27 Experiments In Education – Education For All, Distance And Multimedia Education

Dr. Manjunatha S.

DISTANCE AND MULTIMEDIA EDUCATION

Introduction

In all societies social change is inevitable. Social change is always regarded as the totality of modifications in a given society or parts of that society. As a social institution education impacts and is impacted by transformations taking place in other social institutions. Changes in the system of education are not natural, but most often directed by human beings. Since the beginnings of educational system efforts are on to make it more accessible and useful to members of a given society.

In the 21st century there have been numerous experiments in the field of education due to the revolution that took place in the field of information technology throughout the world. Both in terms of access and diversity in teaching IT interventions have brought about far reaching changes in contemporary education. Usage of multimedia in education has become nevitable. Internet technologies are changing our lives and our educational systems in many ways (Sheybani, & Javidi, 2004).

In recent years students’ approach to education has also changed. Recent studies indicate that usage of videos for completing homework is on the rise. Students are easily accessing smart phones through which they browse all categories of videos and gather information. They are rather relying more on mobile computing than using separate calculators. There is a growing interest in online learning which gives learners more freedom and flexibility than traditional methods of teaching would allow.

In today’s world students in schools and colleges are using social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter etc.) for various purposes ranging from being connected with friends to communicating with teachers. As for education, students are using these sites for sharing information and notes, discussing issues with friends and teachers, sharing videos, organising seminars, creating study groups etc. (Manjunatha, 2013).

Recent experiments in education include such avenues as distance education, open universities, online schools, virtual universities, online degree programmes etc. Today there is a virtual upsurge in the number and variety of opportunities available for learning in non-formal environments.

Education for All

Education is an important agency of social control and social transformation. Hence, opportunity for education must be provided to everyone. In 1948 throughout the world it was declared that ‘Everyone has a right to education’. The movement of ‘Education for All’ is a global commitment to provide quality basic education for all children, youth and adults. In this regard the Millennium Development Report (2000) rightly says that education is a lifelong process and the ultimate aim of Education for All (EFA) is sustainable development.

The genesis of this movement could be traced back to the world conference in Thailand, in 1990, organised by UNESCO, UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF, the special wings of United Nations. This conference was attended by the representatives from 155 nations, inter-governmental organisations and NGOs. There was a consensus on universalisation of primary education and decreasing the level of illiteracy throughout the world within a period of ten years. It was unanimously declared in the conference that ‘Education for All’ means thus-‘Every person- child, youth and adult shall be able to benefit from educational opportunities designed to meet their basic learning needs’ (www.unesco.org).

At the World Education Forum in 2000, the international community defined the global Education for All (EFA) agenda as relating to six areas: early childhood care and education, primary education, youth and adult learning needs, literacy, gender equality and quality in education. Later on majority of the nations adopted the six goals of ‘Education for All’ and Millennium Development Goals, which have given the fundamental framework for providing education for all.

The report of the International Commission on Education, submitted to UNESCO had an integrative approach to education and based it on four major premises, these being ‘learning to know’, ‘learning to do’, ‘learning to be’ and ‘learning to live together’. Interestingly, the educational prerequisites of UNESCO are formed by these premises (Jacques, 1996).

The report (2000) was widely adopted by all the major nations of the world. India has keenly pursued the Education for All (EFA) goals that are defined in the area of early childhood care and education, primary education, gender, youth and adolescents, adult education and quality of education.

In India in accordance with the constitutional commitment to ensure free and compulsory education for all children up to the age of 14 years, provision of universal elementary education has been a salient feature of national policy since independence. There is special provision of compulsory education in the Indian constitution under article 45 and 21A. The various articles of the Indian Constitution provide for education as a fundamental right. According to the constitutional provisions on education, central and state governments have made serious efforts to universalise education in the country. These included the scheme of Operation Blackboard (1987); Non Formal Education;Teacher Education, Mahila Samakhya; Shiksha Karmi Project (SKP); National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education; District Primary Education Programme and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA – 2000). The passing of the landmark Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE – 2010) marks a historic moment for the children of India. For the first time in India’s history, children are guaranteed their right to quality elementary education by the state (Mehta, 1995).

