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IGNOU— |
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Communication
technologies play a pivotal role in IGNOU’s instructional system.
Multimedia packages prepared for learners incorporate a range of technologies:
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 Media Production Centre of the university, set up with
a grant from Japan Government, 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. Besides IRC, video teleconferencing
is available to learners at the study centres through the Indian Space
Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Training and Development Communication
Channel. |
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The
two key components of the Virtual Campus are the lectures prepared by
the Professors for the students, which are delivered on the website,
used by the students for access tutorials and online contact classes
with the professors. Earlier, IGNOU used audio visual aids to deliver
the lectures. The professor’s sessions were recorded and broadcast
using National Informatics Centre’s broadband network. However,
the high cost of recording and broadcast of the sessions was not a feasible
option in the long term |
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Microsoft
Consulting Services worked closely with IGNOU to define the systems
architecture. The web application is run on Internet Information Server
4.0 for the web services. The Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 database runs
in the back-end storing all presentation and information on students,
for fast accessibility on the web |
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To
make the learning experience bi-directional, IGNOU has online community
chats, similar to classroom sessions. The schedule for these sessions,
moderated by a Professor, is predetermined and made available on the
site. The Exchange Chat Server allows chat clients to log on. The Microsoft
Transaction Server verifies the student for log-on using the database.
Once the class capacity (of 40 students in MTS) is reached, the additional
students are placed in the viewer’s arena, from where the student
can follow but not participate in the session. Microsoft Transaction
Server (MTS) deals with issues such as connectivity, security, validation
and authentication, and database connection management. A professor
moderates each session. |
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The
Ministry of Human Resources Development provides maintenance and development
funding to IGNOU. Development funding is provided in two parts -- for
IGNOU’s infrastructure developments and programmes, and for development
of State Open Universities. |
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Two
Web-centric programmes were launched, namely the Bachelor of Information
Technology (BIT) and Advanced 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). |
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The
mode of material distribution in IGNOU has been constantly changing.
Establishment 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 involved in production and distribution of course
materials. |
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