06. Pan-Commonwealth Forum 6 (PCF6), 2010
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Browsing 06. Pan-Commonwealth Forum 6 (PCF6), 2010 by Region "Asia"
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PublicationAccess and success of distance learners through ICTs at School of Distance Learning and Continuing Education (SDLCE), Kakatiya University( 2010-11)Open and Distance Learning (ODL) represents an approach that focuses opening access to education and training through ICTs. The benefits of ODL are freeing learners from the constraints of time and place and offering flexible learning opportunities to individuals and groups of learners with the support of ICTs. // The conventional system of education in Warangal District of Andhra Pradesh has become inadequate to meet the growing demand for higher education due to its inbuilt constraints in admissions to the full-time courses on campus. In view of this, the Kakatiya University has established the School of Distance Learning and Continuing Education (SDLCE) in 1988 to meet this demand and to reduce the pressure on conventional system. // The aim of the SDLCE is to offer higher education programs through distance education mode, for the benefit of all those who had been deprived of the opportunity, for one reason or the other to enter the main stream education. The SDLCE follows the multi-mode system and provides printed course materials; technology based lessons to the learners and arranges limited face-to-face sessions through contact-cum-counseling sessions. The term technology based education/learning refers to systems of teaching and learning in which a technology other than the print has a major role (COL, 2000). This study focuses on ICTs delivery instructional system other than self-instructional materials that SDLCE is using. -
PublicationAssessing the Needs of Literacy personnel in Non Formal Basic Education( 2010-11)Due to population explosion and swiftly increasing demand for education even developed countries are unable to overcome the prevailing challenges through formal system of education. Most of the developing countries are in miserable situation regarding level of education and literacy. Attacking poverty has become an international concern for placing in the paradigm of ‘education and learning for sustainable development’ in consideration of the reality that almost half of the world’s population live in poverty. Unfortunately, more than half of the population is living below the poverty line in Pakistan. (World Bank, 2000) Due to scarce resources and financial constraints developing countries are unable to cope with the drastic demand for education and consequently non formal education (NFE) seems blessing to meet this challenge of poverty alleviation.
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PublicationAssisting Severely Disadvantaged Agricultural Areas in Pakistan: The Potential for Improving the Interaction and Effectiveness of Development Partners Research, Extension and Village Religious Leaders( 2010-11)At present, in the NWFP of Pakistan, village religious leaders play no formal role in agricultural development. Yet, historically they have had functional involvement in other development sectors such as education through the mosque schools programme (Government of Pakistan, 1985). Hidayat Ullah (1986) recommended that programmes need to be developed for the possible involvement of religious leaders in agricultural development. Yet since then, little direct action to bring this about has been forthcoming which is particularly unfortunate given the continuing difficulties with information transmission of complex agricultural issues being experienced by disadvantaged farming communities in the NWFP highlighted by Nowshad Khan, 1999. // Moreover, available literature on research in Pakistan into the potential involvement of religious leaders in agricultural development is largely lacking. Yet, this kind of study has been occasionally conducted in other Islamic countries. Fernandez (1989) reported that the mosque, as a local and indigenous institution in the Malay community (Malaysia), can be utilized as an effective channel to reach the majority of village farmers. He noted that the content of the Friday address at the mosque was not necessarily on religious matters per se but could also relate to community, national and developmental issues like agriculture, health, nutrition and the need to participate in development projects. As religious leaders have been used as a successful motivational force for change in other Islamic and non-Islamic countries, the hypothesis, that they could contribute a role in an improved model of agricultural information transfer in disadvantaged agricultural communities in the NWFP, is not unreasonable (Alebikiya et al. 1993; Morner and Hansen, 1991; Webb, 1990).
