K.R. Srivathsan, IGNOU srivathsan@ignou.ac 1 st IOCG Workshop May 13-14, 2009

1. Development of theIGNOU Open Course Guide (IOCG) - to set the Open Distributed Technology Enhanced Learning (ODTEL) for IGNOU’s Courses K.R. Srivathsan, IGNOU srivathsan@ignou.ac.in 1st IOCG Workshop May 13-14, 2009

2. Presently IGNOU has many component systems of technologies and services to help its students in learning. • IGNOU Website, TV Channels, EDUSAT Telecon through SITs, sGyankosh, IGNOU Online, SMS, Call Centre, …. • Principal learning support through Study Centres, Contact Classes. • Administrative support through RCs/RSD, SSC, SRD, SED • Two major needs not adequately addressed: Web-based learner support for courses, peer-2-peer students interaction through forums and web-mentoring. • No live Students Database and progress tracking.  Need to bring convergence within and between Learning Support and Admin support systems. Need for Convergence in IGNOU

3. Some Perspectives In Education • Education is not about ‘coaching’ students against Board/university exams.  Today: No agility in syllabus; Students ‘programmed’ like Artificial Intelligence Systems to ‘answer’ questions! • Make education LEARNING CENTRIC. Get out of ‘cramming’ students to pass ‘contrived’ examinations. Promote learning and scholarship. • Bring Teachers to the centre of the education system. They and the system to engage students in Learning Activities designed to impart requisite understanding and skill sets. • Equip learners to tackle related real world problems and developments in the subject areas. • Link Education with developments – be they in the scientific and socioeconomic sense.

4. Our Vision for IGNOU • “QUALITY EDUCATION TO ALL, INDEPENDENT OF GEOGRAPHY.” “ENABLE, EDUCATE AND EMPOWER EVERY CITIZEN AND COMMUNITY THROUGH KNOWLEDGE.” • Most importantly connect education to community empowerment and developments – socioeconomic as well as promoting values and scholarship. • How do we ensure our system delivers QUALITY EDUCATION? • We plan to use all available modes of learners engagements in the course to provide a holistic education in every subject offered by IGNOU.  Build on IGNOU’s core strengths and the responsibilities given to it under the Parliament Act.

5. Towards practicing e-learning • For over 10(20?) years we talk of e-learning. • Plenty of Technology: Laptops and Netbooks, High cap thumb drives, IP-TV, iPods, iPhones, GPRS, 3G, Broadband, Satellite, Virtualization, Green IT, etc. • Whole world of new Internet services/applications: Google & ever improving search engines, Open Source systems, LMS, SCIENTIFIC DATABASES, Open Content, Open Access Publishing, e-Books, … • Google’s Slogan: “My other computer is a Datacentre”. • Increasing reach and Affordability.  How we go ahead from CONNECTIVITY &CONTENT to formal systems of Tech Assisted Learning, Teaching And Evaluation (TELTE)?  Quality Assured Instruction.

6. Course Exercises Knowledge Management Course Map & Library TV & Webinars QMS & LMS Web Mentoring Web Self Study / Discovery Content Discussion IOCG Forums Personal Dash Board E-Mail & Alerts SMS Alerts Web M-Learn Resources Group Interactions/ P2P Learning What Tech Enhanced Learning Environment Provides

7. Foundations, Concepts, Contextual Skills Quality Instruction By Teachers Quality Ambience & Processes Self-development Responsibility, Accountability Professional Competence, Maturity TELT Quality Resources Quality Efforts by Students Laying the Basis For Quality Education • To make our graduates EMPLOYABLE. • To be PRODUCTIVE ON THE JOB and in LIFE. • To observe REAL WORLD PROBLEMS, abstract the issues and apply what they have learnt and their innate sense to solve them.  ‘The End of Education is Character.’ – Sai Baba

