Category: Volume II 2012

Publisher: PearsonYear: 2010ISBN: 8131732045Pages: 312, paperback Price: INR 100.00 Review by Mithun Bhattacharjya Independent Scholar

Rapid developments in the field of Information and Communication Technologies in recent times have transformed the world altogether. The global has become local, and the local is now recognised globally. It is not an exaggeration to say that we now inhabit a ‘glocal’ world. Literally speaking ICT means the amalgamation of the two concepts: technology being harnessed to facilitate communication. To run a farm, an estate or a company we need to communicate and interact with people from different linguistic background. So, a common language as the medium of interaction is essential. It is needless to say that English enjoys this status. Effective and productive communication in English is the only key to success in the present globalised business world. So the technical institutes in India have included in their syllabus the programme of developing the communication skills of the budding engineers and professionals, especially because most of the students admitted to these institutes come from a vernacular background. So, the acquisition of the skills of English language, through proper methodology and use of technological support system, to make them adapt to the global standards, is urgent. And to cater to this need there are so many help books in the market.

Nitin and Mamata Bhatnagar’s Communicative English for Engineers and Professionals is such a guide book for them. The target readers of the book, as expounded in the title, are the upcoming engineers and professionals. It covers the syllabi of B.Tech, BE, B.Com, M.Com, BBA, MBA, Hospitality, B.Pharma, Nursing, Physiotherapy, and other courses being taught at various universities, and professional and technical institutions.  The book deals with the theoretical assumptions of effective communication, and shows the practical ways of attaining them as well. The writers have tried to elucidate their points by including relevant charts and illustrations. As the book is written following the formula of ‘how to become…’, it is very important to arrange the chapters of the book  in the right order. It goes to the credit of the authors that they have arranged their arguments judiciously enough which will make the readers move from one chapter to another effortlessly. The book has been divided into ten chapters.

The chapters include both functional grammar which is the soul of a language and certain professional, job-oriented issues such as the strategies for preparation for an interview or group discussion. It has also two separate chapters dedicated to speaking and written skills respectively have been discussed. In both cases the authors have kept in mind the specific need of the professional world, and have given sample illustration. The second chapter is particularly important because it narrates how the use of technology in developing language skills. It delineates the usefulness of CALL or Computer Aided Learning of Language, the effectiveness ‘group learning’ using Multimedia Language Laboratory etc.

The book is in congruity with what it claims to be its objectives. It is obvious that the authors are familiar with the recent trends of research and technical innovations in the field. It is certainly not a pioneering or classic book of its type, but it will cater to the need of the students to a great extent. The book could have been made even better if there were more situation oriented sample illustrations. Still, it might be a good handbook for those who aspire to acquire proficiency in communicative English, and to become successful professionals.

 

Suvapriya Chatterjee, The University of Burdwan, West Bengal, India

Abstract

In the last two years or so Facebook has become a favourite destination for people from all walks of life. This networking site started its journey in 2004[i] to foster social interaction and grew rapidly in prevalence and popularity as an all-pervasive medium on the web. It has attracted attention of administrators, business-men and research organisations for innovative profitable propositions in every walk of life. It is also been steadily used for the purpose of Higher Education by students, teachers to participate in a blending of formal and informal learning. Administrators from higher education institutions are also using this for networking, communication and publicity. This blending is characterised by development of collaborative learning, an opportunity for multi-disciplinary problem-solving and peer teaching and promotion of creative thinking skills. Moreover, it also serves as a medium of resource sharing for geographically dispersed individuals. Ironically, it serves as a major catalyst to reduce the digital divide² among students, as also an agent in enhancing gender disparities among its users belonging to various socio-economic levels. My paper discusses the results of a survey made among the college-goers of Bankura and tries to relate them to the emerging issues. It alsowill focus on the influence of gender on the usage of Facebook with reference to college students of Bankura district of West Bengal.

[Keywords: Facebook, ICT, Higher Education, Bankura]

           

It is Magical. It is easier and faster than anything else ever. I wish I could have known it earlier. ( Doyel Sen[ii])

In order to carry out an in-depth study of the college-goers’ experience in Facebook in Bankura, I will focus on group discussions, interviews, observations and document reviews to examine the interaction of students with Facebook in their studies. There are about twenty two colleges in Bankura district of which sixteen are degree colleges, three technical institutions, one medical college and two colleges of education. I started my queries involving several issues related to Facebook. Whether and how far and how to consider Facebook and other networking sites a platform for higher education? Do male and female students have equal engagement with Facebook? Do the number of male advanced users of Facebook is more or less same as the number of female advanced users? How many students agree that Facebook is indeed helpful to their studies? Do access and usage vary with gender? If yes, then in what ways? Is it an academically accepted tool for higher education? What role do teachers and instructors play in reinforcing the importance of Facebook in Higher Education?

Most of the respondents reported that their fascination with Facebook started late at the end of secondary school when they embraced it not just as a means to connect but as a means to survive among their friends and acquaintances. Suddenly they felt Facebook as something different and challenging, a new method of communicating. Rishant Barui, a second year student of Bankura Sammilani College recalls,

“I started visiting cyber-cafes without the knowledge of my parents. The attraction of that new Facebook world was tempting to me. I was afraid of getting caught. So felt safe in logging in outside home.”

However, in a rural area like Bankura guardians still cannot comprehend Facebook as a means of Higher Education as in included in the genre of instruments for entertainment like television, radios and music systems. Again, patriarchal socio-cultural norms prevent girls from visiting cyber-cafes frequently and for a long time which elucidates why girls in Bankura have less access to internet in their early college lives. 54% of female respondents mentioned that they have been using computers for one year while 72% of male respondents have used computers for over five years. Overcoming the problem of access, students of Bankura irrespective of gender are accessing Facebook from their mobiles now-a-days which have proved to be a revolutionary technological achievement. Zafiur Rahman Khan, a student of third year of Borjora College, Bankura, says, “I feel more comfortable in facebooking through my mobile because the internet speed is high enough and I can have a look into my notifications wherever and whenever I want.” On the issue of difficulty there was no significant difference between percentage of those reporting difficulty and percentage of those reporting no difficulty in terms of gender. However, majority of students agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that Facebook was helpful in their higher studies though use of Facebook is strictly forbidden by many institutions of higher education. Majority of institutions in Bankura restrict use of Facebook and other social networking sites at workplace as they disagree with the idea that Facebook can contribute to higher education. Students as well as employees of governmental organisations have been blocked from accessing Facebook since they do not consider Facebook as an efficient platform which could serve academic and official purpose. There is a persistent debate around the utility of social networks which is nothing but an instrument for distraction and entertainment for students particularly. Several teachers, trainers and instructors were in favour of banning laptops, internets and social networking sites in campus. The open nature of Facebook is also a hurdle to its authoritative implementation in higher studies since it lacks a central authority which would control its ongoing.

The incorporation of Facebook in Higher Education unofficially by students and teachers has increased flexibility in order to work and study at the same time dissolving the binaries within and outside the classroom. Many of the colleges in Bankura have overcrowded classes which in general lack suitable accommodation and basic equipments. The advantage of using Facebook in Higher Education is two-fold:

1. It enhances qualitative effectiveness in learning by auditory and visual materials.
2. It gives vocational guidance to students for attaining their goals by their interaction with people across the globe.

Priyadarshi Chatterjee, a student of Bankura College of Education informs, “There are various groups in Facebook where our teachers and friends assemble to share, argue and discuss their personal experiences.” Both male and female students actively participate in these virtual spaces and mutually interact sharing common platform with the greater world. First year student of Bankura Sammilani College, Sunandita says,

“Earlier people of one college hardly knew what was going in the other college. Now we follow, edit and update e-classnotes of every college via audio and visual aids in Facebook.’”

No doubt it increases the comprehensive skills of students and offers a scope for feedback via comments to ascertain whether communication has been received as intended or not. However, it is found that students of technical institutions and medical college of Bankura are advanced users of Facebook. They are more technically equipped by portable digital devices like notebooks, digital books, smart phones and i-pads which supports round the clock learning. The community group of Bankura Medical College displays videos of classroom lectures, study excursions, practical activities in laboratories making every person a collaborative learner. Survey demonstrates female students of medical college and technical institutions of Bankura were better off in making academic use of Facebook distributing impressions and observations till it becomes a common possession.

 Table I: Percentage of college students using Facebook for study purpose.

The total amount of time (in hours) spent on Facebook per week by students also varies with gender. Findings show the total amount of time (in hours) spent on Facebook was higher in case of male students than female students. 31% of female respondents pointed out that they use Facebook less than one hour a day and 69% of female respondents use it for less than half an hour a day. On the other hand, 24% of male respondents use Facebook less than one hour a day, 43% use more than one hour a day and 33% use it more than 2 hours a day on the average. But female students spend more time on Facebook for study purpose than male students who are more involved in gaming and chatting with friends. Gaming is predominantly a male activity since Facebook games and applications projects images of masculine conquest and penetration actions. Girls are found less involved in befriending and chatting with persons unknown to them.

Clearly, female students of Bankura exploit Facebook to turn communication inspirational and pragmatic. Torsha, a first year under graduate student says, “Now I can learn according to my individual needs without waiting to have other learners progress at a similar level. I can learn rapidly as my personal capability and daily schedule permits.” Like Torsha more and more college girls of Bankura feel Facebook helps them to override the barriers of verbal communication in a classroom dissolving the boundaries between teachers and students. The non-verbal communication helps them to overcome the limitations of a traditional verbal classroom teaching like inaudibility of speech, excessive speed of speech and unfamiliar pronunciation of teachers. It also enables a student to encounter a friendly atmosphere free of socio-economic and cultural differences among the students. Facebook space is a new academic frontier to be conquered by female college students of Bankura in search of more systematic presentation of subject matter. They intentionally want to explore Facebook as an academic arena to increase their capabilities. Macharia and Nyakwende opine

“Establishing an internet based social group forum based on gender and studies provides another method of improving female perceptions of ease of using the internet owing to the effective communications among female students themselves.” (Macharia 252)

On the other hand, male subjects intend to use Facebook for social activities and general information. Aniruddha Das, a boy of twenty-two asserts:

“I use Facebook because it is pleasant and enjoyable. I have fun using it. Of course, it improves my performance in study. But that does not mean I am all the while using it for my studies.”

Guardians and teachers regard Facebook as a plaything which causes huge waste of time. Students spend enormous time in inappropriate futile contents which make them badly addicted and alienate from the practical world. This sort of misuse reduces the serious impact which it can exercise in higher studies.

Moreover, differences were not visible in terms of gender only but also in terms of socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. While students residing in proximity to the urban localities of Bankura are more assertive, confident and goal-oriented in their use of Facebook, students of rural areas are more likely to consider Facebook problematic and clumsy. They feel any social network like Facebook cannot be a replacement of a classroom. For them Facebook is nothing but tiresome and mechanical. It is hardly a substitute for the lively, charming and emotional atmosphere created by teachers in a conventional classroom interaction. The female halves of rural students are all the more lagging behind. The primary reason for their discomfort with Facebook is because women’s relationship with technology and social networks is still not seen as compulsory. Donna Jeanne Haraway, the Cyborg Feminist[iii] calls for an attempt to modify the cyberspace for empowerment of women by creating e-communities, providing cyber-counseling and positing within cyber space actual material and social practices which a woman experiences. The representation of women in Facebook is a matter of contention in academic discourse. Feminist scholars and activists regard this conspicuous portrayal of woman’s bodies as nothing but an articulation of hegemonic gender relations in our socity. Images of women are materialised and commoditized as objects of male desire. We see hundreds of publicity images in which a woman’s body is regulated according to the needs of a male spectator. More and more female bodies are displayed in Facebook as an exhibition before the male gaze reinforcing the unequal power relations that structure consciousness of men as also of women. Women also internalise and survey their own femininity as portrayed in an array of visual images of femininity displayed in social networking sites. Facebook enhances the density of visual messages where images of women are associated with a range of consumer products reflecting cultural stereotypical domestic role of women. Meenakshi Thapan writes, “Sexuality, gender and the body in a complex interplay of dominant forces are clearly at the root of women’s oppression in contemporary society through the objectification of the female form in everyday society.” (Thapan 33) Thus dominant patriarchal ideology determines and shapes gendered bodies through Facebook and other social networking sites in everyday life. Moreover, here are several communities, pages, applications and profiles in Facebook which oppresses women socially and emotionally. Women Activists are protesting time and again against this unfair treatment towards women in Facebook. A number of rape jokes were attacked by them and they opened a community for women in protest of such inhuman fun making in the name of right to speech.

The issue of security in Facebook is also not free of controversy. It is true that Facebook provides privacy options which enable a person to choose whether or not to share certain information. But it implicitly instigates every person to be more and more open about their personal life. Every person has to be cautious as to not to share sensitive information and use sound judgement before s/he publicises any update. Particularly, girls have to be more aware about what they are doing because in a patriarchal society ample efforts are evident of denigrating women at every step by men. In a Facebook world an image can make and break a girl’s life. So girls should learn the ways of controlling their privacy on social networks and prepare themselves about the security concerns because at the end of the day everyone is responsible for their own updates and comments. Facebook should be restructured to facilitate females to make decisions efficiently to use necessary resources. Useful pages and related communities for female students should be made readily available to provide quicker and authentic services. Another reason for a rural student’s the discomfort with Facebook is due to his/her lack of competency in English language. Their socio-economic background fails them to provide essential features of language competency. Lack of knowledge of the English language stands as a major challenge particularly to rural college girls of Bankura. They are not proficient in using English in informal communication and so it takes a longer time for them to search and select relevant study materials. Tushpa, a college girl of Saldiha College in Saldiha, a village quite far away from Bankura town says:

“Facebook, Internet, Technology is inevitable in the present scenario. My brother is doing a computer course in Youth Computer Training Centre. I was also keen to join but I hesitated since I lack sufficient knowledge of English.”

Most Instructors in Computer Training Institutes of Bankura reported that there is a difference among their students in terms of gender and ethnicity. They suggest Spoken English classes to their female students and tribal students in order to make them acquire as much competency in language as they expected. A majority of college students reported frustrations in using Facebook for their studies. 60% of those reporting anxiety and frustration with Facebook were girls. Survey shows there are diverse causes for this anxiety. Firstly, peripheral equipments of a technological instrument stand on their ways on which a student can interact in Facebook. Many students get puzzled in dealing with technical devices particularly girls because of their lack of practice.  Again, they are also anxious about how to regulate their relationships in Facebook for the purpose of study. Rinky Banerjee, a second year student of Beliatore Jamini Roy College says:

“I still cannot make out whom to “friend” and whom not to “friend”. Sometimes I am so scared of sharing information which can possibly be misused by others.  I feel cozy in observing content than posting comments.”

Many girls are forced to accept invites from persons whom they may not regard as friends. Students also get more tired in Facebook due to uncertainty attributed with the time taken in searching relevant information. Factors such as internet speed, availability of proper digital device and authentic integration of learning materials into Facebook also play a vital role in regulating the usage of students suffering from Facebook anxiety. Another deficiency of Facebook is that it lacks interoperability, an important tool which the wiki sites contain. As a result there is no option for multi-user editing.