However, the implementation of such programmes has been proving very unsuccessful due to various reasons. Poverty, geographic isolation, gender biases, lack of awareness, corruption, lack of qualified teachers, fundamental resources and political will, absence of work culture and positive vision, language and ethnicity are some of the major factors blocking the achievement of the goal of ‘Education for All’ (Bordoloi , 2011).

Elementary Education System in India is the second largest in the World but in spite of a large network of educational institutions, India has already missed the gender parity target and target of covering all children aged 6 -14 years in schools by 2010. This has made the entire claim of the education plans under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Education for All) a misnomer.

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), 2011 released by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, has come out with some alarming facts. The report indicated a rise in student enrolment in rural India (96.7%) in the year 2011, but showed that there has been a decline in students’ basic reading levels, arithmetic skills and academic levels (asercentre.org).

One of the biggest challenges that contemporary education faces is an acute shortage of qualified and competent teachers. Many teachers are not familiar with recent innovations in teaching-learning methods. Political and bureaucratic apathy and interference are also responsible for the lacklustre performance of many state run institutions, which have the major responsibility of operationalizing the concept of ‘Education for All’. Though India made a constitutional commitment to provide compulsory, primary and free education to all children till the age of 14 years, till date this fundamental step in the direction of providing ‘ Education for All’ has not been completely achieved. The Right to Education Act implemented from 2010 and seen as a benchmark in bridging socio-economic gaps has often run into rough weather because of resistance from many private school establishments to make space for children from vulnerable groups. The glaring gaps in the facilities available in private and state run schools and the threat of closure that many government schools are facing because of decreasing enrolment are factors of serious concern. These are all issues that need to be addressed by all the stakeholders in the field of education.

Increasing the number and quality of teachers, improving school and education system management, reaching disadvantaged and marginalised groups would help in achieving the goal of ‘Education for All’ at the earliest. More incentives should be given to children of marginalised groups in the form of scholarships, uniforms, textbooks, stationery and midday meals. The most important action would be to make education more attractive to children and convince parents that it has sustainability effect.

A major factor that is constraining efforts at retention of girl children in many rural schools is the lack of women teachers in rural areas. Therefore, special efforts must be made to recruit women teachers and to augment teacher training facilities for women so that adequate numbers of qualified women teachers are available. Co-ordinated efforts should also be made to provide the necessary support services to enhance their participation and performance.

More effective classroom processes must be put in place to provide better opportunity to the child for exploration, experimentation and communication outcomes. Hence classroom transactions, classroom environment and teaching- learning strategies should be improved to attract children. More funds should be invested in basic education to increase the quality of education such as the curricular reform, pedagogical support and pedagogical practices.

The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, which is responsible for the implementation of universal elementary education and the National Literacy Mission is in charge of eradicating illiteracy, must increase their pace of work for achieving the goal of ‘Education for All’.

Distance Education

Distance Education is the process by which knowledge is transferred to students who are not part of a formal institution of education. Distance Education is also known by such terms as correspondence course, open learning, distributed learning, e-learning, online learning and distance learning.

Distance Education is a very different form of education which is distinct from the formal education that is imparted in regular institutions. In the distance learning mode there is no face-to-face contact between the teacher and the student and meetings between them are very limited. The clientele of distance education programmes may have a global base. Their source material is either available in a written form or through the audio-visual medium.

Distance education has been defined as a ‘method of teaching in which the teacher bears the responsibility of imparting knowledge and skill to students, who study in a place and at a distance determined by their individual circumstances’. In short, distance education is a system of education in which there is no face-to- face relationship between the teacher and learner, but they are linked through different media such as print, radio, T.V. etc.

Otto peters (1983) defined distance education as “a method of imparting knowledge, skills and attitudes, which is rationalized by the application of division of labour and organizational principles as well as by the extensive use of technical medium, specially for the purpose of reproducing high quality teaching material which make it possible to instruct great number of students at the same time wherever they live. It is an industrialized form of teaching and learning”.

