ELECTRONIC MEDIA LEARNING MATERIALS OF INDIRA GANDHI NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, INDIA: An Analytical Study

The establishment of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in 1985 has been a milestone in the growth of higher education in India. A very special feature of the University is that a composite of several instructional methods in practice are aimed at giving effective support to distance learners. Self-instructional print materials are the mainstay of the courseware. Besides this, at the support centres, the learners attend a few face-to-face counselling sessions and get access to audio-video materials stocked in the library. Gyandarshan and Gyanvani, the educational television and radio channels broadcast programmes with academic content. The curriculum-based audio-video programmes developed by the University are supplementary in nature. This blending of traditional printed self-learning materials with electronic courseware is a conscious decision of the University which is intended to enhance the quality and effectiveness of learning. Over the years, audio and video cassettes have made way for digital compact discs. Resultant development in information and communication technology heralded virtual campus initiatives of IGNOU, conspicuous among them being the creation of eGyanKosh, the digital repository of the learning materials of IGNOU. Nevertheless, majority of the academic programmes are not being provided audio video supports. The paper analyses the application of electronic media in IGNOU’s course delivery platform