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QUALITY
DISCLAIMER
The information in the research document is based on publicly available data,
available primary research data and other sources. This report is solely for the
purposes of this conference and not for any publication or general circulation. The
research report titled “Research on usage of Internet & other resources by students in
schools of India” (under section III) has been conducted independently by
Management Development Institute (MDI) as part of the project to analyse usage of
internet and other reference resources by students in school.
Efforts have been made to ensure accuracy of the data however; neither MDI nor
Encyclopædia Britannica, its affiliates, directors, employees, agents or representatives,
shall be responsible or liable in any manner, directly or indirectly, for the contents or
any errors or discrepancies herein or for any liabilities, losses or damages that may
arise from use of this document.
MESSAGE
Quality Education and High dropout rate especially among girls and under privileged children are major challenges in education system in INDIA. Our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi also reiterating on Girl Child education through “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao”
Programme coupled with Prime Minister’s dream of a Digital India wherein Quality Education reaches the most inaccessible corners driven by Digital Learning. Therefore, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), process will make dissemination of education highly cost effective and learning more engaging. Further, the use of ICT has transformed the entire world of education. Social acceptability of information and communication tools is necessary to improve the mobility in the society and increase the pitch for equity and social justice. The unprecedented speed and universal accessibility of education through ICT, extends educational opportunities to the marginalized and vulnerable groups.
Now, the ICT in Schools is a major catalyst to bridge the digital divide amongst students of various socio economic and other geographical barriers.
It gives me immense pleasure to share that ASSOCHAM, in collaboration with stake holders, has decided to organize a conference on “Quality Education for ALL-Role of ICT” on 19th August, 2015 at New Delhi to address the major issues and challenges and paving solutions pertaining to high dropout rates and provide ‘quality education to all’ through ICT.
I extend my best wishes and Heartiest Congratulations to all for their laudable endeavour in this direction.
(D. S. Rawat)
Secretary General, ASSOCHAM
ASSOCHAM Corporate Office: 5, Sardar Patel Marg, Chankyapuri, New Delhi - 11002
MESSAGE
"Quality Education for ALL -Role of ICT" is a change whose time has come. To realize the vision of our Hon’ble Minister of a digital India, betterment of the girl child and education touching the lives of all children is a challenge that ICT intervention can address substantially.
If necessity is indeed the mother of invention then to address this challenge we have to create an environment of innovation in teaching through technology and not be afraid of changing traditional methods. IT has a way of changing existing business processes, as almost all sectors have witnessed. Education and training are no different. The process of education, pedagogy, may similarly require change. Suitable frameworks are required to accomplish this with necessary government support and regulation to ensure quality. Quality of education should be measured by instituting a system of minimum learning outcomes at each stage of learning. Defining learning objectives isn’t sufficient.
To address the educational requirements of the girl child, children with special needs and students who drop out of school, especially in the pre-Secondary stage, further research is required to ascertain the reasons to formulate proper mitigation and interventions required, given the current incentives that the government provides. In US and many other countries, many parents choose not to send their children to school for a myriad of reasons. The concept of home schooling has been practised effectively in several countries. Such a home schooling system can also be introduced in India using ICT delivery modes.
We are facing an acute shortage of teachers and brick and mortar schools. This problem is projected to become larger over the next decade. This is also an opportunity, with government support and encouragement, for entrepreneurs to introduce new alternate models using ICT. India can lead the world in this regard since we have the right climate in terms of volume and the necessity for such leadership.
I am thankful to ASSOCHAM for organizing this conference and sincerely hope that it will start a dialogue for change which is much required. I also salute the teachers and innovators who are passionately involved in bringing about change in education through the use of ICT.
Sarvesh Shrivastava
CONTENTS
SECTION – I
INTRODUCTION - NEW DEFINITION OF
ICTSECTION – II
INFRASTRUCTURE - DIGITAL INDIA
SECTION – III
LEARNING SOLUTIONS & ONLINE LEARNING
STUDY ON USAGE OF INTERNET AND OTHER RESOURCES BY STUDENTS IN SCHOOLS OF INDIA
SECTION – IV
TEACHER - IMPORTANCE OF PEDAGOGY & TEACHER TRAINING
SECTION – V
ICT – AN ENABLER FOR INCREASING EMPLOYABILITY
CASE STUDIES
SECTION – VI
REFERENCES
ANNEXURE
SECTION – I
INTRODUCTION
The role of ICT in formal education in India has thus far been largely supplementary to traditional forms and models of teaching and learning. Information Technology (IT) interventions in past have shown that they invariably have a way of changing existing business processes and models. Many a times such interventions result in disruptive change.
India today faces a digital and gender divide in education. Coupled with this there is also an acute shortage of good teachers and availability of infrastructure to overcome this divide. These are all conditions for a disruptive change, and opportunity, if ICT is to take on the challenge of “Quality of Education to all”. India can actually lead the world in developing new models of learning.
In education, the critical business process is pedagogy and the process of how information is transformed into knowledge through learning. Expanding the role of ICT to teach with or through technology is bound to change existing paradigms. However this is only possible with an inclusive Infrastructure (I), Content (C) to support pedagogical changes and last but not the least, enabling teachers (T) with change management. If any one of these components are out of sync, the realization of “Quality Education for All” will be at risk.
We have to support a culture of innovation and embracing change. We will have to incubate and foster these new models of learning and Government has to play an important role in this.
OVERVIEW OF CURRENT EDUCATION SYSTEM IN INDIA
India has a total of 1.39 million schools with 53% of primary schools and 32% of upper primary schools which is in tandem with the age demographics of the nation. Nearly 83% of primary schools are managed by government bodies and 17% by private (both aided and unaided). The education sector of India is divided into two main segments; the core segment comprises of schools and higher education, while the non-core comprises of coaching classes, pre-schools and vocational trainings. India’s education sector is expected to witness huge investments from PE funds over the next couple of years on the back of increased Government spending and expansion plans of private players.
The private education segment alone is expected to cross the US$ 45 billion mark by 2015 from the present US$ 35 billion, according to a research report prepared by Investor Relation
Society, affiliated to US based Global Investor Relations Network. Major investments are being seen in the areas of preschools, private coaching and tutoring, teacher training, the
development and provision of multimedia content, educational software development, skill enhancement, IT training and e-learning.