8. Education Grid over Regional Broadband/ ERNET or Internet Education Grid: IITK  IIITM-K  IGNOU Education Grid is a suite of systems and collaborative processes over a network of institutions Resource Centre 3 Scientific Portals College 2 College 1 College 3 Communication Gateway & Resource Centre National Education Grid over Broadband ERNET/Internet (& EDUSAT?) Network Resource Centre 2 Computational Servers VISTA Programs Coordination Centre College n College 4 Resource Centre 1 E-Learning

9. Recall Kerala Education Grid Networkof Education Servers across colleges Resource Centresin premier institutions. Develop and maintainpedagogically sound refereed coursewarein identified subjects. Deploy courseware oversubject specific Course Knowledge and Collaboration Spacein each subject over the network of Servers. Introduce anIT facilitation layer in the University/ Higher Education System.  Governed by quality management of Content Development and Teacher Training Processes.

10. E R N E T STPI IGNOU Education Grid (IEG) IGNOU/Universities/Institutions Open Study Guide & Web Collaboration Services Education Grid Gateway Systems Study Centres University College Experts, Mentors * * Tier–5: Instruction/Evaluation Management Space (Colleges, Study Centers) Tier-4: Content Alignment & Capacity Building (AU) R A I L T E L Academic Management Tier–3: Content/Web Resources (IGNOU, NPTEL, …) Tier-2: Systems, Applications (Over Clouds and LAN) Managed Services Tier-1: ICT Infrastructure (RailTel, TelCos, STPI, NKN)

11. Leverage on Core Strengths of IGNOU • IGNOU practices a robust system of generating printed Self Learning Materials (SLMs) for the learners. • SLMs are pedagogically structured, authored by experts. • IGNOU’s SLMs in various courses are globally respected and also used in several open distance education programs run by the state open universities and others. • Regional Centres of IGNOU provide critical logistics support for Study Centres and supporting them for conducting the contact classes and examinations.  IGNOU now faces the challenge of upgrading the above system and its best practices in the Internet era.

12. Set Instructional objectivesEvaluate against Instructional Objectives 2. Learning Activities, Interactions, Exercises & Practice 5. Exams & Evaluation + _ 3. Self Test 1.Instruction Delivery J + 6. Assessment Teacher – Learner Involvement in all stages 4. Feedback to learners IGNOU’s ODTEL: A UNIFIED E-L FRAMEWORK Final Marks, Grade • Each component system is backed by appropriate ICT systems & back office services. • IGNOU setting up an ‘Educational Technology & Info. Services (ETIS)’ to support and service ODTEL.

13. Instruction Delivery & Course Management • Instruction Delivery may use different modes: (i) Teacher taking the class uses rich content; (ii) Tutored Video Instruction using Recorded Video Lectures (RVL) (ii) IGNOU’s Self Learning Materials (SLM) and supplementary content. (iv) Web-accessed/DVD based content and interactive study. Examples: NPTEL RVLs – full suites of ~ 40 lectures per course  Visit: www.youtube.com/iit • Web Content: Like NPTEL or Open Courseware, Wikiversity, Curriki.org, etc.: http://nptel.iitm.ac.in 2. Course Management: Engaging learners in disciplined ways of self study, group sessions, exercises and practice  Introducing the IGNOU Open Course Guide (IOCG) system.

14. 2. IGNOU Course Management Group (CMG) Tier-4: Setting the stage for Quality ODTEL: IGNOU Open Course Guide System Instruction Management Cycles 4. Colleges & Study Centres Instruction Design Cycle Students & Teachers 24 X7 access 1.SLMs,RVLs, MM Content, Open Web 3. CMG to develop & Deploy IGNOU Open Course Guide (IOCG)

15. Tier-4: IGNOU Open Course Guide Course Home Page About the Course, Prerequisites, Syllabus Instructions to SCs, Tutors Course Objectives Course Evaluation approach Course Support and Counseling details. Sequence of Learning Modules  Calendar & Alert Systems Course Concept Map linking Learning Modules Recommended Text Books, References, Web References Course Calendar Instruction Team and Contact details IOCG is implemented in IGNOU using Mediawiki

