HRD - the e-learning way

WITH REFERENCE to the article `HRD - the E-learning way' in these columns on January 25 by Mr. M. S. S. Varadan, Mr. Andre Pittet, Chief Technical Adviser, Centre for Electronics Design and Technology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, writes:

I found the article extremely interesting. The examples given such as the initiative taken by T. A. Pai Management Institute (TAPMI) and Aptech in offering a management course through the Internet as well as the Ministry of Information Technology's move for E-learning for the engineering colleges are very informative. The main strength of E-learning is that it is self-paced and suited to the individual needs of the learner. The dearth of good teachers in the rapidly expanding engineering and management education in India, further necessitates E-learning to be introduced more widely.

However, a note of caution is needed here. A common fallacy on the part of teachers is to think that all they need is to put their notes on the net for the students to read. Nothing is farther from truth. While content can be provided by subject experts, it is even more important for instructional design expertise to be utilised in producing learning material which can be of real use.

Interactivity is a key factor of success for E-learning; it is certainly the major challenge when designing E-learning material. As correctly pointed out by Mr. Varadan, learning objects include, among others, self-tests, games, quiz, assessments, pointers to on-line reference material and e-mail links to subject matter experts who can provide clarification. Also the use of bulletin board for use by students is an essential tool for peer-to-peer interaction.

All this requires careful thought and use of the right expertise on instructional design which is usually not given sufficient attention. I personally realised the value of this while spending a year at Teleuniversite, a leading distance education institution in Canada, a country which is in the forefront of offering e-learning programmes worldwide.

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