ONLINE EDUCATION IN INDIA
India’s online education market size is set to grow to US$ 40 billion in 2017 from the current US$ 20 billion. The key factors leading to the growth of E – learning market in India include low education coverage, rising demands in various segments, growing number of personal computers and internet penetration, increased government participation and convenience factors. With internet gaining popularity and increased proficiency in using it e-learning is foreseen to have a bright future. Some of the popular online institutes in India are the IIMs, IITs, IIFT and private schools like Sikkim Manipal University which offer online courses. The in-house demand has attracted foreign direct investments (FDI) worth Rs. 4,596.96 crore (US$740.35 million) during April 2000 to September 2013, according to the data released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).
India has made significant progress in enrolment of girls and lowering out-of-school children over the past few years. However, India still has the largest illiterate population. While China has adopted fully online schools with over 600,000 students India still has to make progress in this direction. Some relevant statistics as published by UNESCO in the ‘Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2013/4' are given below:
ICT – WHAT AND HOW
It has to happen. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said recently “Let us face the facts: The old model is broken. We need to create a new one – a new model for dynamic growth. Growth that is equitable ... growth that can be sustained within planetary boundaries ... growth that will benefit current and future generations.”
Acceptance of digital content over print has been steadily increasing worldwide and we see the same trend in India. With the renewed determination of governments and private
organizations to spread education to the most remote locations in the country, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become the core.
Not only will it help in the process of dissemination of education and make it more cost effective; it will also give bring about a dramatic change on the horizon to a new era in which static text will give way to dynamic, interactive, and highly personalized and adaptive
educative solutions. These can in turn propel learning in many unprecedented ways. According to an excerpt from a UNESCO report, the biggest challenge for many education systems is to be able to offer training or learning opportunities on a lifelong basis to all individuals and, more importantly, to the traditionally under-served or marginalized groups (i.e. girls and women who face barriers to schooling; rural populations that are too dispersed
to populate regular schools cost-effectively with reasonable class sizes; children from families in extreme poverty; special needs groups or persons with disabilities who have no access to learning centres; etc.). According to Haddad and Draxler (2002), the rigidity associated with conventional, face-to-face, classroom-based education delivery yields unsuspected costs for society:
"Conventional educational systems offer limited flexibility. […] For low-income students, schools offer even less; the wealthier schools lure the best teachers, leaving the least prepared for schools in poor and remote areas. […] As a result, these systems perpetuate social inequalities, lose many excellent students to boredom, increase the costs of education through high dropout rates and grade retention, and pass on to employers or other systems the costs of training their graduates."
The challenges of traditional education systems are amplified by the rapidly changing skills in demand in a globalizing labour market. New paradigms are also emerging where the delivery of education becomes less about teaching and more about learning (i.e. via self-tutoring and the use of individualized information research abilities). Education becomes increasingly less confined within the sole geographical location of learners (e.g. a country) or less dependent on a physical space (e.g. a classroom for pooling a critical mass of learners together). More flexibility is required in order to be adjustable to learners, with modular curricula no longer constrained by a rigid schooling path or predetermined certification goals.
Under the right conditions, it is believed that ICT can have a monumental impact on the expansion of learning opportunities for greater and more diverse populations, beyond cultural barriers, and outside the confines of teaching institutions or geographical boundaries (Haddad and Draxler, 2002). Technologies can improve the teaching/learning process by reforming conventional delivery systems, enhancing the quality of learning achievements, facilitating state of-the-art skills formation, sustaining lifelong learning and improving institutional management.
Figure 2 provides an example of a common framework for ICT in education. It provides a useful basis for upstream policy monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
Figure 2: Conceptual Framework
Source: SITES 2006 study
From an operational perspective, a classic approach to ICT in the education framework comprises “policy / strategy-input-process-output / outcomes”. Figure 3 illustrates the practical nature of the relationships between key areas.
In summary, before ICT integration into national education systems can be effective, an adequate mix of the following policy and operational measures is needed:
i) Clear goals and a policy environment enabled by national authorities that support the use of ICT in education;
ii) Support and/or incentives for both public and private educational institutions to purchase ICT facilities (e.g. dedicated government funding, including a budget for maintenance services; tax rebates on ICT hardware and software for educational institutions; investment in or sponsoring of research in developing low-cost ICT €hardware and software, etc.);
iii) Adaptation of curricula to ICT integration and development or acquisition of standardized quality-assured digital educational content and software;
iv) Deliberate mass teacher training programmes on teaching ICT subjects or using ICT to teach other subjects more effectively;
v) Favourable and flexible school policies enabling well-planned access by teachers and learners to ICT resources in support of curricula delivery; and
vi) Appropriate national-level monitoring and evaluation systems that make it possible to perform regular assessments of outcomes and efficiency gains, and to detect early potential shortcomings so that policy implementation can be more
Source: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Library/Documents/ICT_Guide_EN_v19_reprintwc.pdf
The most significant differences between developed and developing countries seem to lie in how ICTs are deployed in schools. While many developing countries promote the establishment of computer laboratories in schools, the provision and location of computers in schools amongst developed countries is increasingly varied. Shifting focus away from laboratories, schools in developed countries are emphasising computers, interactive whiteboards and light emitting diode (LED) projectors in classrooms, extensive computer provision in school libraries, and freestanding computers for student and teacher use located conveniently around the school. While this approach to ICT-assisted instruction is evolving amongst developed countries, inadequate budgets in most schools hinder ICT provision beyond a few computers, and as such, policies remain focused on establishing and maintaining computer laboratories. At the school level, this focus also seems to be bolstered by the following perceptions that:
i) Schools need to provide security for expensive computer hardware;
ii) ICT has specialised uses similar to science laboratories; and
iii) Computers are for use by specialists and not by ordinary subject teachers and pupils (ADB, 2012)
SECTION – II
INFRASTRUCTURE - DIGITAL INDIA
Significant investments have been made by the Government to create IT Labs in schools as well as Common Services Centres or CSCs under the National eGovernance programme, harnessing the full potential of the over 100,000 CSCs and approximately 30,00,000 computers in IT labs in the schools. Usage of IT labs beyond the teaching of IT courses, and CSC’s for K-12 education is yet to be realized. (Data source – CBSE and Knowledge Commission)
Recent reports and studies show growing evidence that broadband is making a tangible difference in the lives of people around the world and accelerating progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. We all know that in India mobile penetration is far in excess of other devices and mobile learning can play a significant role. Mobile devices are much cheaper and interactive content including interactive textbooks and synchronous or asynchronous instructions can easily be made available on them. While there is genuine concern about safety regarding internet usage by students within schools and at home, and rightly so, this challenge can be overcome systemically as well as through regulation, if required. In the 2014-15 Union budget, the government committed Rs.500 crore for building infrastructure, as per the National Rural Internet and Technology Mission, with an additional Rs.100 crore for improving e-governance with the aim to increase tele-density in rural areas. “The number of mobile Internet users in India is expected to grow to 314 million by the end of 2017 with a CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) of around 28% for the period 2013- 2017,” according to the report authored by Akhilesh Tuteja, partner and head of the technology vertical, and Ashvin Vellody, partner, management consulting, at KPMG. “This impressive growth would drive India to become one of the leading Internet markets in the world with more than 50% of Internet user base being mobile-only Internet users.”
