Online Education

1. Introduction -:

Education is crucial to socio economic development of the individual as well as of the society. The perceived cost benefits of mass distance education have attracted the focus of educational planners. The global economic instability has made the efficiency with which educational resources are used as a fundamental consideration in both developed and developing countries. From a government perceptive, distance education appears to offer certain benefit.

Distance Education promotes the universal access to education. It is an equitable access to education. It accesses to the disadvantaged individuals who cannot attend conventional school of higher educational institutions, to previously disadvantaged people who could benefit from  ???second chance??? of access to education, and to working people who could benefit from retaining professional updating or personal development. Moreover, the provision of continuing professional education, community education courses, and a wide range of other non formal education program via the distance education mode highlights a commitment not only to equity and access, but also to the recognition that education is an ongoing, lifelong process. Increasingly, individuals need to update their skills and knowledge several times during their working life.

In other words, distance education provides an attractive cost effective non-formal channel for tertiary education and supplements the conventional educational university system and reduces the pressure on it. It also strengthens and diversifies the degree, diploma and certificate courses related to employment. It also builds the economy of the country on the basis of its natural and human resources. Therefore many distance education directorates have been set up and Open Universities have been established.

Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University was established in 1989 in Maharashtra. It is the fifth state university in India. Since its inception, it has launched professional, vocational, technical and general programs. There are more than 154 programs run by the University. It  has  developed more than 1474 Self -Instructional  Books,  329 Video films and 311 Audio films for various  Programmes of the University.  Moreover University runs more than 2646 Study Centers for various programmes of the university.

Out of all the programmes, enrolment in B.A. programme is nearly 60%.  Moreover there are 75 courses are developed for B.A. programme, (Preparatory Programme 05, First year B.A. Programme 06, Second year B.A. Programme 16, Third year B.A. Programme 48) YCMOU runs more than 325 Study Centres for B.A. programme of the University and there are  more than 10,394 counsellors working at the Study Centres for B.A. programme only. Out of which  927 Counsellors(Amaravati:81, Aurangabad:89, Mumbai:83, Nagpur:48, Nashik:205,Pune:150,Kolhapur:123, and Nanded:148) are Counselling for English Subject.

Most of the Counselors are regular teachers of Conventional Universities. Unlike CE, in DE, there are no daily classes and teaching. There is a Counseling. Therefore, it needs to train the teachers to get familiar with their changing role. They are expected neither to teach nor to come daily at Study Centers. To be acquitted with the term Counselors and Facilitators and acquire the necessary skills, YCMOU is trying to train them.

2. Development of Counselors??? Guide:

??? Counselors??? Guide??? is very useful for the Counselors at the Study Centers. They use it at the time of their training and at the working places. There are eight subjects prescribed for B.A. programme and each Subject includes Two Courses for S.Y.B.A. and Six Courses for T.Y.B.A.

YCMOU had developed ???Counsellors??? Guide???  for Preparatory Programme and F.Y. B.A. Programme including all the Courses prescribed for the class. The university also developed Counsellors??? Guide  for  all  the subjects ,excluding English  Subject , for S.Y.B.A. & T.Y.B.A. Programme of the University. The Subjects are Marathi, Hindi, Psychology, Economics, Sociology  & Politics. The language of this training material is  in Marathi. But the Courses of Hindi  are written in Hindi and English  language was used for English Subject.

Indeed ,  it was very need to develop ???Counsellors??? Guide???  for English subject for     S.Y.B.A. & T.Y.B.A. Programme of the University.

Objectives  of the Research :

The Main Objective :

To Develop a Counselors??? Guide for  B.A. Programme of  YCMOU for English  Subject .

Sub Objectives :

To chalk down the Objectives, Nature and Content of Courses, Unit wise  of  the B.A . Programme of  YCMOU . To Classify the Units according to the Content and also according  to  the Contact Sessions . To finalize the Points for Counseling for Self -Study and for emphasizing the  points with instructions ,if any. as per each units and each contact sessions . To find out the Concepts and Area of Using A/V Aids and use of   Computers . To get familiar with Evaluation Pattern and Examination System. To Conclude each Units ,in brief ,with References for Further Study . To get acquainted with  the Concept and Nature of Open University and the Objectives of YCMOU. To get familiar with Nature and Principles of Counseling ,Rules for Recognizing the Counselors , along with the Rates of remuneration for Counseling etc .

Methodology :

For developing the Counselors??? Guide Quasi -Experimental Research Method was used. It was not the pure  experimental  research.

