CHAPTER – I
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background
In most of the developing countries, the blackboard and chalk are the common teaching materials
in a classroom. Students cannot think about the virtual learning techniques. Teaching means
teacher should be physically presented in front of the students with chalk and duster and
delivered their lectures to the students. But now, the use of computer technology and ICT tools
are making possible for virtual learning. The concept of distance learning is emerging in each of
the academic institution. Within this distance learning environment, the mode of teaching as well
as learning has been shifted from physical to virtual environment. The physical presence is
becoming less significant and the earth is becoming a global village due to web technology and
development in ICT.
Open Mode of Learning or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on the pedagogy
and andragogy technology, and instructional systems design that aim to deliver education to
students who are not physically "on site" in a traditional classroom or campus. It has been
described as “a process to create and provide access to learning when the source of information
and the learners are separated by time and distance or both.” Rather than attending courses, the
person, teachers and students may communicate at times of their own choosing by exchanging
printed or electronic media, or through technology that allows them to communicate in real time
and through other chatting ways.
In other words, distance learning is the process of creating an educational experience of equal
quality for the learner to best suit their outside the classroom. Distance education courses that
require a physical on-site presence for any reason (including taking examinations) is considered
a hybrid or blended course of study. This emerging technology is becoming widely used in
universities and institutions around the globe. With the recent trend of technological advance,
distance learning is becoming more recognized for its potential in providing individualized
attention and communication with students internationally. Distance learning is a flexible form
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of learning where a student can study from home, work, on the move or wherever else is
convenient.
1.2
Introduction and Definition
Open Learning’ was named in one of the issues of the Pitmans Journal in 1929 (Rowntree,
1992), long before the first open university in the world (UKOU), with which the terms ‘Open
Education’ and ‘Open Learning’ are usually associated, was established i.e. (1969). Open
Learning and Distance Learning has been defined by several thinkers and writers, each
emphasizing certain aspects of the system. Some of the definitions are given below:
According to Perraton (2000), the term ‘Open Learning’, with its ambiguities about the
meaning of the term ‘Open’, has led some of its protagonists to shy away from defining it,
labeling it as a philosophy rather than a method, as if such a usage is a pretext for its vagueness.
Perraton (1997) defined ‘Open Learning’ as an “organized educational activity, based on the use
of teaching materials, in which constraints on study are minimized either in terms of access, or of
time and place, pace, methods of study or any combination of these”.
A comprehensive document entitled Open Learning by Mackenzie, Postgate and Scupham
(brought out by UNESCO in 1975) describes Open Learning as follows: “Such systems are
designed to offer opportunities for part-time study, for learning at a distance and for innovations
in the curriculum. They are intended to allow access to wider section of adult population, to
enable students to compensate for lost opportunities in the past or to acquire new skills and
qualifications for the future. Open learning systems aim to redress social or educational
inequality and to offer opportunities not provided by conventional colleges or universities”.
According to Moore (1973), “Distance Learning is the family of instructional methods in which
teaching behaviors are performed apart from learning behaviors, including those that in a
contiguous situation would be performed in the learner’s present, so that communication
between the teacher and the learner must be facilitated by print, electronic, mechanical or other
devices.”
2
According to Peters (1973), “Distance Learning is a method of imparting knowledge, skills and
attitudes which is rationalized by the application of division of labor and organizational
principles as well as by the extensive use of technical media, specially for the purpose of
reproducing high quality teaching material which makes it possible to instruct great numbers of
students at the same time wherever they live. It is an industrialized form of teaching and
learning”
According to Wedemeyer (1977), “Distance Learning consists of various forms of teachinglearning arrangements in which teachers and learners carry out their essential tasks and
responsibilities apart from one another, communicating in a variety of ways. Its purposes are to
provide learners with opportunity to continue learning in their own environments and developing
the capacity to carry on self-directed learning.”
According to Holmberg (1981),“Distance Learning is the various forms of study at all levels
which are not under continuous, immediate supervision of tutors present with their students in
lecture rooms on the same premises, but which nevertheless, benefit from the planning, guidance
and tuition of a tutorial organization.”
Distance education has been conceptualized in numerous ways, but in simple terms Distance
Education refers to a planned and regular educational provision where there is distance between
the instructor and the learner. Generally most conceptions point to the following features:
(a) Absence of a teacher
(b) Use of mixed media in teaching and learning
(c) Correspondence,
(d) Independent learning and
(e) Possibility of face-to-face meetings with tutors
In this paper, the terms Open Learning and Distance Education are used interchangeably.
3
1.3
Statement of the Problem
Nepal is a multi diversified country having different topographical variations. Due to this
variation, it is very difficult to establish educational institutions in every corner of the country.
Thus, we have a lot of non-school going children in the country. Similarly due to a poor nation it
cannot collect students in a centre to run a common school for the disadvantaged communities.
Therefore, distance mode of education is a very reliable and effective approach to educate the
children concerned. There are very limited numbers of institutions in Nepal which offer distance
mode of learning. Efforts have not been made to assess the effectiveness of those programs. The
present study will review the existing program of distance learning and suggest an appropriate
open mode of learning in the context of Nepal using modern information technologies.
In this era, every organization, institution, business practice, marketers are being publicized day
by day. There is a very little time to attend regular classes in the formal institution. Most of the
people are job holders and they perform their works online. Most of the office holders have
access to Internet. They need many more educational degrees as per the requirements of their
offices and works. Therefore, Open Mode of Learning helps as an educational tool in the present
days. It also provides the efficient learning environment using the ICT. The ICT has been
evolved in such a way that every time a businessman, a student, a worker, a job holder, a
technician, a publisher, a service provider, etc must require an Internet.
The government of Nepal has faced challenges to train school teachers. However, the
government is successful in training almost all the Primary teachers of Nepal. Teacher training is
not successful in upper grade teachers (lower secondary and secondary level) because of the
diversification of different subjects. Teachers working in schools cannot afford to spend their
time to attend regular classes in one hand. On the other hand, government cannot establish
training centers access to those teachers. The only way to address to these problems is to run
open mode of learning in this sector. Similarly, the fresh students can also be trained to meet the
growing demands of teachers in future.
4
This work will propose project-based distance learning within the context of different courses
lunched by the Open University (OU). In Nepal, up to now, no any Open University has been
started. However, Tribhuvan University and Purbanchal University have been conducting open
mode of learning in their teacher education program. Similarly, Non-formal Education Centre
and National centre for Education and Development (NCED) have also conducted open mode of
learning in school level courses. Likewise, some computer institutes are offering the distance
learning courses by the help of affiliation of some Open Universities of different countries (eg.
Indira Gandhi Open University). On Distance Learning, any University can lunch any of the
faculty courses such as Arts, Social Sciences, Science and Technology, Computer Science, IT,
management etc and brings all students together by the help of Internet.
Therefore, the problem is stated as "The Open Mode of Learning for teacher education program."
1.4
Objectives
The focus of the study is concerned with all aspects of the fact that this form of education has
abandoned face-to-face communication and replaced it by media based communication at a
distance. This fact creates a distinct set of problems essential for the existence of distance
education as a separate academic field of study within education.
The specific characteristics of distance education has led to the development of some specific
pedagogical professions, two of these are the roles of the designer of distance learning materials
and the distance teacher.
The literature on distance education still generally forecasts that print based text media will be
the most important technology for presenting the content of learning also in the foreseeable
future. Some research has been carried out on printed study material and learning from text.
The main objectives of the research are:

To assess the existing distance education mode in the country.

To identify the different possible Medias and Technologies for distance education in
context of Nepal.
5

To recommend the appropriate distance education module for teacher education
program in the context of Nepal.

To develop a prototype to demonstrate the distance education in teacher education
program by using ICT.
1.5 Significance of the Study
The impact of the Internet in education in the recent years fosters the vision of an open, global
and flexible learning. It is also obviously accepted phenomena that the integration of ICT into
education generates a set of transformations which modify all the elements which take part in the
educational process. However, this program can only be possible to run where telephone
facilities are available.
The utilization of ICT learning settings and tools in educational processes, evidently leads to
radical changes both in the role of teachers and learners and to the emergence of new teaching
and learning environments and methodologies (e-Learning, Web-based Learning, Open and
Distance Learning) as well as new training modalities(on-line training, on-site training, BlendedLearning, Instructor led Learning/Training, Classroom Training). The significances of the study
can be described in the following ways:

This study would be helpful to understand the program of distance education running in
the country.

This study would assure a comprehensive learning process via the Internet, managing the
student’s learning process by creating new instructional models.