16. E X P L I C I T T A C I T Challenge of Immersing Learners in Quality Learning Environment • At the end of a learning effort, a Learner should be able to say ‘I understand’  Add to his/her Tacit capabilities. Codified Knowledge and Processes accessible over the net, paper… Global networked Information and computational base People’s Competencies, Communications, Feelings, Intuitions, Social interactions, Judgment, Guestimation, People’s Real World

17. Tacit Explicit Socialize Externalize Tacit Combinational Thinking Explicit Internalize Tier-3&4: IOCG Categories of Learning Activities Based Upon Tacit – Explicit Interplay • Adapt Nonaka’s four types of Learning Activities:  Quality Learning with Learning Ambience nurtures above SECI  Innovations Driven Learning Environment (IDLE). • CMG to build the IOCG rich with pointers to case studies, learning activities, multimedia illustrations, real world situations, term papers, projects and field work. • Use LMS for course events management, interactions, discussion forums, assessment activities & for feedback to students.

18. Tier-4: SAMPLE IOCG MODULE Module Topic Motivational/anecdotal content Instructional Objectives Learning Activities Sequencing: RVL to be played, SLM Unit, textbook sections, recommended problem set, practice, experiments, etc.  LMS used for asynchronous Interactions and directives to students.  Use of TV Sessions, IP-TV, Webinar driven by Calendar Guidance for Tutorial Monitored Self test and counseling classes for learners. Module test (part of continuous evaluation). • Mid-term and end term tests conducted. • Computer Assisted Evaluation methods may be used.

19. IOCG Over Open Wiki IOCG Technology: A Canonical Course Management System Course and Instruction Management Team Learners Distributed Over Geography SLM, LMS (Moodle), VoD, Books Web Content, Discussion Forums, QMS, etc.  IOCG guides course related learning activities management

20. IOCG as Formal TEL Academic System • CMG formally appointed for each course by the School. • CMG Prepares the IGNOU OPEN COURSE GUIDE (IOCG) • Relevant RVLs and content preloaded in Study Centre server and distributed to registered students in a course. • IOCG has built-in Course Calendar and schedule of learning and assessment activities for the course duration. • An LMS (MOODLE) used for Tests, assessment, individual feedback to learners. • Self Tests, Evaluation, Feedback counseling, Students interaction among themselves & with counselors and CMG through Discussion Forums and other means. • Support for M-Learning, SMS & mail Alerts for course ents. • Query Management System addresses personal queries.

21. IOCG – a Canonical Course Management System? • ‘Canonical’ refers to concepts that have a kind of uniqueness or naturalness, and are "independent of coordinates." • An example: A Browser is canonical as an interface between user and his/her interactions with the diverse information and services in the Internet. • The IOCG System is canonical in the sense its structure is quite simple – at its core it is a Wiki – and it allows diverse pedagogies to be built over it. • Any pedagogic option may be built as statements and declarations of links to activities in the IOCG. • IOCG guides and coordinates the instruction team, learners and those who manage the course related resources and information.

22. Tier-5: Tutored Video Instruction • Tutored Video Instruction (TVI) was introduced by Prof. J. Gibbons, Stanford University in 1970s. • TVI involves recording video lectures of class and given to students (in ‘distance’ mode) to play and listen. They need not attend the routine lectures. • Weekly contact, or Interaction Classes held for tutorials, small tests, answering common doubts (as expressed in a discussion forum), conducting continuous evaluation exercises, motivational topics, case studies and problem solving, etc. • Interaction classes may be more extended than tutorials. • TVI changes ‘Distance Learning’ and classroom learning to COLLABORATIVE LEARNING. • Studies show performance of students as a whole increases by ~ 0.6σ shift in the mean of the class.

