Virtual Labs
For India to emerge as a knowledge superpower in the world in the shortest possible time, it is imperative to convert our demographic advantage into a knowledge powerhouse by nurturing and honing our working population into a knowledge- or knowledge-enabled working population. Human resource development would certainly be the key to making it happen.
Objectives of the Mission
The content portion of this mission would have an ambitious vision of catering to the learning needs of more than 50 crore Indians (the working population) and providing a one-stop solution to all the requirements of the learning community. In order to bolster our knowledge resources and obtain and maintain a competitive edge in the world, we require a system of identification and nurturing of talent and lifelong learning.Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school [1] or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. [3] Traditionally, this usually involved correspondence courses, wherein the student corresponded with the school via mail. Distance education is a technology-mediated modality that has evolved with the evolution of technologies such as video conferencing, TV, and the Internet. [4] Today, it usually involves online education, and the learning is usually mediated by some form of technology. A distance learning programme can be completely distance learning or a combination of distance learning and traditional classroom instruction (called hybrid [5] or blended). [6] Other modalities include distance learning with a complementary virtual environment or teaching in a virtual environment (e-learning). [3]
Massive open online courses (MOOCs), offering large-scale interactive participation and open access through the World Wide Web or other network technologies, are recent educational modes in distance education. [1] A number of other terms (distributed learning, e-learning, m-learning, online learning, virtual classroom, etc.) are used roughly synonymously with distance education. E-learning has proven to be a useful educational tool. E-learning should be an interactive process with multiple learning modes for all learners at various levels of learning. The distance learning environment is an exciting place to learn new things, collaborate with others, and retain self-discipline. [7]The modern use of electronic educational technology (also called e-learning) facilitates distance learning and independent learning through the extensive use of information and communications technology (ICT), replacing traditional content delivery with postal correspondence. Instruction can be synchronous and asynchronous online communication in an interactive learning environment or virtual communities in lieu of a physical classroom. "The focus is shifted to the education transaction in the form of a sustainable virtual community of learners across time." [114]
One of the most significant issues encountered in the mainstream correspondence model of distance education is transactional distance, which results from a lack of appropriate communication between learner and teacher. This gap has been observed to become wider if there is no communication between the learner and teacher and has direct implications for the learning process and future endeavours in distance education. Distance education providers began to introduce various strategies, techniques, and procedures to increase the amount of interaction between learners and teachers. These measures, e.g., more frequent face-to-face tutorials and increased use of information and communication technologies, including teleconferencing and the Internet, were designed to close the gap in transactional distance.Internet technology has enabled many forms of distance learning through open educational resources and facilities such as e-learning and MOOCs. Although the expansion of the Internet blurs the boundaries, distance education technologies are divided into two modes of delivery: synchronous learning and asynchronous learning.
In synchronous learning, all participants are "present" at the same time in a virtual classroom, as in traditional classroom teaching. It requires a timetable. Web conferencing, videoconferencing, educational television, and instructional television are examples of synchronous technology, as are direct-broadcast satellite (DBS), internet radio, live streaming, telephone, and web-based VoIP. [50]
Web conferencing software helps facilitate class meetings and usually contains additional interaction tools such as text chat, polls, hand-raising, emoticons, etc. These tools also support asynchronous participation by students who can listen to recordings of synchronous sessions. Immersive environments (notably Second Life) have also been used to enhance participant presence in distance education courses. Another form of synchronous learning in the classroom is the use of robot proxies [51], including those that allow sick students to attend classes. [52]
Some universities have been starting to use robot proxies to enable more engaging synchronous hybrid classes where both remote and in-person students can be present and interact using telerobotics devices such as the Kubi Telepresence robot stand that looks around and the Double Robot that roams around. With these telepresence robots, the remote students have a seat at the table or desk instead of being on a screen on the wall. [53[54]
In asynchronous learning, participants access course materials flexibly on their schedules. Students are not required to be together at the same time. Mail correspondence, which is the oldest form of distance education, is an asynchronous delivery technology, as are message board forums, e-mail, video and audio recordings, print materials, voicemail, and fax. [50]
The two methods can be combined. Many courses offered by both open universities and an increasing number of campus-based institutions use periodic residential or day teaching sessions to supplement the sessions delivered at a distance. [55] This type of mixed distance and campus-based education has recently come to be called "blended learning" or, less often "hybrid learning". Many open universities use a blend of technologies and a blend of learning modalities (face-to-face, distance, and hybrid), all under the rubric of "distance learning".
Distance learning can also use interactive radio instruction (IRI), interactive audio instruction (IAI), online virtual worlds, digital games, webinars, and webcasts, all of which are referred to as e-learning."
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