The teachers should play decisive role in making students familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of social networking sites. Facebook is now widely flocked by teaching staff from higher education institutions but sometimes they are there only to make publicity of themselves and ignore students’ queries. However some educators are encouraging students to interact via Facebook directly or indirectly. But they are required to be professionally trained in e-learning in order to take the issue of education seriously online. Atanu Saha, a lecturer of a college of Bankura, “I am in Facebook for more than two years. I administer two communities, one particularly for my students.” Constituting a learning environment in Facebook or using Facebook as an instructional medium is a new way to be a technology competent role model teacher. However he should carry on interacting with students in real situation just as in Facebook. Lakshmi Priya Nirmala opines, “In this age of cyber revolution when everything concrete and abstract are shifted to a fenceless world of wired existence the role of the teachers becomes valued in his/her own conscious metamorphoses into a tag line or a link.” (Nirmala 116) It is the responsibility of the teachers to develop a greater understanding of how males and females view internet usage for learning to diminish this digital divide. The female body is still sexualised in various ways in Facebook for male consumption which dominate the female folk physically, socially and politically and restrict their equal participation. Male students get distracted from the positive influences of Facebook by downloading pornography and illegal graphics. It is up to a teacher to control such unfair tendencies and direct a student’s personal innovativeness to make better use of the online medium of which Facebook is just one part. Computer literacy and inclusion within networking would provide these female students a mode of leaving the traditional space within which they are confined and emancipate them in a wider world. Finally, given the success of the social networking model worldwide, the Central Government and its agencies should think of introducing a full-fledged digital platform equipped with e-learning tools and dedicated to the purpose of networking and education.

 

Notes

Sujit Pal, Education Directorate, Higher Education Department, Govt. of West Bengal, India

Sibananda Sana, Govt.Training College, Hooghly, West Bengal, India

Asis Kumar Ghosh,Education Directorate, Higher Education Department, Govt. of West Bengal, India

Abstract

The present Study deals with the influence of Interactive Multimedia Courseware on the achievement in Physical Science of Class-VIII Students. For this purpose a computer assisted multimedia courseware was developed with the help of Adobe Flash and Bangla Word on a single unit of Physical Science Curriculum of class-VIII under WBBSE (Bengali medium). Then we selected two equivalent groups of class-VIII students (experimental and control). One group was exposed to the multimedia courseware while the others are not. The performance of the both groups was then compared statistically (using t-test and ANOVA) after administering the self prepared standardized achievement test. The observed t value is 16.068 is higher than the critical value at 1% level of significance (df=49). ANOVA test also provide significant difference between experimental and control group. So statistically it can be concluded that computer assisted multimedia courseware facilitates students learning in Physical Science better than the traditional chalk and talk method.

[Keywords: Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI), Multimedia courseware, Computer Aided Learning (CAL), Achievement test]

Introduction

According to Information Technology Science, multimedia is technologically speaking an integration of the text, Picture, Sound and Speech within a surrounding – a Computer, which is extended in multimedia system. Croatian scientist Fjodor Ružić (2006) thinks that Multimedia ‘is not just a sum of information via different media, but a logically shaped, organized and integrated group of mutually connected media which create a multimedia document’. Multimedia technology is one of the most exciting innovations in the age of information. The rapid growth of multimedia technology over the last decade has brought about fundamental changes to

Use of multimedia vs. traditional instruction

Some researchers reported on their research-paper which compared the effects of computer assisted multimedia courseware alone with those produced by conventional instruction alone. Here, results are too mixed to permit any firm conclusion. Some inquires have found multimedia superior, some have found conventional instruction superior, and still others have found no difference between them. (Capper and Copple 1985; Edwards et. al. 1975; Rapaport and Savard 1980).

Using computer assisted multimedia courseware as a complete replacement for conventional teaching may seriously weaken its effectiveness (Kulik, Kulik & Bangert-Drowns, 1985), but Hartley managed to locate a few studies in which computer assisted multimedia courseware totally replaced conventional teaching and the results were considered to be unimpressive. Based on Hartley’s results, Kulik, Kulik & and Bangert-Drowns (1985) warn that, “Total reliance on the computer as teacher therefore seems to be one thing that school systems should avoid’.

The computer may provide a new form of presentation and allow for some learning without the presence of instructor; however, the computer alone may not be as effective as the computer with an instructor. The literature further suggests computer assisted multimedia courseware is best delivered as a supplement to conventional instruction and effective instruction appears to be more a matter of quality of design rather than a matter of medium (Lowe, 2001).

Effect of multimedia in achievement of students     

The use of computer assisted multimedia courseware as a supplement to traditional, teacher directed instruction produces positive effects on the achievement of students. Throughout the 1980’s and 90’s computers have been generally heralded as being an effective teaching methodology (Christmann & Badgett, 2000). Kulik, Kulik & Shwalb, (1986) found that computer enriched instruction raised achievement by an average of 1.13 standard deviation.

In a report on the academic progress of mathematics and physics students taking CAI-based advanced placement courses (middle school through early high school), Ravaglia, Suppes, Stillinger and Alper (1995) argued that such courses were shown to be effective for the targeted students.

Springer (2002) studied academic performance improvements in delivering metric computer assisted tutorial to pre-service teachers and found that those individuals who received the special instruction performed significantly better on a metric posttest than those students who received no instruction.

Clark (as cited in Fletcher-Flinn and Gravatt, 1995) argued that much of the apparent success of CAI in the research literature may be related to the uncontrolled effects of instructional method and novelty of the medium. Clark further argued that when looking at studies that utilized the same teacher and a longer than typical study duration, the difference between computer assisted multimedia courseware and conventional method were minimized. In isolated studies of long duration and that utilized the same materials and teacher in the treatment and control conditions, they found no beneficial effect in favour of computer assisted multimedia courseware.

Learning and retention of learning  

Computer assisted multimedia courseware enhances learning rate. Students learning rate is faster using computer assisted multimedia courseware than with conventional instruction. In some research studies, the students learned the same amount of materials in less time than the traditionally instructed students; in others, they learned more material in the same time. (Batey 1986; Hasselbring 1984; Kulik, 1983; Kulik, Bangert and Williams 1983 etc.)

Students’ scores on delayed tests indicate that the retention of content learned using computer assisted multimedia courseware is superior to retention following traditional instruction alone. (Capper and Copple 1985; Kulik et.al. 1985; Kulik, Bangert and Williams 1983; Rupe 1986; Woodward, Carnine and Gersten 1988). Patil, A.T. and Shivaji, 2006 found that there is significant difference between the performance of pupil-teachers from control and experimental groups in retention test.

Cost effectiveness of the method

Multimedia instructional strategy at secondary level is feasible because of its reproducibility and the cost management (Vardhini, V.P. 1983). Niemiec and Walberg, 1987 found multimedia instructional activities significantly most cost effective than tutoring and suggested that computers be used more extensively in schools. Krishna, S.S.(1983) stated the feasibility of the multimedia package was established in terms of cost involved in reproduction of the various resource materials and the time scheduling in an actual instructional set-up.

There has been a dramatic increase in the capabilities of computers, along with reduced cost, that has influenced an increase in the various forms of computer delivered instruction specially in education as well as other disciplines (Passerini, 2000; Brown, 2001).

Scope of the present study

The NCF 2005 suggests that ‘Educational Technology should be viewed as a supplement rather than as a substitute for hands-on experience, both for classroom teaching and for teacher training.’ The need to integrate Educational Technology with the larger goals and processes of education rather than viewing it in isolation or as an add-on has been emphasized. It has been suggested that any use of technology that turns teachers and children as mere consumers and technology operators need to be reviewed and discouraged.

It is therefore implied that, Computer Aided Learning (CAL) as a component of Educational Technology in School Education must be planned with the above noted guiding principles of the NCF 2005. The CAL is usually defined as a learning technique being employed in order to educate students via the use of computers.CAL may be used for teaching –learning of different subjects at various levels, utilizing computers in the explanation, tutoring and testing of subject matter. In almost all disciplines of study there is a large potential for the use of CAL, for instance in both the teaching and testing of mathematical material (usually called Computer Aided Assessments (CAA).Computerized diagnostic tests may be an integral part of teaching and testing, especially during the first few weeks when tutors want to understand the level of knowledge of students. Computer Aided Learning (CAL) is thus based on the integrative approach whereby a lecture or an instruction is not replaced by the computer programme but it is introduced during the course as a learning resource for engaging the learners as well as for their assessment.(De,2012).

On the basis of the above the present study deals with the selecting of a suitable methodology for developing the multimedia courseware. After proper development of the courseware there is a scope to study its effectiveness by implementing it on the target group i.e. the students of class VIII of WBBSE. Finally analyzing the collected data, a trend can be detected about the effectiveness of the multimedia courseware in class room situation. This is a baseline study and result of it can be utilized by the future researchers for the improvement of the present teaching learning scenario.

Research trends

It has been found that in early 80’ of last century a lot of efforts employed to include computer assisted instruction or more precisely multimedia instructional strategies to enhance the performance of school children as well as the achievement in the annual examination. Biolo, E. and Sivin, J. 1980, were first to report the effectiveness of microcomputer in schools. Burns, P.K. and Bozeman, W. C. 1981, presented the results of a meta-analysis of 40 studies to compare the effectiveness of traditional instruction alone with a combination of traditional instruction and computer assisted instruction on students’ mathematics achievement. The combined traditional and computer assisted instruction approach was significantly more effective. In 1985 the researches carried out by Bangert-Drowns, R.L., Kulik, J.A. and Kulik, C.C. again supports the effectiveness of multimedia instructional strategies in school education, besides Capper, J. and Copple, C. presented information on costs and equity issues and also offered implications for curriculum, instruction and policy.

Bahr, C. M. and Rieth, H.J. 1989, compared the effects of conventional instruction, computerized drill and practice, and computer games on the mathematics achievement of learning disabled junior and senior high school students. Students in the drill and practice condition outperformed other students to a modest degree.

Robert Loss, Mario Zadnik and David Treagust, 1994, studied on teaching and learning ‘abstract physical science concepts’ in a computer based multimedia environment. To minimize hardware and software complications the authors initial developments were based around the Macintosh platform and Super Card software environment. A number of specific issues were also identified (Loss et al, 1992; Loss et al, 1993) including:

• text to screen conversion
• navigational issues
• effective screen design
• development time versus instruction time
• development of effective feedback and deep learning opportunities

After several interactions it was found that these could not be considered in isolation from the overall instructional design of the project. The presentation of complex and abstract concepts and the design of effective user interactions using Interactive multimedia (IMM) are still in its infancy. There are many different instructional design bases like- Tutorial base, Data base, Case study, Simulation, Visualization etc. and learning interactions being trialled and implemented in IMM instruction.

Du Plessis, J.P., Van Biljon, J.A., Tolmie, C.J. & Wollinger, T., 1995, presented the detail of a model for intelligent computer aided education(CAE) systems to provide methodologies, techniques and tools regarding the development of software. The system is based on the idea of cooperative learning, constructive problem solving by using expert techniques. The model shows how teaching and learning can be improved by the use of a suitable CAE system by providing to improve thinking skills while teaching content. The authors emphasis on that the use if CAE system by thinking pedagogical base can solve funding problem of CAE. The authors explain that for effective applications and also success of CAE system, teacher must be more knowledgeable to modify the system according to different and specific needs of the students.

Ilango, V. and Doulai, P., 1996, introduced an interactive learning package which was developed for electrical engineering courses at the University of Wollongong, Australia. Computer assisted learning methods are increasingly used by educational institutions to support their conventional teaching methods, with the development of new information retrieval technologies and advancement in multimedia development tools these learning methods have become effective. The application author-ware in conjunction with on-line documentation and help files and other educational software is demonstrated for supporting laboratory and tutorial classes.

Gemmiti, F., 2003, reported the major findings of an investigation into a computer based learning system for students of human biology, a year long, first year unit at the University of Western Australia. The system was composed of practice quizzes and graded tests. Graded tests were randomly selected from the same bank of items as respective practice quizzes. The investigation was undertaken to assess-­­­1) students’ use and evaluation of the system and 2) the learning value of the system. A questionnaire was administered to students in semester two for information about use and evaluation of the system in semester one. Grades of semester one were used to assess learning. Most student attempted available practice quizzes (81% of 379 respondents) and graded tests (68% of 508 enrollees). Almost all respondents recommended the system to future students of the unit (94.5% of 380). General ability (as reflected in overall performance on other elements of assessment for the semester) varied with number of graded tests attempted, average performance on graded tests and total time spent on practice quizzes. Independently of general ability, average performance on graded tests varied with total time spent on practice quizzes, number of practice quizzes after which revision was done and number of graded tests attempted. Performance on each graded test varied with time spent on the respective quiz.

Yadav, K., 2004, set objectives to develop an IT-enable instructional package for teaching English Grammar, to implement it and to determine its effectiveness in terms of achievement of the students and opinion of students and English teacher. The investigator started with a null hypothesis that there will be no significant difference in the achievement scores of students in pre-test and post-test. A single group pre-test and post-test design was employed for the study. 20 students were randomly selected from Std. VIII of New Era Senior Secondary School, Baroda. Pre-test, post-test and opinionnaire were used for study. Data were analyzed through‘t’ test, % scores and content analysis. There was found a significant gain in terms students’ achievement through IT-enable instructional package. It helped the students to learn kinds of sentences, namely-interrogative, assertive, affirmative, negative, imperative, orders or commands and exclamatory. The students and teacher were found to have favourable opinion towards the developed instructional package.

Desai, B.Y., 2004, also made a comparative study of the efficacy of teaching through the traditional method and the multimedia approach in the subject of home science. He found the mean achievement of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group. From post-test to retention test almost equal reduction in performance was found in both the groups. The study has arrived at significant findings when caste, location, income, Std. XII examination marks and IQ of the students were considered as co-variables. The students were found to have favourable opinion towards the multimedia approach.

Pardeshi, R., 2005, set objectives to develop a computer assisted course materials and study in mono, diad triad settings and its relative effectiveness in the three settings and through reactions of the students. All the four hypotheses of study were formulated in the null form. The study was conducted in the three sections of Std. IX of Zenith High School, Baroda, driving each section into two groups- experimental and control. The CAI was developed using Flash-MS, Directors and Corel Draw 11.0 along with the internet. An achievement test was constructed for administering as pre-test and post-test. The data were analyzed through mean, SD, uncorrelated‘t’ and ANOVA. No significant difference has been found in mean achievement in scores of group in mono and diad. But significant difference has been found in the mean achievement scores of the experimental group in triad and that of control group. The students were also found to have positive reactions towards the developed software.

Patil, A.T. Shivaji, 2006, developed a multimedia instructional system on computer education for B.Ed. pupil-teachers and studied its effectiveness. The study has arrived at quite meaningful findings as follows:

i)        The present setting of teaching of computer education in B.Ed. colleges was found unsatisfactory.

ii)       It was found feasible to design, develop and implement a computer based multimedia instruction system for the computer education.

iii)      No significant difference was found between the performance of the pupil-teachers of control and experimental group on pre-test.

iv)     Significant difference was found between the performance of pupil-teachers of control and experimental group on post-test.

v)      Significant difference was found between the performances of pupil-teachers of control group from pre-test to post-test.

vi)     There is significant difference between the performances of pupil-teachers of experimental group from pre-test to post-test.

vii)    There is significant difference between the gains in achievement in terms of scores in pre-test and post-test of pupil-teachers from pre to post-test.

viii)   There is significant difference between the performance of pupil-teachers from control and experimental group in retention test.