According to recent research and news based articles there are about 140 million smart phones and 2 million tablets in India, which makes it the second largest smartphone market. Source: http://computer.financialexpress.com/news/digital-education-to-open-new-avenues-and-channels-of-learning/13028
Source: HT Mint (http://www.livemint.com/Industry/VThUq5I4BivpTDZdQb5sNN/Mobile-Internet-users-in-India-to-double-by-2017-says-study.html)
Clearly, the market research projections show that mobile education should not be explored as a model for imparting inclusive education for all.
SMART PHONES, A BOON OR BANE?
While some might view smart phones as yet another digital distraction, there are advantages that outweigh the disadvantages. Firstly, the devices are mobile and allow the parent to encourage anytime anywhere learning. The second advantage is of the ubiquity of these devices and the relatively low cost which encourages its use by the economically
disadvantaged also. The third factor is that these devices allow for the development of 21st century skills like communication and collaboration capabilities.
CONNECTIVITY
The full potential of ICT in education requires adequate and reliable bandwidth. While local server based content may suffice for traditional teaching methods using ICT enabled content as supplementary material, to teach with technology would require connectivity for either synchronous or asynchronous learning, downloading etextbooks or other digital subject reference materials and assessments. However, costs of any model developed using ICT will be dependent on bandwidth. At present the cost of broadband in India continues to be higher than many countries. Substantial economies of scale are possible in India because of potential volume provided ICT in education is systemically adopted.
SIGNIFICANT POINTS:
a) Low speed availability in fixed broadband would require ICT solutions that are less video or rich media intensive. Asynchronous methods of instruction will be required. b) High costs of fixed broadband compared to other countries would have to be
addressed or some form of subsidy support required for educating students in remote or under-privileged areas, home schooled children and students with special needs. c) Once high speeds become available rich media content and synchronous learning
SECTION – III
LEARNING SOLUTIONS & ONLINE LEARNING
Learning solutions are designed based on:a) Desired learning outcomes at each stage of learning. Learning objectives should be defined for tracking progress and remedial actions required.
b) The mode of delivery (instructor led, eLearning or a hybrid/blended model) Asynchronous
Synchronous
c) Pedagogy that is to be followed for teaching given the mode of delivery The mode of delivery is itself dependent on:
a) Geographical area to be covered
b) Physical & human infrastructure availability c) Special needs and requirements
d) Availability and reliability of bandwidth
e) Subject areas to be taught (subjects that do not require hand-on experience are more amenable to eLearning and a hybrid model may be required)
Irrespective of the mode of delivery, underlying content materials will be required both for teachers as well as students.
Learning content
Physical/Digital Library
Types of content: (in print or digital form)
a) Textbooks, practise books or other forms of reading materials b) Asynchronous learning materials
c) Teacher manuals, lesson plans, multimedia, and tools such as manipulatives
d) Reference content for research, projects and assignments to support types of learning e.g. experiential and inquiry based learning for higher order thinking skills
e) Summative and Formative question banks for assessment and testing
Virtual Learning Environment
Online and Blended Learning in K-
12
Source: “Online and Blended Learning: A Survey of Policy and Practice of K-12 Schools Around the World”,
International Association for K-12 Online Learning
TRENDS, ISSUES, AND CHALLENGES Trends
In reviewing the status of blended and online learning internationally, five distinct trends emerge. These trends are related to demographics, support from governments and schools, teacher training, the use of blended learning, and the use of online learning.
TREND ONE: Blended and online choices are most available to students in urban areas from developed countries. Opportunities for blended and online learning are found around the world, but elementary and secondary-level students living in North America, Western Europe, Asia, and Oceania (Australia and New Zealand) have the most access to those choices. Of the 23 reporting countries on those continents, only the Philippines indicated no government funding for blended or online learning. Conversely, merely a third of countries from Eastern Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East, and Africa reported monetary government support. A trend of emergence can be found in Eastern Europe, where Turkey, Slovenia, Albania, Romania, and Serbia all reported at least small programs.
Globally students located in urban settings have the highest level of access to blended or online classrooms, followed by students attending large schools. Less than half of reporting countries
indicated that blended or online learning was available to students in rural or suburban settings or to those attending small schools.
TREND TWO: Growth in digital learning stems from shared authority between local schools and national governments. Almost 60% of the countries in this study reported government funding for blended or online programs at the primary and secondary levels. Funding has been used directly to support national initiatives, and indirectly through financial support of local school districts. Funded national initiatives have commonly taken the form of investments in infrastructure and hardware. Indirect funding through support of school districts has facilitated grassroots development of online courses, programs, and digital repositories for curriculum and resources. Schools in many countries have a high level of autonomy in developing and promoting online and blended learning.