This study would also suggest a cost effective ICT based distance mode of teacher
education program.
1.6 Delimitations of the Study
Every research activities should be made specific so that particular issue can be addressed. In the
present study the researcher tried to delimit its areas as follows:

The study was delimited to the open learning program of Purbanchal University only.
6

Necessary information is collected only from Institute of Open Learning, Purbanchal
University, Kathmandu. However, the secondary information was collected from UGC,
NCED and Lord Buddha Education Foundation.

Respondents were delimited with the students admitted in the centre and the principal of
the institution.
1.7 Organization of the Study
The organization of the research is as follows:
Chapter I
Introduction is the very first chapter of research. It includes General Background of Distance
Education, Introduction and Definition of Distance Education, Statement of the Problem,
Objectives of the Study, Significance of the Study, Delimitations of the Study and Organization
of the Study.
Chapter II
The second chapter is Literature Review that studies theories and practices. Conceptual
Framework gives overall concept: review from books, journals and previous thesis: studies
books, journals and thesis done in the relating subject are the main components of this chapter
Chapter III
The third chapter is Research Methodology. It has shown the Research Design, Sources of
Research Data, Data Collection Technique, Data Processing Methods, Tools used for Data
Analysis.
Chapter IV
The fourth chapter is Data Analysis and Presentation. At first, data were collected from Interview
and Questionnaire and then are presented and Requirement Analysis is done.
Chapter V
The fourth chapter deals with the Software Process. A software process is a set of activities and
associated results which lead to the production of a software product. The project is being
developed from the scratch. This chapter covers different topics like System Requirement
Specification (SRS), Software Design and Development, Software Validation, Project Timeline
etc.
7
Chapter VI
The last chapter of the study is Summary and Conclusion. It consists of Summary of the thesis,
the conclusion made by the researcher from findings of the research and the recommendations of
the researcher for the implementation of ICT based Teacher Education Program in Nepal.
8
CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature Review is a way to discover what other researches in the area of our problem has
uncovered, is a way to avoid investigation problems that have already been definitely answered.
2.1 Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework for literature review is given below. This will tell how the review
progresses. For this purpose some books, articles and thesis related to the topic are taken into
account. Some of them are: Open and Distance Learning Education/Training with reference to
Nepalese Perspective by Purushottam Ghimire, A case study of Nepal's Radio Education Teacher
Training Project by Holmes, Dwight R. and others etc.
S.N.
Main Topic
Sub Topic
1
Open Learning
History of Open Learning
Who are the Distance Learners?
Major benefits of use
Open learning in Nepal
2
Technologies used in delivery
3
Open Learning case studies
4
Distance media education in
Nepal
5
Benefits of Open Learning
6
Needs of Open education in
Nepal
7
Effectiveness of Open Education
in Nepal
8
Review of Related Studies
Review from Journal and Articles
Review from Previous Thesis
9
2.2 Open Learning
2.2.1 History
Distance education dates to at least as early as 1728, when "an advertisement in the Boston
Gazette 'Caleb Phillips, Teacher of the new method of Short Hand" was seeking students for
lessons to be sent weekly.[1]
Modern distance education initially relied on the development of postal services in the 19th
century and has been practiced at least since Isaac Pitman taught shorthand in Great Britain via
correspondence in the 1840s.[2] The University of London claims to be the first university to
offer distance learning degrees, establishing its External Program in 1858.[3] The Society to
Encourage Studies at Home was founded in 1873 in Boston, Massachusetts. In Australia, the
University of Queensland established its Department of Correspondence Studies in 1911.
Another pioneering institution was the University of South Africa (originally the University of
the Cape of Good Hope), which has been offering Correspondence Education courses since
1873. In New Zealand, university-level distance education or extramural study began in 1960 at
Massey University. The largest distance-education university in the United Kingdom is the Open
University, founded 1969. Spain's Public UNED (which is not an Open University) was founded in
1972. In Germany, the Fern University at in Hagen was founded 1974. In the United States,
William Rainey Harper, first president of the University of Chicago developed the concept of
extended education, whereby the research university had satellite colleges of education in the
wider community, and in 1892 he also encouraged the concept of correspondence school courses
to further promote education, an idea that was put into practice by Columbia University.[4] In
Australia, the University of Queensland established its Department of Correspondence Studies in
1911.[5]
More recently, Charles Wedemeyer of the University of Wisconsin–Madison is considered
significant in promoting methods other than the postal service to deliver distance education in
America. From 1964 to 1968, the Carnegie Foundation funded Wedemeyer's Articulated
Instructional Media Project (AIM) which brought in a variety of communications technologies
aimed at providing learning to an off-campus population. According to Moore's recounting, AIM
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impressed the UK which imported these ideas when establishing in 1969 The Open University,
which initially relied on radio and television broadcasts for much of its delivery.[6] Germany's
Fern University at in Hagen followed in 1974[7] and there are now many similar institutions
around the world, often with the name Open University (in English or in the local language). All
"open universities" use distance education technologies as delivery methodologies and some
have grown to become 'mega-universities',[8] a term coined to denote institutions with more than
100,000 students.
The development of computers and the internet have made distance learning distribution easier
and faster and have given rise to the 'virtual university, the entire educational offerings of which
are conducted online.[9] In 1996 Jones International University was launched and claims to be
the first fully online university accredited by a regional accrediting association in the US.[10]
In 2006, the Sloan Consortium, a body which arguably has a conflict of interest in the matter,
reported that: More than 96 percent of the very largest institutions (more than 15,000 total
enrollments) have some online offerings, which is more than double the rate observed for the
smallest institutions and that almost 3.2 million US students were taking at least one online
course during the fall term of 2005.[11]
Today, there are many private and public, non-profit and for-profit institutions worldwide
offering distance education courses from the most basic instruction through to the highest levels
of degree and doctoral programs. Levels of accreditation vary: some of the institutions receive
little outside oversight, and some may be fraudulent diploma mills, although in many
jurisdictions, an institution may not use terms such as "university" without accreditation and
authorization, often overseen by the national government - for example, the Quality Assurance
Agency in the UK.[12]
2.2.2 Who Are the Distance Learners?
There are various categories of people who need higher education. A large number of people in
our country do not get opportunities to go for higher education in the conventional system due to
the systemic constraints of that system. Individuals may succeed in overcoming their problems at
11
personal level but they may not be allowed to pursue their education at an opportune time
because of the restrictions imposed by the conventional education system.

Those who could not go for higher education just after schooling, but want to take higher
education at a later stage.

Those who have had higher education for some years but would like to continue their
education for improvement of their knowledge and advancement in career.

Those who have discontinued their studies for one reason or the other and want to have a
second chance.

Those who want to make their education a life long affair.

Those living in adverse situations (geographical, social, economic and the like) that are
not free to attend regular schools/colleges/universities.

Those who would like to pursue their studies without disturbing their normal and daily
routine e.g. house wives.

Those who can’t attend regular schools/colleges/universities due to physical constraints
(i.e., physically challenged people).
Distance education aims to facilitate further education and training for the above mentioned
categories of people. In reality, we have observed that many people, after completing their
schooling (10+2), take admission in open universities for higher education. This is their first and
only choice. These people do not belong to any of the above mentioned category. They may get
admission to the conventional system of education if they so desire, but they apply in thousands
for admission into various programs of open universities. In many programs, such candidates
comprise the majority of the applicants.
2.2.3 Major benefits of use
Distance education provides major benefits to at least five main markets or categories, such as:

Expanding Access: Distance education can reach underserved populations of students
who cannot attend a school that offers the educational services they desire, perhaps
because they live too far away.
12

Cost Reduction: Distance education can turn production of content into a repeatable and
durable learning tool that does not require as much infrastructure. As most material can
be packaged in an easy to deliver "just-in-time" format, the expanding payroll of
educational institutions becomes unnecessary.

Emerging Market Opportunities: Distance education fuels the public's need for
lifelong learning in education by providing access to learners not in the traditional k-12
age group.

Adapting to New Technology and Environments: Educational institutions may adopt
distance education as a means to adapt to the rapid changes in technology being used in
education today.