Vesna Srnić, 2007, in his conference paper on New Communication Model: Multimedia Art made conclusion that, Multimedia Art, especially Multimedia Performance strengthens educational capacity of the Permanent Learning and enables the creative persons to integrate intensively their Cognitions and Existential Supportings, thus becomes favourable for Permanent Learning and Education in general.

Lindsey Conner and Dr Chris Astall presented a paper on ‘Teaching science: Changes to teaching strategies through incorporating on-line resources’ at the ESERA conference, Istanbul, 31st August- 4th Sept, 2009. They stated that there is growing evidence that human understanding can be enhanced through the use of multimedia. Instructional technology strategies to enhance learning may include computer simulations, models, video, interactive or digital objects and other multimedia materials. Studies have shown that when students are supported to learn through using websites and multiple digital media, they can increase their awareness of the relevance of science to daily life, learn enquiry skills and their attitudes towards learning science are more positive. Additionally students who have taken part in innovative web interventions have been shown to have a better understanding of the topics covered than students who had not used the web sources.

Louisa A. Stark, spring 2010, developed one multimedia teaching resource for life science to teach epigenetics. She used animation and sound effects to give a better understanding to the students. The study of effectiveness of the multimedia courseware is still awaited.

Finally the trends shows that most of the works in this field was developed in case of Science stream (Physics,Chemistry,Mathematics,Biology etc.) and very negligible amount of work performed in the area of Literature and Social science group. Again here all the multimedia courseware was developed in English. No such attempt was made to develop the multimedia courseware in Bengali language. So our present work was attempted to make up this gap.

Objective of the study

The specific objective of the study was to compare the achievement of students’ taught Physical Science through computer assisted multimedia courseware with that of students taught through traditional teaching methods. This base line study may provide a programmatic framework which may guide the future researchers to making Computer Assisted Instruction more effective and productive.

Field of application

In recent years there has been a growing interest amongst modern English medium schools in computer assisted multimedia courseware. For this reason, a number of researchers and educationists tried to develop such computer assisted multimedia courseware and investigate its effectiveness under computer based environment. But there are very few such efforts to develop computer assisted multimedia courseware in local languages like Bengali. So the following parts of this report deals with the developing of computer assisted multimedia courseware in Bengali medium, its implementation and discussion of its effectiveness.

Materials and Methods

Research Design  

It was decided that we will prepare a multimedia courseware (in Bengali) on a topic of Physical science for the students of class VIII of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education. Then It will be applied on one of the two pre-selected equivalent group (experimental and control group) of class-VIII. On completion a well structured achievement test on the same topic of physical science will be administered on both the group and their achievement on the test will be analyzed statistically.

Instrumentation or Process of Developing the Multimedia Courseware

Adobe Flash software has been selected to develop the multimedia courseware and windows based computer environment have been chosen for easy operating of the courseware. As the courseware has to be developed in Bengali medium the help of Bangla Word software have been taken. Some diagram has been drawn manually and incorporated in the courseware while some typical diagram and picture of scientists have been collected from different websites and included in the courseware.

Application

Sampling

A Bengali medium School, Patit High School (H.S.), Bankura, West Bengal has been chosen for sampling. In the school two sections of Class Eight (VIII A & VIII B) were selected for this purpose which have almost same achievement level (equivalent group) according to their performance in the earlier unit test. Here section A was considered as the experimental group and the section B as the control group.

Sample size

Sample size has been taken as 50 students for each group to get comparable result and also for ease of calculation, which again recommended by Fraenkel and Wallen (2000) as at least 30 students per group.

Students’ Interaction with the Multimedia Courseware

To both the groups, the unit ‘Matter’ and ‘Atom’ was discussed. In the control group, traditional lecture method was performed with the help of chalk and black board, whereas, the students of the experimental group interact with the courseware in a computer in the presence of their teacher, who will guide them how to interact with the multimedia courseware.

Data Collection

The achievement test was administered on both upon the control and experimental group. The test comprised of four sets of question papers each of which containing 20 multiple choice questions in different serials to avoid mutual copying. At the time of data collection, students’ opinion, teachers’ reaction, views of School Administration etc. were recorded.

During interaction with the multimedia courseware it was found that students were very much eager to learn in a computer based environment. They also enjoyed non-traditional multiple choice type of achievement test.

Most of the Teachers showed their interest to know the effect of multimedia courseware but at the same time they were also doubtful about the usability of the courseware.

School Authority opine about the necessity of the multimedia courseware in present day school system but they say about proper training of teachers should be required to carry out the course effectively.

Data Analysis

The scores of students of both the group in the achievement test were collected and analyzed statistically. With the collected data, first of all the item analysis (reliability, validity, difficulty value and discrimination value) was done to validate the structure of the achievement test. With the help of t-test and ANOVA the differences in achievement of students of both the group (the control and experimental groups) were analyzed.

Results

Reliability

The reliability of the achievement test was calculated with the help of Kuder-Richardson formula-20 and found to be 0.7, which is quite satisfactory for a achievement test.

Validity

The validity of the achievement test was qualitatively discussed with a number of experts related to this study and face validity of the test is quite high enough to accept.

Difficulty value

Difficulty value of each item was calculated by using the formula:

Where,

φ = Difficulty value

=No. of upper 27% examinees who given correct answers.

=No. of lower 27% examinees who given correct answers.

T =Total No. of examinees

It is found that15 % items are highly difficult, 56% items are moderately difficult, 17% items are medium difficult and rest 12% items are moderately easy.

Discrimination value

Item discrimination determines whether those who did well on the entire test did well on a particular item. An item should in fact be able to discriminate between upper and lower scoring groups. The discriminatory power of item is determined by the index of discrimination. In case of our present study we first arrange the scores sequentially. From the arranged scores the top 27 percent and the bottom 27 percent are separately taken. The two groups are named as upper (U-group) and lower group (L-group) respectively.

The index of discrimination (D) is computed for each item as the difference between the percentages of pass of the two groups in that item.

Success in the HSG                  Success in the LSG

D =               N in HSG                                   N in LSG

(HSG = high scoring group, LSG = low scoring group, N= number students.)

Zero discriminating power (0.00) is obtained when an equal number of students in both groups gets the item right and negative discriminating power when more students in lower group than the upper groups get it right.

It may be concluded from the computed D scores that item no- 08 has the lowest discriminatory power (7.14) and item no 12 has the highest discriminatory power (78.58)  whereas others  items are in between.

t -test

The following null hypothesis was tested by t-test at 1% level of significance.

H0₁: There exist no significant differences in achievement score in Physical Science between students who are exposed to computer assisted multimedia courseware and those who are not exposed to it.

The critical value of t-score at 1% level for the 49 degree of freedom is 2.67. The t- value calculated in case of our present study is 16.068 which is higher than the critical value. Therefore the null hypothesis may be rejected.

Hence, we may conclude that there lies statistically significant difference in achievement score in Physical Science between students who are exposed to computer assisted multimedia courseware and those who are not exposed to it. The mean value also determines a positive effect of the interactive computer assisted multimedia courseware on the achievement in the Physical Science of Class-VIII students.

ANOVA

The null hypothesis which was tested by t-test was also retested by ANOVA. The summary of the result of ANOVA test is given below.

 

Table:  Result of ANOVA

ANOVA again supports the findings of t-test and reject the null hypothesis, which strengthen the views about the positive effect of the interactive computer assisted multimedia courseware on the achievement in the Physical Science of Class-VIII students.

Discussion 

Based on the results of this study it can be concluded that computer assisted multimedia courseware facilitates students learning in Physical Science better as compared to chalk and talk method of teaching. Since achievement is important in the learning process, Physical Science teachers should be encouraged to use computer assisted multimedia courseware in order to improve performance in Physical Science. It is observed from the earlier records that the performance of the students of Patit High School (H.S.), Bankura in Physical Science examination was below average. But during our present study the achievement of students taught through computer assisted multimedia courseware were comparatively higher than their average academic scores. Therefore if computer assisted multimedia courseware is introduced in secondary schools of our State, there lies an ample opportunity for improving the performance of the students in Physical Science. The features of computer assisted multimedia courseware suggests that it can be easily implemented in most of our school as the several Govt. and Non-Govt. organization provides assistance for development of Computer Assisted Instruction(CAI) system.

The use of CAI as a supplement to conventional instruction produces higher achievement than the use of conventional instruction alone. Research is inconclusive regarding the comparative effectiveness of conventional instruction alone and CAI alone. A planned research programme in a programmatic framework should guide the future researchers so that it might contribute to making learning experience more interesting and effective.

Conclusion

Multimedia courseware is increasingly being used in computer-based learning, and the general indication is that this trend will persist for a while to come. One rationale for this trend is the assumption that multimedia has properties that can aid learning, particularly the learning of abstract subject matter. However, although the use of multimedia in this area is rapidly increasing, particularly in the form of numerous commercial applications, there still appears to be a lack of adequate research into the extent to which multimedia is effective in children’s abstract learning. We therefore need to study afresh the utility of current generation of hardware and software in teaching learning process and conduct research on what techniques are effective.

The inference can be drawn that teaching-learning process in schools should be transformed by making use of multimedia and animation to make lessons attractive, stimulating, and interactive. The ability to write scripts for such methodology should be made fully familiar with various multimedia and authoring tools.

 

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Bhatter College Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, (ISSN 2249-3301), Vol. II, 2012. Ed. Pabitra Kumar Mishra. Available online at: http://bcjms.bhattercollege.ac.in, published by Bhatter College, Dantan, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal, India. www.bhattercollege.ac.in. © Bhatter College, Dantan

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Charles Ngiewih Teke, University of Munich, Germany

Abstract

This paper examines the digitalization of teaching, learning and research content in Cameroon’s higher education, paying distinctive attention to the construction of a course site on Critical Theory and Practical Criticism in literary studies which would enhance flexible online and offline activities. The inadequacy of print resource material, the non-documentation and updating of libraries, the necessity of following modern technological trends in providing quality contents and the desire to improve and sustain capacity building and performance, the move towards efficient and flexible time management, are the motivating factors of this new and rapidly advancing techno-pedagogical approach. After having briefly discussed the ICT situation in Cameroon and the Ministry of Higher Education, the essay focuses on the University of Yaounde I’s ambition to practically institute an elearning platform on which a diversity of teaching contents is made available to its students. The Critical Theory course site is modeled on the Moodle learning management system and tailored to suit the needs of Master 2 students. Dominantly student-centred, but at the same time requiring teacher presence in classroom interaction, it provides digital resource material, web links and a variety of activities that engage effective involvement and competence in elearning and the use of ICT in this domain of research in literary studies. The essay views some of the stakes and challenges and situates future perspectives with regard to the relevance of ICT in literary studies and theoretical criticism.

[Keywords: ICT, digitalizing content, elearning platform, e-pedagogy, critical theory, normative and empirical variables, blended learning.]

 

Higher education is now situated in an open information environment in which national borders are routinely crossed and identities continually made and self-made in encounters with diverse others. We can begin to imagine higher education as a single world-wide arrangement: not as a unitary ‘global system’ but as a more complex combination of (1) global flows and networks of words and ideas, knowledge, finance, and inter-institutional dealings; with (2) national higher education systems shaped by history, law, policy and funding; and (3) individual institutions operating at the same time locally, nationally and globally…Relations are structured by cooperation and competition; and there are fecund mutual influences, doggedly persistent differences, and often surprising similarities of approach within and across borders.

Simon Marginson

 

Introduction

The contents of the above excerpt express Simon Marginson’s introductory remarks in his insightful essay “Dynamics of National and Global Competition in Higher Education” (2006). These remarks have far reaching implications in the present study which wrestles with ICT in Cameroon’s higher education in general and the attempts at effective institutionalization of digital teaching, learning and research contents in particular. In other words, ICT is a vast and multifaceted domain of discourse and practice which is characterized by international institutional networking and cooperation, localized realities and global variables and the move toward general consensus in such complex networking and inter-connections.

This essay streamlines its discussion to the domain of elearning and research at the university level, paying specific attention to the practical phase of theoretical speculations on the significance of ICT. The paper comprises four parts. The first part provides a brief overview of ICT in Cameroon within national and international perspectives. The second specifies the context and appropriation of ICT in higher education and the third articulates the practical actualization of ICT and elearning in the University of Yaounde I: the case of blended or mixed mode learning in Critical Theory at the level of Masters II. The fourth part discusses the stakes and challenges of empirical practices and success of ICT in the University of Yaounde I.

 

Cameroon’s Ambitions and Realizations: Modernization and Emergence

Cameroon is an ambitious country, having top decision making policies and millennial goals to be an emerging nation in 2035. This involves multi-tasking, internal collective participation and international collaboration. The country is conscious of the input of technological advancement in the domain of economy, culture, governance and education. With regard to Information and Communications Technologies, the Cameroonian government has put in place a strategy of conceiving and implementing efficient and reliable programmes in all state sectors, inscribed in a document entitled National Development Strategy on Information and Communication Technologies. (2007). This text is prefaced by Paul Biya the president of the Republic of Cameroon, an undoubted indication that the state prioritizes ICT in all spheres of political, economic, cultural, social and educational life.  There is hardly any speech articulated by the head of state without strongly insisting on Cameroon’s active involvement in the wake of technological advancement in a rapidly changing world. More importantly he has placed the youth at the fore front of meeting these challenges, and the learning environment is that conducive sphere where they are expected to be impacted with the technological know-how to improve living conditions and competence within the global arena. The reality on ground demonstrates that it is neither a political talk show nor a loud sounding nothing.

Another important text on Cameroon’s ICT ambitions and advancement is documented by Tchinda Jousué. It maps and traces the extent to which the country is involved and has evolved in ICT in terms of varied initiatives, projects and experiments by the public and private sectors. The situation in Cameroon, the text clearly points out, is an ongoing one with difficulties but excellent promise. Entitled “ICT in Education in Cameroon” is extracted and modified from the Survey of ICT in Education in Africa.

Supported by infoDEV, it provides a country specific inventory on the progress of ICT in different African countries and can be accessed on www.infodev.org/ict4edu-Africa. In the subtext, state policy on education, research and training is once more reiterated:

• Modernizing the educational system through the introduction of ICTs in schools
• Introducing ICT application training modules into national universities
• Preparing a sectoral ICT policy for the educational sector
• Training teachers in the use of ICTs
• Equipping all schools with ICT facilities
• Multiplying pedagogic resource centres for teachers and students
• Establishing distance training facilities
• Providing support for the production of ICT teaching materials

(“ICT in Education in Cameroon” 2007: (www.HYPERLINK “http://www.infodev.org/en/Document.390.pdf”infodev.orgHYPERLINK “http://www.infodev.org/en/Document.390.pdf”/en/Document.390.pdf)

Cameroon has multiple international affiliations in terms of bilateral and multilateral cooperation. In strengthening technological ties, ICT has a vital place in Central African (CEMAC) sub regional ambitions in higher education. Cameroon is signatory to the 2005 “Libreville Declaration” which aimed at constructing a space for higher education, research and professional training.  It was followed by a conference of ministers of higher education to work on strategies of implementing reforms and new technologies in university systems. There is no doubt that Cameroon has distinguished itself in attempting to materialize the use of ICT in its higher education sector.

From the above discussion ICT in Cameroon is unquestionably a reality and not a myth. Cameroon’s insertion of ICT into all aspects of national life shows its priority at modernization and competition in the global arena. Decision makers, internal and external stakeholders, technical experts and a variation of actors are participating to achieve millennial goals. Whatever the difficulties, the enthusiasm is strong and the way forward is promising.

