Bharat SainiLast Updated on June 18, 2017 by Bharat Saini
SWAYAM or Study Webs of Active–Learning for Young Aspiring Minds programme of Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, will get a boost with Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Advisor, Govt. of India; conducting at IIT-Delhi; a 40 hour course in the form of a ten-day lecture series scheduled between late May and early June 2017; to focus on major ‘Trends in Indian Economy’, with participation of a galaxy of economics professors from reputed Indian institutes, including St Stephen’s College, Sri Ram College of Commerce, Lady Shri Ram College and Hindu College among others. This will be video recorded and subsequently converted into a SWAYAM MOOC, Massive Online Open Course.
Online learning is gaining momentum globally because of its flexibility, low cost, easy accessibility, increased effectiveness of education technology and the growth in number of internet users. According to recent research, the global MOOC market is set to grow at a CAGR of over 46% from 2015 to 2019, and data collected by MOOC aggregator site Class Central revealed that 35 million people enrolled in online courses in the last four years with 2015 enrollments doubling from 2014.
SWAYAM is an instrument for self-actualization providing opportunities for a life-long learning. Here learner can choose from hundreds of courses , virtually every course that is taught at the university / college / school level and these shall be offered by best of the teachers in India and elsewhere. If a student is studying in any college, he/she can transfer the credits earned by taking these courses into their academic record. If, working or not working, in school or out of school, SWAYAM presents a unique educational opportunity to expand the horizons of knowledge.
- SWAYAM is a programme initiated by Government of India and designed to achieve the three cardinal principles of Education Policy: access, equity and quality.
- The objective of this effort is to take the best teaching learning resources to all, including the most disadvantaged.
- SWAYAM seeks to bridge the digital divide for students who have hitherto remained untouched by the digital revolution and have not been able to join the mainstream of the knowledge economy.
This is done through an indigenous developed IT platform that facilitates hosting of all the courses, taught in classrooms from 9th class till post-graduation to be accessed by anyone, anywhere at any time. All the courses are interactive, prepared by the best teachers in the country and are available, free of cost to the residents in India. More than 1,000 specially chosen faculty and teachers from across the Country have participated in preparing these courses.
SWAYAM’s learning experience will be enriched by using audio-video and multi-media and state of the art pedagogy / technology and courses will be hosted in 4 quadrants:
- Video lecture
- Specially prepared reading material that can be downloaded/printed
- Self-assessment tests through tests and quizzes and
- An online discussion forum for clearing the doubts.
Seven National Coordinators have been appointed to ensure best quality content are produced and delivered, they are: The future belongs to India-the largest vibrant democracy in the world, teeming with opportunities. With hope in their eyes and a yearning to learn, the youth of this great nation awaits a new paradigm of education that fosters knowledge with analytical skills, logical reasoning and the ability to imagine beyond the given.
- National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learningthat provides e-learning through online Web and Video courses in Engineering, Sciences, Technology, Management and Humanities. This is a joint initiative by seven IITs and IISc
- University Grants Commissionfor post-graduation education.
- Consortium for Educational Communication, for under-graduate education, is one of the Inter University Centres set up by the University Grants Commission. It has been established with the goal of addressing the needs of Higher Education through the use of powerful medium of Television along with the appropriate use of emerging Information Communication Technology (ICT).
- National Council of Educational Research and Training(NCERT) and
- National Institute of Open Schooling;for school education,
- Indira Gandhi National Open Universityfor out of the school students and
- Indian Institute of Management Bangalore for management studies.
The future belongs to India-the largest vibrant democracy in the world, teeming with opportunities. With hope in their eyes and a yearning to learn, the youth of this great nation awaits a new paradigm of education that fosters knowledge with analytical skills; logical reasoning and the ability to imagine beyond the given, SWAYAM initiative could be an instrument for providing opportunities for desired learning.