New Fund-raising Opportunities: Distance education creates new graduates who might
be willing to donate money to the school who would have never have been associated
with the school under the traditional system.
Source: [Web Ref. 1]
2.2.4 Open Learning in Nepal
In Nepal, the concept of 'Open and Distance Education' ODL system was started in 1957 when
the 'Adult Education Section' of the College of Education, broadcast the radio programs for
youth. This Program was transmitted twice a week since 1962 (2019). Since 1973 (10th of
Baisakh, 2030), the radio programs, based on the curriculum and the study materials, were
developed and broadcast from radio. The programs wesre focused for primary school students.
The other milestone of the use of distance mode was the use of correspondence course in teacher
training. Inspired by the result of the piloting of training program in 3 districts namely Salyan,
Baitadi and Kanchanpur in 1976 (2033 BS), the B-Level primary teacher training program for
under SLC teachers of 18 districts was conducted by expanding the program to additional 6
districts each year from 1977 to 1980 by Institute of Education (College of Education). The
program was discontinued when teacher-training program through radio was initiated by the
MOE.
13
Radio Education Teacher Training Project (RETTP) was established in 1978 (2035 BS) and the
radio lessons for teacher training was first transmitted in 1980 (4th Bhadra, 2037) for the first
time by RETTP. This broadcast was geared to provide training for in-service primary school
teachers of Nepal to improve the effectiveness of classroom teaching. RETTP was
institutionalized with cooperation and financial support from USAID under MOE in 1980.
During the first and second phase (1980-1983) to RETTP, the opportunity of B-Level training
was provided to 6,492 in-service under SLC teacher, from 72 districts of Nepal (other than
Rupandehi, Kapilvastu and Tehrathum) out of these 6,492 teachers, 4,371 (83%) teachers
appeared in exam and 3,478 (64%) of them passed the exam.
The mid-term evaluation of RETTP was made in 1983 and it was found that the training alone
was not enough for teachers and hence, content knowledge should also be provided to the
teachers. Therefore, based on the curriculum of English, Science, Math and Nepali grade 6 to 10,
the English Tuition Program was conducted in 1984 in order to upgrade the educational
qualification of teachers. During the first 2 years of this program, 204 under SLC teacher
Participated in this program. After the government made decision of upgrading the qualification
of primary school teachers as SLC pass in 1978, the RETTP started providing Basic primary
Teacher Training from 1989 (12th Asadh, 2045). In the first year, 1,585 teachers participated in
the training and out of 1,267 teacher appeared in the exam and 1,079 (85.16%) succeeded. Since
1989, this program was continued till the establishment of the Distance Education Centre. In
1990, radio programs were developed in mathematics for grade 2 and piloted in 5 schools of
Bhaktapur district. This Program was adopted from the Honduras Mathematics program for the
primary school children. The piloting was carried out in class teaching and was found highly
successful. However, it could not be continued because of the funding problem. In the wake of
the reports of National Education Commission-1992, the 'Distance Education Centre' (DEC) was
set up in 1994 with a broader concept of expanding distance education and open learning system.
It conducted various types of certification for primary level teachers and educational awareness
programs. It also broadcast Interactive Radio Instructions (DA-IRI), which was supported by
UNICEF for Grade 5 (English) and Grade 3 (Mathematics), with the purpose of facilitating the
teaching/learning process and making the learning as a fun for the kids.
14
In context of Nepal, Tribhuvan University is the largest of the six universities accounting for
about 90 percent of the student body. The university is largely based in Kathmandu, although in
recent years there has been a rapid growth to include a large number of 'affiliated colleges' some
of which are very small and specialized. The majority of these colleges offer management,
humanities and education programs and only a few offer science degrees. The curriculum for all
programs is defined by the central faculty in Kathmandu and delivered primarily by lectures at
the different colleges.
Around 89 percent of the population of Nepal live in villages, and as one of the poorest
economies in Asia, there is a large difference in the standards of living between the urban areas
and the rest of the country. Undoubtedly this is a major contributor to the fact that only 2 percent
of the total population receive higher education, and even from this there is a high drop-out rate,
as much as 50 percent (Singh, 2006) largely due to financial constraints. There are further
difficulties of educational provision in the inclusion of women, and for different castes/ethnic
minorities (Singh, 2006) and also with the social unrest in the rural areas due to ten years of
insurrection by Maoist guerrillas.
The curriculum at Tribhuvan University is diverse, and some subject areas, such as engineering,
medicine, and education command parity with the best in SE Asia. The teaching methods tend to
be very conservative, and there is an emphasis on memorization, exams, and courses that are not
resource intensive (possibly due to ongoing funding difficulties between the university and the
state (Wagley, 2006). Major problem areas are the relevance of completed degrees to employers,
the issue of equity/equality of access to higher education by different sections of society, and the
poor retention rate of students (Wagley, 2006). There has been some involvement with distance
education techniques in Nepal, largely to do with the training of teachers in rural areas
(Thapaliya, 2006) using radio, cassette tapes, and printed materials, but this pilot has been very
limited. In the 20th century, radio, television, and the internet have all been used to enhance the
program of distance education.
15
2.3 Technologies used in delivery
The types of available technologies used in distance education are divided into two groups:
Synchronous and Asynchronous.
1. Synchronous Technologies
Synchronous technology is a mode of online delivery where all participants are present at the
same time requiring a time-table to be organized. A synchronous learning environment supports
live, two-way oral and/or visual communications between the instructor and the student. This
exchange of information facilitates the transfer of knowledge from instructor to the student and
can be achieved by the use of audio response systems that support oral communications only; the
use of interactive keypad devices that support both the exchange of data and voice; or the use of
videoconferencing technologies. Synchronous learning also incorporates these elements:

Provides for dialectic learning environment with a high level of interactivity

Encourages spontaneity of responses

Allows for optimal pacing for best learning retention

Allows for immediate reinforcement of ideas

Controls length of instruction when completion time is a constraint

Is constrained by time but not place
i)
Web-based VoIP
Web-based VoIP is based on the concept of click to talk, which is a form of Web-based
communication in which a person clicks an object (i.e. button, image, or text) to request an
immediate connection with another person in real-time either by phone call, Voice-overInternet-Protocol (VoIP), or text. Click to talk requests are most commonly made through
websites but can also be initiated by hyperlinks placed in email, blogs, wikis, flash
animations, or video, and other Internet-based object or user interface. Web-based VoIP uses
the existing VoIP infrastructure but links the web object, which can be shown as Flash,
Active X, or Silver light by any kind of web page.
16
ii)
Telephone
The telephone often colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that
transmits and receives sound, most commonly the human voice. Telephones are a point-topoint communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by
large distances to talk to each other.
iii)
Videoconferencing
A videoconference or video conference (also known as a video teleconference) is a set of
interactive telecommunication technologies which allow two or more locations to interact via
two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously. It has also been called 'visual
collaboration' and is a type of groupware. Videoconferencing is designed to serve a
conference rather than individuals. It is an intermediate form of video telephony, first
deployed commercially by AT&T during the early 1970s using their Picture phone
technology.
iv)
Web conferencing
Web conferencing is used to conduct live meetings, training, or presentations via the Internet.
In a web conference, each participant sits at his or her own computer and is connected to
other participants via the internet. This can be either a downloaded application on each of the
attendees' computers or a web-based application where the attendees access the meeting by
clicking on a link distributed by e-mail (meeting invitation) to enter the conference.
v)
Direct-broadcast satellite
Direct broadcast satellite (DBS) is a term used to refer to satellite television broadcasts
intended for home reception. A designation broader than DBS would be direct-to-home
signals, or DTH. This was initially meant to distinguish the transmissions directly intended
for home viewers from cable television distribution services that sometimes carried on the
same satellite. The term DTH predates DBS and is often used in reference to services carried
by lower power satellites which required larger dishes (1.7m diameter or greater) for
reception.
vi)
Internet radio
Internet radio (also known as web radio, net radio, streaming radio and e-radio) is an audio
service transmitted via the Internet. Internet radio involves streaming media, presenting
17
listeners with a continuous stream of audio that cannot be paused or replayed, much like
traditional broadcast media. Internet radio services are usually accessible from anywhere in
the world for example, one could listen to an Australian station from Europe or America.
Internet radio services offer news, sports, talk and various genres of music every format that
is available on traditional radio stations.
vii)
Live streaming
Streaming media are multimedia that are constantly received by, and normally presented to,
an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider. The name refers to the delivery
method of the medium rather than to the medium itself. Internet television is a commonly
streamed medium. Live streaming, more specifically, means taking the video and
broadcasting it live over the Internet. The process involves a camera for the video, an
encoder to digitize the content, a video publisher where the streams are pushed to (or pulled
from the encoder - depending on the encoder) and a Content delivery Network to distribute
and deliver the content. The URL can then be viewed by end Users live. Security remains
one of the main challenges with this new methodology. However, DRM systems are the best
way to keep the content secure.
2. Asynchronous Technologies
Asynchronous technology is a mode of online delivery where participants access course
materials on their own schedule. Students are not required to be together at the same time. An
asynchronous learning environment is when communication between the instructor and the
student is not real-time. A typical example of asynchronous instruction in a distance learning
environment is the use of text materials (print or electronic) and discussion boards where
students respond to questions from the instructor or other students. Asynchronous learning also
incorporates these elements:

Provides for more opportunity for reflective thought

Not constrained by time or place

Delays reinforcement of ideas

Provides for flexibility in delivery of content
18

i)
May have higher attrition rate and may extend time for completion
Audiocassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply
tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. Compact Cassettes consist of two miniature
spools, between which a magnetically coated plastic tape is passed and wound. These spools
and their attendant parts are held inside a protective plastic shell. Two stereo pairs of tracks
(four total) or two monaural audio tracks are available on the tape; one stereo pair or one
monophonic track is played or recorded when the tape is moving in one direction and the
second pair when moving in the other direction. This reversal is achieved either by manually
flipping the cassette or by having the machine itself change the direction of tape movement
("auto-reverse").
ii)
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly called email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital
messages across the Internet or other computer networks. Originally, email was transmitted
directly from one user to another computer. This required both computers to be online at the
same time, a type of instant messaging. Today's email systems are based on a store-andforward model. Email servers accept, forward, deliver and store messages. Users no longer
need be online simultaneously and need only connect briefly, typically to an email server, for
as long as it takes to send or receive messages.
iii)
Message board forums
A message board or an Internet Forum is an online discussion site where people can hold
conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat room in that messages
are not shown in real-time, to see new messages the forum page must be reloaded. Also,
depending on the access level of a user and/or the forum set-up, a posted message might need
to be approved by a moderator before it becomes visible. Forums have their own language;
e.g. a single conversation is called a 'thread'. A forum is hierarchical or tree-like in structure:
forum - sub forum - topic - thread - reply. Depending on the forum set-up, users can be
anonymous or have to register with the forum and then subsequently login in order to post
messages. Usually you do not have to log in to read existing messages.
19
iv)
Print materials
Printed matter is a term to describe printed material produced by printers or publishers, such
as books, magazines, booklets, brochures and other publicity materials and in some cases,
newspapers. Because much of this material is mailed, it is also a category of mail, accepted
for delivery by a postal administration that is not considered to be first-class mail and
therefore qualifies for a special reduced printed matter postal rate.
v)
Voice Mail/Fax
Voicemail (also known as voice-mail, VMS, or message bank) is a centralized system of
stored telephone messages that can be retrieved by the recipient at a later time. The term is
also used more broadly to denote any system of conveying a stored telecommunications
voice message, including using an answering machine. Most cell phones have voicemail as a
basic feature, and many land line phones and corporate PBXs have their own voicemail
options.
A fax (short for facsimile) is a document sent over a telephone line.
vi)
Videocassette/DVD
Videotape is a means of recording images and sound on to magnetic tape as opposed to
movie film or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or
medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram. In most cases, a helical
scan video head rotates against the moving tape to record the data in two dimensions,
because video signals have a very high bandwidth, and static heads would require extremely
high tape speeds. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) or, more commonly
and more recently, video cassette recorders (VCRs) and video cameras.
DVD, also known as Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc, is an optical disc storage
media format, and was invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Time Warner
in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage. DVDs are of the same dimensions as
compact discs (CDs), but are capable of storing just less than seven times as much data.
There are also Learning Management Systems or, Learning Content Management Systems which
can be used for both Synchronous and Asynchronous learning. (LMS is not so much a learning
tool as a framework for an instructor to better administer the classroom.)
20
Source: [Web Ref. 1]
2.4 Open Learning Case Studies
2.4.1 Using ICT to support school-based initial teacher education, UNITED KINGDOM
This case describes the use of ICT and distance education to support the school-based training of
graduates in the United Kingdom. The program is provided by the Open University, UK and
reflects government policy to increase the role of school experience and the use of competencybased approaches in the initial preparation of teachers.
United Kingdom
Population (millions)
59.3
Size (’000 km2)
245
GDP per capita (purchasing power parity US$)
22,093
Human Development Index
0.923
Educational data
Primary
Secondary
Teaching force
283,492
464,134
228,677
255,669
All students
116
129
Female
116
139
19
13
total ’000
’000 female
Gross enrolment ratio
Pupil teacher ratio
[Source: UNDP 2001; UNESCO 2000; UNESCO 2001 Note. Population, Size, GDP, and HDI figures are for 1999; Education
figures are 1996]
Media and Technology
A combination of media was used in an integrated way by program course teams. The materials
included specially-designed printed self-study texts, study guides and course readers containing a
21
variety of selected articles; course resource packs for each student, containing print, videocassettes and audio-cassettes for each course stage. Since many of the Open University PCGE
students were older (average age, 33) than those on the full-time program and less familiar with
computers, access to computers and support in learning to use them was seen as important.
Quality, Effectiveness and Outcomes
A strong quality assurance framework was put in place to satisfy three sets of requirements:
those of the national body responsible for teacher education (the Teacher Training Agency),
those of the Open University for all its programs, and those created by the need to manage and
monitor a complex operation with many players (students, schools, mentors, tutors, head
teachers, regional centre). The program, like those from conventional institutions, was inspected
by the responsible government agency who also make the results of all inspections publicly
available on their website. The program and materials were developed with the input of external
assessors, as is usual in Open University UK courses, and external examiners were involved in
assessing students’ work and performance. The materials were of high quality and widely used
outside the program by schools and other training providers. In 1995-6, 21,000 students entered a
full-time PGCE program in the UK and 14,300 a B.Ed. program. In that year, the Open
University’s PGCE enrolled about 1,500 students, just over 7 per cent of the national total. A
survey of three cohorts of primary PGCE graduates (1994-6) found that only 21 students (2 per
cent) had not entered teaching (better than the national average). A total of 6,272 students
enrolled for the program during its life but no data was available on completion rates. The
program was particularly successful in recruiting mathematics and science graduates (shortage
subjects in the United Kingdom) and there is some evidence that the graduates from the PGCE
program stayed in post longer than younger equivalents from traditional PGCE programs. In
1999, the Open University withdrew the primary teacher program because, as a large distanceteaching institution with long preparation times for course production, it could not respond
quickly enough to the Teacher Training Agency’s new national curriculum for teachers in
mathematics, English and computer training.
2.4.2 New routes to teacher education degrees, SOUTH AFRICA
22
This case describes degree programs in teacher education provided by the University of South
Africa (UNISA), one of the world’s largest distance teaching universities. Distance education
plays a prominent role in teacher education in South Africa – more than a third of its primary and
secondary teachers were involved in distance education in 1995. The programs in this case began
as in-service ones but later diversified to include a pre-service target group too, in response to
government policy change.
South Africa
Population (millions)
42.8
Size (’000 km2)
1,221
GDP per capita (purchasing power parity US$)
8,908
Human Development Index
0.702
Educational data
Primary
Secondary
Teaching force
224,896a
113,215b
165,398a
71,452b
All students
133
95
Female
131
103
36
29
total ’000
’000 female
Gross enrolment ratio
Pupil teacher ratio
[Source: UNDP 2001; UNESCO 2000; UNESCO 2001Note. Population, Size, GDP, and HDI figures are for 1999; Education
figures are 1996; a: 1995; b: 1991]
Media and Technologies
The main medium used is print. On registration, each student receives a print ‘tutorial package’
containing a tutorial letter, self-study materials (known as study guides), information on
prescribed texts (not included) and some audio and video tapes where applicable. In most cases
the study guides are designed as ‘wraparound’ guides to the textbooks or tutorial materials.
UNISA maintains contact with students through regular tutorial letters (6 per year). These
23
provide guidance on assignments and examinations (including past papers), tutor contact names
and venues for forthcoming discussion classes.
Quality, Effectiveness and Outcomes
Quality assurance measures include the external assessment of courses and modules, the external
moderation of question papers and examination scripts. To keep the materials up-to-date, the
study guides are revised every three years and reviewed by external assessors. Turnaround of
assignments takes three weeks to give students’ feedback within a specified time. Quality
assurance for teaching practice is provided by the students’ workbooks recording their activities
and lesson plans and the assessment of teaching practice according to a common set of criteria
plus a report by the supervising teacher to UNISA. The differences in the two target audiences,
in terms of their teaching experience and the role it plays for them within the program, raises
some issues for the management of the teaching practice of the two groups and the kinds of
support materials provided. However, there was no information available on this in the draft
materials available for this summary. The annual pass rates for the individual modules vary
between 40 per cent and 65 per cent. Almost 70 per cent of all enrolments ultimately graduate
though taking more than the minimum time allowed to do so. UNISA as a whole has experienced
an overall drop in enrolments in its programs and this has limited the amount of funding
available to support new initiatives in general and the development of student support in
particular. This has been offset to some extent by improvements in government subsidy earned
by increased pass rates.
2.4.3 Developing primary teachers' knowledge and skills in child guidance, INDIA
This case describes a program in Child Guidance for primary teachers, parents and social
workers, provided by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in India. Using
printed text, audio and video materials it provides a practically-oriented non-specialist program
which is not otherwise available. The numbers of students have been relatively small (less than a
thousand per year).