 

Research and Teaching in Higher Education: The Implications of ICT

All sectors of education are fundamentally important in acquiring, modifying and putting knowledge at the service of any country. Cameroon has an uncompromising political road map in achieving its set objectives of an emergent state. The Ministry of Higher Education therefore has the overwhelming responsibility to streamline issues of ICT to suit its contribution to nation building via state owned and private universities and higher institutes of learning.

The implications of ICT in Cameroon’s higher education sector are multivariate. While the ministry sets the pace as the supervisory body, state and private institutions of higher learning grapple with the empirical or practical realities in the implementation of programmes, strategies, cooperation and partnerships to enhance successful teaching, learning and research. Cameroon has eight state universities and several private universities and higher institutes of learning. Each structure defines its specific and context based ICT priorities within the general framework of the ministry’s prescriptive line of action. The factors important in the implementation, integration and updating of ICT concord with innovation and obligations to modernize every aspect of higher education. The ministry has a budgetary line from which it gives subvention to both state and private structures with feasible projects in the domain of ICT.

This paper proposes to use Björn Stensaker et al. (2007) in appropriating the situation in Cameroon’s higher education and subsequently the University of Yaounde I and the course site under construction. The paper underlines two main frames of reference; the normative and the empirical. The normative perspectives wrestle with prescriptive measures for the effective assurance of quality ICT in higher education, and the empirical variant grapples with the concrete applicability in university contexts.  With regard to the normative Björn Stensaker et al. accentuate on

A well defined institutional ICT strategy, a professional organisation of the ICT – focused strategic process, a commitment and involvement of institutional top management, the need to link ICT to organisational development initiatives, the availability of financial resources, the availability of technical support and skills, and the development of comprehensive and relevant documentation related to the process. (419)

Carefully examined, Cameroon’s Higher Education is moving in line with such normative ambitions, and it ensures the empirical dimension with regard to every structure of higher learning. The engagement of national and international expertise, the building of staff and student capacities, the procuring of appropriate material and infrastructure, the establishment of international cooperation in this domain are the primary concerns of the ministry. We have already made mention of the effective participation of the minister of Higher Education and Cameroon universities in very important higher education encounters with ICT priorities in a bid to keep the pace of techno-advancement.

 

Standardizing Course Sites in the University of Yaounde I: Critical Theory and Practical Criticism in Literary Studies

The University of Yaounde I is Cameroon’s pioneer university and, is supposed to be the leading university in the country. In matters of technological insertion and advancement this university has recorded significant strides, and though much is still to be done in the domain of ICT, the current report is quite good and forecasts a rich future. This section, obviously the core of this paper, presents the initiative of the university to create an elearning platform with a repository site for a multiplicity of course contents, for both online and offline exploitation. The specific course here is Critical Theory and Practical Criticism in Literary Studies for Master II. It outlines the pedagogic implications of integrating ICT as an innovative technological approach to to enhancing effective learning and research in the said domain. Having received instruction through ICT in a European university and having taught for more than ten years in my home university using traditionally oriented methods and not very conventional ICT tools, the pressing need for pedagogical innovation and improvement has motivated this venture. As a university lecturer facing the challenges of the twenty first century ICT is unequivocally inextricable to my career.

Otang Ebot Achale et al. (2007) addressed research questions among which was Cameroonian lecturers’ and students’ perception of the contributions of ICT towards improving the quality of instruction (2). After establishing from its empirical findings that both lecturers and students have a positive perception that the use of ICT can enhance the quality of instruction, research, easy resource accessibility and convenient time economy, (2, 22 – 23) the authors provide salient suggestions for further research:

• A study with an experimental design on the impact of ICT on the quality of Education in Cameroon state universities,
• The impact of ICT on the quality of Cameroon higher education,
• A detailed study of the effect of ICT on the quality of instruction in Cameroon state universities,
• A detailed study on the effect of ICT on the quality of Administration in Cameroon state universities. (29)

Toward standardizing a course site on Critical Theory is certainly context based experimentation in line with the first three suggestions raised above. It is an actualization of the University of Yaounde I’s commitment to the modernization of university knowledge acquisition by effecting the use of ICT for instruction and research. However motivated I was to develop a course, the materialization would not have been possible without the ambitious University of Yaounde I’s e-learning vision, because it is very difficult financially and pedagogically to personally create a course site.

The University Yaounde I E-learning platform initiative (available at http://elearning.uninHYPERLINK “http://elearning.uninet.cm/moodle/course/view.php?id=6″et.cm/moodle/course/view.php?id=6) therefore offered the golden opportunity to attempt a concrete materialization of digitalizing my teaching content. The project is sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The University of Duisburg-Essen initially acted as Coordinating Organization before the management was continued by Baden-Württemberg Cooperate State University-Germany. Partner universities include the University of Capetown, South Africa, Kenyatta University, Kenya, and United Nations University, Bonn, Germany. This prestigious enterprise aims at providing quality epedagogic methodologies to a group of lecturers who in the long run are expected to continue the chain of training to make effective elearning and teaching in Yaounde I both to lecturers and students. The project identifies some of the major issues plaguing learning at the university to advocate an ICT – focused solution based on an innovative perspective:

The larger problem which is addressed in the activities for supporting eLearning in the University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon is the provision of a too low skilled workforce to the Cameroon labour market. Especially in areas where a quick adoption of new knowledge, skills and competences is becoming increasingly important, often HE in Africa in general fails to equip students not only with a suitable and up-to-date body of knowledge but also skills, competences and practical experiences. Universities which use ICT in education often organise education in the same transfer-oriented way which they use without eLearning. This situation is a consequence of an impact chain, leading to the ineffective use of eLearning in universities, largely neglecting the potential of new technologies to strengthen capacities of higher education institutions.

One can discern explicitly from the excerpt that the goal of the University of Yaounde is to avert the ineffective use of ICT and engage in a process of strengthening capacities and competences of its institutions. The ambition is to provide, foster and sustain new e learning methodologies and techniques to improve teaching, learning and research of credibility and quality. The objectives are therefore to provide more learning materials to more students, provide programmes to different target groups than campus students only and to start a reform process of education by providing the means to change from transfer oriented concepts to study and learning concepts of education through the provision of e learning materials.

Accessibility to multiple and re-adjustable sources, greater opportunities particularly academic and research networking between or among lecturers and students, flexibility of managing time and content, and confidence in positive outcomes all translate the ambition of digitalizing Critical Theory. It is a course site that strongly engages change from a uniquely print culture and traditional instructional strategies to a mixed or blended platform offering online, offline and face to face interactions, putting the student at the centre of learning. It is a course that aims at adding more impetus to construing critical theories and constructing multiple strands of semantic implications of literary texts.

 

Brief Retrospection and General Site Construction

In order to concretize the objectives of the implication of ICT and construct a lasting and efficient platform, the e-learning project has been organised in four e-schools, each serving as an upward phase towards accomplishment and subsequent dissemination. Three e-schools have been held so far for a target group of lecturers who in future will assist other lecturers as resource persons in the multiplication effective ICT use. The schedule of the e -schools and specific engagement is presented as such:

• July 2011 e-school 1: elearning in higher education, conceptions and templates
• December 2011 e-school 2: Content development and content organization for elearning
• April/May 2012 e-school 3: Teaching and learning with elearning; different models
• November 2012 e-school 4: Quality assessment and review of elearning content and learning processes. While the first three e-schools have been home based at the University of Yaounde I’s  Information and Technology Centre, the fourth will take place in the Baden-Württemberg Cooperate State University-Germany as an enlarged international conference.

 

Course Design and Development

As said earlier Moodle is the online learning management system the University of Yaounde I is using. Disciplines differ and so content digitalization differs. Critical and creative thinking is different from the empirical sciences. Critical theory content therefore offers different strands of interpretative thinking, giving room to multiple and highly controversial dimensions to literary texts. ICT models may be same, but contents and activities depend largely on the kind of discourse. Critical theory is a complex branch in literary studies and related disciplines in the humanities. An elearning course site must have a well defined scope in this perspective. The site (http://elearning.uninet.cm/moodle/course/view.php?id=6) is under construction and development, not yet available to public use as concerns logging into the system, but visible and immensely promising with regard to e pedagogy and e technology. There is effective team work (Forster, 1992) going on as I am assisted by ICT experts to develop the site. The following lines are an excerpt extracted directly from the introduction of the site:

Reading and interpreting the multidimensional and enigmatic nature of human existence and experience in literary texts involves a complex and intriguing network of intrinsic and extrinsic theoretical sources.

This course gives an overview of Literary Theory and Criticism. It highlights the construing of Criticism, Theory, and the dynamism of literary textuality and demonstrates how this dialogic relationship functions. Most importantly, it integrates ICT as instructional innovation with regard to the elearning platform that orientates student-centred online and offline digital learning and researching.

Objectives

To critically assess the reception of different theories and approaches, proponents and arguments, taking into consideration the context in which these are appropriated.

To identify the different discourses within the same theoretical paradigm, pointing out dimensions of convergence and divergence.

To situate the context in which literary theory and practical criticism are mutually inclusive in enhancing the reading and interpretation of texts.

The objectives are indicative of the kind of material which is required to be designed and put in the repository for availability and accessibility to learners once they start logging into the site.

Subject Matter and Content Management

Moodle incorporates a learning content management system (LMCS) which provides software tools that ascertain storage, use and reuse of prepared content. In other terms this system guarantees accessibility, modification, alteration, recycling and updating of content by the course instructor. In this vain several files have been uploaded into the Critical Theory site. Learners and researchers can download material at any convenient time for use. Besides, many links to good quality web sources have been made available for exploration in the field, and print material has also been referred to in a general bibliography that has been provided. The table below presents an overview of the course:

 

Course Planning for Critical Theory and Practical Criticism

Nature: Mixed Mode/Blended Learning (F 2 F & Online)

Week	Subject Matter	Procedure	Duration/Hours
1	General Introduction to Critical Theory	F2F & Online	2
2	The Complexity of the Literary Text	F2F &Online	2
3	Reader Oriented Criticism	F2F & Online	2
4	Psychoanalytical Criticism: Sigmund Freud	F2F & Online	2
5	Psychoanalytical Criticism: Harold Bloom	F2F &Online	2
6	Psychoanalytical Criticism: Harold Bloom	Online	2
7	Psychoanalytical Criticism: Harold Bloom	F2F & Online	2
8	Feminism &Literary Discourse: Introduction	F2F &Online	2
9	Feminist Discourses -a) First wave Feminism -b) Liberal Feminism -c) Marxist Feminism -d) Psychoanalytical Feminism	F2F & Online	2
10	Feminist Discourses -e) Lesbian Feminism -f) Queer Theory Contextualsing and Decontextualising Discourses	F2F & Online	2
11	Feminist Discourses -g) Black Feminism and Postcolonial Theory -h) The African/Oriental Experience -i) The African American Paradigm	F2F & Online	2
12	Postmodern Criticism -a) Poststructuralism &Deconstruction -b) Resistance to Theory	F2F & Online	2
13	Ecocriticism &Literature	F2F & Online	2
14	General Revision and Final Evaluation	F2F &Online

 

As concerns the procedure specifically, the course adopts the mixed mode or blended learning which requires both face to face interactions and online activity. The reason is evident; students are being introduced to this ICT modeled teaching for the first time. This requires patience and gradual mastery before eventual full time online learning. It is without doubt that ICT has not come to completely dislodge the lecturer from his conventional role in higher education. Each lecture has its introduction, objectives, activities, print and e textbook resources and online resources such as web links.

Strategies and Activities

What activities are in the course site? How effectively can these activities be used strategically to assess learning achievements? I have been using what I would coin traditional strategies before this ambitious project. Dealing with students whose awareness is good online social networking sites like Yahoo, Google+, Skype, Twitter, and Hi5, it has been quite rewarding engaging them in one to one and one to many communication. In this regard Yahoo and Google have served a good purpose as sites for email and news group interactions. Mailing lists have been created which I use to give instructions and also provide material that can be downloaded. With the Moodle platform and with appropriate expertise it is a move toward professionalising ICT.

 

Pic 1. A view of a lecture on the site featuring contents and activities

            Som Naidu (2006, 1) proposes types or modalities of elearning which can be appropriately contextualized in our case:

Individualised Self-paced

e-Learning OnlineIndividualised Self-paced

e-Learing OfflineGroup-Based

e-Learning SynchronouslyGroup-Based

e-Learning asynchronously

Individualised self-paced online refers to elearning with accessibility to online data resource bases. Individualised self-paced offline applies to elearning with accessibility to offline but digital material from gadgets like DVDs, CD ROMs, and USBs. Group-based elearning synchronously refers to one or two-way audio and videoconferencing with learners working together online and in group-based elearning asynchronously learners engage in “on-line discussions via electronic mailing lists and text-based conferencing within learning managements systems” at different time axes.

The dynamism of the lecturer, the multiple involvements of learners, motivational aspects in ICT like giving students allowance to initiative all militate in favour for an effective elearning atmosphere. With the above modalities there is guarantee to a multivariate approach which can allow learners to study even in advance of timed lectures. The course site provides such activities as forums, chats, feedback, quiz, workshop, and wikis. An activity will depend on the lecture and the need for an elastic methodology. In a lecture like “The Complexity of a Literary Text” a discussion forum would be an appropriate activity which may require learners to give their diverse views on what they consider to be a literary text. Learners can download critical material on a discourse in feminism, read and assess the material and then upload their feedback in pdf format. They can be asked to apply a theoretical discourse to a literary text and posit their work into the course site for evaluation.

I am aware that a pertinent digital age problem is academic dishonesty as it is easy for students to cut and paste digital or electronic material in violation of scientific principles in academic writing and appropriation of intellectual property. In whatever activities the learners will be involved in they are referred to sites like www.plagiarism.org and www.writecheck.turnitin.com to ensure honesty and quality use of material from web search.

I have provided useful accessible sites through which learners can browse to activating their capacity and competence in ICT and literary criticism. General sites on ICT related content include www.elearningcourses.org and www.elearning-courses-online.com. With regard to sites from which resourceful material on critical theory and practical criticism can be accessed and obtained there are examples like www.literature-study-online.com, www.postcolonialweb.org/index.html, www.jstor.org, and www.doaj.org/. For specific sites with standardized courses on critical theory and literary criticism good examples are Kristi Siegel www.kristisiegel.com/theory.htm, Bruce Harvey www2.fiu.edu/harveyb/brucetheorynew.htm and Dino Franco Felluga www.cla.purdue/english/theory. It is certain that after the fourth e-school the course site will go operational.

 

Stakes and Challenges: Future Perspectives

The stakes and challenges this course site faces fall under the general overview of ICT problems of the University of Yaounde I. I would focus on the specific context of this course site within the larger framework of the challenges of implementing effective ICT. Laura Czerniewicz and Tony Carr (2011) are incontestably right in asserting that

Educational technologists are acutely affected by the rapid pace of technological change and by developments within a new and emerging profession. In African universities technology initiatives often face further challenges relating to infrastructure, staff capacity, limited access to professional networks, sever resource constraints and until very recently exorbitantly expensive and highly unreliable bandwidth.

Tim Unwin (2004), Bhupendra Yadav (2004), Peter Limb (2005), Willinsky J. et al. (2005), and Bjorn Stensaker et al. (2007) have also expressed similar concerns. Such problems have been encountered even as the Moodle platform is under construction, but the University is appropriately addressing them on long term basis. In solving problems new problems are created, no doubt, but modernizing course contents is largely enriching and profitable and remains a priority with excellent promise.