23. Tier –5: Counsellors/Teachers Guided by IOCG and Augmented by CMG Support 2. IGNOU Course Management Group (CMG) Instruction Management Cycles 4. Study Centres & Colleges Content Management Cycles Students & teachers 24X7 access 1.SLMs,RVLs, MM Content, Open Web 3. IGNOU Open Course Guide (IOCG)

24. IOCG (Back) IOCG (Front) Towards ‘Smart’ IOCG from ACIIL Regional Services Support for Study Centres SMS Alerts & M-Learn support for Students, CMG, & Instruction Team eGyankosh & Multimedia Content on Demand Discussion Forums, LMS & Collaboration Education & IT Services (EITS) Web Resources Support

25. IGNOU Educational Technology and Information Services (EITS) as ‘Back Office’ Course Management Group Teachers & Students in the subject IOCG anchored Course Community Capacity Building & Linkages to R&D, Communities & Industry Subject related Library, e-Journals and open access publications ETIS • ETIS is operated under ACIIL at IGNOU – Delhi by integrating IGNOU’s existing core services.

26. IGNOU Online Study Guide (IOSG) Discussion Forums, Online Calendar and Alert Systems TV & Webinar Sessions Community Radio Sessions TV & Webinar Sessions Community Radio Sessions TV & Webinar Sessions Community Radio Sessions File/Assignments U/D Query Management System Counsellors Support & Web Mentoring System Online Library and Multimedia Publishing System Regional/Study Centres Support System Education Technology and Information Services (ETIS)

27. On the Team and ETIS • Rejith R., Sukant Kole and Divya Raj provide core support for ETIS. • ETIS is et up under the ACIIL with K. Subramanian as its Director. • Supervised by: Sanjay Mishra and K.R. Srivathsan • Supported by Computer Division, IUC and STRIDE. • Madhu Prahar, Vijay Srivastava, Ramanujam associated with the support systems, learning support and services. • Ms. G. Mythili assisting in developing the training program. • An IGNOU Education Grid development facility is being set up in Room 20, Block 7 and existing IUC facilities.  Likely to start the ‘Developmental Informatics and Web Resources Lab’ under ACIIL in a suitable location to develop and support several advanced ICT systems and services for the IEG and convergence.

28. ((( Phone IOCG supports Integrated Multi-modal Engagement of Learners in ODTEL 2 4 Learners Anywhere 3 1 6 5 IGNOU Kiosk/CSC access Schools & Centres Internet Accessed Services TV B A C Agriculture, Health, … IOSG Internet & ETIS 7 D Access State’s Colleges Institutions F E Call Centre 8 9

29. IOCG Workshop Objectives • Primary Objective: Faculty Members from each school to prepare IOCG main page for at least One Course of their school. • IOCG is set over a Mediawiki platform  the same as that powers the Wikipedia. • Mediawiki has suitably extended to add Audio, Indic Fonts, Video playing, etc. • Skill sets related to managing the wiki pages, file/assignment upload, linking, etc. will be practiced. • Using Open Office to develop wiki content pages, will be learnt. • Use of Google docs to save course content. • Developments here will be continued after the workshop with ATIS support for all participants.

30. “ The only irreplaceable capital an organization possesses is the knowledge and the ability of its people. The productivity of that capital depends on how effectively people share their competence with those who can use it.” - Andrew Carnegie 19th Century

31. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First to IIITM-K for the years spent experimenting with diverse systems of eLearning, the Education Grid, KISSAN-Kerala and others. Second to all those colleagues at IIITM-K, specifically Dr. Venkatesh, Shri Radhakrishnan, Shri Ajith Kumar, Shri Pradeep Kumar, Dr. Dinesh, Shri Arvind Mohan, Shri David Mathews, and several others. Third to Vice Chancellor and Board of IGNOU and now Shri Sukant Kole, Ms. Divya Raj, Shri Rejith. R, Dr. Sanjay Mishra, Dr. VSP Srivastava and others for supporting the ongoing initiatives.

32. TOGETHER EVERYONE ACHIEVES MORE Thank You