Most countries in this study who reported some level of government funding have national statements, policies or plans supporting the use of technology and learning, though in many countries authority over whether and how to implement those policies has been left to local governments and schools. Government planning, and policies concerning technology, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), and blended and online learning run the gamut from emerging to enacted. A brief overview of national initiatives from selected countries follows.
A new Ministry of Innovation and Technology has been formed in Albania, although so far no new policy or reporting has been developed.
Romania indicated a report or strategic plan may be published in 2012 on e-learning. Spain declared an intention to advance a blended model of learning but noted that
discussions are at the germinal phase.
Countries with plans related to infrastructure include Peru, Serbia, China, Russia, and Uruguay.
The United Kingdom, British Columbia, Italy, Finland, Indonesia, and Slovenia all reported national plans for initiatives with technology integration and e-learning but noted that using those tools is the prerogative of the local schools.
Turkey recently developed a project which aims to equip schools with infrastructure, develop and manage e-content, maintain effective use of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) in classes, offer training to teachers, and maintain secure, manageable ICT integration processes.
In Australia, the new national curriculum mandated for all prep-to-year-10 schools will be available through electronic delivery for those who wish to attend school online, and will include curriculum, resources, and materials. Local governments in Australia must make ICT literacy a priority for all students, without mandating how that is done. China’s first online school was created in 1996 and has expanded to more than 200 online
schools with enrolments exceeding 600,000 students.
Hong Kong began developing policy strategies for Information Technology (IT) in 1998 that focused on access and connectivity, teacher enablement, curriculum and resource support, and a culture shift to student engagement. Policy strategies led directly to the development of Hong Kong Education City Ltd. (HKEdCity). The HKEdCity repository houses numerous modules used by thousands of teachers and students. The modules contain lessons, multimedia, practice tests and games for math, science, and language.
Thailand’s e-learning programs in Science, Math, and English—implemented in phases since 2009—have systematically branched out from a small group of schools to hundreds at the primary and secondary levels. Thailand sponsors the Distance Learning Television Station and the Distance Education Institute, which are both voluntary self-learning programs to improve the quality of living and vocational skills for students. Singapore developed the Ministry of Education Baseline ICT standards to provide a
scaffold for schools to plan and implement online and blended learning programs. Singapore provides local schools the ability to develop online and blended learning programs for all subjects, with the intent of improving students’ ability to research, analyse, and publish information using a variety of media.
Indonesia developed a site dedicated to Open Educational Resources (OER) named e-dukasi.net, to facilitate sharing of online learning materials like lessons, test banks, and interactive multimedia for math, physics, chemistry, biology, and other subjects to be used by primary, junior, and secondary schools. The government of Indonesia also created and monitors WAN Kota (Wide Area Network in Cities), a network for parents, educators, and students to share communication and learning materials, and funds an open general secondary school that uses e-learning as the mode of delivery.
As a reflection of the general hands-off approach to directing the use of blended and online learning in primary and secondary levels, fewer than 25% of countries had national quality standards for online courses. Of those, only British Columbia, France, and Greece referenced specific standards that were accessible online. Thailand and Finland both indicated that online education must meet the quality standards set for all basic education, regardless of delivery method.
TREND THREE: Specialized teacher training is not required but is encouraged and available. Of the countries that reported government funding for online or blended learning, 11% indicated that a specific license or credential was required of a teacher before teaching in an online or blended classroom, and 25% required specific training. Countries that require specific training include:
For a school district in British Columbia, Canada, to receive approval from the Ministry of Education to operate a distributed learning school, it must agree to hire only educators with training or experience in distributed learning methods and to provide ongoing training and professional development on distributed learning.
Teachers in Singapore attend short courses on facilitating online sessions provided by the Ministry of Education, the National Institute of Education, or the IT department of their school.
In Hong Kong, teachers must achieve a basic level of knowledge prior to graduation. Teachers in Slovenia attend seminars and conferences, often listed in a catalogue of
educational initiatives for ICT. Teachers may also receive training from the ICT expert employed at their school.
In Spain, teachers can access training online through the Instituto de Tecnologias Educativas website. Training materials are free, self-paced, and available for download at a teacher’s convenience.
More commonly, countries indicated that general teacher training and licensure were sufficient to teach in a blended or online classroom, though professional development was available to
improve online pedagogy and technical skills. Seventy-two percent of the countries reported that their online and blended classroom teachers participated in professional development for online teaching, particularly after they started their positions. Universities and colleges were reported as the primary source of training for educators, followed by regional centres and local schools.
Quality standards for online teaching are not prevalent, as only seven countries reported their use: China, France, Australia, Slovenia, Egypt, Serbia, and Nigeria. However, Serbia’s standards are targeted at higher education, and Slovenia’s standards are technology standards, not teaching standards.
TREND FOUR: Blended learning is occurring with much greater frequency than online learning. Thirty-five of the 54 countries responding to this survey indicated that online and blended learning opportunities were available to at least some students. As noted in the “Issues” section of this report, there is wide interpretation globally of what online learning means, and many countries use the terminology to include any learning that involves technology. If blended learning is interpreted as learning that occurs when technology is used to support in-class activities for students who are in a physical classroom, and online learning is interpreted to mean learning done exclusively online with no physical classroom presence, then online learning is only being marginally used internationally.
Singapore reported that pure online learning is not a priority since the city is small and well connected. However, blended learning is used as a complement to classroom learning.
Denmark indicated that learning exclusively online is not a national goal but forms of blended learning are encouraged.
Both Germany and Denmark allow 25% of gymnasium education—the three years between high school and university—to be online, though Germany indicated that blended learning is a big part of education.
Italy has used LIM and Classi 2.0 (tools and projects to enhance multiple models of innovation in the classroom) to provide resources and devices in a blended classroom approach, but online programs are not available to the general student population. The Czech Republic reported some use of blended learning but asserted that
face-to-face education is vastly dominant.
Argentina has funded computers for students to use in a blended learning environment. Slovenia’s Ministry for Education and Sport has sponsored initiatives for online content
to be used in a blended fashion.
Greece reported a move toward e-books and online exercises in traditional courses. Romania indicated that e-learning tools have been used to enhance the classroom
experience but claimed that the Internet has played an insignificant role in public education to this point.