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PublicationBeliefs Regarding Approaches to Study and Learning Styles: The Primacy of Gender as the Mediating Variable( 2010-11)The present study is an outcome of the findings of an exploratory qualitative study which revealed that about half the male learners in the sample, but none in the women’s sample, pursuing various Masters’ Programmes at IGNOU, felt that there are distinct gender differences in abilities as well as differences in the way in which men and women approach and transact learning tasks (Sharma Sen & Samdup, 2008). The present quantitative study is an attempt to explore these findings further using a wider base. Thus the objective of the study is to uncover beliefs held by people, if any, about gender differences in cognitive abilities and gender differences in approaches to study/ learning characteristics/ learning styles as a function of • residence in a particular state • residence in a particular location (rural/urban), • enrolment in a particular programme of study and • gender
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PublicationBlended Learning Approach to Training School Counselors: A Case Study of COL-NCERT Collaborative Programme( 2010-11)There has been a great demand for Guidance and Counselling services in schools to facilitate better academic performance, adjustment and career development among students so as to provide quality education to students. In this direction the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), an autonomous body under Govt.of India among other programmes/activities offered a nine months Post Graduate Diploma Course in Guidance through face-to-face mode for almost five decades for teachers and teacher educators drawn from different States of India. Later on this programme was extended by offering it through its four constituent units located at Mysore, Ajmer, Bhopal and Bhubaneswar to cater to the needs of the whole country. // In 2003, Teacher- Counsellor Model was designed and offered as a six month (face to face) International Diploma to teachers/teacher educators/administrators of India, and other South Asian and African countries. Participants from Maldives, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Kuwait, Bhutan and Fiji were the beneficiaries of this programme. Even this expansion was not enough to meet the growing demand for the trained guidance personnel in the region. In order to meet the training needs of the developing countries, NCERT in collaboration with COL, Vancouver, Canada designed and developed a one-year Distance Education Programme called International Diploma Course in Guidance and Counselling (IDGC) with special features like focus on needs of developing countries, opportunity for multicultural interactions and exposure to alternative strategies for assessment and counseling. The course inputs of earlier programmes were redesigned to be offered in a mixed mode with components of distance, online and face-to-face modes. This Blended learning approach adopted in IDGC to enable the in-service personnel avail of the opportunity without leaving their places of work and families for a long period of time. The main objective of the course is to train teachers, teacher-educators and untrained guidance personnel as counselors, teacher-counselors to guide and counsel students from schools and related settings. This paper studies the different aspects of the course and the extent to which the objectives of the course are met. A case study approach has been adopted for this purpose.
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PublicationCan Mobile Phones Be Used To Improve The Quality Of Learning In Open Schooling?( 2010-11)Mobile phones have become ubiquitous. Almost anyone who can have a mobile phone has one. The amount of information and access to it has grown exponentially, thereby the potential for using varied resources for instruction and learning have increased. In this context, can mobile phones be used as an engaging tool for learning? If educational technology theory, research, and pedagogy are re-conceptualized to include the tools and knowledge that students already possess, then will students using mobile phones have better opportunities to connect learning inside and outside the school? These questions prompted in an exploratory study which was made with learners of Open Schooling in India to find out their access to mobile phones, the pattern of their current mobile phone usage and their perception on use of mobile phones for educational purpose. This paper presents the results of this study and provides a snapshot of the current status which can serve as a foundation to further planning for the implementation of ICT-related activities in Open schooling.
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PublicationCan Open and Distance Education bring Social Justice to the Weaker Sections of the Society: A Case Study on Directorate of Distance Education, University of North Bengal, West Bengal, India( 2010-11)Education, among all the forces and factors that influence in provisioning social justice, emerges strong as it creates social awareness that further leads to the realization by the individual for greater opportunities in social life. Open and Distance Learning (ODL), which is a non contiguous form of study, affords a learner the flexibility of study, independent of time and space (Jegede, Barry & Fisher 1995). By virtue of this intrinsic characteristics, ODL has immense potential that can be harnessed to promote higher education by first lowering social, cultural, perceptual and economic barriers and then leveraging the incremental quantum of educated individuals to foster socio-economic growth. Having ensured easy access to higher education and creating equitable opportunities for provision and recognition of lifelong learning, ODL can further contribute significantly to social justice through capacity building that would add considerably towards poverty alleviation and sustainable development. As participants of ODL programs are usually individuals who are motivated to enrich themselves, their knowledge and skills can be further harnessed for sustainable development of the societies, which otherwise would not have been possible in a formal, regular learning framework. The National Policy on Education (GOI 1986) places a special thrust on Distance Education by prioritizing life-long education as a cherished goal of the educational process.
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PublicationClosing Remarks: PCF6( 2010-11-28)Transcript and link to video of the closing remarks to the 6th Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning, Kochi, Kerala, India, 28 November 2010. Presented by The Hon. Burchell Whiteman, O.J., Chair of COL's Board of Governors.