Only ??? One Group Post Field Work Testing` experiment was used for the research and the responses received by them were analyzed   and interpreted.

Questionnaire  tool  for testing the effectiveness of the product and  Interview tool   for  modifying the product were used.

Development of   Guide / Prototype  product

The  guide/ proto type  Product  was developed  by  the  Experienced Counselors  from the field work . They were  working as a Counselor  at the Study Centers.

Then , it was edited  by the  two experts  in that subject  and according it was modified as per their  suggestions.

And again,  it was modified as per the suggestions received by the  Experts  through Interview Schedule

Significance of the Research :

This Research was very significant to the Counselors who counsel for B.A. programme of Open Universities especially in  YCMOU. They were made  familiar  with Objectives, Nature and Content of the Courses included in the  Programme  They were provided Classification  of  the Units according to the Content and also  according to the Contact Sessions ,They were made confirmed about the Points for Counseling, Stressing the  Points while Counseling  and Points for Self -Study for the students . They were made aware to the Instructions  given while Counseling the Units of the Programme .They were also be got acquainted with the Concepts  occurred in the Programme, Unit wise, and the use  of the A/V Aids and  use of Computer at the time of Counseling .They were made familiar with Evaluation Pattern  and    Examination  System of the Programme. Conclusions of each Units were given for their memorization and  Various References also were  given for their further study .At last , they were provided a Model Question Paper of each Course for their ready reference .

Thus , this research was very useful to the Counselors ,Therefore, it is very significant to the Counselors , especially to the Counselors of English Subject .

Utility of the  Counselors??? Hand Book/ Guide :

YCMOU can use the  Guide/ Counselors??? Hand book  for its  Counselors Other Open Universities also use the format of  writing the Counselors??? Hand  Book  for preparing their hand books for their Counselors. Counselors??? Hand Book is useful for the  Training of the Counselors. Coordinators of the Study  Centers  of YCMOU may use this Hand  Book  as a guide line to  guide the newer Counselors. Counselors??? hand Book included  all the 8  Courses of B.A. Programme of  YCMOU. The Counselors  can get  guidance in other courses also in addition to  of his own. Other  teachers from Convention  Education can also follow the method of  teaching  following the steps incorporated for counseling. Teachers  from  training colleges also use the  product  as an reference book  for  teaching the content of ,???Content cum Methodology??? for  D.ED. & B.ED.  teacher-students. Interested readers also use the  Product  as  a curiosity to  acquaint with the counseling.

Suggestions for  Using the Teachers??? Hand Book/Guide/ Product.

Every  Counselors at the study centers has to read full course first. Then they are asked to read the  summary given  of  each course. It is also better to read the reference books those were suggested in the manual. Then  it is better for them to  think of the new concepts given . Then  thinking of using audio- visual aids. Then  it is  necessary to  plan  about  counseling  part, self study part and emphasizing part . Planning for giving various  learning experiences is the next step then. Various  suggestions for  following self study  are also helpful  on the part of  the  students. Introduction to the reference books  and some description of them will motivate the  students to  read those books. Arrangement  of  assignment  to the students  will make them to read  the taught portion home. Suggestions for  preparation for the next counseling  for the students also  make them to read the next part of the course.

References:

1 Chaugule S.S. (May 2004)Preparatory Programme : Study center Guide, Y C M Open university, Nashik

2.Chaugule S.S. (September,  2004)Counsellors??? Guide for First Year B.A. B.Com. Study center Guide, Y C M Open university, Nashik

3.Chaugule S.S.(Editor) (October, 2005) Counsellors??? Guide for Second and  Third Year B.A. (Marathi). Y C M Open university, Nashik

4. Chaugule S.S.(Editor) (October, 2005) Counsellors??? Guide for Second and  Third Year B.A. (History). Y C M Open university, Nashik

5.Chaugule S.S.(Editor) (October, 2005) Counsellors??? Guide for Second and  Third Year  B.A. (Psychology). Y C M Open university, Nashik

6 Chaugule S.S.(Editor) (December,2005) Counsellors??? Guide for Second and  Third Year B.A. (Politics). Y C M Open university, Nashik

7. Chaugule S.S.(Editor) (March,2006) Counsellors??? Guide for Second and  Third Year  B.A. (Hindi). Y C M Open university, Nashik

8 Chaugule S.S.(Editor) (April, 2006) Counsellors??? Guide for Second and  Third Year B.A. (Economics). Y C M Open university, Nashik

9 Chaugule S.S.(Editor) (May , 2006) Counsellors???

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