Charles Wedemeyer (Sewart, Keegan & Holmberg, 1983) has used the terms ‘Open Learning’, ‘Distance Education’ and ‘Independent Study’, in his works but favours the last term consistently. He defines independent study as follows: “Independent study consists of various forms of teaching learning arrangements in which teachers and learners carry out their essential tasks and responsibilities apart from one another, communicating in a variety of ways. Its purposes are to free on-campus or internal learners from in-appropriate class placing or patterns, to provide off campus or external learners with the opportunity to continue learning in their own environments, and developing in all learners the capacity to carry on self-directed learning, the ultimate maturity required of the educated person.”

Dohmen (Sewart, Keegan & Holmberg, 1983) defines distance education as “a systematically organized form of self-study in which student counselling, the presentation of learning material and securing and supervising of students’ success is carried out by a team of teachers, each of whom has responsibilities. It is made possible at a distance by means of media which can cover long distance.”

Distance education emerged mainly in response to the needs of persons who were either employed or who could not attend regular day school programmes or could not get admission in universities and colleges. This mode catered to the educational demands of not only participating but also prospective work force as well as household populations. Correspondence courses built the capabilities of students, because degrees awarded under this programme provided opportunities for further promotions and widened the scope for securing better jobs.

Diversification through open learning system has great implications for developing human capabilities in a variety of areas and among wider groups of populations. The formal university and collegiate systems tend to impart knowledge, skills and values by and large, to prospective work force, whereas open learning systems tend to impart and upgrade knowledge, skill and values to household population, prospective and employed work force in different vocations or walks of life.

The first distance education programme in the world was offered by Sir Isaac Pitman in 1840 in England. The University of London was the first university that offered distance learning degrees by establishing its external programmes.

With the beginning of correspondence courses in 1962 the history of distance education began in India. These courses had begun in pursuance of the recommendations of an expert committee under the chairmanship of Professor D.S. Kothari (Pandey, 2013).

The successful experience of Delhi University in conducting this pilot project bearing excellent results motivated other universities to offer distance education programmes. The Punjab University was the second University in India to offer these courses. By 1985, 31

Universities gave instruction by correspondence at various levels. Till the end of seventies, distance education was part of the conventional University system (Pandey, 2013).

For the first time in the history of distance education in India, the Government of Andhra Pradesh Open University established in 1982. Thus, an autonomous institution of the level of a university was setup to develop distance education. In September 1985, the Govt. of India decided to set up the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), which was set up with the following three objectives: a) To promote open university and distance education Systems, 2) To determine the standards of teaching, evaluation and research in such systems and 3) To allocate admitted to its privileges or not or to any other university or institution of higher learning as may be specified by the statutes (www.ignou.ac.in).

IGNOU, the largest university in the world with over 4 million students (www.wikipedia.org), was founded to impart education by means of distance and open education, provide higher education opportunities particularly to the disadvantaged segments of society, encourage, coordinate and set standards for distance and open education in India and strengthen the human resources of India through education.

In India Distance Education Council (DEC) is the institution that coordinates the functioning of all the open universities. This council was constituted under the Indira Gandhi National Open University Act in 1985. Several state governments have also taken steps towards the establishment of open Universities in their respective states. These include the states of Maharashtra, Kerala, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. Today, about 50 Universities and Education Boards besides the IGNOU are imparting instruction through the medium of distance education.

There is a marked shift in the nature and character of distance learners. The system of distance education was originally conceived and initiated to cater to the educational needs of those who because of socio-economic constraints and spatio-temporal huddles could not pursue university education at an appropriate stage in their lives. But after nearly three decades, it is being observed that the number of in-service persons, especially in the traditional courses is coming down drastically. On the contrary the number of those in employment and younger people who fail to get admission in formal institutions of education has gone up considerably.

Distance education itself is emerging as a distinct discipline and considerable research is being done on various aspects of this innovative system. This is bound to lead to further improvement and integration of a wide variety of courses that are now being offered. Special distance education courses are being developed to ensure proper staff development. In India, Indira Gandhi National Open University is taking steps in this direction.

