Exploring a bottom up approach to networking for open learning in India

The thesis investigates the scope of networking for open learning in India. Part 1 of the thesis looks at whether the emerging information superhighway and networking are pedogogically relevant to education. This is done by examining what comprises an interaction in education and the extent to which educational technologies support such an interaction for the learning activities. Based upon the literature available on the relevant learning theories, the thesis takes a constructivist's view of education, and supports the need for a greater interaction and participation in teaching. The thesis argues that the information superhighway and networking are likely to offer a flexible and an efficient learning environment for education in the future.Part 2 of the thesis is built around the premise that it is not just the pedagogy but also the logistics that are relevant. The socio-economic, political, and cultural aspects of open learning have a role to play in defining the context in which the network has to develop. After describing the state of networking for education in the United Kingdom, the thesis discusses the growth of distance and open universities in India in the light of the various constraints in which the existing educational system operates in the country. It focuses on the difficulties the open universities face in providing student support services because of the variable nature of the costs involved. A hypothesis on how the networking support might become available to distance learners in India by tapping the dynamics of the local market is proposed.The last part of the thesis investigates academic support, and the administrative problems experienced by students at a study centre in India, and examines the economic viability of the network at the district level. It looks at the possibility of educational institutions and interest parties joining hands at the local level to make a district education network feasible.