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PublicationCoastal Community Resource Center: An Open Education Platform( 2010-11)Mangrove Ecosystem of Bhitarkanika: There are many reasons why it is critical that we act to preserve the fragile coastal ecosystem of the Odisha Coast found at Bhitarakanika. Not only is the natural wonder of the sanctuary worth protecting of its own right, but also it provides critical cultural and economic services to the people of the region as well as the people of Orissa and India in general. In fact, Bhitarakanika is a habitat of global importance. // If you have had a chance to gaze into the dark depths of a mangrove grove, or watch the tide flow up to kiss the bright green leaves of a tree, if you have seen fiddler crabs seeming to play in some silent string orchestra as they feed or deer dancing along the muddy banks at low tide, if you’ve seen a gigantic crocodile sunning itself like some ancient wonder transporting you back to the time of the dinosaurs or watched a mudskipper grip the roots of a tree with the beginnings of limbs like the first creature to crawl out of the sea millions of years ago, you cannot help but be filled with a sense of wonder. You know that this environment is worth preserving because of its beauty, its history, and its spirituality. Earth, water, wind, fire, and space are all present here in all their glory. You can feel the footprints of Gods that must walk among these trees and their twisted network of roots, whistling with every voice in the forest, from the red-breasted kingfisher to the loud squawk of herons nesting on the magnificent island / kingdom of migratory birds.
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PublicationCollaborative Regional Public Technology Enhanced Learning Management System (TELMS) in Promoting School Teachers’ Lifelong Learning through School ICT Laboratories: Upgrading Knowledge and Human Capital in Malaysia( 2010-11)The purpose of this study is to examine the setting, commissioning and managing of a collaborative regional public Technology Enhance Learning Management System (TELMS) as an innovative platform in helping school teachers in Malaysia in upgrading their quality pedagogical knowledge and human capital. The local public teacher training and educational providers could collaborate with existing schools where the teachers’ contribute to organize and dissemination knowledge for life-long learning process in this perspective. They could utilize the existing internet facilities from the school ICT laboratory in upgrading the country’s knowledge economy. Factors like demographic, technology availability, learning culture and leadership to support school teachers’ life-long learning process to educate and improve knowledge economy through the school ICT laboratory in each state were surveyed. In general, there are significant differences among factors stated above which will upgrade the school teachers’ knowledge and knowledge economy in their life-long quest of learning process and upgrading the country’s human capital to be competitive in the region. Good governances in management and enhancement of digital technology in the Regional Public TELMS to upgrade school teachers’ lifelong learning could be beneficial in upgrading their knowledge and fostering their quality of life and human capital. In addition, school teachers could use the digital platform to foster friendship, exchange of knowledge and networking among their peers in the region and cater universal education philosophy of ‘Education for All’. Therefore it is of utmost important for the maximization in the utilization of digital technologies provided by the government initiative to improve its efficiency and integrity on social responsibilities in producing quality human capital through Open and Distance Learning in the quest for lifelong learning perspective.
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PublicationCommunity Schooling: Novel Strategy to Expand Value Education( 2010-11)Education aims at the all round development of the child to help them grow as able citizens those who understand the purpose of safe guarding natural values, virtues and wise use of the resources to campaign for conservation and preservation to safe guard the ‘Mother Earth’ from manmade coercion. There is a crisis and lapse of critical analysis of ‘values’ in all spheres of life in present day society. Qualities like love, truthfulness, honesty, sincerity, co-operation, tolerance, non-violence, service etc. have almost vanishing as a result there is violence, terrorism, hatred, cruelty etc. are dominating in the whole world. The citizens of tomorrow are mainly the products of the present educational system. This indicates that the present system of education is not enough to produce good human beings. All the educational Commissions and Committees of preparing the National Agenda of the past have recommended stories on Value Education for children from the school stage. But this has not been attempted with spirit to attend success after manifold trials. The reasons are many but one of them is no substantial minimum awareness or knowledge of teachers and parents in this regard on various Value Education methodologies.
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PublicationA Comparative Study between the Learners of Computer Science and Health Science of Bangladesh Open University( 2010-11)Success of distance education would be depended on how the policy makers’ are aware of the problems, needs, attitudes and characteristics of their learners. The present study tried to reflect the learners’ demographic status and a comparative analysis between the learners’ of DCSA and Nursing program of SST.
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PublicationA Comprehensive Web Based Student Support System for ODL Institutions of India( 2010-11)This paper presents an updated web system for student support services in ODL institutions of India. The infrastructure of the designed web system is composed of web server, application server, middleware, data warehouse, Internet and other networks. The most recently available versions of these electronic gazettes have been suggested to update the proposed web based student support system. In addition, the technical functionalities and associated components of the system has been structured to help users navigate easily through various support services provided by the system. // The major categories of services thus available are also discussed with a view that such a system would be quite helpful for large population of distance learners in learning their assigned courses of study. So, this system would solve to a large extent the problem of students’ isolation from the faculty and other fellow student and provide time and location free access to studies. // Keywords: Open and Distance Learning Institute (ODLI), Distance Education Council (DEC), Web-browser, Internet, Student Support Services (SSS).
