Can traditional chalk-talk be totally replaced with e-learning in the developing world?

The developing world faces unique challenges in terms of lack of infrastructure both of traditional building type, qualified faculty and accessibility in remote areas. Online education has an unique ability to span the divides at a lower cost. What are the challenges in rolling out and scaling up education delivery through online tools?

                                                                                                              www.researchgate.net

 QUESTION RAISED BY 

                                             KULWANT SHARMA

ANSWER BY 

                                             Dr.P.SIVAKUMAR,

         Well, I am writing views based on my experience in a developing country. My direct answer to your question is 'NO'. Because the developing world has a lot of constrains to implement all the Technological Developments.
        The first and foremost one is the availability of uninterrupted power supply.The second one is the digital-divide with in the developing countries.Availability of skill-full persons to work in the remote areas is the third reason.Dominance of 'X' Generation Teachers who fail to understand the needs of 'Y' Generation learners is the next reason. Government Expenditure for the education is very less than the expenditure for internal and external security.Likewise, the list expands to support the answer, '"The traditional chalk-talk can not be totally replaced with e-learning in the developing world".


Valuable comment by

                                           FransiscoCua

  Sivakumar - I agree with your. "The traditional chalk-talk cannot be TOTALLY replaced with e-learning..." However there is a need to recognize that chalk-talk is instructionism. But despite of its "low" level of learning, it has its place in the teaching and learning practices as long as it is BLENDED with other form of delivery.

 

Reply by 

                                          Dr P.Sivakumar

 

Yes, Fransisco Cua, I do agree with you.

The BLENDED LEARNING is boon in learning processes which integrate both the face to face and on line learning in such a way to ensure the effective learning process.

The success is based on the degree of blending, and
the degree of blending should be based on the subject matter, and
the subject matter should be based on cognitive level of learners,and
the cognitive level of learners should be identified before blending, and
the blending should not force beyond the cognitive level of learners.

This is my Blending Policy

 

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON OPEN LEARNING KUWAIT

Calls for papers - Arab Open University open learning conference

ICDE member the Arab Open University is organizing the 1st AOU International Conference on Open Learning: Role, Challenges, and Aspirations, Kuwait, 25-27 November 2013.

In collaboration with the Regional Center for Development of Educational Software (ReDSOFT), the Arab Open University (AOU) headquarter in Kuwait is organizing an international conference on open and blended learning, which will bring together a range of academics, psychologists, researchers, practitioners and decision makers from different countries and institutions. The conference will be an excellent opportunity to discuss the new trends in open learning and technology and to recommend solutions to the challenges of open learning. Papers will be presented in Arabic and in English with simultaneous translation available.
The main themes of the conference are:

1. Quality assurance in open learning
2. Techniques and methods of open learning and the required learning resources
3. Success stories in open learning
4. Academic accreditation for open learning degrees and institutions
5. International trends and experience in open learning
6. The role of open learning in development

Deadline for abstracts: extended to 31 August 2013

Final Call_The 1st Intl Conf on Open Learning.pdf
(452kb)

OPEN AND DISTANCE EDUCATION RESEARCH

ATTENTION- OPEN AND DISTANCE EDUCATION RESEARCHERS

dehub website resources and call for papers

dehub, a research initiative sponsored by ICDE member the University of New England, Australia, works to nurture scholarship in open and distance learning. It provides resources and services to support educators, and following the relaunch of the dehub website, new reports, case studies, conference papers and monographs have been published. A call for papers on OER initiatives in Oceania has also been launched for the RUSC Universities and Knowledge Society Journal in collaboration with ICDE member Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Spain.

Resources

dehub has announced the publication of the following new resources:

• Reports on five large research projects conducted by universities in Australia and New Zealand on
• • Learning interactions;
  • Managing Institutional change through distributive leadership approaches;
  • Distance learning at times and places chosen by the learner;
  • In their own words: Learning from the experiences of first time distance students
  • Contextualising virtual interaction opportunities in the health sciences.
• A book of case studies from the Australian and New Zealand Virtual Worlds Working Group
• Two volumes of papers presented at the dehub Education 2011-2021 Summit
• Five monographs on:
• • Realising the full socio-economic promise of the National Broadband Network in preparing all regions of Australia for participation in the Digital Economy Monograph_1
  • Higher Education Capacity Building: Looking to the future Monograph_2
  • Social media-enabled learning and the curriculum in Australian higher education: A literature review Monograph_3
  • Teaching and Learning in Distance Education in the 21st Century: An Overview of Policies, Trends, Issues and Challenges in the Australian Context Monograph_4
  • Internationalisation and Globalisation of Higher Education: Implications for Africa’s Higher Education System Monograph_5

Call for papers

In an effort to provide more dissemination options for ODL researchers, dehub is collaborating with the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia, UOC, www.uoc.edu) to co-edit and jointly publish the Revista de Universidad y Sociedad del Conocimiento (RUSC, Universities and Knowledge Society Journal, http://journals.uoc.edu/ojs/index.php/rusc/index).
RUSC has well-established publication credentials and we hope to expand the readership of this quality, free, bilingual, open publication by opening a conversation between the northern and southern hemispheres.
To celebrate this collaborative agreement, dehub will oversee a special edition of Universities and Knowledge Society Journal (RUSC) that will focus on our immediate region in the southern hemisphere. We are interested in receiving papers on OER initiatives that address different perspectives of the changing 21st-century educational environment in broader Oceania and have identified eight thematic areas that could be addressed.
Call for Papers (closes 31 December 2013) [more]