 

References

Achale, T. et al. (2007). The Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) For Quality Education in Cameroon State Universities. Yaounde: ERNWACA.

Anderson, T. and Elloumi, F. (2004) Theory and practice of online learning (Athabasca, Athabasca University) (http://cde.athabascau.ca/online_book).

ANTIC. (2007). National Development Strategy on Information and Communication Technologies. Cameroon.

Clark, R. E. (1994). “Media will never Influence Learning”. Educational Technology and Development. 52 (2). 21 – 30.

Czerniewicz, L. and Carr, T. (2011) “Growing an Educational Technology Unit in a Fast Changing Environment: The Centre for Educational Technology at University of Cape Town”.

Dandjinou, P. (2003) “The status of e-strategies in Africa” E-strategies for Development in Africa Conference Maputo, 1-4 September 2003 .

http://www.infopol.gov.mz/africa_conference/africa_conference_documeHYPERLINK “http://www.infopol.gov.mz/africa_conference/africa_conference_documents/presentations/index.html”nts/presentations/index.html).

Dede, C. (200). “Emerging Technologies and Distributed Learning in Higher Education”. In D. Hanna (Ed.) Higher Education in an Era of Digital Competition: Choices and Challenges. New York: Atwood.

Foster, G. (1992). “Lessons from Team Work: Towards a Systemic Scheme for Course Development”. Higher Education 24. 193 – 211.

Kuiper, E., Volman, M. & Terwel, J. (2009). Developing Web literacy in collaborative inquiry activities. Computers & Education, 52, 668-680.

Limb, P. (2005). “The Digitization of Africa”. Africa Today 52. 3 – 19.

Marginson, S. (2006). “Dynamics of National and Global Competition in Higher Education”. Higher Education 52. 1 – 39.

Naidu, Som. (2006). E-Learning: A Guidebook of Principles, Procedures and Practices. New Delhi: CEMCA.

……………..(2000). “Designing and Evaluating Instruction for E-learning”. In P. L. Rodgers (Ed.)  Designing Instruction for Technology-Enhanced Learning. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing. 134 – 159.

Nzinzi, P. D. “Building the CEMAC Higher Education Space: From the Libreville Declaration to the Idea of a CEMAC e-Campus”. AAU May/June 2011.

Stensaker, B. et al. (2007). “Use, Updating and Integration of ICT in Higher Education: Linking Purpose, People and Pedagogy”. Higher Education 54. 417 – 433.

Unwin, T. (2004) “Towards a Framework for the use of ICT in Teacher Training in Africa” The Journal of Open and Distance Education on Open Learning in Less Developed Countries. http://wwHYPERLINK “http://www.gg.rhul.ac.uk/ict4d/ICT TT Africa.pdf”w.gg.rhul.ac.uk/ict4d/ICT%20TT%20Africa.pdf

van Damme, D. (2001) “Quality Issues in the Internationalisation of Higher Education”. Higher Education 41. 415 – 441.

Willinsky, J. et al. (2005). “Access to Research in Cameroonian Universities” The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 21.1–15.

www.ejisdc.org/ojs2/index.php/ejisdc/article/view/

Yadav, B. (2004). “Higher Education: New Dilemmas”. Economic and Political Weekly 39. 880 – 882.

 

Manali Jain,Gauhati University, Assam, India

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in higher education can revolutionise the education sector in India, thereby making its impact felt in other areas like governance, economy and administration. The National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NME-ICT),  launched in 2009 by the Central government, seeks to provide connectivity across the country. It is a project under which various schemes have been undertaken. One such scheme has been undertaken by University Grants Commission (UGC) to develop e-content for around 77 subjects at the postgraduate level, which would be put up on the web portal of the Ministry of Human Resource Development – “Sakshat”. Today in the fast pacing world where everything is digitized, the education sector should not lag behind, because it is education which ensures the future of the citizens and the progress of the country. Use of ICT in higher education in the field of engineering, medical science, accountancy, management, business administration, computer science, information technology can be easily thought of. But what about the use of ICT tools in the so called ‘traditional’ subjects of history, literature, political science, economics and other areas of humanities? In this paper, I would focus on how use of ICT in the teaching of English literature can make it interesting for students, teachers, research scholars and how the dynamics of the subject can come alive, for study of literature is, in fact, is studying a number of subjects in multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary modes and ICT can provide a fitting platform of convergence for that.

[Keywords: ICT, Teaching, English literature, digital divide]

 

Introduction

ICT is crucial to supplement the conventional or traditional mode of education. The word ‘supplement’ here is important, because technology cannot replace the teacher as such. The use of ICT can supplement or add to the traditional mode. In the present context of technology and information boom, traditional mode of teaching seems monotonous and in most of the colleges and universities across the country English literature is taught in the traditional mode where the teacher speaks for an hour or so and leaves the class. The students too get tired of the monotonous everyday routine. Moreover the importance of English literature as a subject of study needs to be revitalized. More and more students enter into fields like engineering, management, accountancy, medicine where they feel their future is secure, in terms of material needs. But English literature is a subject from which one cannot run away. It is a compulsory subject in most of the courses at the senior secondary and degree levels. English literature is seen to be a ‘traditional’ subject and students who wish to become teachers generally take up this so-called ‘traditional’ field. The use of ICT in teaching English literature and language can revolutionize the way the subject is seen, taught and thought of. The role of the teacher is of immense importance in the teaching of literature but ICT can enhance the teaching by doing away with boredom and making the students interested in what is being taught. It can motivate and keep the students engaged because ICT tools work at different levels – the students can have an opportunity to see, read, visualize, hear, ponder, discuss, interact and learn. This can be achieved through various means involving ICT.

The Scope of ICT

English literature comprises a number of sub-fields – for example, poetry, fiction, drama, criticism, literary theory, to name some of them. Each requires a different kind of study and different modes of teaching. The use of ICT can help the educator to use different modes of teaching, which will subsequently help students to keep the text or the issues involved in it, in their minds, perhaps, throughout their lives. But this depends not merely on the use of ICT but also the student and the educator. Thus in the teaching of English literature as a subject of higher studies, a combination of the old, involving the teacher and the new mode of teaching, involving ICT tools can go a long way. Moreover ICT would help in research in various fields of English literature. ICT tools would help students comprehend the text and would improve their proficiency. ICT tools can also help in making students attentive and interested.

English literature can be made appealing by the use of audio-visual devices, web resources, playing of movies or staged plays, online glossaries, dictionaries, thesaurus, etc. The use of Clicker – the Student Response System introduced under NME-ICT can enhance interaction in an English literature class. Scenes from movies can be shown and discussed. Use of slides having video, audio, images and texts – a combination can be helpful. Recitation of poetry can be played using ICT tools, use of multiple choice questions on different topics, quizzes, presentations are some of the ways in which ICT can be made effective in a literature class. Teachers would be relaxed as they would not have to memorize and can use slides to take the discussions forward. Using blackboard would no longer be necessary; also taking of attendance of the students present which takes up 5 – 10 minutes because Clicker can do the same. Effective integration of ICT tools into the educational system is a challenging task and the success of NME-ICT depends on this, apart from other things. Ensuring quality, equity and access at the same time is a daunting task which needs to be fulfilled.

How to rejuvenate a literature class

Poetry: Through slide shows the teacher can put up the poetry on screen. The writer’s image can be shown. An audio can be played where the poetry is recited, made more interesting if the poet himself/herself recites. Students perhaps may be interested in listening to the author’s voice.  Apart from these, poets like Blake and Rossetti whose poems have a corresponding painting, their poems can be shown accompanied by the corresponding painting or illustration. Moreover poems involving myths too can be visualized through images presented in slides by the teacher. Of course, the role of the teacher is the most important in making ICT effective. Hence both man and technology has to go hand in hand. Important journal articles and books can be referred to the students through the slides itself so that the teacher need not use the blackboard or spell out the names of the writers or their works. When everything is given, it encourages discussion and helps in creating a critical insight. This critical insight can be enhanced further if the students are given assignments whereby use of ICT tools cannot be done away with. Hence it is they who would use these tools and search for information from various sources. Moreover if poems are shown on screen, it becomes easy for the teacher to point out relevant  details and also contrast one poem with another, making literature lively and an involving exercise.

Suppose a poem like “To Autumn” is to be taught. As suggested an audio can be played where it is recited. This ‘hearing’ of the poem will help making an impact on the minds of the students because it will stay on for some time and they would enjoy responding to it. To explain the music of Autumn portion from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony or from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons can be played to effectively let students go through a rich experience. A picture of the poet can also be shown, or different pictures in varied settings, if available, so that it can be related to his/her biography and while the pictures are played, the biographical details can be discussed by the teacher. Similarly in order to give a feel of the Romantic age, other visuals can be displayed. The combined effect of the ‘visual’ and ‘hearing’ would make students experience what is being taught. The themes, images and movement of the poem can be discussed through different slides which are innovative and effective. It will depend on the teacher how he/she prepares the slides or presentations.

Fiction: Techniques similar to those in poetry can be applied here. In addition, movies based on novels can be shown in full or some important scenes can be presented and discussed. The themes, characterization, historical context, narration can be discussed through slide shows and presentations. Youtube can be integrated—of course with caution—to introduce certain memorable scenes from movies based on novels. Through this students can be introduced to the works of great directors.

Drama: In addition the techniques mentioned already, staged plays can be shown through ICT tools and the minute intricacies of a play can be discussed. As a result the use of light, sound, stage setting and props all will come live before the students and thus would have a lasting impact on them. This would accomplish the dual function of literature to edify and give pleasure. For instance, BBC has a great collection of Shakespeare’s plays which can be integrated in the library.

Criticism: This could be made interesting by the use of examples from literary texts and through practical exercises. The use of ICT would enable to make criticism an enriching and in depth exercise. Critics on a subject can be referred to and students may be encouraged to go through their works.

Literary Theory: This is an area which most students dread. Their fear can be done away with by the use of ICT. The theorists can be shown on screen, their interviews or recorded lectures can be played. The ideas can be applied to literary texts and hence their relevance be made clear. Examples, pictures and other such devices can be used to make students alert and attend to it with interest.

Others: Indian Writing in English, African, American literature and other such areas can be taught through ICT. History of English literature can be shown in tabular forms. Video conferencing can be facilitated so that interaction can take place among students, research scholars and teachers not just within India but across the world. This would make them aware of the literary scenario elsewhere, keep them up-to-date, bring in different points of views and interpretations and enhance their knowledge. Research scholars would be helped if through cloud computing or through other technology, resources are made available at one place. The concept of e-content undertaken under NME-ICT would be helpful. But scholarly journal articles should be made accessible at a larger scale. ICT combined with the traditional methods of teaching can make teaching and learning literature a vivid experience.

Moreover, teaching literature should not be limited to use of slides or projectors alone.  The development of e-content would help students refer to relevant information on a topic. A portal can be developed exclusively for literature. This portal can have the e-content which can be updated by academicians and research scholars with authentic information. In addition, free e-books can be uploaded so that students can have access to these as well. Links to important journals can be provided or perhaps articles on a single writer can all be listed in one place.

The Digital Divide  

Something more important that requires attention is the issue of digital divide. The gap or the inequality in the distribution and use of technology between urban India and rural India, that is, the digital divide present in India has an adverse impact on the growth and development of the country. The digital divide also exists between developed and developing countries of the world. The focus in this paper is more on the Indian scenario. The use of satellite and other devices in the field of education is not new in India. But through NME-ICT it will be carried on in a huge scale and in an organized way. The goal of access, equity and quality is ensured through this mission. The focus is on integration. The use of ICT tools in higher education, which is the thrust of NME-ICT, will help bridge the digital divide in the following ways:

• Under the NME-ICT focus will remain on building computer/technology infrastructure throughout the country. This will include remote areas which hitherto had remained untouched by the advent of technology. When remote areas are included, the other thing which will be of interest is the use of technology. Training in the use of ICT tools will take the plan forward. Once people learn to use these, the bridging process of the digital divide India is facing would prove successful.
• Use of ICT tools will give a boost to distance learning and education. This in turn will help people in the remotest parts of the country to avail education and fulfill their dreams and help in the development of the country. Through ICT, distance learning can be made simple and easy, which in turn help in bridging the digital divide.
• The plan of using low-cost ICT devices like the tablets will go a long way in bridging the digital divide because low-cost devices can be made accessible to a much larger group of students. The government should take more effective steps for this. Costly devices are not accessible to the students from remote areas of the country.
• The use of ICT in higher education will help in increasing the GER (Gross Enrollment Rate) of India. The increase in the GER would bring in equity and access in the field of education. Equity in education in a sense implies bridging the digital divide. The more the enrollment rate in higher education through distance or regular mode, the faster will be the process of bridging the digital divide.
• Online courses, development of e-content, e-learning, digital libraries, online encyclopedias, journals, and books would promote learning and make knowledge available to all irrespective of the distance or location or financial resources. If the required ICT infrastructure is present or made available in remote parts of the country, then the resources mentioned above would be available in rural India as well.
• Since India is a huge country, with more area under rural rather than urban population, it is only through ICT that higher education can be made available to all the villages of the country. The step to provide ICT in the universities and colleges is indeed a laudable initiatory step. Moreover this will lead to the trickling down effect and would be able to encompass schools as well.
• Under NME-ICT polytechnic or vocational skill development institutes have been encompassed. This step would help in bringing students and unemployed youths under the purview if ICT and enhance their learning skills and hence development. This would also ensure that more students enroll in these institutes. This too would lead to the bridging of the digital divide.
• The budgetary allocation for NME-ICT in the Eleventh and Twelfth Five year plans is praiseworthy. Such attention given by the government will further the process of bridging the digital divide. Other such policy moves by the government can help a lot in this area.
• We cannot forget the digital divide between the developed nations and the developing ones. The use of ICT tools in higher education in India will, to a certain extent, help in bridging this digital divide as well. India might someday be able to be at par with the developed nations, although it is a distant dream.
• When everything is computerized, the records of the performance of the students too would be computerized. This would make getting employment easier, as the original certificates need not be verified every time. The task would be light both for the candidate and the employer. Also there would be no possibility of any sort of discrepancy. Again online interviews would be possible. This would enable people from any part of the country to apply for jobs anywhere, which would help bridge the digital divide.
• ICT would support collaboration in different programmes on higher education from different parts of the country and the world. The space would be opened wide for all. Collaborative programmes between different institutes will prove fruitful as there will be opportunity for video conferencing, sharing of resources and other activities.
• Last, but not the least, research scholars can make use of ICT tools to carry forward their research. They not only can have access to works done in their field of interest but also use ICT tools in presenting papers during seminars, conferences and discussions. This would hone their skills as well as make them adept in using these tools and compete in the international field. This would not only help in bridging the digital divide but also help in the development of the country.

In order to bridge the digital divide, it is very important that ICT tools are integrated into the education system and that these are accessible to all. Training of teachers in using ICT tools is of utmost importance, so is its effective usage. If ICTs are not accessible, or are not used in an appropriate manner, it would not be possible to make NME-ICT a success nor would it be possible to bridge the digital divide.

