ROLE OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY IN NEW GENERATION OF ODL ESPECIALLY IN THE CONTEXT OF URDU MEDIUM HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

The Open and Distance Learning is an instructional delivery system which bridges the gap between the learner & educational resources. It provides access to all categories of learners by opening the doors of education & reaches the learner at his door step or fingertips. Different technological innovations have shaped the teaching learning methodology in different generations of ODL. The present generation of ODL largely depends on computers; the computers have a key role to play at higher education by increasing the students’ awareness about various programmes, admission process, gathering of knowledge, providing instructional material in the form of print, non-print materials. It also does evaluation of the students, declaration of results, storage & transfer of data and augments interaction. Computers are extensively useful in planning, printing, research & other administrative issues in the new generation of ODL. The role of computer in teaching learning has increased manifold by the use of computers for dissemination of information about the programmes (courses), contents, useful dates (deadlines) in the form of website, teleconference, pod casting etc. Now, computers have not remained confined only to the desktop of an office, the Internet connectivity has increased the horizons to entire globe. This is of the prime importance to the ODL institutes to increase reach to the all section of the society. The computer usage is also not confined to English language alone; the indigenous languages are also making extensive use of computers in ODL. The authors discuss various aspects of the use of computers in newer generation of open distance learning especially in the context of Urdu medium higher education.

Keywords: Computer Technology, New Generation of ODL, Urdu Medium Higher Education

Computer Technology and its different usage in education

Computers play a vital role in every field of the world. They are being used in the industrial processes, business & marketing. They are the heart of the software industry. They play a very significant role in education. The advantages of computers in education include an efficient storage of information, quick information processing, searching the information, maintaining the records and storing the data.

Computers are not only storage device & processing units, but also are excellent communication media. They are the means to access the Internet & get connected to the world. They are also an effective audio-visual medium & it can be used for communication purpose.

Computer plays a significant role in the present system of education because students find it easier to refer the Internet rather than searching information in racks of reference books in Library. It is easier to store information on computers than maintaining hand written notes. Computers facilitate an efficient storage & effective presentation of information. Presentation software like power point & animation software like flash are useful in teaching learning. Computer-aided programmes facilitate an audio-visual representation of information, thus, making the process of learning interactive & interesting. Computer-aided teaching adds a fun element to teaching & learning process. Now, Internet is also very much essential to ease the education process. It is an enormous information base; it can be harnessed for the retrieval of information on a wide variety of subjects.

Moreover, computers facilitate an electronic format for storage of information, thereby saving paper and protecting environment. Electronically erasable memory devices can be used repeatedly, thus, computer become more environment friendly. They offer a robust storage of data & reliable data retrieval. The computer technology thus supplements and helps, eases the process of learning.

Computer technology is being used in teaching learning process. It is being done in four different ways.

1. Computer Assisted Instruction(CAI): Uses the computer as a self contained teaching machine to present discrete lessons to achieve specific but, limited educational objectives. The Different CAI modes are drill & practice, tutorial, simulations, games & also problem-solving.
2. Computer Managed Instruction (CMI): Computer work as a storage device to maintain the records & progress of students.
3. Computer Mediated Communication (CMC): Describes computer applications that facilitate communications examples includes electronic mail, computer conferencing & electronic bulletin boards.
4. Computer Based Multimedia: Hyper card, hypermedia & a still developing generation of powerful, sophisticated & flexible computing tools have gained the attention of distance educators in recent years. The goal of computer based multimedia is to integrate various voice, video & computer technologies into a single, easily accessible delivery system.

Open and Distance Learning and its concept

Open learning is defined as an approach to learning that allows learners flexibility & choice over what, when, at what pace, where & how they learn. Open learning tends to be delivered via distance education that is characterized by separation of geographic distance & time.

Distance Education is approached in various ways with more popular formats being print, audio, video, radio broadcast, television & of course computers & the Internet. It is characterized by separation of geographic distance & time. Thus, it is concluded that new generation of ODL rely highly on computer.

According to Michael Moore, “Distance education is planned learning that normally occurs in a different place from teaching & as a result requires special techniques of course design, special instructional techniques, and special methods of communication by electronic & other technology as well as special organizational & administrative arrangements”.

The Instructional Telecommunications Council defines, “The process of extending learning or delivering instructional resource- sharing opportunities to locations away from a classroom, building or site to another classroom, building or site by using video, audio, computer, multimedia communications or some combination of these with other traditional delivery methods”.

