Workshop on e-Content Development for Virtual Open School at NIOS, Noida, May 26-27,2014
Workshop on e-Content Development for Virtual Open Schooling
NOIDA, 29/5/2014: Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA) organised a workshop on e-Content Development for Virtual Open Schooling for the academic staff of National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) from 26-27 May, 2014 at NIOS, Noida.
With the support of CEMCA, the NIOS has launched the Virtual Open Schooling (VOS) to serve diverse group of learners with access to Internet. Under the VOS, the learners get the opportunity to study a formal school-based course online and gain credit for certification purpose. Learners can study using asynchronously or synchronously technologies provided in the VOS platform. The VOS platform uses the power of Wiki, Learning Management System and two way video conferences on the web. The platform is based Open Source software, and NIOS has developed internal capacity to manage the platform on its own. However, the academic staff needs to develop course to be offered on the platform, and therefore needs training to integrate it into their day-to-day activity. Twenty-three academic staff of NIOS attended the workshop.
The programme was inaugurated by Dr. Sitansu S. Jena, Chairman, NIOS, who shared the experience of NIOS on VOS initiatives. Addressing about issues of offering online courses, Dr. Jena told that there is need to change the present course structure and the course has to be credit-based. Course design needs to be done in such a manner that there is scope for the leaner to accumulate credit on different subjects as per their requirement and when the learner accumulates full credit; he/she will be awarded. Sh. U.N. Khaware, Secretary, NIOS shared that while present day world is driven by the use of technology, NIOS is not behind. Then Dr. Manas Ranjan Panigrahi, Programme Officer (Education) CEMCA in his remarks opined that virtual schooling has the ability to reduce cost, time and complimented the NIOS initiative. At the end of inaugural session, Sh. S.K. Prasad proposed vote of thanks. All the twenty three participants actively participated in the workshop to learn about use of Moodle platform and content development using eXe software. In the valedictory session, some of the participants expressed that the workshop was more interactive and helpful for them to develop e-contents. Dr. Sanjaya Mishra, Director, CEMCA appreciating the participants for their efforts suggested them to practice every day for one hour for e-content development in Moodle platform and eXe to retain the new learning. Dr. Sitansu S. Jena, Chairman, NIOS, encouraged all the participants to develop an action plan with specific timeline for the development of e-contents on their respective subjects. Dr. K.S. Srivastav, Assistant Director (CBC), NIOS assured the participants for further technical assistance and thanked all the participants, resource persons, NIOS and CEMCA for holding the workshop successfully.