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PublicationComputer Based Skill Development Programmes Through Online to the Remotest Corners of the Country, Empowering the Rural Poor: An IGNOU - SAHAJ’s Initiative( 2010-11)Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) - SREI Sahaj collaboration promises to make the on-line computer based skill development programmes made available to the rural youth in digital format through the 27,255 Sahaj Common Service Centers (CSCs) established in the states of Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Orissa, Tamilnadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. With this initiative, the rural youth will have unprecedented opportunities to acquire IGNOU’s internationally recognized certification, diplomas, degrees right in their villages through computerized CSCs. // These programmes will deliver international quality skill development Vocational Programmes at affordable costs to the rural population of India. An estimated 100 million below poverty line rural youth across the country stands to benefit through this partnership programmes.These partnership programmes will help bridge the gaping educational divide within the rural landscape and make advanced Computer Education available to the villagers at their doorsteps. // In this paper, we summarize the implementation details of this project which comes under the Regional Institute of Vocational Education and Training-East Zone (RIVET-EZ) of IGNOU, respective roles of IGNOU- Srei SAHAJ partnership, role of CSCs with respect to the registration, admission, delivery of the content, evaluation and certification. Finally, we discuss the challenges and other proposed programmes those can be offered through this mode.
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PublicationConnecting Community with Knowledge: Novel Strategy of ICT Convergence( 2010-11)Access to ICT and ICT-supported educational experiences potentially offers learners valuable opportunities to learn new skills and new competencies for effective functioning in the twenty-first century, and should arguably become part of the entitlement of citizens. It is also on the basis that large amounts of money have been allocated to the realization of IT-in-education master plans in many countries. However, success in implementation depends greatly on the understanding and readiness of the many stakeholders involved in the process. On the other hand, the shelf-life of ICT products and configurations is generally very short. A strongly ICT infrastructure-led development plan may thus lead to wastage of valuable resources if the teachers are not prepared, or if the understanding of the purpose is merely a technological one, such that the impact of the introduction of technology becomes rather limited.
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PublicationThe Contribution of IGNOU In North East India( 2010-11)Vocational training is about “imparting of specialized skills and knowledge, instilling social and political attitudes and behaviour patterns for successful economic activities by people engaged in dependent employment, self-employment in both Formal as well as Non-formal trainings”. In its 'Formal training' all training courses are held in state or private (but state-certified) institutions and are regulated by state guidelines where as in the 'Non-formal training' it takes place without being subject to state guidelines and provides skills-upgrading for those who wish to extend their competencies. Vocational training, in its nonformal form, upgrades the skills, helps in capacity building, expands livelihood opportunities for the underprivileged, unreached informal sector workers and plays a key role in the national development. // This paper enumerates the non-formal vocational training being imparted by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) to the underprivileged and unreached people in the North East Region (NER). It underlines the university’s two channels i.e Regional Centres and Institutes through which these training programmes are imparted.The paper highlights the university’s contribution towards the national development by conducting these training programmes in the N E R.
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PublicationCorrelates of Academic Achievement for Master of Education Students at Open University Malaysia( 2010-11)The study employed Chi-Square statistics and odds ratios to test the association between students’ academic performance and their demographic profile. Additionally a logistic regression routine was used to predict the factors contributing to students’ academic performance. The predictor variables assessed for association with academic performance were gender, age and learning centre. The criterion variable was the CGPA attained for a minimum of five MEd courses (taken over a minimum of two semesters) and a maximum of eight courses (taken over a two-year period). At OUM, the cut-off point for awarding a ‘pass’ is a CGPA of at least 3.00. Students with an ‘incomplete’ or ‘deferred’ status were not included in the sample.