‘Connectivity’ is a key-word when we talk about ICT. But there are a lot of questions which needs to be attended to while talking about ICT and connectivity. First is whether people are interested in using ICT tools. Next is whether the required infrastructure is available to them. Then, if it is available, are they competent enough to use them and derive benefit out of them. Government intervention is necessary so that ICT can be made successful in higher education. And NME-ICT undertaken by the government of India seems to be in the right direction. It focuses on access, skill development, training, quality, building infrastructure and equity. Through ICT, problems of the students can be attended to easily. The way online shopping sites respond to customer grievances, through ICT student grievances too can be answered. Moreover, ICT in higher education would provide employment to a number of unemployed youths in the country.

Thus we may conclude that ICT is an important tool which has the potential to make the teaching and learning of ‘traditional’ subjects like English literature or to be broader, literature in any language a lived experience. It would help in revitalizing the importance of such subjects by various means. The means mentioned above are only suggestions and not exhaustive. A lot more can be done with the opinions of experts in the field of ICT. The present government policy, NME-ICT seems to be on the right track. It would help bridge the digital divide to a certain extent and also help in the growth and development of the country by building up human resource and providing employment. Some of the ways by which the digital divide within the country and in the international scenario can be bridged are enumerated. But it should be kept in mind that bridging the digital divide is a complex issue and NME-ICT can be seen as a preliminary step towards this goal.

References

Barad, Dilip P. “Experimenting ICT in Teaching English Language and Literature”. AsiaCall Online Journal

(October 2009): 4.1.

http://www.sakshat.ac.in/

http://www.nitttrc.ac.in/

http://www.it.iitb.ac.in/nmeict/home.do

http://archive.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=ferl.aclearn.resource.id30218

 

A. Linda Primlyn, Scott Christian College, Nagercoil, India       

 Abstract

This paper examines the use of autonomous learning through technology in the language classroom. In the classrooms, learners should be equipped with the tools for their own learning, while the teacher guides and provides support. Listening, speaking, comprehension projects which could be helped by the use of audio cassettes, videos, television, writing and writing correction programmes, can now be fruitfully be done with computers. These new tools support and extend student opportunities and access to academic and authentic language skills. The aim of the paper is to project the advantages of virtual classroom over the traditional classroom. Also, the factors which make the students learn the language thoroughly without much of a strain will be discussed. Teachers should take it as a challenge as how to make their pupils motivated to learn the English language and how to make the learning process itself motivating for children. The objective of the paper is to report the gains that may be obtained from the use of technology to develop language skills in students of English as a foreign language.

[Keywords: Autonomous Learning, digital technology, language classroom, ICT]

Introduction

English teachers have become more aware that the exclusive use of communicative approach does not suit all English teaching situations. Also, they have discovered that no single teaching method deals with everything that concerns with the form, the use, and the content of the target language. So, at present, it is needed in India to modernize English teaching. That is to combine the new with the old so as to adapt the communicative approach to traditional teaching structures.

In the present century, it is very much necessary foster autonomous learning through technology in the language classroom to arouse the interest of the students, to give importance to language at school/college level. Virtual classroom brings an open learning environment allowing the students to join the learning process which would otherwise remain a passive process for them. All classrooms are not computer oriented but a teacher oriented computer assisted classrooms can be provided. Together with the teacher, the learners try to reach their aims within the accepted syllabus. The teacher is well aware of the activity of the learners and their potentiality of development. It is therefore important for the teacher and the software and the course designer to set up the tasks and the exercises in such a way that the teacher and the learner should not feel separated. Some students strive very hard to get through in the second language and some never strain to learn the language and thereby they fail to build up their career. If autonomous learning through technology is brought into the language classroom, automatically the physical strain will be decreased and it is a two way process of learning, the language as well as the technology. On the whole, to decolonize the teaching strategies, English Language Teaching have to accommodate the ceaseless implementation of changes taking place in the pre-global scenario, without surrendering completely to the process of globalization.

Use of Technology

The idea of using autonomous learning through technology in language classrooms seems to be challenging. Using such techniques in a classroom, students get an opportunity to

• learn a language collaboratively
• be more enthusiastic about learning
• become autonomous learners
• work together constantly and collaboratively
• communicate with the native speakers

Using techniques such as the Internet, digital media tools and common software applications would help to enhance students’ learning. Hence it is suggested to

• create visual aids for teaching
• improve access to resources, such as online literature libraries
• review and comment on students to work more efficiently
• integrate video clips into presentations
• broaden choices for students to demonstrate learning

Innovations in teaching and learning are directly related to new ways and new tools that correspond to the lifestyle of learners and to those things that attract and motivate them. Language teachers have a tradition of integrating new techniques into teaching. Anthony defines techniques as “A technique is implementational—that which actually takes place in a classroom. It is a particular trick, stratagem, or contrivance used to accomplish an immediate objective. Techniques must be consistent with a method, and therefore in harmony with an approach as well” (64). In designing or selecting the software, the learner

i. needs clear instructions on how to start the programme.

ii. should be aware of the content of the materials.

iii. should be able to navigate the programme efficiently.

iv  should know

• What is in this programme?
• Where am I now?
• Where can I go and how do I get there?
• Where have I been already?

iv. feels that it is important to achieve consistency in commands and keywords that are used in instructions and explanations.

v.  may need to access dictionaries and help on the content of the programme

vi. may need to make use of a notepad as an extension activity which should be available via a mouse click

vii.  should be able to choose the language of the onscreen instructions.

viii. If the learner quits the programme before completing, it should be possible

to re-enter at the point where he/she gave up.

ix. The level of the programme should be clear to the learners as they are slow

learners, average students and above average students.

Advent of New Technology

Bringing new voices  into the classroom, teachers in the first half of the 20^th century took gramophones into their classrooms which were replaced by reel-to-reel tape recorders The advent of  the language laboratory when the audio-lingual method was to the fore, considered as central to successful language learning which were followed by video players and video cameras. Language laboratory was also used to teach pronunciation and dialogues, and to show films.  The content of this material has not changed, but it is more accessible to students and teachers. All these innovations when compared with the existing media, become integrated with the new strategies.

New Technology

Fostering technology has become the trend in foreign/second language teaching. As Gousie states:

In the fast-moving 1990s, a variety of new technological tools have appeared on the scene. No longer were we swept by a wave of methodology; we were swamped by a tidal wave of computer-assisted technologies. Suddenly the capability of incorporating laserdiscs, hypertext cards, CDs, CD-ROMs and the internet into our syllabi became a reality. (55)

The new technologies have given access to “multi-literacies” (The New London Group 1996) that require readings of visuals, web pages, etc. It is needed to recognise this for two reasons: one, to be aware of the new tools, for the materials are limited and even out-of-date. Second, as the students are comfortable using these tools, it is very much needed to incorporate their features in the language classroom. Technology lessens the efforts in the hands of the intelligent user and enhances the scope of his achievement, confidence and enjoyment.

Computers

With the advent of multimedia, computing and the Internet, the role of computers in language instruction has now become an important issue confronting large numbers of language teachers throughout the world. Computer serves as an activating tool. It helps the students to develop their use of English and chances should be given to improve their skills. Hence, the students are given tasks, by writing or speaking. These activities are often fun for the students and provide an enjoyable classroom experience and thus helping them in the learning process.

When the students get themselves engaged in the classroom they could learn better and likely to cause fewer discipline problems. Teachers should make the students interested in the subject, in the class and in the target language with much hope and enjoyment. Jeremy Harmer in his Practice of English Language Teaching says “If students are engaged, if they are genuinely interested and involved in what is going on, the chances are that they are going to learn an awful lot better because they are not just doing what they have to do because they are in school, they are also involved in what’s going” (7).

At advanced levels net-surfing for library-exploitation services on an effective scale can be recommended. In the case of printed textbooks, it can only approximate spoken discourse and an authentic audience, but the communication tools in the new technologies provide opportunities to introduce authentic communication into the classroom. These collaboration tools can support the objectives of a language program, such as authentic communication and collaboration. Another component of authentic communication is interacting with unfamiliar people in a distant location. For example, telephonic conversations with officials, videoconferences with a team of people, etc. technology transmits voice in both directions. Software such as Skype and hardware such as a webcam can connect computers at distant locations, allowing participants to interact. The constraint here is that this has to occur in real time, for which adequate infrastructure (in terms of electricity and connectivity) is required. Spelling checker can be used to generate words. “Typing in a few letters of the word and then selected the correct word from the alternatives provided” (Gupta 260).

Computer-assisted Language

Computer-assisted language learning has increased responsibilities, creativity, productivity and team work. The English learning programme will just serve the student’s desired goal of learning. In one sense, students easily get the individual attention from the computer. Second, it offers teachers with more powerful teaching tools with the aid of modern computer technology. It permits the student to have his own pace of learning and monitor and evaluate his own performance if he is doing individual practice. Teachers should be aware of these points while using computers in the classroom.

• Remember that computers and other equipments are just tools and one has to make them work for him and not against him.
• Do not feel satisfied with the materials the software provides
• Create one’s own materials based on the software.
• Motivate students by using computer games, prepared as classwork materials.
• Make schedules flexible enough so as to accommodate individuals or small group sessions with the computer.
• Think of the combination of teacher-led classes and computer sessions that best suit one’s needs.
• Design one’s own computer oriented tasks for the development of language skills.
• Direct the learners to the objectives one wants to achieve
• Use Internet accessibility and create writing and speaking tasks for the learners, using the computer resource.
• Encourage learners to use their intellect by assigning them computer tasks such as looking for information in databases that will make them think and use English.
• Encourage them to use word processors and their applications such as spelling and grammar checkers.

At a basic level, the technology allows us to store and access audio files. Further, such files can be found on the Internet and used to teach units such as pronunciation and dialogues. Thus, the computer seems to bring out student capabilities better than a handwritten text can. It also allows teachers to show students how to compose and edit their essays. Some teachers feel that students should write everything by hand and mark them for neatness and accuracy. However, these are merely the mechanics of writing that the computer can perform flawlessly.

Internet

Technological environment may have profound effects on teaching and learning. Internet is a powerful pedagogic concept, adding value to materials. It occupies an important position in the ELT classroom. It is used to communicate by voice, chat, message, blogs about everything and anything using the widespread examples of social networking like Facebook, Twitter, Orkut, YouTube, MySpace, etc. The World Wide Web can be used very effectively in teaching English as a second language interactively. It makes it possible for students to tackle a huge amount of human experience. Preparing for an Internet-based language lesson may be demanding because looking for information on the World Wide Web requires a considerable amount of time and concentration. In such a way, students can learn by using the web themselves. They become the creators not just the receivers of knowledge. However, it is absolutely rewarding using it in teaching languages, as students benefit from it enormously. In addition, the range of educational materials that are available in Internet constantly increases and the new resources appear on the Internet has to be exploited. The World Wide Web should never be used in the language lesson just for the sake of novelty. It should be used to develop purposeful interaction in the language classroom.

With the advent of the Internet, students and teachers have access to vast resources and some of them are more current than what a textbook can offer. Although teachers are wary of allowing students to use the Internet fearing that students will plagiarize, it provides new opportunities. Internet throws up an interesting challenge. Since material on the Internet is not reviewed for factual accuracy, the quality of the information is uneven.

The Internet also offers an opportunity for extensive reading. Instead of the limited universe in the textbook, students can look up additional information by following their interests or explore alternative views. This feeds into a research culture that is not limited to a set of “facts” in a textbook. The main objection that teachers have to the use of the Internet is that students will not write their own essays but will merely copy-and-paste material that they find on the Internet. It is easy to detect material that has been copied off the Internet because it does not match the student’s linguistic ability.

Motivation

Motivation is increased, when a variety is offered to make one feel more independent. Krashen is of the view that “A right level of sustained motivation is an important teacher-support in the student development programme” (14). Motivation through appropriate planned teacher work be created at the pre teaching stage, maintained at the whilst-teaching period and supported and reinforced in the post teaching reproduction and feedback. However, Green holds that “no matter how comprehensible and successful the teacher’s motivation enhancement plans, certain students will, of course, nevertheless help to provide the impetus for the learner to achieve all that he is capable of achieving in this particular field of intellectual endeavour” (2-3).

Practice

Next factor to facilitate language acquisition is that the students’ need for practice. Teachers must ensure that classroom interactions are managed properly. In order to avoid being the centre of classroom interactions, desks should be arranged in such a way that the students can look directly at one another. This helps to create interactions among the students. The first part of classroom teaching will be stress and intonation practice. It consists of pronunciation, revision, presentation of vocabulary, oral practice, reading of material on the new structure. Revision and extension of previously taught material are to be practiced in the classroom.

Ronald Wardhaugh’s views that: “Good teaching practice is based on good theoretical understanding. There is indeed nothing so practical as a good theory. Teachers should . . . try to capture some of the excitement of the many challenges that confront us in teaching English to speakers of other languages” (19).

Advantages

The major advantage of fostering new tools over the traditional classroom is that it reduces communication anxiety. Teachers notice that some students are very conscious of their linguistic competence which might cause a failing in their communication. They identify that these students often cannot put their ideas effectively and cannot produce continuous speech. Moreover, the new technical environment allows the learners to express their thoughts, feelings and experiences without any inference of the teacher and at the same time minimizes anxiety and enhances personal security. Without fear it enables them to discuss a topic. One should be aware of that the second language learners are non-native speakers. Warschauer says, “More non-native than native speakers use English on a daily basis to do business, research, access academic information and to communicate with friends and colleagues” (49).

Results

The various results of the different types of students randomly selected are brought to light. Students who are interested in what they are studying tend to make better progress and learn faster. Teachers provide students with lessons that are not only well-structured but also interesting and enjoyable. Careful thought and preparation will help to achieve this. The three important factors—Engage, Study and Activate, have to be taken into account while learning,. Preplanning should be made in such a way that every activity, every exercise, every part of a lesson should fit into one of these categories.

Also the study reveals that the girls and the boys are equally motivated by using new technological tools. Learners who are exposed to CALL showed more involvement towards learning the target language. It is found out that in CALL classes, technology is more welcome than in the traditional way of teaching and learning English. It is found out that the teacher should concentrate on the methodology of the CALL class to make the students learn without much of a strain in learning the language. The students expressed their desire to spend more time in using new technological tools to learn L2 in an effective manner. The time taken to learn the language differs from student to student based on their computer literacy.

While boys are especially interested in computer games, the World Wide Web and the technical features of the computers, girls are more concerned with the communicative aspects. When compared with girls, boys perform better. At the end, both reported that they were more attracted and motivated by using new technological tools in the classroom. Girls generally expressed more positive attitudes towards the virtual lessons and little slower than boys in using computers.

Study Objectives

Feedback was collected from the students to document the differences between the CALL and the non-CALL classes. Regarding their communication in the classroom, audio-visual and other teaching aids, traditional textbooks, etc. were used. All their views were analysed and compared to reveal the differences between the CALL and the non-CALL classes. From the collected data along with the language teacher, the results were discussed. Slow learners’ performance was amazing and they performed like an average student whereas the performance of an average student and a good student were more or less the same. A Questionnaire was prepared to assess the pupils’ motivation for learning the language and the changes were noticed.

Conclusion

The key factors contributed to foster autonomous learning in the   language classroom increase the impact of new technology, decentralization, students’ autonomy and a change in the behaviour and perception level of students. Authentic use of technology to facilitate local processing of global resources helps to meet the student expectations and act as a showcase. New technology tools mentioned in the paper help us to achieve the language in a proper way and prove that printed textbooks could only mimic. Language is for communication and these tools emphasize the skills of communication. It is concluded that virtual classroom increases pupils’ motivation for language learning, compared with the traditional language classrooms. According to Ortega, “it is not computer per se that can be beneficial or harmful but the way we put them to. The newest technologies can be made to serve the most traditional pedagogies” (Bakke & Miller 29).

