Use of Information and Communication Technologies in India's First Open University : Experience and Perceptions of Learners and Learner Support Providers

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University (BRAOU), the first distance teaching university in India, was a great educational event. It started a new chapter in the history of India’s distance higher education. The general objects these research studies are: • to identify the information and communication technologies used in open distance education system in general and in BRAOU in particular, • to find out the process of planning and management of the technologies for distance teaching of BRAOU, • to assess the impact of the technologies on the distance learning of BRAOU students, and • to make suggestions, on the basis of the study, for effective and efficient management of technology in BRAOU. This study adopted descriptive method of research, which is widely used in educational research. Experiences, opinions and perceptions of 510 undergraduates students, 184 postgraduates, 110 academic counselors and 52 study center Heads are collected through separate questioners. Important results of survey are briefly stated here