E-learning Tools and Technologies for

Broader IT educationMangala Sunder KrishnanDepartment of Chemistry

IIT Madras Chennai 600036

Web courses coordinator: NPTEL Project, the Ministry of HRD

Acknowledgment

Professor K. R. Srivathsan and his team in IIITM

My partners in the NPTEL project

My e-learning and computer-based-course

design guru, Prof. Bryan C. Sanctuary, McGill

University, Canada,

My project associates in the Web Studio, IIT

Madras (well over fifty) from whom I learnt a lot

Elementary Lecture What is learning at a distance? Pedagogical differences between on-

campus and off-campus learning Technological challenges in online learning Different methods / approaches for a

successful process

Use examples from

•National Programme on Technology

Enhanced Learning

(NPTEL Project, Ministry of HRD)•Approaches from MIT’s Open Courseware•Sample Lessons from the Open Learning

Initiative of Carnegie Mellon University

Learning a topical subject at a distance No philosophies (not there yet, perhaps) but

practical problems. Necessity to learn for professional/career development Effective learning in a reasonably short time to

ensure competitiveness (on topics like e-security, it is a must)

Formal teaching methods may not have evolved adequately.

Learning a topical subject at a distance

Cannot be reduced to teaching, examination and

assessment in a time bound, academic

programme

Requires interaction of a faceless kind for most

part of the process of teaching and learning

(though it can be partly corrected by video

streaming)

“Instruction is not Information” - Merrill

Recall Gagne’s 9 steps of instruction. To that we add suitable Learning Model: Ex: Problem Based Learning.

1. Motivation2. Activation of

cognitive process

3. Learning from past experience

4. Application

5. Challenges

Next Module

ENSURE A WEB-SUPPORTED LEARNING ECOSYSTEM FOR EACH MODULE WITH CONTENT IN EACH OF THE ABOVE 5 LEARNING

ACTIVITIES COMPONENT.Slide, courtesy of Professor K. R. Srivathsan, Director, IIITM Kerala

Pedagogical differences Classrooms and physical campuses do not exist. Anytime,

anywhere, any pace learning has to be enabled

Topical subjects can only be offered on a broad basis and

cannot be highly specialized—cost is an important factor

Feedback and redesign of classes and coursework-- not

immediate based on the response of the students

Requires a high degree of organization than classroom

lecturing

The technology

Integrated teaching-interaction-learning-design-

education through an Online University setup

Access, connectivity all times and periodic

assessment

Remember learning is not training or controlling

the classroom environment.

CORE APPROVED

E-COURSE CONTENT

(NPTEL + …)

Teachers’ Collaboration& Certification Area

In MOODLE

Education Grid,& EDUSATServices

Students Open Blog /Discussions

In each subject

AICTE approvedSubject Experts

Subject Wiki Management

Integrated Syllabus, Content Management and Instructional Support Services Model

For each subject area, we need this web-accessible environment

Well-managed system as above for each subject will keep syllabus automatically up to date.

Slide byProf. K. R. Srivathsan

Description of a learning environment through a project currently undertaken

National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning to

provide access to a little more than 750 engineering courses

online by 2010.

The users are teachers and students all over India first

(others from outside are not excluded)

The programme follows a curriculum closely

Course contents to meet the needs of undergraduates

Web Courses --Objectives Summary of the programme for web supplementsSummary of the programme for web supplements

• Localization of examples

• Elaboration of key concepts and theorems to

facilitate clearer understanding

• Case studies to provide more comprehensive

design experience

• Examples that require the use of different

categories of engineering knowledge under

different sets of assumptions.

• Question banks to assist instructors to design

good test and examinations

• Simple course management packages that provide Simple course management packages that provide

features like e-mail queries by students, bulletin features like e-mail queries by students, bulletin

board and frequently asked questions (FAQ).board and frequently asked questions (FAQ).

• Many modules are being prepared preferably by a Many modules are being prepared preferably by a

team of faculty.team of faculty.

• The material will be suitably organized to create CDs The material will be suitably organized to create CDs

to meet the needs of students of different universities.to meet the needs of students of different universities.