Works Cited

Anthony, E. M. “Approach, Method and Technique.” English Language Teaching. 1963.  63-67. Print.

Bakke B. & N. Millar In Practice of CALL IKT-Book. Oslo: NKS—Forlaget, 2000. Print.

Gousie, L. “New Methods and Tools for Teaching Foreign Languages”. T.H.E. Journal 25 (9). 1998. 54-

56. Print.

Green, Christopher F. “Learner Drives in Second Language Acquisition” English Teaching Forum. 31.1

Jan. (1993):  2-3.Print.

Gupta, R. “Can spelling checkers help the novice writer?” British Journal of Educational Technology, 29,

3, 255-266. 1998. Print.

Harmer, Jeremy. Practice of English Language Teaching. 3^rd edition, London: Longman, 2006. Print.

Krashen, S.D. Second Language Acquisition and Second Language Learning. Oxford: Oxford University

Press.  Print.

Levy, M. Computer Assisted Language Learning: Context and Conceptualisation. Oxford: Clarendon

Press, 1997. Print.

The New London Group.  “A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies: Designing Social Futures.” Harvard Educational

Review. Spring (1996): 66. 1, 60-92. Print.

Warschauer, M.  Motivational Aspects of Using Computers for Writing and Communication. Hawaii:

University of Hawaii Second Language Teaching and Curriculum Centre, 1996. Print.

Wardhaugh, Ronald. “TESOL: Current Problems and Classroom Practices.” Teaching English as a

Second Language. Ed. Harold B. Allen & Russell N. Campbell. Bombay: Tata McGraw

Hill. 1972. 2-22. Print.

 

Abhijit Mitra, Bhairab Ganguly College, Belgharia, Kolkata  

 Abstract

Mobile technology has opened various avenues for education. M-learning is a new way of learning, in which mobile devices including handheld tablets, PDA, mobile phones, symbian and smart phones are used for teaching-learning purposes. It makes learning portable, spontaneous, effective and exciting. We can record the lectures, read E-books, provide feedback, access internet, multimedia materials, and practical exercises and use software for educational purpose. This paper discusses the concept of M-learning and examines its significance in education. The paper explores the challenges of M-learning and examines the present trends of M-learning in India.

[Keywords: Mobile technology, M-learning, E-books, internet, mobile devices]

 

Introduction

We live in an era of information and communication technology (ICT) owing to the revolution in the field of digital technology, in which mobile technology occupies a vital role. The impact of new technology that is growing rapidly at present is affecting many sectors, including the field of education. ICT provides an interesting learning environment, the virtual classroom that allows users to participate in the learning process without travelling and let people interact from different places. The tools used are numberless; they range from video-conferencing, internet with hypertexts, interactive learning objects, audiovisual materials, forum, instant messaging, blogs, whiteboards, wikis, ipod etc. They all offer synchronous and asynchronous communication. But in recent time there has been a sort of ‘revolution’. People are being more and more attracted by mobile phones; the majority of the people have got at least one mobile phone. Students use them, even at school, in the classroom despite school regulations against their use during lessons.

ICT in education covers a wide spectrum and it is being used widely in different education segments. The main areas of development are infrastructure development (connectivity and hardware), teacher training, technical support, content development, curricula and pedagogical approaches. For most developed countries, the infrastructure is in place and progress has been made along the most of the other dimensions. Digital tools, such as laptops and interactive whiteboards, are in increasing use in classrooms. Content has made the shift from replicating existing material in digital formats, to creating new types of content that maximise the format and align with curriculum and learning objectives. In short, ICT becomes transformative when it begins to change and enhance teaching and learning. A few countries are achieving this to an extent, but many hit a barrier when it comes to making this leap. Some countries that are less developed in terms of more traditional ICT in education might see the potential of going straight to mobile as a way of realising this.

Mobile Education takes place when a student uses a portable device, such as a smartphone, netbook or tablet to access content or to interact with other learners, and with teachers. It has the advantages of enabling learning to take place anytime and anyplace and of providing a more personalised and motivating learning experience. The increasing availability of the smartphone, tablets, gaming handsets and other handheld devices is beginning to present a compelling learning platform available to a significant proportion of the education market.

The evolution of the Internet application especially, has heralded certain new ways of communication between educators and learners in the educational system, especially in higher education institutions. Adult peoples are largely adopters of new technologies and  that why most of the students and teachers have their own mobile phones. As far as the use of these tools in education is concerned, not all courses are suitable for a mobile learning (M-learning) environment, but short courses are considered suitable for this kind of learning. The use of quizzes, glossaries, the interaction with tutor and other peers, may satisfy a wide range of needs and aims on behalf of students. Communication takes place through e-mails, SMS, MMS, and it is important for students to provide a feedback on their progress. We can record lectures, read e-books, provide feedback, access Internet; multimedia materials, practical exercises and use software for enhance learning. We may say it is an advanced and revolutionary device for E-learning. Mobile learning is used to support, or as an element of, E-learning.  Mobile learning is less restrictive because it allows learning to occur anywhere and anytime. It is informal or opportunistic, as well as private, situational, and unstructured. It is in development, as we are still at the early stages of using mobile devices to create learning opportunities.

 

The Concept of M-learning

Over the past decade there have been numerous definitions of the concept of “mobile learning” (M-learning). Some have attempted to include laptops as relevant devices for mobile learning, while others have argued that the user experience – both in terms of content possibilities and use-cases – means that including laptops as mobile learning devices muddies the concept. While that might have been an easy response when we only had phones, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistance), and laptops to consider, what of the Apple iPad and similar tablet devices? They are more mobile and have smaller screens than laptops, but are less ubiquitous than mobile phones, and in several respects have an essentially different overall user experience. There are number of different definitions of mobile learning. M-learning is described as E-learning through mobile computational devices. Alternative definitions emphasizes on the mobility of the learner, rather than the device. It is a novel concept which makes learning portable, spontaneous, effective and exciting. The most important feature of M-learning is it decreases limitation of learning location.

 

Why M-learning

            The interest in mobile learning has come from a number of places. These are as follows:

• Advances in technology and high levels of mobile phone penetration have made mobile devices the ideal targets for  mobile learning applications;
• It is as important to have behavioral change as well as technological change; social norms are rapidly evolving and for most people the benefits of the mobile phone now outweigh its disadvantages. Educators need to tap into the new behaviours and technologies rather than trying to change or resist them.
• Participants coming to business schools have their own mobile devices and there is a need to provide more flexible opportunities for study that build in some choice in how participants will use technology;
• Participants have increased expectations and are depending on technology to help them fit learning into their complex, demanding lives;
• An increasing number of employers and organizations are already making use of mobile learning;
• Mobile devices offer an effective way of increasing participation and engagement;
• Mobile devices can support pre and post-programme learning;
• Busy participants can use their mobile devices to extend their opportunities to learn.

 

Significance of M-learning

Mobility: One of the basic significance of M-learning is that it decreases limitation of learning location; it focuses on the mobility of learner and learning. Mobile devices can be used anywhere, and any time, including at home, college, or even in traveling. Mobile phone’s size, weight and wireless network connectivity give it fully functional mobility which allow learning to occur anywhere and at anytime.

Capability of computer: Substantially mobile devices have many of the functional capabilities of modern computers, especially smart phones, symbian and PDA phone devices, which help learner to support various learning software of M-learning.

Data storage capacity: Basically mobile phone memory comes in two different types. Inbuilt memory called internal memory and expendable memory called external memory. Both memories can be used to data storage; we can save our important data or files on memory card. There are so many mobile phones available today which support 2Gb up to 32 Gb memory card, which helps learner to store, edit and share educational data or files for M-learning.

In fashion: Basically young students are largely adopters of new technologies because novelty has its place in life. Today’s mobiles are not just a communicative device of students for many it is a part of life. Young students use the mobile phone as a way of expressing their sense, style and luxurious life, in this way mobile phones are now became a symbolic tool of fashion.

Cheap in Price: At the beginning mobile was considered a luxury. The price of a handset and call rates was beyond the reach of an ordinary person, but in present condition price fall, increasing demand and liberalization in government policy have given rise to mobile revolution. Generally mobile devices are cheaper than desktop computers which concern as basic accessory for E-learning. It is easier to accommodate several mobile devices in a classroom than several desktop computers.

Frequent Connectivity: Connectivity is the most important fetcher of M-learning. With the help of a strong connectivity network, one can connect and interact with each other. There are various mobile applications like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, infrared which help user to connect with other devices and users. It offers an interactive learning experience where learners can interact with each other.

Easy to Use: Today mobiles are became a very handy device. It is easier to carry everywhere, we can access information, take photographs, record our thoughts with one device, and we can share these with our friends, colleagues which make mobile phone as user as friendly and personal device.

Sharing Capacity: Basically, all the multimedia mobile phones have the capacity of transferring information between mobile to mobile or mobile to PC. A USB cable is a fast and reliable data transfer method between a phone and a PC. A serial cable is a reliable connection method between a phone and a PC. Infrared connects mobile device wirelessly to PC or other mobile device within a short range. Bluetooth wireless technology connects mobile device wirelessly to PC or other mobile device within a short range. In this way these connections help learner to exchange data with other people and gain considerable knowledge.

Best Multimedia Device: Mobile devices are not a single utility tool but it is a multi-utility device which engages learners through providing rich media content like music, videos, games and other entertaining and informational content which make it best multimedia device.

           

M-learning Applications

            Mobile devices can be used for a range of learning activities, relating different types of learning. Few of these are:

Educational E-books and E-courses accessed through portable devices: Aptara’s 2011 research revealed that of the 1,350 publishers surveyed worldwide, 84% either already produce e-books or plan to do so in the near future. As educational content is digitized, consumers are simultaneously learning more through their mobile phones. For example, Urban Planet Mobile, a leading provider of English-learning services over mobile phones, has over 100,000 subscribers in Indonesia.

Learning Management Systems (LMS) and authoring tools: Educators are using LMS to manage content and lesson plans and customize them using built-in authoring tools. There is also a demand for standalone authoring tools free of any particular LMS provider, and tools such as Apple’s iBooks author are already generating significant interest.

Game-or simulation-based learning tools: These applications integrate curriculum with augmented or virtual reality-based environments, helping students understand and learn in exciting ways. Students in vocational courses also rely on simulation-based applications to learn processes and concepts. For example, plumbers can learn to fix taps through simulations.

Collaboration tools: Networking platforms allow users to generate content and share and discuss it with a larger group. Mobile phones make this possible in real time, allowing users to get immediate feedback. Collaboration tools, often embedded within the LMS, represent a rapidly growing product category and help educators and learners to keep in touch with colleagues. Ultranet, a student-centered learning environment, allows students, teachers and parents to connect and collaborate to improve learning outcomes.

Adaptive assessment services: Educators can now assess students’ understanding using wireless assessments on handheld devices. These provide real-time updates on individual student progress, allowing educators to track class progress and tailor instruction for students requiring remedial support. In addition to wireless generation, parametric provides wireless assessment services.

Test preparation support: Students worldwide take standard tests such as the SAT, GRE and GMAT. Instead of traditional study groups and practice tests, they now often use mobile-based mock tests with built-in guidebooks and applications. Candidates can compare their performance with thousands of others. A growing number of test preparation products are targeting developing regions, where inadequate higher education capacity drives much higher competition and hence demand for these services.

Distance tutoring and homework support: Many developed Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea demand extensive supplementary education support outside the classroom—driving almost 10% of the total expenditure on education. MegaStudy and TutorVista are just two of the online services bringing together tutors from around the world to help students around the clock and understand their curriculum and complete their homework. Many apps like Tutor PRO, 2×2 Tutor, which are compatible with portable devices, are already targeting the supplementary spend.

Key Challenges of M-learning

A number of critical challenges must be addressed that unleash the educational potential of mobile technologies. Among these few of are:

Negative aspects of mobile learning: Cognitive, social, and physical challenges must be surmounted when mobile devices are incorporated into children’s learning. Disadvantages include: the potential for distraction or unethical behaviour, physical health concerns; and data privacy issues.

Cultural norms and attitudes: Though many experts believe that mobile devices have significant potential to transform children’s learning, parents and teachers apparently are not yet convinced.

No mobile theory of learning: currently, any widely accepted learning theory for mobile technologies has been established, hampering the effective assessment, pedagogy, and design of new applications for learning.

Differentiated access and technology: Wide diversity among mobile technologies represents a challenge for teachers and learners who wish to accelerate academic outcomes as well as the producers who seek to facilitate such learning.

Limiting physical attributes: Poorly designed mobile technologies adversely affect usability and can distract children from learning goals. Physical aspects of mobile technologies that may prevent an optimal learning experience include: restricted text entry, small screen size, and limited battery life.

Initiatives Required from Educational Sector

The initiatives for the inclusion of mobile learning in mainstream education and training are:

1. Enrolment of mobile learning students in courses on the institution’s official prospectus. This is essential for incorporating mobile learning into the mainstream. If the mobile learning course is not included in the institution’s prospectus and listed as available for student enrolment it remains peripheral with the status of a research project in an isolated university department and cannot be considered as part of mainstream provision.
2. Enrolment of mobile learning students into fee-paying courses. This is applicable to countries in which fees are payable for enrolment in further and higher education courses.
3. Enrolment of mobile learning students into accredited courses. As happened in the field of distance education and then in E-learning, the achievement of accreditation for mobile learning is an indication that the sector has entered into the mainstream.
4. Motivate students to use mobile devices judiciously for learning purposes.
5. Campus should be made Wi-Fi enabled for location independent.

Present trends of M-learning in India

M-learning in India at present is still in its infancy. However, the future promises to be an exponential market. There exists future possibility for this market to register double-digit growth. Acceptance in India will happen on account of the need of access for learning material due to the shortage of time, the ubiquity of power-point presentation tutorials, e-books, videos, etc., as learning objects as these are being adopted in schools and educational institutions as a preferred media for teaching and learning. Some notable M-learning examples in India are:

• Popular IT training institutes like Aptech Learning Services have already developed this platform in order to meet the present educational needs of corporates and institutions. Currently, some institutions are catching up with this trend just for selling their services, but there are institutions like Educomp’s Millennium schools, which use the Virtual Classroom at www.wiziq.com for teaching remotely to students who cannot physically attend classes.

• Major mobile manufacturers such as Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola have tied up with service providers like Airtel, Vodafone and others to provide mobile content, which also includes learning content. Companies that specialize in content aggregation provide the actual content. Mobile value added service (VAS) providers develop the mobile technology and delivery. Most of these companies have already launched their services pan in India and even GRE exams are available on the M-learning platform.
• M-learning is also seen as an additional tool to spread literacy in India beside conventional training programs, as presently mobile penetration in India is second only to radio and television. This is also possible because handset manufacturers in India are increasingly providing local language support to increase their geographical reach and penetrate existing market better. Most of the entry- and mid-market handsets available in India support user interfaces in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu and Punjabi.   

• Various training and learning related content for organizations, educational institution, etc. pushed to users through mobile application over SMS, USSD, etc. by Spice, Tata DoCoMo etc.