The Distance education has changed over the years and its generation is classified based on use of technology. The Distance Education concept was first used in 1873 by Anna Ticknor who created the society to encourage studies at home for the purpose of educational opportunities for women of all classes in the society. Then it got shape as a correspondence education, but technology based distance education might be best linked to the introduction of audiovisual devices into the schools in the early 1900s. The first catalogue of instruction films appeared in 1910. The slides & motion pictures were introduced in 1920. In 1930s the instructional radio was used but, it failed. Again in 1932 the television was introduced for teaching learning process. In 1940 television was successful in reaching the interest of educators. And Distance Education programme which exist today have a wide range of approaches. The computer and internet are the main tools which are mostly used by the present distance learner and they made the learning very easy and simple.

Online education and distance learning have given a new dimension to the field of education and higher learning. Today, students do not necessarily need to be physically present in classrooms. Many educational institutes offer online courses to their students. Most of the schools and colleges offer online assignment submission facilities. Students can submit their homework and test assignments through the Internet. Many universities offer online education programs wherein the students can interact with their teachers over the web, access reference material from the University website and earn degrees online!

Computer in ODL

In recent years there is a rapid development of computer technology & networks. These development have made the computer a dynamic force in distance learning

Internet & Distance Learning

• Electronic mail(e-mail)-Like, email is used to exchange messages or other information with people. Instead of being delivered by the postal service to a postal address, e-mail is delivered by Internet software through a computer network to a user address.
• Bulletin boards- Many Bulletin boards can be accessed through the Internet are USENET. USENET is a collection of everything from supercomputer design to bungee cord jumping & ranging in distribution from the whole to single institutions. It is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system.

Some instructional possibilities of Internet in ODL include

• Using e-mail for informal one-to-one correspondence. Feedback from the instructor can be received more quickly than messages sent by mail. Students can read messages at their convenience & easily store them for later reference.
• Establishing a classroom bulletin board. Distant students often work in isolation without the assistance & support of fellow students. Setting up a class bulletin board can encourage student to student interaction. With a class computer conference, individual students can post their comments or questions to the class & every other individual is free to respond the conference can also be used to post all modifications to the class schedule or curriculum, assignment/tools & answers to assignment/tests.
• Engaging students in dialogue with other students, faculty & researchers by encouraging them to join a bulletin board on topic related to the class.
• Developing a classroom home page. The homepage can cover information about the class including the syllabus, exercises, literature reference & the instructor’s biography the instructor can also provide links to information on the WWW that would be useful to students in the class.

E-learning comprises all forms of electronically supported learning & teaching. The information & communication systems, whether networked or not, serve as specific media to implement the learning process.

E-learning is essentially the computer & network-enabled transfer of skills & knowledge. E-learning applications & processes include web-based learning, computer-based learning, virtual classroom opportunities & digital collaboration.

Content is delivered via the Internet, intranet/extranet, audio or video tape, satellite TV & CD-ROM. It can be self-pace or instructor-led & includes media in the form of text, image, animation, streaming video & audio.

Computer Usage in Urdu Language and Urdu medium Higher Education

Following technological innovations are being utilized in higher education Urdu Medium Distance learning. Computer technology is so powerful and useful today that it has made its place in Urdu medium Higher education ODL also. There are various aspects in which the computer is being used to ease the work like the typing of Brochure in Urdu. The InPage software helps in, preparing pamphlets in Urdu, Self Learning Material (SLM) for subjects like Urdu, History, Economics & Education etc. The preparation of Question papers are also made in Urdu through computer. The process of communication is done through letters and Short Message Service (sms) of mobile. The sms is used to communicate with the students and answer their queries. The entrance test and its evaluation is totally dependent on the computer and other technology. The answer sheets are corrected through OMR sheets and then some particular formula is set to evaluate and assign the ranks and online result is given on the website. The institution prepares the audio and video programmes related to the content. These are then uploaded on the website so that the student can listen and see the audio video programmes any time according their convenience. The programmes are prepared in Urdu Language. The institutions are preparing E-learning Programme like Computer Assisted Instruction package in Urdu language and provided to students on the websites. Therefore, the students can easily learn the content and get mastery over it.

Scope of further use of computer technology

The Web site can be provided in Urdu language which contains content of all subjects, books, question papers, results, applications, deadlines and updates related to any course or programme. The programmes like computer conferencing and pod casting can be facilitated for the students. There is a provision of submission of fees through online banking which will help the students to save their time and money. The online registration and online exams are the most advanced techniques, which can ease the work of the institution and the students.

Conclusion

Computer is a dynamic electronic device. This is not only takes the input and gives output but, also has potential in the field of artificial intelligence. It is left to all those who are involved in teaching, learning, research, supervision and guidance in education to harness the potentials of computer technology. The internet provides ample opportunities of sharing experiences and building upon the capacities in education system. Hence, it is proposed to take up large number of researches in Indian languages like Urdu for utilization of computer technology.