TREND FIVE: Use of online learning is most prevalent by students with special circumstances. While online learning is an option for some students globally, it is used far more frequently to meet the needs of students with extenuating circumstances that prevent them from attending the physical, traditional classroom. Countries like Belgium, Italy, the Czech Republic, Russia, and Slovenia reported that online learning was used most commonly for student athletes,
students with chronic illness and disease, and those who were hospitalized, homebound, incarcerated, and severely disabled.
Few countries have widespread opportunity for the general student population interested in online learning. Exceptions are New Zealand, Australia, Turkey, China, and British Columbia.
In New Zealand the Virtual Learning Network and Virtual Learning Network Community, both established from grass-roots movements at the local level, serve 13 e-learning communities from 268 schools. Over 1,500 students in New Zealand, primarily from the secondary level, participate in online classes and programs.
Australia has a lengthy history of providing access to online education for all students. Schools of the Air have been in operation for over fifty years, with at least five K-12 online learning programs.
In Turkey, open primary and secondary schools utilize e-learning facilities to deliver distance learning programs. The curriculum has historically been delivered through television, radio, and print but has rapidly grown to include the use of the Internet. More than 200 online schools serve over 600,000 students in China. Over 120,000 live in
Beijing alone, with one school, Beijing No. 4, serving more than 60,000 middle school students. An additional 200,000 students are enrolled in tuition-based online schools. Online schools in British Columbia, Canada, provide complete programs or individual
courses to 71,000 students, which is about 12% of the student population. ISSUES
The results of the surveys from each of the countries indicate a commonality of issues which exist regardless of country, irrespective of whether or not the data comes from a rural or urban area, and irrespective of the degree or level of implementation of online learning being reported from that particular country.
The survey results and international case studies themselves indicate that one of the major issues is that there is no clear international understanding or standard set of definitions to clarify exactly what online learning comprises. The actual term “online learning” means many things and is not necessarily correlated to the term “virtual education” in many countries. A second issue appears to be the lack of equitable access to Internet tools or resources to even make online learning possible in many areas. Common to all countries reporting is the issue of the lack of specific policies which would drive or promote government funding of online learning at the same levels of traditional learning. The role of the teacher or administrator and the chronic need for training is an international issue, which must be addressed according to the data being reported from each of the countries.
While there are other secondary issues, the final issue being discussed here is the actual student population that is being serviced by online learning and the questions which arise when analysing that data.
Issue One: No clearly defined international understanding of online learning. While the definition of online learning in the United States clearly represents virtual education wherein the teacher is remote from the student and that student may or may not take the course in a classroom, there is actually a wide range of interpretations regarding what online learning means, based on the data from respondents.
In general, the term “online learning” is used to identify any kind of learning that involves information and communications technology (ICT) but does not necessarily have anything to do with virtual education.
For purposes of the study, many countries reported an increase in the growth of online learning, but in actuality they were referring to an increase in the number of school websites, the number of schools accessing online resources, and the number of teachers actually integrating the use of technology into the traditional brick-and-mortar classroom.
The impact of this information would suggest that while the data has indicated an increase in online learning internationally, a more specific increase is taking place in the use of digital content or digital resources in the traditional brick-and-mortar classroom.
Issue Two: The lack of equitable access to the Internet, technology tools, and resources for online learning. Within this category, there are a number of secondary issues, some which are of course anticipated. A number of countries reported a serious lack of equity across geographical regions or socioeconomic groups when describing Internet accessibility to student populations.
Many countries still report a widening of the digital divide, a serious issue when considering how many children still do not have access to the Internet outside the traditional classroom and how many classrooms in rural areas or areas of high poverty in many countries still do not have Internet access at all. For example, the report indicates that in Turkey access for students outside the urban areas is rare, while in China—where competition for high end academic seats is intense—student access to the Internet is seriously limited for most families.
The role of the private sector and the influence of corporations delivering online tutoring are increasing in importance for those families who can afford to pay privately for students to prepare for high-stakes exams. The respondents from Canada identify restricted access that is due to restraints of a budgetary nature or caused by regulatory issues.
The report highlights that mobile technologies and the desire for online learning have been highly adopted by the next generation of digital students, but the schools remain “locked down” to open use of devices due to firewalls, the role of IT specialists, and the lack of open access due to old policies and standards. In other words, while student demand has increased, the ability for students to access the available technologies has not kept pace.
The tremendous advantages of online learning and the integration of technology into the classroom have been acknowledged, but online learning is heavily state regulated, and therefore is slow to grow. The data illustrates that all provinces have established distance education programs, many of which are transitioning to a fully online delivery model. While there is growth in many of the provinces and territories, because online learning is still largely viewed as a substitute when face-to-face learning is not feasible, it has been subject to budget cuts that have led to decreased access for online courses. In essence, the issue of inequity of access to the Internet or technology can be described as two forms of a digital divide.
The first is the digital divide established when there is a monetary or geographical lack of resources that blocks a student or group of students from having access to the Internet, technology, or the tools and resources which are necessary for the implementation of online learning. The second can be described as a digital competency divide, wherein the resources, materials, and access may be available, but due to policies or regulations, access for students, teachers, or administrators is hindered. Consequently, the lack of teacher training and other supports associated with the use of these technology tools results in a lack of competency in the use of technology and thus significantly reduces the growth potential for online learning. Issue Three: A lack of government funding or policies to promote online learning versus traditional brick-and-mortar schools. A number of responding countries indicated that technology integration initiatives are being funded by local and national government agencies, but most of the initiatives focus on integration of technology into the traditional classroom, and are not targeted for online learning.
In Albania, the government has financed primary and secondary school access to the Internet, but there are no online schools available to meet the needs of students who may wish to take online courses; therefore, the Internet access is again primarily for use in the traditional classroom. In Macedonia, online learning is still not officially recognized, highlighting the wide range of government policies from country to country. New Zealand, where the early focus of online learning was the use of correspondence courses, reports that the Ministry of Education provides hardware and software for schools and has supportive policies in place, but online learning for K-12 is left to the discretion of the local education authority.
In Australia, where there are major national moves for education reform, and where there is national interest and support for online learning, the implementation of online learning is still very individualized and decisions are made on the local level.