• As far as Indian universities are concerned, HP has awarded a ‘Technology for Teaching’ Grant to Jadavpur University, Kolkata to transform teaching on the campus. The university will receive technology such as HP tablet PCs, external storage and optical drives, wireless networking cards and printers, as well as a stipend for staff to work on projects that they will have to complete in 15 months. This project is already in an advanced stage. HP is helping Jadavpur University to establish an M-learning centre where students taking M. Tech. course in distributed and mobile computing can access content using handheld devices. The university already has a digital library, and a content management and development system using an M-learning authoring tool. Students will be able to tap a server-based open source wireless laboratory, built on existing laptop computers and wireless technology. M-learning not only helps in teaching learning process, it is useful for student support too. Recently, IGNOU has implemented SMS alert facility whereby all important notifications, news, bulletins etc are texted to the learners.

• Libraries have been changing their role from the storehouses of information to providing access to information. Various digitization initiatives are being undertaken. The government of India with the collaboration of C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) aims at bringing one million books of digital library at the doorsteps of the common citizens. Several projects like the NSDL (National Science Digital Library) and Vidya Vahini projects are under way. Vidya Vahini aims to connect government and government aided secondary schools in India. INFLIBNET, NIC, NISCAIR, NASSDOC, NISSAT, ICHR, INDEST, DELNET, UGC, Universities, government bodies and IITs are providing information through e-journals, e-books as well as databases on Internet.

It is a well-known fact that mobile learning hasn’t yet picked up steam within India. The primary reason for this is the low rates of mobile Internet penetration in our country. If India’s latent demand is unleashed, McKinsey research forecasts that the total number of internet users will increase more than fivefold, to 450 million, by 2015 (Figure- 1). Total digital-content consumption will double, to as much as $9.5 billion. Including access charges, revenues from total digital consumption could increase fourfold, to $20 billion-twice the expected growth rate of China. Other influencing factors are also falling into place, with prices of handsets and costs of accessing the network going down. If this pans out as predicted, it would sidestep a number of hurdles relating to providing cheap internet access across a large; it would automatically helps in spreading education across the country also.

Figure 1

 

Conclusion

            As we progress through the 21st Century, and the already hectic pace of our lives increases, society will need to find faster and more inventive ways to utilise previously unproductive time. Lifelong learning will be essential for maintaining a competitive advantage in the global economy, for personal growth, and for simply functioning efficiently in an increasingly technological environment. With an increasing requirement to conduct learning activities independently, the ability to read, comprehend and understand our learning processes, will be key factors in our successful development and our ability to function in the 21st century. These requirements and skills can be improved through the use of M-learning. The Indian educational industry is in evolving stage. India might well be one of the leading countries to adopt M-learning in coming years owing to the number of young users. Moreover, the mobile services in India are quite affordable; even an ordinary person can own and use a cell phone. Added to this is the fact that India happens to have one of the largest populations in the 18 years to 28 years age group. Naturally, the shift from ‘d-Learning’ to ‘e-Learning’ and now from ‘e-Learning’ to ‘m-Learning’ will be the next big wave, which will revolutionize the education in India.

 

Notes & References

Bhat, A., “Mobile Learning Has A Promising Future in India” (Available Website:

http://www.upsidelearning.com/blog/index.php/2011/05/18/mobile-learning-has-a-promising-future-in-india, 10/10/12)

Bist, S. R., “ICT Enabled Development and Digital Divide: An Indian Perspective”, 5^th

International CALINER-2007, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 08-10 February, 2007

Bondarenko, V., “Mobile Communication Technology as a Tool of Educational Process”,

International Journal “Information Technologies and Knowledge”, Vol. 1, 2007, pp- 78-80

Carina, P. S., Trudi, W and Emily, T., “Going Mobile in Executive Education”, Research on

UNICON, November 2011 (Available Website: http://www.uniconexed.org/2011/research/UNICON-Going_Mobile_In_Executive_Education-Schofield-Taylor-West-Nov-2011.pdf, 12/10/12)

Dhaliwal, K. R and Joshi, V., “Mobile Phones- Boon to Rural Social System”, Literacy

Information and Computer Education Journal (LICEJ), Volume 1, Issue 4, December 2010, pp- 261-265

Distance Education in IGNOU- Best Courses and Trends, “India Vidya”, (Available Website:

http://indiavidya.com/distance-education-in-ignou-best-courses-and-trends/–, 13/10/12)

Johari, M. S. S and Ismail, I., “Mobile Phone as a Tool for Future Education”, International

Journal of Network and Mobile Technologies, Vol. 3, Issue 2, 2012, pp- 11-18

Luvai F. Motiwalla, “Mobile learning: A framework and efaulation”, Computer and Education,

49, 2007, pp- 581-596 (Available Website: www.elsevier.com/locate/compedu, 13/10/12)

Mugurel, P., “Mobile Learning Detractors”, Economy Informatics, Vol. 10, No. 1/2010, pp-

53-62

“m-Learning supplements e-Learning” by Nivedan Prakash ( Available Website:

http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20081117/market03.shtml, 13/10/12)

Patil, Y. S and Sawale, A., “Prospective of M-Learning System to Enhance Balwadi (Pre-

School) Teachers Education”, ZENITH International Journal of Business Economics & Management Research, Vol. 1, Issue 3, December 2011, pp- 238-243

Pisey, S., Ramteke, P. L and Burghate, B. R., “Mobile learning exploring the challenges and

opportunities of distance education”, World Journal of Science and Technology, 2012, pp- 19-23

Sevari, K., “The Role of Mobile Phones in Education and Instruction of Classroom Materials”,

Advances in Education, Vol. 1, No. 1, January 2012, pp- 19-22

Shuler, E. M., “Pockets of potential Using Mobile Technologies to Promote Children’s

Learning”, January, 2009, (Available Website: http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/upload_kits/pockets_of_potential_1_.pdf, 12/10/12)

Stone, T., “Enterprise Mobile Learning and Development”, A Guide for CLOs and Training

Managers (Available Website: http://www.trainingindustry.com/media/3579534/element%20k%20enterprise%20mobile%20learning%20and%20development.pdf, 15/10/12)

“Transforming learning through mEducation”, McKinsey&Company (Available

Website:http://www.mckinsey.com/locations/india/mckinseyonindia/pdf/Transforming_learning_through_mEducation.pdf, 14/10/12)

Vijay, P and Sakthivel, R., “A Study on Application of Information and Communication

Technology in Education, International Journal of Social Sciences & Interdisciplinary Research, Vol. 1 No. 5, May 2012, pp- 110-113

Wikipedia. www.wikipedia.org                                                                       

 

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Anupama Singh, Sibpur Ambika Hindi High School, Howrah, India

 Abstract

The introduction of ICT in the last two decades or so in India has brought about enormous changes in every sphere of life and especially in the field of education. This new digital technology has become inevitable and essential and it promises revolutionary benefits for the present and future. But along the way it also poses certain challenges which need to be addressed holistically in effective ways in order to keep pace with the rest of the world and ensure a robust system. This paper takes an overview of the present state of ICT in India and discusses the core issues relating to planning and implementation.

[Keywords: ICT, digital technology, educational policy, technology integration]

Since the constitution of the Education Commission (1964-66) it has been nationally recognized and acknowledged that education is a powerful instrument of social transformation and nation building. Education is seen critical for poverty alleviation, reduction of inequalities, and promotion of social harmony and strengthening of national unity. Education is seen imperative for increasing productivity, consolidating democracy, modernizing the country and developing scientific, moral and spiritual values.

India has one of the biggest systems of education with a total enrolment of 189.2 million, with 81.1 million girl students and 5.45 million teachers in schools, nearly 10 million students in 350 universities and 15,000 colleges and 420,000 teachers. This includes 11 open universities and 104 distance education institutions of dual mode; and the Open University system has an enrolment of about 20 percent of the total. The rate of growth since Independence is quite high, coverage has increased, dropout rate has reduced, and the percentage of girl students in education is increasing.

The introduction of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in education reflects and responds to present and future needs of people functioning in an intensely changing and challenging intellectual environment. Since the advent of the computer, the internet and the web numerous changes have occurred. The presence of IT has actually transformed the teaching, learning and administrative environment in post-secondary education worldwide and in order to keep pace with the rapidly changing landscapes it has become inevitable to implement technology integration.

 

What is Technology Integration?

“Technology Integration is the use of technology resources, that is, Computers, Internet, e-mail, Digital Cameras, CD-ROMs, Software Applications, and Electronic Publications etc.  in daily classroom practices, and in the management of a college.”[i] A very vital question may arise here: what role can technology play in the field of education? Theoretically speaking, technology (1) helps change the student/teacher roles and relationships, (2) cannot teach; only teacher can teach, (3) can enhance the teaching-learning process. But technology is continuously changing. “The acceptance of change is a major requirement for technology integration. It is an ongoing process. It demands continual learning. Change is not always easy. The initial human reaction to change is resistance. Resistance makes for slow change, but change is inevitable.[ii] In the wake of all these developments technology integration becomes important. The following are the reasons for integrating technology in the field of education:

1)    Technology has completely revolutionized the way we think, work and play;

2)    Technology enables teachers to provide multiple representations of content (images, graphs, diagrams, tables etc.) and multiple options for expressions (multimedia);

3)    Computer technology has changed the traditional classroom instructional techniques;

4)    Computers enable students to process the information via multiple intelligences;

5)    As The George Lucas Educational Foundation states: “technology integration is the necessity of today’s students to have 21st Century Skills. These 21st Century Skills include:

• Personal and social responsibility
• Planning critical thinking, reasoning  and creativity
• Strong communication skills, both for interpersonal and presentation needs
• Visualizing and decision –making
• Knowing how and when to use technology and choosing the most appropriate tool for the task.”[iii]

All these started in the developed countries but gradually the principle was incorporated in the developing countries rapidly with the introduction of internet. “These technologies have not only revolutionized data processing and administrative tasks but also created new forms of interpersonal communication. The opportunity to connect and be connected has forged new frontiers in the development and transference of knowledge. Additionally, the emergence of social media technologies has brought an exciting new wave of innovation and opportunity to educators and administrators across the university campus.”[iv]

 

The Indian Context

The Education Commission recommendations on correspondence education later took the form of open and distance education, and added non-formal mode to the system of formal education. The commission could not have anticipated the rapid development of Information and Communication Technology leading to networking of people and places all over the globe, has created a situation for the development of the post-industrialization society. This new technology offers tools and equipments, which enable decentralization and mass participation on an unprecedented scale. These processes are typical of the information age and have no resemblance to any of the industrial and agrarian era. However, the ideas of the Education Commission rooted in the development of the people, democratic decentralization, people’s participation, and the bottom up approach have greater relevance in the Information Age.

The EC recommended the establishment of a National Council of Home Studies for the purpose of accreditation and evaluation of agencies, and also for supporting research, development and deployment of content. The establishment of the IGNOU and NOS is a major step in implementing the EC recommendations. The IGNOU has pioneered the use of satellite communication and broadcasting in open and distance education. Since 1995, the IGNOU had used the distributed classroom with one-way video and two-way audio for distance education. It is supporting and coordinating broadcasting of four national channels for education in India.

Table 1: National media and Capacity of IGNOU[v]

Satellite Transponder                                                                   1

Teleconferencing Centres                                                             790(TO INCREASE TO 2000)

National TV Channels                                                                  6 (including teleconferencing channel)

All India Radio Stations                                                                186 (Interactive Radio Counselling)

Tele-learning Centres                                                                   22

FM Radio Stations                                                                       17(to increase to 40)

 

The Indian Educational Satellite (EduSat, launched by ISRO) in September 2004 with 13 transponders with 5 beams in ku-band covering 5 regions of India (Central, Eastern, Western, Northern, and Southern) and one for all India coverage, which makes Direct to home (DTH) education possible. The Educate helps creating distributed classrooms and network of school and higher education institutions for offering quality education for all. However, this vision and perspective created is yet to be realized. Besides the IGNOU, there are three state open universities which are getting up-linking and TV channel support from the ISRO.

Table 2: State and national Open University Resources (2003-2004)[vi]

Indicators	IGNOU	Other State OU	Total
Programmes	101	340	441
Courses	900	2963	3863
Student registered (000)	366.1	557.6	923.7
Students on roll (000)	1311	1562	2873
Regional Centre and Sub-regional centre	54/23	57/88	111
Study centres	1257	3131	4388
Academic counselors	33,366	31,472	64,838
Audio	1293	1011	2304
Video	1792	496	2288
Staff	1369	2208	3777

Growth and Promotion of IT in India

India entered the IT scene in popular mode in the 90s and a lot of things suddenly started to happen. Along with the governmental and institutional initiatives various companies started providing training on commercial scale. But IT got major bust from the year 2000 onwards with the introduction of mobile technology. A number of terms like internet, computer, emails and mobile phones entered the popular vocabulary. All understood that the new technology can play a huge role in introducing new forms of teaching-learning methods and tools.

One of the major issues in linking education with development is its model and its suitability to Indian needs, context and culture. The Makinley Report based on the studies conducted at the behest of the NASSCOM predicts robust growth for the Indian IT services and IT enabled Services Industry. It is expected to exceed US$ 57billion in exports by 2012.Further, it is expected that the Indian Companies would eventually move up from the BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) or Call Centers to KPO (Knowledge Process Outsourcing). The IT industry’s growth has multiple effects on India because of the rising class of younger consumers with high disposable income. The IT has helped spawning of ancillary businesses such as transportation, real estate, communication and catering, and created quite high employment opportunities, particularly for the engineers, graduates and for the professionally qualified. Reasons attributed to this growth are due to leadership with strong foundation of:

1)    Large pool of  English speaking manpower, and

2)    Emphasis on quality at significantly low costs.

Information Technology applications are fast spreading in India. Mobile telephony is one of the sectors witnessing very fast growth and is expected to cross 500 million consumers by 2012. The broadband connectivity is expanding fast through optical fiber as well as through wireless internet. The Indian Government is supporting the IT Industry by creating infrastructure development, attracting investment by reducing corporate taxes, and by setting up Knowledge Commission to support IT related development.

The rapid development of newer and versatile technologies in IT is expected to change the nature of communication. The technologies such as development of high fidelity Internet that can deliver “immersive” technologies and nano technologies are going to change the face of communication technology. All these developments would have a profound impact on education. The IT would enable development of mass-personalized education with just-in-time learning services. Education could be linked with places of living and working of anyone anywhere. Education, if developed properly with ICT support, could be a great equalizer.

 

ICT and Changing Mindsets in Education

While ICT promises huge potential for education, there is also a cautionary aspect to it. Experts believe that policies should be formulated with extreme care at all levels regarding its implementation, especially in a developing country like India which suffers terribly from “digital divide”. “However, new technologies such as Internet and Computers are often introduced and sometimes even parachuted into schools in ways that do not enhance learning, that promote automated thinking instead of critical thinking, that encourage dependency rather than autonomy. Too often, the emphasis is on equipment, o n making profits from schools, or on promises of modernity than on opportunities for teachers to learn and experiment effective use of technologies to enhance teaching and learning processes. Ministries of education have been all too eager to import computers into schools, without putting in place a policy environment and curriculum that supports the integration of technology into teaching and in ways that ensure equitable access.”[vii]

ICT, when appropriately used, can serve as a vehicle and a platform for meaningful educational reform geared towards a shift from didactic “instructionism” to “constructivism”. However, literature review and empirical evidence reveals that integration of ICT remains sporadic and without clear direction. Access to ICT by students and teachers has begun, yet its use supports traditional teaching rather than the shift to new roles and pedagogical practices. Policy implications include the need to develop expertise within the nation, provide training opportunities and encourage initiative and innovation on the part of the teachers.

Notes