System, Internet Gateway and Mail Server Systems and associated discussion
forums. We may also add any INDEST or INFLIBNET consortium recommended e-library
facilities.
(ii) Teachers Orientation and Proficiency Certification Programs on TELT
In association with IGNOU and using its Satellite Interactive terminal (SIT) IT classroom
facilities, IIITM-K and NPTEL are in a position to conduct a series of teachers’ orientation
programs across the country. The large IGNOU infrastructure and s IGNOU’s experience in
managing SIT driven classrooms are an asset and better suited than the current EDUSAT
support. The programs over this network will orient and train the teachers on effective use of and
practice of OSL. IGNOU is also coordinating the massive Open Distance Learning programs
under the 11th Plan. Further, we are in a position to design and conduct effective proficiency
certification program for teachers in the different subjects using the NPTEL content as guided
self-learning course with term papers and presentation work. A large national exercise in this is
called for to bridge the gap in the availability of experienced teachers. We may create an
autonomous entity under the Distance Education Council for certification and degrees under
these programs.
(iii) Launching Tutored Video Instruction (TVI) in the colleges
TVI is a well established and proven methodology that uses the recorded video lectures for
effective instruction in the colleges even in situations where the teacher is not that well
experienced. Prof. James Gibbons of Stanford University developed the system for delivering
courses to working professionals in the industry. The method involves groups of 4 to 6 students
listening to a video recorded lecture with provision for pausing and discussions. A local tutor
helps steer the discussions in the different groups. We may post the group’s discussions and
doubts in a course discussion forum. Today, using SIT facilities experienced teachers may
conduct tutorial sessions answering posted doubts and responding to comments once every week.
Prof. A.K. Ray and his team practiced such method with great effect under the ElNet-3L
program of IIT Kharagpur. The local teacher acts as the tutor to respond to student’s queries.
Bundled with teachers’ proficiency certification and TVI, over a few years we will be in good
position to make good the shortfall in the number of reasonably competent teachers.
(iv) Curricula Integration and OSL in the Affiliating and Technical Universities
Ultimately, the evaluation processes are conducted by the affiliating and technical universities.
Hence, we suggest that each affiliating university or autonomous college to have its own courses
portal hosting relevant content taken from the NPTEL and Education Grid Portal posted in its
own server and LMS systems. Each of them may practice their own version of the ‘Concurrent
Instructional Services’ driven TELT methods. The affiliating and technical universities in turn
need to understand and practice the OSL methodologies for enhancing the quality education in
their colleges. These OSL methods support both the teachers and students in several ways as
given below.
• Video streaming in the colleges provide recorded lectures-on-demand for use in TVI
system of teaching and for students or teachers to review lectures as and when necessary.
• The master Education Grid Portal and wherever possible local affiliate university
Education Grid portal provides the detailed course content that provides NPTEL content,
course wiki with links to relevant e-content anywhere and students blogs for
collaboration.
• Course wikis to have pedagogically structured framework of course related instructional
delivery, feedback driven interaction facilities, learning activities and evaluation
processes.
• Ready availability of subject experts for teachers to interact with.
 • Proficiency certification and postgraduate educational opportunities for teachers through
OSL.
5. PROPOSAL FOR A JOINT NPTEL – EDUCATION GRID – AICTE WORKSHOP
What is being implied in this proposal is that the higher technical education system in the
country will have to be modernized in the light of recent developments in community computing
environments like the wikis, web services over Internet, collaboration systems of Education
Grid, NPTEL and open courseware systems. This is not difficult to implement of all concerned
parties – NPTEL institutions, AICTE, IGNOU, affiliating universities, the colleges and IT
industry act in concert over an Education Grid framework. This coming together and working in
concert needs enabling framework like a consortium of academia – industry and government.
The financing of such TELT driven OSL framework for all the colleges is likely to cost not more
than Rs. 2000 per student per year – a sum that is readily recovered from the current fee
structure
in most colleges. In return, what the colleges and students get is ‘Quality Education independent
of Geography’.
We propose that during the next NPTEL workshop for teachers, we shall devote an additional
day for an NPTEL-Education Grid-AICTE-IGNOU conclave where we invite specific
recommendations on each of the items in section – 3 above and pass the same to AICTE for
issuing the necessary directives.
Submitted by
K.R. Srivathsan
Director, IIITM-K, Coordinator Education Grid
NPC and PIC Member, NPTEL
April 09, 2007.