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.