The Role of Multimedia in Distance Education

When we look into the functioning of the different open universities in countries across the world we see the use of different forms of multimedia in open universities (Ellis & Cohen, 2001). The widespread use of computers and the internet have made distance learning easier and faster and today schools and virtual universities deliver the entire course online. The capacity of the internet has led to many innovations in teaching-learning processes and many of the traditional methods of knowledge transmission that were followed earlier have been given up. However, many of the techniques and lessons developed are also being delivered through internet (Tiene, 2002). The first new and fully online university was founded in 1994 as the open university of Catalonia, headquartered in Barcelona, Spain.

Given below are the important means by which distance education institutions engage in the process of knowledge transfer:

• Print Media: All the open universities in the world and other distance institutions use the print material for instructional purposes. The lessons are specifically prepared keeping in mind the students whom the teacher does not see. Moreover, the background of the students also varies. The material is carefully prepared to suit them and help them to learn on their own without much assistance from others. The printed material therefore, will continue to play an important role in the open university system. The printed material has several advantages. It is easy to carry, can be used according to the convenience of the student and is comparatively cheaper.
•   Radio: Radio has been extensively used for educational purposes all over the world. In distance education, radio has been used as an important component of multi-media approach. The advantage of the radio is that all over the world, it is within the reach of the common man and can be carried from place to place easily. As a result, we find that open universities in the west and in Asian countries have relied quite heavily on the radio. Radio programmes generally have the following two formats: (a) Lecture or radio talk by an expert and (b) Course material.
• Television: Television has been considered an effective medium for spreading education. The language of television is extremely rich, expressive and powerful; it has attracted the attention of non-educators to instructional media. In many countries, it has become available on a wider scale and is able to deliver audio visual experience to many class-rooms, simultaneously. Its main advantage is its accessibility – it reaches every home and its strength lies in its capacity to combine entertainment with education. It is therefore, important for recruitment and motivation of students.
•   Video CDs: Though comparatively new and very popular, video CDs are being thought of as a more effective medium as compared to radio or television. Video CDs are like broadcast television as they combine moving picture with the sound, which are more convenient than the broadcast television because they are under the control of the students who can watch the programme whenever they want and watch it as often as they want to. In addition, there is the advantage of pauses and replays.
• Audio CDs: In some of the open universities audio CDs are being extensively used. In India students use mobile phones to play audio study material.
• Computer and Internet: Computer as a tool has been on the educational scene for a reasonably long time. It has enriched the process of teaching and learning. There are several qualities of the computer which are of tremendous use for teaching and learning in diverse situations. It is being used for teaching as well as for administrative purposes. Computer based instruction includes a broad range of applications that can be divided into two general categories of direct instruction and instructional management. As in the case of other media, the cost of the use of computer has to be examined, but it is now becoming increasingly popular in many countries. Today, there are learning management systems employed by businesses and education that allow teachers to sign on as course administrators, run discussions, and upload materials, along with multimedia components for classes to use. Examples of this are Blackboard (www.blackboard.com), Aculearn (www.aculearn.com), WebCt(www.webct.com) etc. that are used on the Internet to implement distance learning and give access to multimedia (Lee, Tan & Goh, 2004).
• Mobile Phones: Mobile technologies can also be interfaced with many other media like audio, video, the Internet, and so forth. Mobile learning is more interactive, involves more contact, communication and collaboration with people. The increasing and ubiquitous use of mobile phones provides a viable avenue for initiating contact and implementing interventions proactively. For instance, Short Message Service (SMS) is highly cost-effective and a very reliable method of communication. Besides SMS, distance learners can use mobile phones/ MP3 players to listen to their course lectures, and for storage and data transfer. New technologies especially mobile technologies are now challenging the traditional concept of Distance Education. Today the more and more rapid development of the ICT contributes to the increasing abilities of the mobile devices (cell phones, smart phones, PDAs, laptops) and wireless communications, which are the main parts of the mobile learning (Vavoula, 2005).
• Satellites: The satellite provides opportunities for universal television and radio coverage within the country. More channels for both radio and television are possible because of the satellite. It has enormous potential for education.