Issue Four: The need to focus on teacher training and their role.
There is much diversity in the expectation set for teachers, administrators, and IT specialists working in the education environment. In general, most of the countries reported the expectation that teachers will be qualified to teach but will not be required to have any particular training in the area of online pedagogy. Most countries also indicated that teachers themselves have a lack of access to technology for mobile devices and indeed many do not even have access to a laptop as an essential instructional tool. While the demand for personalized learning for students has increased—and the benefits are undisputed—the major issue seems to be that the role of the teacher has clearly changed, but there is an international lack of focus on teacher training. This lack of training is not only in the use of new technologies, but also in the methodology and pedagogy necessary to fully understand how and why technology can positively impact student performance when in the hands of a competent, highly qualified teacher.
Through educational reform initiatives, Australia reports the establishment of new national teaching standards involving expertise in e-learning; however, these new standards seem to focus primarily on integrating technologies into the classroom. Teachers are asked to demonstrate the use of educational technology, digital resources, and tools provided for classroom use, including the digital learning resources provided in a national collection of digital content resources and technology infrastructure.
In New Zealand there are currently no formal requirements for teacher training in online education, and it is up to the local school to train or to allocate resources if there is an interest in online education or integrating technology into the classroom. It should be noted that the Ministry of Education for New Zealand introduced a pilot program to run from 2010 through 2013 regarding the implementation of virtual professional development, but again this is primarily focused on delivering virtual education to teachers and is not concentrated on teaching the pedagogy behind delivering online instruction to students.
Respondents from the United Kingdom indicate that due to budget cuts, and an identified lack of time in the instructional day, teacher training has been severely limited.
Issue Five: The kinds of students being serviced by online learning is often limited to students with extenuating circumstances.
While online learning reported by most countries appears to be blended learning where technology is integrated into the regular brick-and-mortar classroom, true online learning appears to be largely limited to students with extenuating circumstances. Those circumstances include students who are geographically isolated, are traveling overseas, have medical issues, or who have selected home education and have access to virtual education. In many countries, the use of virtual education is only used for remediation, credit recovery, or in situations where a face-to-face instructor is not affordable or cost-effective. This subtle issue will have a wider ranging impact on the growth of online learning. If online learning continues to be perceived internationally as something that is only for the student with extenuating circumstances, there is the possibility that virtual education will eventually be deemed that which is “out of the ordinary” or “less than mainstream.” While each of the populations being served in this manner obviously benefit from online learning, limiting student access to only this group of students causes a serious gap and misses the huge potential that online learning can have, not only for the individual student or school, but also for the larger impact of systemic change and educational reform.
CHALLENGES
Of the countries participating in this survey, 41% indicated that there are no government-funded online learning programs or opportunities available in their country. Some of the reasons for the lack of access to online and blended courses were also common issues for countries who do provide these opportunities for students. Among the most significant barriers are limited knowledge about—and thus limited interest in—online learning. A lack of vision and leadership to create policy and invest funding further stymies growth. As well, several countries who reported no government funded online learning programs have limited economic resources and cannot afford to invest in the technology infrastructure, the content and training, or the computers for teachers and students.
Many of those countries indicated that large parts of their country do not even have electricity, which is understandably more of a priority than computers and access to the Internet.
Challenge One: A lack of knowledge about online learning.
Many countries reported that a lack of knowledge about the practices and benefits of online and blended learning were the main reason it had not been implemented in the country. This is a relatively new way to educate students and may be happening at the university level, but they
In the United Kingdom, all schools have access to computers and the Internet, but policymakers and schools are unaware of how they can be used to personalize education for each student, as well as to offer courses that are not available onsite. Bulgaria also expressed a lack of interest in providing fully online courses. They are using some digital content to supplement the face-to-face classroom experience but feel there is not enough research to show that it is an effective practice. Their system is very conservative and changes are made slowly, but they are starting to provide some content and need the research in order to move forward in providing access for all students.
While the United Kingdom and Bulgaria are using some technology and the Internet in some classrooms to supplement learning, countries such as Albania and Serbia indicated that they do not know how to get started. Peru has indicated no real concern for the opportunity and resources that online learning provides; they have no knowledge about its importance or benefits, which is the reason there is no online or blended learning there. Similarly, Belgium states there is no resistance to implementing it; however, there just has not been any extensive thought put into it because of the lack of awareness.
Challenge Two: Sporadic interest in online learning.
A lack of interest in implementing online learning, from both government and schools, was another challenge for countries participating in the survey. Malaysia and Serbia have no interest in implementing online or blended learning, but there are other countries where pockets of interest do exist. Many countries indicated that there were no government-funded programs due to some of the other challenges; however, private schools were offering online and blended learning options for K-12 students in countries like Burkina Faso, where some interest was indicated, but it was not widespread. The Czech Republic shared that they provide some frameworks to support online learning but there is no unified system. This is similar to the Republic of Macedonia, where they have started a “Computer for Every Desk” program and are providing some online professional development for teachers, but it is up to each teacher to determine how to teach using the computers. They are starting to see a few schools using online and blended learning by investing in learning management systems (LMS), but those schools are in the minority. Similar to these countries is India, where nothing has been formally introduced in the country’s public schools, but there are several private companies, such as Educomp, and schools providing services and courses. However, the government is currently working on ICT policies and expects online education to be a part of these in the future. Of note in the response from Bolivia is the impact of crisis on online learning. As a direct result of the high levels of absenteeism during the H1N1 influenza pandemic two years ago, a number of private schools developed their own virtual classrooms. However, the idea of using online learning did not transfer over to the public school system as it has in countries like Hong Kong and Singapore.
Challenge Three: Illiteracy and access to technology.
Access to technology and infrastructure was a problem for implementing online and blended learning programs, and it is also a challenge in that many of these countries do not even have access to electricity. Also, the majority of their populations are illiterate, including computer literacy, making it hard to provide these options for students.
Several countries are not providing online and blended learning because they have no access to computers, the Internet, and in some cases, even electricity.
In Mozambique, only 1% of the population has access to the Internet, and only 12% have electricity.
Guatemala has insufficient Internet services in rural areas.