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PublicationCost Effective Technological Intervention for Blending the Conventional and Distance Learning( 2010-11)The education system of India is one of the largest education systems in the world as it caters to the need of more than 1028 million people (as per 2001 Census). The Government of India has been focusing not only on spreading education but encouraging the people to be literate which forms the basis for universalization of education in the country. With the literacy rate of merely 18.3% in 1951, it has increased to 64.8% in 2001 and according to NSS 61st Round Survey Report No. 517, 2004-05, the literacy rate is 67.3% in 2004-05. According to the Census of India 2001, the male literacy rate was 75.26% while female literacy was 53.67% with literacy gap of 21.59%. The state of Kerala is having highest literacy rate in India with 94.24% for male and 87.72% for female with 6.52% literacy gap which happens to be the minimum in the country. On analyzing the decadal change in literacy rate from 1991, it is seen that it is 11.13% in male and 14.39% in female. During the last 10 years (1991- 2001), the maximum change in literacy for males is 20.71% in the state of Rajasthan while 24.33% for females in the state of Chhattisgarh. // On further analysis of literacy rate on rural and urban perspective, India has 58.74% literacy in rural areas and 79.92 in urban areas. The state of Kerala once again has the highest literacy in rural areas which is 90.04% and 93.63% and 86.69% for male and female respectively. However in urban areas, it is the state of Mizoram which has the highest literacy rate of 96.13%. The study of literacy rate on the basis of specific social groups i.e. Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) reveals that literacy rate in SC is 54.7% and 51.16% and 68.12% for rural and urban areas respectively. In the case of ST, it is 47.1% and for rural and urban areas, it is 45.02% and 69.09% respectively. // According to District Information System for Education (DISE) adult literacy rate in 2004 was 61%. The male adult literacy rate stands at 73% while for female it is 48%. However the youth literacy rate was 76% with male youth literacy rate as 84% and female as 68%. // The efforts of Government of India in this direction can also be appreciated by focusing on the expenditure made by the Government on this sector. In 1961, the total expenditure on education was Rs. 260.3 crores which was 11.7% of total expenditure on all other sectors and 1.52% of the GDP. In 2001-02, this stood at 3.84% of the GDP and it was 12.89% of total expenditure on all other sectors. If we look at the expenditure by level of education in India, then in 1991, the expenditure on elementary education was 1.78% of GDP and 1.24% of GDP for secondary and senior secondary education and 0.77% for higher education. As per the revised estimate of 2004-05, expenditure on elementary education is 6.57% (1.89% to GDP) to total expenditure on all sectors and 3.85% (1.11% to GDP) and 2.3% (0.66% to GDP) for secondary and senior secondary education and higher education respectively. // After having focused on the achievement so far in the context for literacy in population in India, the paper now explores the development in higher education.
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PublicationCreating inclusive learning environments for persons with autism spectrum disorder( 2010-11)Autism spectrum Disorder is the third most commonly found developmental disorder and occurs across cultures and socio-economic strata. Autism profoundly affects an individual’s capacities for learning language, social interaction and imaginative faculties. Indeed, individuals presenting with its symptoms are often regarded as ‘mad’, and relegated to the margins of social existence, without access to appropriate intervention, education or training. // Although no large-scale epidemiological survey has yet been done in India, prevalence rates suggest that upto four million individuals are likely to have autism in India alone. This poses an enormous challenge as a public health and welfare issue as well as an educational one. // This paper engages with the issues pertaining to the educational needs of persons with disability in general and Autism in particular, in the context of a developing nation like India where endemic and structural poverty, malnutrition, child mortality etc dominate welfare agendas, and where disability tends to be relegated to the backstage, It is well documented that the majority of persons with autism do not receive a basic education. Few specialized schools exist to cater to their complex needs, and the majority of them are in urban areas. There is a dire need to absorb these children within the existing educational structures and put in place inclusive and accepting teaching practices and learning environments that will enable them to actualize their potential. ‘Inclusion is very difficult idea to actualize in the context of a hierarchical, highly stratified society where caste, class gender and other axes of inequity conspire to mitigate against the marginalized. // ODL, due to its reach and flexibility is a potentially effective instrument in training teachers to create inclusive teaching –learning environments and imbibe the philosophy of inclusion in their ideology and practice. There is a pressing need to create and empower a cadre of sensitized, trained personnel to address the educational needs of persons with disability especially complex, little understood ones like Autism.
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PublicationA Critical Systemic Analysis of an On-line Teacher Education Program of ICONSENT, India: An Experiment of e-Learning in Teacher Education( 2010-11)Rapid advances in information communication technology (ICT) and their applications in education have greatly influenced and changed the learning environment. The content development and the processes of learning today show a growing orientation to ICT. E-Learning is gaining prominence in satisfying the demands of emerging sophisticated global knowledge society, and also in satisfying the need for accessible, affordable quality education for all. Especially, in a country like India, where “access to quality education for all” is an issue that is being addressed to on priority, e-learning shows great promise. An alternative innovative schooling has become a need of the times and for facilitation of the new processes of learning, suitable for new generation of learners, there arises a need to have teachers who are well versed with the dynamics of facilitating learning in an online environment. // It was realized at the very beginning that educational transformation is not possible unless teacher education programs are transformed to prepare the teachers to play their pivotal role in this process of change. Indian Consortium for Educational Transformation (I-CONSENT), a voluntary organization, established by educationists and educators, not happy with the present qualitative and quantitative condition of education in India, particularly in the context of globalization and mass personalization of education, possible due to advent and applications of ICT in the field of education, has undertaken the programs and activities to form, reform and transform educational objectives and practices in this country. I-CONSENT began with the Teacher Education Program.