About dehub

dehub operates under the sponsorship of the University of New England (UNE, located in Armidale, NSW, Australia) as a research initiative specializing in promotion of scholarship for innovation in online and distance learning (ODL). Since its establishment, dehub has strived to be a research and networking centre, connecting different stakeholders, with the aim of promoting and supporting collaboration in ODL research, innovation and other initiatives in education and lifelong learning. dehub’s aim is to inform and influence policy and improve practice in online and distance education based on evidence from national and international research outcomes.
dehub nurtures scholarship in ODL by

• promoting research activity and outcomes to influence practice and inform decision-making, strategic directions and policy trends
• evaluating and researching all aspects of e-learning, including policies and legislative frameworks, educational systems and software, quality assurance mechanisms, learner/teacher experiences and practices, and theoretical and pedagogical considerations
• providing resources and services to support ODE educators
• maintaining a global network of ODE scholars and other stakeholders

“Computer Adaptive Test; An Efficient students’ Abilities Measurement tool”.

         

 Please send your valuable suggestions 

  “Computer Adaptive Test; An Efficient students’ Abilities Measurement tool”. ‘University News’, Journal of Higher Education, February 25-March 03 2013  Vol.51, No.8, New Delhi.ISSN-0566-2257.

 

Computer Adaptive Test - An efficient measurement tool of students’ abilities through innovative test delivery model

Daphine Daniel, Lecturer, American College, Madurai &

Dr.P. Sivakumar, Professor of Education, DDE, Alagappa University, Karaikudi-630 003

ABSTRACT

Assessment can be the basic for improvement in learning and has become a hot topic among educators across the country. Our examinations do not really reflect the true learning and it is not the benchmark for judging the quality. Several initiatives have contributed to the increased need for quality assessment, which gives information regarding strengths and weaknesses, skills & abilities to plan activities accordingly. The success in the great enterprise of national reconstruction, whose principal objective is to raise the standard of living of our people, depends on the quality of persons coming out. Any evidence that reveals progress towards the goals of education should be used in evaluation. This evidence need not be restricted to the paper and pencil devices. For the improvement in the quality of education, the evaluation system has to be improved, by which a thorough mastery of subject matter can be achieved. One such system of evaluation can be achieved by technology in education i.e. computer based testing. Utilization of technology in evaluation is relatively meager as compared to other domains.

Assessment systems must be carefully designed to ensure that they provide information that fulfills the purpose for assessment and to increase the likelihood of improving the quality. Traditional test fails to assess the innate potential of the learners. Even technology has limits; it does not have the advantage of increased understanding of specific human abilities. Efforts are made to modernize the traditional test. There has been a significant movement towards measuring specific abilities as alternatives to traditional tests. This new breed of tests includes the computer based testing. This paper discusses a system of technology based evaluation with special reference to Computer Adaptive Test (CAT), and its objectives, development, advantages and limitations. The CAT is very much useful for ability estimation and identification of innate potential, which are  needed for quality enhancement.

Full Paper http://www.aiuweb.org/university/universitynews.asp

Blog - Based Learning:An Innovative Approach

         Please read my latest article and send your valuable comments

 

 

   “Blog - Based Learning:An Innovative Approach”, Edutracks, Vol 12, No.6, February 2013  Neelkamal Publications, Hyderabad.ISSN:0972:9844.

 

 By Vimalkumar,Research Scholar,and Dr.P.Sivakumar,Professor of Education 

 Alagappa University

In  the beginning, Pragmatic countries introduced technology in the classroom.Nowadays students are getting concepts clarity, and curiosity to learn is increasing because of internet.Weblog is the latest development which can be utilized for the learning process.This technology enable the learner to  learn anywhere.Time and place will not be a constraint.Learners can learn at their own pace.So even beyond the class room,learning is occurring effectively.Hence, it is essential to utilize all these advantages of the technological development in our learning process.This paper makes an attempt to discuss about the types of blogs,advantages and their role in learning.

 

 

Full paper     www.neelkamalpub.com

 

 

 

PROFESSOR P.SIVAKUMAR

 DELIVERED A LECTURE ON INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY TO THE

 PARTICIPANTS OF 95TH ORIENTATION COURSE ON 15.12.2012,AT THE

ACADEMIC STAFF COLLEGE

BHARATHIAR UNIVERSITY,

COIMBATORE.

 For details contact     psksiva2002@yahoo.co.in

E-Learning Management System - National Seminar

Professor P.Sivakumar has been invited as

 Resource Person 

 in the National Conference  on E-Learning Management (ELMS2012)System 

 on 11. 02. 2012 at NPR College of Education Natham, Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu, India.

 For Further Details Contact      http://education.nprcolleges.org/