Botswana has very few Internet providers, the prices are unaffordable, and desktops are still considered a luxury.
Bolivia ranks 121 out of 139 countries for Internet access in schools, and the few schools that have Internet access are private, according to the 2010–2011 Global Competitiveness Report.
There is a lack of infrastructure in the Philippines. Their power and electricity costs are among the highest in Asia, and a number of provinces experience an unstable power supply, with occasional power outages even for basic power needs. Internet costs, although decreasing, are still high for the average and poor households.
Hungary has no Internet access and very few teachers are technologically literate. The Gaza Strip gets international aid, and in the last 10 years, this has been targeted
toward the immediate needs of the people, like food and shelter, rather than the need for developing the ICT infrastructure.
Many villages in Pakistan do not have electricity, and the whole country has blackouts due to a shortage of electricity. Many public schools are turning into private schools. The challenge of bringing the Internet and technology to these third-world countries involves the illiteracy rates in these countries, which includes not only the ability to read and write, but also computer literacy. Nearly half of Mozambique’s population is illiterate, and there is a deficit of schools. If they were able to get Internet access, there is great interest in using online learning to provide education in general to the students and families in the country. Sudan considers their population to be computer illiterate. They have very limited access to technology and computers and consider this to be their biggest challenge to implementing online learning. Challenge Four: Lack of funding.
Funding as a challenge and reason for the lack of implementation was a very common response. Because of the lack of vision and policies supporting online learning and the declining economy and budgets in several countries, funding is not a priority for most of these countries. As a result, there has been no investment to get programs started. In addition, the lack of funding to invest in hardware, curriculum, teacher training, and other needs for starting an online or blended learning program is a challenge for many countries. Burkina Faso and Kosovo respondents indicated a lack of finances as they are very poor countries and cannot provide any of the above services. Kosovo is the poorest country in Europe with an unemployment rate of 47%, which has resulted in online opportunities only being available in the private school market. While Spain has an infrastructure, they lack funds for new equipment. Greece and El Salvador noted funding as the main challenge as there is no government funding provided to implementing online learning.
Challenge Five: Lack of governmental vision and leadership.
The biggest challenge for countries that have not implemented online learning is their government’s lack of vision and leadership. Many government officials may not even be aware of the practices happening in education or show no interest in them, which is indicated as another challenge.
Some countries have hopes for implementing online learning in the future, but at this point in time, advocacy and education at the national government level is needed in order to get the
Policies in some countries make it illegal or prohibit the use of online learning in public schools, which is a huge challenge. Specific student populations (medically homebound or athletes) can sometimes get special permission to participate in online courses, but the majority of the population is prohibited.
In Brazil, the practice of online learning, which they consider to be the same as homeschooling, is forbidden. Teachers’ unions believe this type of system is bound to dehumanize the process of learning and is likely to create antisocial, over-individualistic students who are lacking the social skills required to live harmoniously in society. Brazil’s Law of Directives and Basis for National Education states that students must have a minimum attendance in 75% of classes and that teaching must be face-to-face. Poland’s legal framework of education for primary and secondary schools does not allow
them to deliver education through online courses, and there are no new policies being prepared by the Ministry of Education.
The Russian Federation has a high level of regulation for the learning process that does not allow any alternative types of education to be used.
Romania’s education system is centralized. Homeschooling and distance learning are not recognized by the educational bodies. Blended learning, the regular use of e-learning software, does not currently allow teachers to meet their learning objectives, partially due to the limited time and the overloaded compulsory curriculum.
Whereas the above countries do not allow online learning by policy, many countries’ governments simply lack the vision, leadership, and knowledge to develop policies to implement and provide online learning. These countries usually have no policies to approve or deny student access to online learning, which becomes a separate challenge. Schools need to be shown that online learning exists and how it can be implemented to provide students access to courses they may not otherwise have or to individualize their learning.
Guatemala has no specific policy that has been approved or implemented.
Turkey needs a systematic and extensive implementation plan. Individual schools, administrators, and teachers are resistant to change in their face-to-face approaches. In the Slovak Republic, online learning has not been reflected in the legislation yet. The
current legislation requires attendance in face-to-face schools.
In South Africa, online learning in public schools is in its infancy. The state and provincial education departments lack the capacity to operationalize the strategic objectives of the e-education policy white paper (2004).
Pakistanis are not ready for online learning, which the respondent noted the government, may be blamed for, but they are also not resistant to it. Education has not been a top priority of the government, and in most of the rural and urban public sector schools, the basic infrastructure is not available, as well as computers or access to the Internet.
Government and school leaders must understand how online learning works and its benefits before they can create policies to support and implement courses and programs. However, several survey participants noted that there was widespread corruption within the government and school leaders, which led to the challenge of implementing online education, let alone any type of quality education.
STUDY ON USAGE OF INTERNET AND OTHER RESOURCES BY STUDENTS IN
SCHOOLS OF INDIA
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Study conducted by Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon)Bertrand Russell said “The education system we must aim at in the future is one that gives to every individual an opportunity for the best that exists”. The change to give the best is becoming very visible. Transition from paper to pixel is rapidly growing across the globe and India in particular has immense potential with respect to a staggering 33% of the 1.2 billion population in the school going age and the ambitious “Digital India” vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Digital India project working towards providing the ease of availability and access of internet promises to transform the country into a knowledge economy, offering world class services at the click of a mouse which can be seen right opportunity for online resource development in this sector. This trend is fast catching up because there's a strong belief that digital classrooms are the way to the future.
(
Study conducted by Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon)Bertrand Russell said “The education system we must aim at in the future is one that gives to every individual an opportunity for the best that exists”. The change to give the best is
CHALLENGES OF E-LEARNING
Some of the challenges identified are accreditation and recognition issues, lack of awareness and acceptance. Whilst the Aakash tablets have helped to stimulate the e-learning market it is important to remember the cost of internet access and lack of bandwidth in many rural areas.
PRIMARY RESEARCH
The MDI team conducted primary research on approximately 10000+ students across
geographies in 80 schools. From north India, we associated with schools in Delhi, Noida, and Gurgaon and extended to Kanpur. In the east region, we conducted research in Kolkata and Odisha. In south India, primarily Hyderabad and Bangalore were places where research was done. Jhansi in the central India and Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Pune in west India were few others research centres.