Multimedia in Education

As the world is changing rapidly, so is the system of education. One of the major causes of this change is the virtual revolution that is taking place in the field of multimedia. The usage of multimedia in education has accelerated in recent years and is going to further expand in the days to come (Hooper & Reinartz, 2002).

Multimedia is the field concerned with the computer based integration of text, video, sound, graphics and animation, where any type of information is processed and used for the better understanding of a concept. It is the combination of various digital media types such as text, images, audio and video, into an integrated multi-sensory interactive application or presentation to convey information to an audience. Multimedia is defined as “Media providing multisensory experiences, such as sound, visuals, animation and interaction with the media” (Porter, 2004).

Multimedia use grew rapidly during the late 1980s and 1990s due to improved technologies that allowed better compression, better graphics accelerators, faster chips, and two or three dimensional images with a variety of file formats and faster connections online (Jalobeanu, 2003).

Storage capabilities also grew, along with changes in software (Jalobeanu, 2003). Multimedia formats can be implemented on the Internet, on CDs, with overhead projectors, on slides used with sound, on web pages, in video and audio combinations, or simply on a computer through the use of software (Heinich, 1996).

In the contemporary world the application of multimedia in education has increased dramatically. There are five major elements in multimedia which are proving as powerful new tools for education. These five elements are discussed in detail below:

i. Text: Generally, text provides important information. Out of all the five elements text has a far greater impact on students in the matter of imparting education. The text is used in presenting students with required reading material which contains valuable information and knowledge of the subject. The text introduces the students to the course curriculum.

ii. Video: The representation of information by using the visual effects of the video can be immediate and powerful. Video provides new and exciting possibilities for the use of digital video in education. There are many instances where students, studying particular processes, may find themselves faced with a scenario that seems highly complex when conveyed in purely text form. In such situations the representational qualities of video help in placing a theoretical concept into context. Many new skills can be acquired by watching videos and lectures of professional teachers can also be watched.

iii. Sound: Sound is used to provide emphasis or highlight a transition from one page to another. Sound synchronised to screen display, enables teachers to present a great deal of information at once. This approach is used in a variety of ways, all based on a visual display of a complex image paired with a spoken explanation. Sound used creatively, becomes a stimulus to the imagination. In recent times lectures can be audio recoded and played by students in their mobile phones. There are plenty of audio books available which provide new way of learning (Falk & Carlson, 1995).

iv. Graphics: Graphics provide the most creative possibilities for a learning session. They can be photographs, drawings, graphs from a spread sheet and pictures.

v. Animation: Animation is used to show changes in state over time or to present information gradually to students so that they have time to assimilate it in smaller chunks. Animations, when combined with user input, enable students to view different versions of change over time depending on different variables. Animations are primarily used to demonstrate an idea or illustrate a concept (Lowe, 2003).

Conclusion

This module has brought to focus some of the non-traditional forms of knowledge transmission such as distance education and education imparted by using the multimedia. It also threw light on the vision that the country has for making education truly accessible to everyone and the programmes that have been introduced to make this vision a reality. However, there are certain socio-cultural issues that are blocking the effective implementation of these programmes and the module stresses the need to address these issues if socio-economic gaps between different groups have to be bridged.

The virtual revolution that has taken place in the field of IT has changed the face of education and innovations of a far reaching nature have been brought about in the teaching-learning process. The notion of the classroom with closed doors is gradually giving way to open classrooms, virtual class rooms, video lectures and the learners’ choices have enormously widened. Be it the choice of the course, choice of the institution or the mode of learning students today a wide variety of options. Opportunities for widening one’s knowledge base are now available even outside formal institutions of learning. The distance education mode which also extensively uses multimedia based teaching has now enabled universities to have a global reach. While opening up to the readers the changes that are on the anvil in the field of education, the module it is hoped would also help them to engage in a discourse on the impact that such changes would bring in a multi group, multi-lingual and multi-cultural societies. Whether technological interventions in education can really break socio-economic-cultural barriers is a question that requires to be pondered over.

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