• The same material can be suitably restructured for The same material can be suitably restructured for

printing.printing.

The programme for video lectures: The programme for video lectures:

Video Courses --Objectives

•The course will consist of around 40 video lectures.The course will consist of around 40 video lectures.

Each video lecture will be of one hour durationEach video lecture will be of one hour duration

to enhance the longevity of the video lectures.to enhance the longevity of the video lectures.

•Video lectures are confined to core concepts. Video lectures are confined to core concepts.

•Its contents are distinct from text book and web Its contents are distinct from text book and web

support materialsupport material

Video Courses --Objectives

• The video lectures utilize the facilities of the video The video lectures utilize the facilities of the video

medium and are expected to contain interactions with medium and are expected to contain interactions with

professionals from industry as appropriate. professionals from industry as appropriate.

• The lectures will emphasize the relations of theory to The lectures will emphasize the relations of theory to

industrial practice as appropriate creation of video industrial practice as appropriate creation of video

lecture units is not tied with the scheduling of regular lecture units is not tied with the scheduling of regular

courses in the Institution.courses in the Institution.

The following possibilities are being examined regarding The following possibilities are being examined regarding

dissemination of web content: dissemination of web content:

Deployment and follow-up Services

• Host the e-content on a web site that students can log on to.Host the e-content on a web site that students can log on to.

• E-contents be made available in the form of CDs.E-contents be made available in the form of CDs.

• Colleges be encouraged to host these materials on oneColleges be encouraged to host these materials on one

of their servers and allow students to access. of their servers and allow students to access.

• E-content converted into print form and then distributed E-content converted into print form and then distributed

at a low cost. at a low cost.

• Navigational flexibility of e-material, not possible in printNavigational flexibility of e-material, not possible in print

format. format.

Several workshops in IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, IISc

Bangalore and IIT Bombay.

Review of E-support material by various faculty outside of

the PIs in progress.

Generation of E-Support Material for the video: All the

courses to be broadcast through Eklavya, or, are in the

queue for broadcast in the coming months

E-learning /supplementing engineering education through NPTEL

The site which contains details of courseware for undergraduate engineering programmes is

http://nptel.iitm.ac.in

E-Learning Resources through Sakshat Portal

The site to visit is Sakshat portal maintained by the IGNOU for the Ministry of HRD

E-learning through the Open Learning Initiative (OLI)

The site to visit is the open educational initiative by Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

http://www.cmu.edu/oli

(Google search: Open Learning Initiative, OLI)

Basic principles for e-learning (not e-training, manpower quality control through e-, web processes

Education is a process through which concepts are identified

by the teachers

Organized in a logical fashion from easy to difficult to

profound concepts

Explained through examples specific to the subject

Development of the thought processes which evolved the

concepts indicated

Basic principles for learning (not e-training, manpower quality control through e-, web processes

Conceptual understanding tested through questions of

different levels of difficulties and different types of responses

–multiple choices, fill in the blanks and matching are but a

small part, not the most, of the examination processes.

Analytic abilities, comprehension of the subject, retention of

important data and scientific INFORMATION by the learner

are all part of the learning paradigm.

Most important it is quite personal-based on one-to-one

contact between the teacher and the learner.

E-learning methodologies to capture the above without one of the most important elements—that of a lively classroom in which discussion and dialogue are instantaneous.

E-education to students done through a network are still not quite effective because of the dilution of one or more of the interactions, or evaluation.

Basic principles for e-learning (not e-training, manpower quality control through e-, web processes

Designing a platform which minimizes the losses and not necessarily eliminate them altogether (not possible to eliminate?)

Things which are not stated in the class but are understood by the students,

interpreted from the spontaneous responses and personalization of delivery, must be

recaptured?

How do we make a Feynman or a Jagdish Chandra Bose (who would excite the

audience) out of the internet?

How do we bring in the simultaneous laughter and joy of a good demonstration we

understand when we see together?

Difficult questions and some may not even have any answer except in a contact

classroom.