RESEARCH FINDINGS
Significant percentage of students takes help from Internet in their academics as well as extra-curricular. Wikipedia turned out to be the portal carrying maximum traffic of students’ queries. Students are unaware of the authenticity of the information they are looking for in the Wikipedia. Britannica has to create awareness highlighting this point and leveraging it to its maximum. Also, Britannica can come up with the offering specially designed as per the curricula of the schools to fulfil the needs of respective students and avoid their need to search on Wikipedia or any such site.
LITERATURE REVIEW
The team carried out secondary research through the medium of blogs and articles written by renowned thought leaders and education stalwarts. The key highlights of the findings derived from them have been summed up in the following paragraphs.
Education system in India has been in a staggering position since its inception. This has been affected by both internal and external factors. These tend to develop fault lines in our
education system which prevents demand for good education to be mapped to a marketplace with state of the art education services. We hail from a country in which internet
Education system in India has been in a staggering position since its inception. This has been affected by both internal and external factors. These tend to develop fault lines in our
education system which prevents demand for good education to be mapped to a marketplace with state of the art education services. We hail from a country in which internet access is not available to 70% of the population. So, in the era of technological advancement, India has still not been able to embrace internet and technology; which remains a major hurdle. As is also evident from the results of primary research wherein we classified schools in three categories; internet usage is proscribed/unavailable in category B and category C schools. Another shocking study reveals that there are 627000 villages in India but only 615000 primary schools. So, in the context of Indian government, lack of infrastructure remains another stumbling block. Even though Indian government has taken initiative to provide computers in government schools across the length and breadth of the country; but factors like
unavailability of trained staff, no internet access and lack of knowledge among students about the vast expanse of knowledge centre that is provided by internet. Primary and secondary research both underscored the increasing usage of mobile phones for accessing internet. The combined pressures of an increasingly globalised international economy, as well as a consistently iterative and rapidly changing technological environment means that individuals need to continually upgrade their skills and knowledge throughout their adult lives. Indeed few people go through a single day of their lives which does not involve a step towards the acquisition of additional skills, experience, knowledge or competences.
A 2012 report named, “Learning in a Digital Age”, stated that e-portfolios, blogs, wikis,
podcasting, social networking, web conferencing and online assessment tools are increasingly being used in addition to virtual learning environments to deliver “a richer, personalised curriculum to diverse learners”. Thus online education resources can play a major role in diminishing barriers to education and promoting more flexible and creative ways of learning. The team analysed that online learning may improve educational productivity and thereby lead to cost reduction by reducing the amount of space schools need physically, reducing salary costs by transferring some educational activities to computers and realizing
opportunities for economies of scale through the reuse of materials.
There is a pressing need in the Indian education sector to allocate capital to areas to promote infrastructure and technological advancement and ensure the proper training for students of all age groups. Lately, Prof Dinesh Singh, Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi, spoke about the reformatory phase that India is going through and highlighted the significance of education and technology in effecting a change for the nation. In the Indian context, the recent changes in the political scenario of the country bring a promising future for the country, be it real estate or education sector. We need to explore the aforementioned options to bring Indian students at par with the global scenario.
GAP AREA
1. Lack of guidance from teachers
2. Lack of trust with the parents due to multitude of free online sources but none with credible information
3. E-books are not interactive enough
4. Unavailability of mobile app; which was found to be one of the most frequently used channel for seeking information by students
5. Restriction of online resources in schools esp. in tier-2 and tier-3 cities; which became a major hindrance in conducting the primary research hence printed copies of forms had to be floated in the schools.
METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
In the digital age, use of technology is increasing exponentially. Thus, the fundamental objective of the research was to study the usage pattern of internet and other referenceresources used by the students in curricular and co-curricular learning in middle and secondary education in India. To identify this we conducted a research with the following objectives:
1. Study the frequency of availability of internet to students of the age group 10 – 16 years and the various locations they used to access the internet.
2. Study the time spend on internet for various activities (including time spend on search for online resources etc.).
3. Perception of parents and teachers on the usage of online resources when compared to resources from Library or similar resources
4. Infrastructure of the schools and homes to help students use the online resources
5. Help received by students from the online resources for project work, assignments and other co-curricular activities.
TARGET GROUP
India is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people. Today, India has 243 million internet users – more than the United States and second only to China. The latest research on ‘Internet in India 2014’, jointly conducted by IAMAI and IMRB International, finds that Internet usage in India in the age group of 10-16 years is 87.89 million(36% of the online population). With growing usage of internet and popularity of e-Resources amongst students their lies a huge untapped potential in the online education industry and hence this study was conducted to understand the usage pattern of online resources among the students across India.
A questionnaire was prepared and was distributed to schools across the country. The members themselves went to most of the schools in the NCR region while others got the questionnaires through couriers from other parts of the country. The option of filling up the form online was also used via social media. All the data received was entered in a common database by the team members, post which, the analysis was done.
The target sample size was 11000+ students from 100+ schools of the country. Diversity was one of the main criteria for choosing the sample. Mainly private schools were covered, primarily those that had well equipped computer labs with internet facilities. We saw to it that the geographic cover did not limit to Delhi/NCR and the maximum possible geographies were covered. The major geographies covered are as under:
1. Northern India- Gurgaon, Delhi, Noida, Kanpur 2. Eastern India- Kolkata, Paradip (Odisha)
3. Western India- Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Pune 4. Central India- Jhansi
5. Southern India- Hyderabad, Bangalore
While selecting schools some important factors were considered in accordance with the research objectives. Mainly private schools were selected where students are more likely to use internet for academics. Few government schools were also selected for the study so as to get diverse results. The set of schools which were covered includes CBSE schools, ICSE schools, government schools and International schools. Apart from these, the project members also
identified the schools where internet usage was in practice and where internet is in nascent stage. Accordingly, the schools were categorized into 3 categories i.e.
Category 1 - Having high quality computer labs along with good internet facilities Category 2 – Having functional computer labs, but not up to the mark internet facilities Category 3 – Have just started using computer labs & internet
