The introduction of technology to the learning scenario has opened up immense possibilities for imparting knowledge to the students. The traditional approach of class room based learning has become more of a history and institutions are looking forward to incorporating virtual classrooms in their future developments. However, due to the need for high quality connectivity infrastructure, hardware and equipments, virtual classrooms are still out of reach of a vast majority of student who pursue education through Government institutions or other state sponsored institutions.

In such a case,   there need to be balanced approach between the investment made, and the results expected out of it. To make a good impact on the teaching methodologies, It is important that schools and institutions of higher learning resort to incorporating IT into their teaching methods.  It is important that the students benefits out of the usage of technology in learning in this knowledge age.

The use of information technology and multi-media applications in developing course ware and for delivering learning materials to students Is highly on the rise across the world. However, in the case of technical courses, there is always a perceived constraint in developing the course materials. There is a general contention that technical learning can be imparted effectively only with a classroom interface. A trained instructor will alone be able to impart the expected knowledge to the students. This  proposal do not intent to propose a solution for replacing instructors with e-learning materials, but propose methods by which the course delivery by students can be further enriched and enhanced by  the use of Information and communication Technology in a collaborative and structured manner.

1. It is not mandatory that students, academicians and experts are to be physically present   at the campus for conducting the course.
2. A wide resource base of experts and academicians in different parts of the world   can be build by the institutions under the department since the interaction between students and teachers are done online.
3. All phases of course administration form registration to student test, course monitoring and evaluation can be conducted online.
4. This mode can cater to all types of courses viz. general course, to series of specialised courses.
5. The Distance learning centre can have all state-of-the-art distance learning technologies, with audio/video support, virtual classrooms,  video conferencing techniques that accompany audiovisual or multimedia products.
6. This mode will help the Institutions under the department to network and collaborate with other persons, institutions, colleges or universities across the world to offer specialised programmes to students, which will be an USP of the institution.
7. The entire pedagogical process can be addressed online   ie through   the e-learning portal of the   Institution.

This will bring in a paradigm shift in teaching methodologies, the students can have the feel of   undergoing a regular course and at the same time, can choose their flexible time, study at their own pace ,while being in their comfortable location.
 
Users of the System

The users   of the system are

1. Students who   have registered to   undergo the online courses of the Institutions under the department.
2. Guest users who want to gather information about the courses from the portal.
3. Academic  Community

E-Learning Module

1. The components of the e-learning module will be developed with the following being addressed.
2. Pages and content will be developed and designed as per universal standards followed in e-learning and will be SCORM Compliant.
3. The e-learning module will be designed for the learners who are the targeted user groups and will be completely learner-centric.
4. Online Course creation. The course   module will provide the faculty/ other students to  add their notes, observations, comments learning links  to the prescribed course materials which will be highly beneficial to the students.
5. Online assessment tool- An online assessment system will be integrated with the system, which will aid the faculty to conduct periodic assessment of the students. The online module will also integrate a quiz engine and an exam engine, so that the Multimedia interactive Training- The learning module will integrate all multimedia technology devices like audio, video, mobile, interactive sessions, webinars, podcasts,   to enrich the learning experience of the students.

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