Hence the objective is to put the principles behind any subject in as lucid a form as

possible and enable the process of learning to be unfolded as one goes through a

course material online.

E-Learning Standards Content Pedagogy Delivery Feedback

The learning paradigm is different Even in a course like e-security, a

demonstration by a professional in a classroom of how the attack of a virus happened in the most secure system in the US will bring in a different experience from merely reading about it through a web course.

Content and pedagogy for e-learning (suggestions only)

Supplementary audio-video lessons are extremely important in the learning process of an individual in isolation, connected to others through wires and wireless mode.

Audio-tracks in which a teacher who is excited to teach the subject explains the concept as an adjunct to a web based text will add to the learning abilities.

Content and pedagogy for e-learning Difficulty level of different learners must be

assessed periodically. Classroom provides for this instantly when blank faces are more in number after describing a concept. A good teacher will immediately switch to a lower gear and will try to bring in a more elementary example, or engage the one who seemingly understood the idea to explain to others!

Participation by students is important.

Visual aids of several different kinds must be included in the

design.

They may range from a representative diagram describing

the best and the most secured network to one that was the

least secure– there was a time when someone found out the

password for the administration of the hotmail network

because it had very few characters!! Fortunately, he

distributed it widely over the network to bring Microsoft on its

knees for sometime.

Content and pedagogy for e-learning

They may involve animations at various levels of

how to assemble such networks and how to

detect a breach in cyber security of a given

company etc.

They may involve possible scenarios of different

levels of insecure network and asking learners to

identify the most susceptible one, etc.

Content and pedagogy for e-learning

Interactivity and feedback in the learning cycle (Content and pedagogy)

An example –asking a student to list/identify things in

the order of increasing priority procedural lapses in

setting up a secure network environment can be quite

useful.

Even better would be to let the student design a simple,

correct sequence of setting up the network from a set of

given components on the screen

Interactivity and feedback in the learning cycle (Content and pedagogy)

Compare his/her design with the solution provided by the

course designer

Analyze why and how the solution by the student was not

adequate if there is deficiency of understanding.

These are cognitive elements in learning which must be built

in the environment.

Assessment, feedback and redesign of e-learning materials.

As important as are student feedbacks in the evolution of a good text book over several editions. (not reprinting)

Text books often take decades to become good and well referred to sources,

Good text books often motivate the learner to explore the subject further.

Assessment is not multiple choice questions.

Analysis of answers by students is not characterizing how many answered correctly and how many were wrong?

Analysis is to draw an inference as to WHY the students went wrong?

Assessment, feedback and redesign of e-learning materials.

Analysis is to find those questions that a majority do not answer correctly and REDESIGNING them in line with what was expected as outcome of the course.

Redesign must necessarily result in better performance by the students.

Redesigning a course may require adding preliminary requirements, making simple concepts even more transparent and discovering alternative ways of explaining the concepts.

Assessment, feedback and redesign of e-learning materials.

A course through e-learning is never made once and once only As the learner base increases as well as widens

across regions, other topological issues become important.

Designing minimum requirements and learning methods becomes more challenging.

Supplementary information for under-prepared students and challenges in taking the subject forward to better – prepared students needs to be added and also balanced across course limits.

E-learning is a whole new PARADIGM yet to be understood fully

It is becoming increasingly important in a world which is turned FLAT (Michael Freedman?)

Important in the world in which the learner has access to more and more high quality learning environments in the open sources saga.

Important in the world in which learning outside of a traditional classroom can pay rich dividends if only the learner is focused about his needs and matches them with the professional career.

Recall how we got here. India started with Gurukulam where learning was

within closed doors and was the privilege of the few.

India also had the World’s first distant learner—the Ekalavya with a Guru refusing him to teach things.

If his example is to be quoted, e-learning could be better that conventional learning!!

We only have to find out how Ekalavya did or, better ( since we don’t know), how he could have done!!

Thank you very much

Technical standards for e-learning There are three files attached here which

give you the flair for standards which are evolving.

Content creation styles

Content standardization

Content delivery Standards