24
India
Population (millions)
992.7
Size (’000 km2)
3,288
GDP per capita (purchasing power parity US$)
2,248
Human Development Index
0.571
Educational data
Primary
Secondary
Teaching force
1,789,733
--
584,953
--
All students
100
49
Female
90
39
47
33
total ’000
’000 female
Gross enrolment ratio
Pupil teacher ratio
[Source: UNDP 2001; UNESCO 2000; UNESCO 2001 Note. Population, Size, GDP, and HDI figures are for 1999; Education
figures are 1996]
Media and Technology
IGNOU is equipped to use a variety of media and technology (radio and television, audioteleconferencing, audio- and video-cassettes, phone-in radio programs and print). However, for
the Certificate in Guidance program, appropriate technology choices were print, audio- and
video-cassettes (low cost to produce and use, accessible by students). Print materials were the
main medium for the program and, for some students, the only one they used. Print alone was
available in the early years of the program and audio and video-cassettes were added later as
supplementary material. The video-cassettes are available at local study centres for viewing
there, usually during the tutor-led sessions.
Quality, Effectiveness and Outcomes
The program is regarded by the providers (NCERT and IGNOU) as a good one, with high
quality curriculum, assignment design and printed materials (purchased by those outside the
25
program too). It has been able to take advantage of its location in a large distance teaching
university and the services and resources that this can offer. The providers see the program as
serving a useful social purpose and meeting needs otherwise neglected. However, they are also
concerned at the relatively small numbers enrolling (less than a thousand each year) and low
completion rates. Between 1993 and 2001 a total of 6,546 students enrolled for the program (an
average of about 700 students a year). Of the 5,659 students enrolling between 1993 and 2000,
887 (15.7 per cent) have successfully completed it. One reason for this appears to be the heavy
study demands of the program which is constrained by the assessment requirements of a credited
course. The question of whether or not a course of this kind should be examined and accredited
has been debated by the providers. Other reasons identified include weaknesses in the learner
support provided, a need for simpler language in the study materials and speedier feedback to
students on their written work, and the heavy workload involved. No evaluation has been done of
the impact of the program on teachers’ work in schools. The program has attracted more women
than men: 68 per cent female and 32 per cent male for students enrolling 1999-2001; 15 per cent
of students come from Deprived Sections of Society (according to the Government’s
classification; 50 per cent of places in educational institutions are reserved for Deprived Sections
as affirmative action).
2.4.4 Reaching teachers through television, CHINA
This case describes the provision of large-scale teacher education through a national distance
teaching institution, the China Television Teachers College (CTVTC), a part of the China
Central Radio and Television University (CCRTVU) since 1994. Distance education is included
in China’s strategic planning for teacher education and plays a significant role in initial teacher
China
Population (millions)
1,264.8
Size (’000 km2)
9,597a
GDP per capita (purchasing power parity US$)
3,617
Human Development Index
0.718
Educational data
Primary
26
Secondary
Teaching force
5,735,790
4,217,947
2,718,842
1,537,605
All students
123
70
Female
123
66
24
17
total ’000
’000 female
Gross enrolment ratio
Pupil teacher ratio
[Source: UNDP 2001; UNESCO 2000; UNESCO 2001 Notes. Population, Size, GDP, and HDI figures are for 1999; Education
figures are 1996; a: Figure includes Taiwan, China]
Media and Technology
The main teaching medium is television. Through the use of satellite technology, most areas of
China can receive television. China has over 100 educational television channels operating at
national and regional levels. CCRTVU (China Central Radio and Television University)
transmits its programs through China Central TV and China Education TV (about 9,000 hours
per year). CTVTC (China Television Teachers College) programs are part of these. Through
CETV-3 (Channel 3 of China Education TV, dedicated to basic education), CTVTC provides
750 hours a year of continuing education programs for teachers and school principals. Videocassette recordings of television programs are made at local levels (district and county) for use in
face-to-classes or meetings at local centres. Face-to-face meetings are held at local study centres
for registered students on award-bearing programs. Some related printed materials are available,
often in the form of regular textbooks. Audio-cassettes are used to a lesser extent and radio very
little. Recently, some multi-media packages have been developed (print, audio- and videocassettes).
Quality, Effectiveness and Outcomes
Quality tends to be judged on the numbers of qualified teachers produced and the reputation of
academics and presenters. The television presenters and textbook writers were all well-known
professors and scholars in teacher education in China and this was taken as an indicator of the
27
quality of the courses. Annual figures for enrolment and completion rates were not available, but
some cumulative figures were between 1987 and 1999, 717,300 unqualified primary teachers
gained certificates (the award for secondary school level teacher training) through CTVTC and
became qualified for primary teaching, and 552,000 unqualified secondary school teachers
(mostly junior-secondary) gained diplomas. A new trial program (‘Open Entrance Program’) was
begun in 1997 to upgrade qualified primary teachers from certificate to diploma level. This
allowed teachers to enroll for the program without taking the customary entrance examinations
and giving longer to complete (8 years). For this, the diploma examinations are set and assessed
by the Self-Taught Examinations Office (an independent examination body under the Ministry of
Education) while CTVTC provide the programs. Up to 1999, 85,000 teachers were enrolled. In
1999, a second new program (and CCRTVU’s first degree program) was begun (‘Pilot Program
of Open Education’), offering degrees and diplomas, similar to the ‘Open Entrance Program’ but
differing from it in locating control over assessment with CCRTVU. As part of this venture,
CTVTC began in 1999 to offer a program in educational management leading to a college-level
higher diploma for primary school principals and administrators. By April 2001, 29,000 students
were registered for this program. Finally, the continuing education series of television programs
are estimated to reach two million teachers annually. Though efficiency, cost-effectiveness and
quality is difficult to judge on the limited data available, there is wide acceptance in China that,
without the distance education program, numbers of teachers and school principals, especially in
rural areas, would not have been able to qualify as teachers, or upgrade their qualifications, or
have access to continuing education programs.
Source: [Web Ref. 2]
2.5 Distance Media Education in Nepal
In order to promote Distance Media Education in Nepal, Radio Nepal, Nepal Television are
playing major role. Private radio station and TV channel, which are recently established and
other media companies also have become active role in providing media education.
Some of the education programs broadcast through radio Nepal is:
28
S.N
Program
Description
1
Bhanjang Choutari
Interactive
Frequency
Radio Twice a week
Instruction for early
childhood
development
2
Hatemalo
Children Program
Sunday, Wednesday
3
Bal Aawaj
Children Program
Once a week
4
Bal Karyakram
Children Program
Once a week
5
Agricultural Program
Twice a week
6
Environmental Program
6 days a week
7
Women's Program
Twice a week
8
Health Program
Twice a week
9
Teacher's Training
6 days a week
10
Population Program
Once a week
11
Tourism Program
Once a week
The Distance Education Radio Program "Service Brings Reward" was introduced with a major
objective to upgrade the reproductive health and contraceptive method's knowledge and skills of
the grassroots level health workers. The program was introduced on Dang district in a trial basis
at the end of December 1995 and completed broadcasting in the Mid West Region in the first
week of June 1996.The test result show that the participants increased their knowledge, positive
attitudes and skills as results of the program. They found the program was helpful in refreshing
them. They gained new information and skills in the area of well-planned family, contraceptive
methods and counseling, preliminary analysis of the impact evaluation shows some promising
results. Despite many problem encounters in putting the program in place in a short time, pretest, post-test knowledge scores show that in pre-test, 8 percent of the participants had scored
below 41 and none of them scored above 80%. After going through the course none of the
participants scored more than below 41 and one fourth of the participants scored more than 80%,
similarly the gain scores increased from 57 percent to 75 percent at the end of the course.
29
Preliminary result of Nepal RCP Impact Monitoring Study 1995-96 shows that as result of
Distance Education Course , quality of client -provider interaction has increased Further analysis
shows even better result when combined with four days on the spot Interpersonal
Communication and Counseling (IPC/C) training. On effectiveness scale of 1-5 the participants
rated is 3.7.
Education Media broadcasted by Nepal Television:
S.N.
Program Description
Duration
Frequency/Week
1
Krisi Karyakram
20 minutes
Everyday
20 minutes
Everyday
(Program for farmers)
2
Children's Program
3
Jagriti (Current various issues)
One a week
4
Natural Calls
One a week
5
Aayam (Informative)
One a week
6
Devi (Educational Service)
One a week
Nepal television has been broadcasting "Meena Cartoon Series". This series includes information
on cultural rights participation, protection against violence and exploitation, minimum age,
access to information, childcare facilities and social security. Similarly Meena Cartoon also
provides message on discrimination, interest of child paramount, community family
responsibility, nationality and standard of living and health care concerns. In relation to health
issues, Ministry of Information and Ministry of Health jointly banned the smoking and alcohol
related advertisements from electronic media and replaced by the advertisement of health related
programs.
Distance Education Department under the Ministry of Education broadcasts media education
from Radio Nepal. The programs of media education are designed on English, Mathematics,
Science, Environment Education, Health Education, Music, Drawing and so on. During the
academic year, 12080 hours Radio-Distance Education is planned and implemented. However,
impact study has yet not been conducted.
30
Different Educational Technology have used effectively by different countries.
Television
Radio
Face to face /Group Community Literacy program
based work
Pakistan
Pakistan
India
India
Korea
Korea
Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Nepal
Nepal
China
China
Thailand
Thailand
Thailand
Malaysia
Pacific
Island Indonesia
State
Distance Education and Mass media are particular, useful in financially difficult times .A major
shortcoming is the lack of adequate infrastructure especially in the rural area where educational
services are not needed by all accounts Distance Education efforts need to be exploited further.
Source: [Web Ref. 3]
2.6 Benefits of Open Learning
Open and Distance Learning has got its own benefits which can be listed as below:

It helps on reducing the educational differences caused by different age group.

It expands the access to education in all sectors.

It opens the opportunity of providing education to large numbers.

The maximum benefits are taken by the targeted group as the education is targeted to the
fixed target groups.

The teaching subjects can be broadened.

It helps in improving the quality of education in practice.
31

It helps in matching the international education and technology and locally available
education and technology.

It helps in providing the education to the poverty groups lacking access to studies.
2.7 Needs of Open Education in Nepal
The need of Open Education in Nepal is increasing. The students are not being able to continue
their studies due to various reasons such as poverty, continuous failure in studies, being helping
hands to their parents in farm as most of Nepalese still depend on agriculture, as well as due to
the lack of opportunities to continue with higher studies such as colleges being far from their
place. That is why the different studies are being done from school level to college level. And
few of them have been implemented as well. Dr. Bidhyanath Koirala has focused on some of the
reasons behind the need of Open Learning as below:

There are lots of student in open school since our existing education system gets 13 lakhs
students in 10 years and only 3 lakhs of them goes to S.L.C.

Among then, only 30% students continue with higher studies and rest 70% awaits open
education or open learning.

There is another group that gives exam in private and they seek for capsules for passing
exam.

The other group is of farmers. They seek for the enhancement in their knowledge and
attitude. The open learning is beneficial to them as well.

The workers and job holders are another group who tend to update their qualifications
through open learning for their promotions.

The least talented students from normal education can do well with open education. So,
they too seek for open learning.

Policeman, Armies and other busy person are also the targeted groups of open education.
The above points clarify the need of open education in all the factors and from school level to
higher studies.[13]
32
2.8 Effectiveness of Open Education
The open education has been effective in developed countries and no wonder that the country
like ours need it too. To manage open learning and distance learning has become one of the most
important issues.[14] The effectiveness of open education can be listed as:

It can provide the primary and secondary leveled education to adult learners.

Teaching in their mother tongue.

Availability of facilities regarding information technology.

Availability of fully facilitated and well equipped learning centre.

Management of required economic sources.

To provide well-organized leadership.

Managing flexible text books according to need.

Managing well trained and committed people.

Educating plans and programs being effective.

Helping students with sufficient quality.

To have the records.

Having positive view towards politics.
From above mentioned points, we can conclude that for a development and enhancement of open
education,

The programs should include variation, quality and context based.

Establishment of well equipped training centre and its management should be a major
concern.

Managing a well organized, self motivated leader.

Course should be flexible and depend on students needs.

Continuous monitoring and updating is required.

Commitment interest as well as loyalty on politics is needed.
For a developing country like ours, following problems come across with open and distance
learning:
33

Insufficient economy

Lack of well equipped IT centres.

Not having any hard and fast rules by government.

Least availability of visual and self learning materials.

Lack of well-trained technicians.

Lack of freedom.

Least valuing the Open and distance learning by the society.

Lack of political determinations. [14] [15]
2.9 Review of Related Studies
The development of information technology has become the most easily accessible medium to
gain information in any subject matter. During the research period, the researcher studied many
books, articles, visited many websites and search engines. The researcher also tried to find out
the articles related to the subject area of research.
2.9.1 Review from Journal and Articles
a) An article published in Distance Education, special volume July 2010 (2067) by
Dipendra Kumar Jha, NCED, titled "Information Communication Technology in
Education" has concluded as follows:
Information and communication technologies (ICT) have become common place entities
in all aspects of life. Across the past twenty years, the use of ICT has fundamentally
changed the practices and procedures of nearly all forms of endeavor within business and
governance. Within education, ICT has begun to have a presence but the impact has not
been as extensive as in other fields. Education is a very socially oriented activity and
quality education has traditionally been associated with strong teachers having high
degrees of personal contact with learners. The use of ICT in education lends itself to
more student-centered learning settings and often this creates some tensions for some
teachers and students. But with the world moving rapidly into digital media and
information, the role of ICT in education is becoming more and more important and this
34
importance will continue to grow and develop in the 21st century. This paper highlights
the various impacts of ICT on contemporary higher education and explores potential
future developments. The paper argues the role of ICT in transforming teaching and
learning and seeks to explore how this will impact on the way programs will be offered
and delivered in the universities and colleges of the future.
b) An article published in Distance Education, special volume July 2010 (2067) by Usha
Bhandari, Senior Trainer, TITID, titled "Issues and Challenges of Distance Learning"
has concluded as follows:
Distance learning is becoming a persistent phenomenon of today. It is considered as an
excellent method to reach those learners competing with the priorities between work,
home and education. It is a way of learning that focuses on releasing learners from the
constraints of time and place whilst offering flexible learning opportunities. However, it
is not free from challenging issues. Questions of maintaining quality, loss of student
motivation due to the lack of interaction with teachers and peers, increasing use of
technology and issues regarding access and equity are mostly raised issues in distance
learning.
c) Information Technology Education in Nepal An Perspective, Dr. Subarna Shakya
(Dept. of Electronics and Computer Engineering, Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk,
Lalitpur, Nepal), and Deepak Rauniar, (M.Comp) (Employees Provident Fund, Sanchaya
Kosh Building, Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal) concluded as follows:
The Information Technology revolution is going on. It has been making significant
impacts on our day lives and has changed the very landscape of human existence. The IT
industry today stands as the maximum growth industry and demands for core IT
professionals have been on the rise and is growing worldwide. The demand of these
professionals has been so huge worldwide that at present the demand simply outnumbers
the supply of these professionals. As a result of the same, rapid growth in highly skilled
IT occupations, low unemployment rate, rising salaries etc. have become typical
35
attributes of this profession. With regards to the opportunities available in the IT
profession, of recent there has been an extraordinary demand for IT related courses from
students worldwide. Nepal is no exception to the same and demand for IT related courses
have been on the rise here as well. To cater to this demand, like their counterparts abroad,
universities and colleges in Nepal have also come out extensively with IT related courses
and programs. In this paper, an attempt has been made to critically investigate the
prevailing IT education scenario in Nepal. The paper also provides key recommendations
with regards to the steps that need to be taken to enhance the overall quality of IT
education in Nepal.
d) An article published in Distance Education, special volume July 2010 (2067) by Usha
Dixit, Director NCED, Ministry of Education, Nepal, titled "Use of ICT in Teacher
Training: Nepal’s Experience” has concluded as:
The use of ICT in teacher training in Nepal was initiated with radio based distance
education system in 1980. Its focus was to enhance the professional capabilities of under
SLC in service primary teachers. Later on, in 1993, as per the Government policy, every
primary teacher was supposed to undergo 10 month training. The 10 month training
package was split into 4 modules of 2.5 month each of which the second and the third
modules were imparted through the distance mode. When Teacher Training Project was
implemented in 2002 multi purpose media centres were constructed in Educational
Training Centres with a focus on media based teacher education system.ICT policy of the
Govt is developed and ICT was given a high priority in education, specially in teacher
training. ICT labs are being developed in 5 development regions of the country and
Master Trainers are being prepared. ICT can play a vital role not only in meeting the
local situation and coordinating inter-pectoral needs of disadvantaged population but also
in enhancing teaching learning environment and teaching learning outcome.
2.9.2 Review from Previous Thesis
a) “Distance Learning and Teacher Education in Botswana: Opportunities and
Challenges”, Anne L. Sikwibele and Judith K. Mungoo,
36
This paper reports on a study at Molepolole College of Education (MCE) involving
teachers and tutors in the Diploma in Primary Education (DPE) program by distance
mode, an in-service program aimed at upgrading academic and professional
qualifications of primary school teachers in Botswana. The study sought to understand
the level of access and the challenges faced by teachers and tutors. Data was collected
through in-depth interviews, survey, and document analysis. Findings showed that
teachers should be enrolled in the program at a younger age, and issues that lead to delays
in completion must be addressed. The paper recommends that the Ministry of Education
(MOE) hire full-time tutors to support teachers at their bases, provide resources for
practical subjects, organize workshops to familiarize tutors with appropriate strategies for
adult learners, increase the duration of residential sessions, explore the use of alternative
instructional technologies, and institute regular customer evaluations.
The Diploma in Primary Education program offered by distance mode holds enormous
potential for upgrading certificate holders to the diploma level. For instance, since 1999,
more than 3,000 primary school teachers have gone through the program. This is a large
workforce that can have a great impact on basic education in Botswana. However, if their
training is compromised, it can have serious repercussions on the quality of basic
education. Although teachers appreciate the opportunity accorded to them and the skill
and knowledge they have acquired in the program, they are concerned about the
challenges they face and the length of time it takes to graduate. The challenges, which
include limited learner support from tutors, frequent turnover of tutors, inadequate
learning materials, late delivery of modules, and others are real and need to be addressed.
The aforementioned challenges make it imperative for the government to radically
improve the implementation of the program so it is responsive to the needs of teachers
and tutors. Failure to respond appropriately to these issues may compromise the quality
of primary school teachers and consequently the quality of basic education in the country.
The study has not listed all of the challenges facing the distance DPE program; rather, it
has tried to describe the state of affairs in the program to stimulate further research,
discussion, and action.
37
In the light of the above findings, the following measures are suggested to improve the
program:

The Ministry of Education should hire full-time tutors to visit and assist teachers at
their bases.

Seminars and workshops should be organized to familiarize tutors with appropriate
strategies for assisting adult learners.

The duration of residential sessions as well as the number of contact hours between
tutors and teachers should be increased to accommodate learners’ needs.

The Ministry of Education should provide resources for practical subjects, such as art,
music, and computer education, so teachers can gain practical experience.

Alternative modes of instructional delivery should be explored, such as Internet,
telecommunication, videoconferencing, web conferencing, CD-ROM, audiocassette,
and e-mail, instead of relying entirely on print media for course materials.

Customer evaluation of the program should be conducted on a regular basis.
b) “Nepal: Training Teachers at a Distance: A case study of Nepal's radio education
teacher training project”, Holmes, Dwight R. and others,
This publication documents the ongoing efforts of the multi-faceted distance learning
system. At the heart of this system is radio broadcasts designed especially for untrained
primary school teachers. A case study of the Radio Education Teacher Training Project
(RETTP) is presented in four parts. The first part provides a brief overview of Nepal's
sociopolitical development in the past 40 years with particular reference to changes in
educational policy begun under the National education System Plan 91970-76). Part two
summarizes the RETTP's critical attributes and benchmarks, including the evolution of
key course components and the impact of major policy shifts which occurred in 1984 and
1987. A comparative cost-effectiveness analysis of the RETTP's latest program, Basic
Teacher Training, and its conventional face-to-face alternatives is presented in part 3. The
study concludes in part 4 with a summary of the lessons that Nepal's experiences with the
38
distance training of teachers offer to policy makers elsewhere. Fifteen tables providing
cost analyses are appended.
c) “Students Perceptions of Distance Learning, Online Learning and the Traditional
Classroom”, John O’Malley (Department of Management and Business Systems),
Harrison McCraw (Department of Accounting and Finance), Richards College of
Business, Stte University of West Georgia,
Until the late 1980’s, the primary educational delivery model for collegiate professorial
staff was essentially the traditional lecture. Student populations consisted of single,
residential 18-23 year olds although working, non-traditional students had begun to
increase dramatically. As we approach the year 2000, the student population has
continued to change to married, employed, and non-residential students [1]. Due to new
technologies, knowledge delivery modules have also changed to include on-line
(education access through the Internet) and distance education (interactive learning).
Often these new educational technologies are implemented without fully understanding
their impact. Based on a study done at a medium sized state university, we have found
that distance learning and on-line learning technologies are perceived by students as
having some benefits although they are not necessarily knowledge related. Students seem
to have much more negative beliefs about DL than OL. Generally, students do not
perceive that DL is as effective as traditional methodologies. The only perceived benefit
of DL is that of working well with their schedules. In addition, students do not want to
take more DL courses.
Some of the reviews of Distance Learning Research from Researcher in tabular form:
Study
Dr.
Subarna
Deepak Rauniar
Topic of Analysis
Shakya
and Information Technology
Findings
-
very
limited
qualified
Education in Nepal An Inner
faculties
Perspective
- most of the institutions were
using faculties from other
39
disciplines than IT to teach
core IT/Computing courses
-
very
limited
full
time
faculties
Frank
Rennie
and
Robin The Development of
Mason
- internet access is not so good
Distributed Learning
Techniques in Bhutan and
Nepal
Randy Garrison
Theoretical Challenges for
- most distance education
Distance Education in the 21st
theory
Century: A Shift from
organizational and structural
Structural to Transactional
assumptions
was
dominated
by
Issues
Carol Anger Richmond
An appreciative paradigm of
-
Continuous
learning
learning persistence and
persistence and success in
success in online courses
online
courses
is
transformational
John Raymond Knue, B.S.,
M.A.
The awareness and perception
-
Planning
of distance education by the
implementing
leadership in the texas state
education
technical college system
knowledgeable
experienced
for
and
distance
will
leaders
require
and
at
all
decision-making levels
Mohamed Mokhtar Bouker
Utilizing learning styles for - there is no doubt that Webeffective web-based learning based instruction will increase
Prof. J. N. Shrestha,
New Delhi, India
systems
in the near future
Asia Link Program- Distance
Mode for Higher Education
- Students enrolling DE mode
education
performed
than face to face
mode
40
better
- DE mode students involved
more in interaction at the time
of contact
sessions, more involved in
research works, paper writing
and
submitting
them
to
teachers which was lacking in
face to face mode
41
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research methodology refers to the overall research processes which a researcher conducts
during his or her study. It is the systematic way of solving research problems. It includes all the
procedures from theoretical foundation to the collection and analysis of data. Specifically, it
includes research design, population, sampling procedure, data gathering tools, data gathering
procedures, and data analysis plan.
3.1
Research Design
This study is descriptive in its nature. The main purpose of the study is to assess the situation of
open mode of learning to recommend an ICT based open mode of learning. Therefore, the
research is basically concerned with qualitative one. However, some efforts have been made to
quantify the obtained data.
3.2
Sources of Data
The students who are admitted in Institute of Open Learning, Purbanchal University, are
considered as the population of the present study. The sources of data were primary as well as
the secondary ones. Primary data were collected from survey and interview whereas the
secondary data were collected from reviewing the documents available in the office of IOL,
Kathmandu, the library of UGC, the library of NCED and Lord Buddha Education Foundation.
3.3 Data Collection Techniques
The study mostly depends on the primary as well as secondary sources of data.
3.3.1 Primary Sources of Data
Primary data were collected from survey and interview. A purposive sampling was
applied to choose the respondents. At first the students, who are acquainted with
42
information technology, were selected purposively. There were altogether 24 students in
that class. Among them, only 16 students have such skill. Therefore, the final number of
respondents was 16 students. Similarly, the chairman of the institute was also considered
as a key informant for the study.
3.3.2 Secondary Sources of Data
The secondary source of data is also applied for the research. The secondary data were
collected from reviewing the documents available in the office of IOL, Kathmandu,
UGC, NCED and different websites.
3.4 Data Processing
Collected data from the both of source are reviewed and analyzed. The process that are followed
in this research are analyzing, summarizing, calculating and sorting of data. Because data is most
useful when well-presented and actually informative, this can be easily done through figures.
First of all the data is analyzed to find out the context scenario, then it is sorted out in which of
the aspect they fit in and thereafter by summarizing and calculation of those the data are
tabulated by the use of the automated analytical tools to give a clear snapshot in a look.
3.5 Analytical Tools for Data Analysis
3.5.1 Statistical Software
Statistical software Microsoft Excel is used to validate and analyze the collected data. As
a result we can get valuable result of this research.
3.5.2 Tables and Figures
Mostly the tables and figures are used wherever it is possible to make it understandable
and readable. Data are represented in the form of chart and tables. As it is said a picture
worth thousands of word, more tables and figures are used.
43
3.5.3 E-R Diagram
E-R Diagram can work out the details of what each screen, page, frame or shot will look
like. Essentially, it is a working map of the final product. Entity relationship (E-R)
diagram is widely used tool for data modeling. E-R diagram is used to provide the control
and work with multiple tables so that we can reduce the data redundancy and make the
database simple. It also depicts numerous relationships between business entities. System
analyst draws ERD before creating DFD to model the system raw data. The main key
term used in E-R diagram are: entity/ entity class, attribute/element/ property/ field,
values, key attribute/ identifier/ primary key, record, relationship etc.
3.5.4 Data Flow Diagram
Data flow diagrams illustrate how data is processed by a system in terms of inputs and
outputs. It consists of data flows, processes sources, destinations, and stores. Some of the
types of DFD are: Context Diagram, Level-1 DFD.
3.5.5 Flow Chart
Flow chart is a visual representation for the sequence of the content of the program. It
shows what comes first, second, third etc. as well as what the audience can do if anything
happens and what can happen when they do it. A completed flowchart organizes the
topics, strategies, treatments, and options into a plan.
44
CHAPTER IV
DATA ANALYSIS
The following section contains the report of collected data from the students and the chairman of
Institute of Open University:
1. Importance of Open Mode of Learning
Students' responses on Importance of open mode of learning
SN
Statements
No. of Respondents
1
Learning of managerial as well as 10
Percent
62.5
teaching skill and knowledge without
face to face mode
2
Provide materials, contact session and 6
37.5
conduct orientation classes helped a
lot in learning
2. Procedures of Admission
The following procedures are adopted for the admission of students in this college:
i)
ii)
iii)
Publication of notice for filling up of the forms
Applicants fill up the forms for the entrance test
Successful candidates pay the admission and other fees and get admission
3. Prerequisites of the students to get admission
Candidates who have passed Bachelor's degree in any discipline with minimum required marks
in the entrance test are considered eligible for admission in the program. Other prerequisites of
the students to get admission are:
i)
Photo copy of the certificates or testimonials from SLC to Bachelor's level.
ii)
Registration certificates of the candidates in Purbanchal University.
45
4. Courses Offered
A. Compulsory Subjects
i)
Foundations of Education
ii)
Education Psychology and Evaluation
iii)
Curriculum Development
iv)
Current Practices and Issues of Nepalese School Education
B. Elective Subjects (Any one of the following)
i)
School Management and Supervision
ii)
English Education
iii)
Mathematics Education
iv)
Social Studies
v)
Nepali Education
vi)
Health Education
vii)
Population Education
viii) Science Education
5. Materials Available for the program
Students responded that they were provided all required materials according to their area of
specialization. However, this query was also put to the campus administration and the
administrator showed all the materials which were prepared as self learning materials.
5. Need of additional materials
About 25 percent respondents said that they required the updated materials because the materials
available are not revised according to the need of the current situation. The chairman also was in
the favor of the need of revisiting the reading materials. However 75 percent respondents did not
demand additional materials.
It seems that most of the students do not want to work hard. They just want to pass the exam in a
good division.
46
6. Quality of the reading materials
Self reading materials developed by the college are of good quality because they are written by
qualified and experienced professors of the reputed university of the country. However, regular
revisiting and revising the self learning packages is necessary.
7. Difficulties during the program
Students' responses on difficulties during the program
SN
Statements
No. of respondents
Percentage
1
No difficulties
4
25
2
Staying long time in classroom 6
37.5
makes lazy
3
Time is not enough to study
4
25
4
Course is not related with the job
2
12.5
Due to the intensive program in contact session, the campus management runs classroom
activities for the whole day. So, some of the respondents feel bored.
8. Problem comes in courses/materials
Students' responses in what if the problem comes in courses/materials
SN
Statements
No. of respondents
1
Contact to the resource person and 12
Percentage
75
search through Internet
2
Contact to the teacher
4
25
9. Students Responses on managing to solve the problems
SN
Statements
No. of respondents
Percentage
1
Through phone calls or emails
8
50
47
2
Consulting with the seniors and 8
50
resource persons
Students responded that if there comes a problem with their study they used to consult with their
seniors or to the resource persons through phone calls or emails.
10. Contact Session
Students Responses on Duration of Contact Session
SN
Statements
No. of respondents
Percentage
1
1 day in every month
8
50
2
5 contact session throughout the 4
25
program
Contact sessions are organized at least for three times a year with gap of two months for the
preparation of home assignment by the students. Since students are given project works and
reading and writing assignment, they need material support and adequate time for preparation.
As majority of the students are from service holders, care is taken to organize contact sessions
during holidays or Saturdays. Contact centers are organized as interactive sessions. Moreover,
LCD projectors are used to facilitate the learning and make the contact sessions more lively and
fruitful to the students. Students present their assignment and share with other students.
Comments and suggestions are provided to them and the students have to incorporated them and
submit to the experts for their evaluation.
11. Managing the experts for contact session
A professional team of experts with national and international repute is responsible for the
overall management of the open learning education program. Besides, the faculty provides
technical expertise and academic direction to the program both at the central and regional level.
48
12. Evaluation of the students
Both internal and external evaluations are carried out to evaluate the performance of the students.
A. The internal evaluation is based on the performance of the students in the following
aspects:






Term paper writing and presentation
Unit test
Attendance in contact sessions
Completion of the project works
Completion of the activities related with different assignments and
Organization of the seminars and workshops
B. The external evaluation is carried out for the final evaluation as per the rules and
regulations of the Purbanchal University. In case of practical subjects, external examiners
are assigned for the assessment of students' performance.
Both the internal and external experts assign marks jointly.
13. Students Responses on ICT Implementation in the program
100 percent respondents say that they do need ICT to be implemented in teacher education
program as it will help to develop the quality education. The chairman also thinks that
implementing ICT in this program will be a good idea as quality delivery is possible only
through ICT mode.
14. Students Responses for the students not having computer skills and need of orientation
For those students who don't have basic computer skills should be provided the basic computer
training for at least a week. Orientation is needed.
49
15. Procedures to be followed to implement ICT
Teachers should be provided training about the use of ICT in classroom teaching. Equipment and
materials should be managed in the campus.
16. Reading materials to be developed for ICT based program
75 percent of the respondents said that the reading materials should be audio, visual including the
information related to their course study. 25 percent said that there must be the provision of
academic journal and online enquiry system.
Campus has prepared self learning materials in all the major subjects and some of the elective
subjects. Some materials are prepared in English language. It is felt necessary to develop
materials in Nepali language. There should be a provision of academic journal of distance
learning. It can promote the teachers to join distance Mode College. It has been realized that
teachers, as the target group of this program, are not motivated to join the college for receiving
training through distance learning.
17. Procedure of developing reading materials
Experienced subject experts will be assigned the task of preparing reading materials. Prepared
reading materials will be given to the experts for their evaluation and revision, if necessary.
Finally, subject expert committee of the campus will read the materials thoroughly and decide
for their final publication. This approach has been adopted by the campus.
18. Managing subject experts
Experts can be managed from university campuses. Since, these types of college do not need to
manage full time teachers/experts, part time teachers can be managed easily. However, newly
appointed teachers need to have a short orientation program on the modality of instruction in
distance Mode College.
50
19. Students Responses on Laboratory Facilities
E-library is the essential one. There should be online test also.
20. Fee Structure
The fee structure of IOL is Rs.1,675 annually including the learning materials provided to them.
Students' responses on fee structure
SN
Statements
No. of respondents
1
Should be affordable by school 10
Percentage
62.5
teachers
2
Can increase 10% of the fee for ICT 6
37.5
program
21. Evaluation Procedure
Both internal and external evaluations are carried out to evaluate the performance of the students.
A. The internal evaluation is based on the performance of the students in the following
aspects:

Term paper writing and presentation

Unit test

Attendance in Contact Sessions

Completion of the project works

Completion of the activities related with different assignments and

Organization of the seminars and workshops
B. The external evaluation is carried out for the final evaluation as per the rules and
regulations of the Purbanchal University. In case of practical subjects, external examiners
are assigned for the assessment of students' performance. Both the internal and external
experts assign marks jointly.
51
22. Suggestion about the prerequisite for the ICT program
Use of ICT is must in such distance mode college. It is strongly recommended to establish a
good library with the facility of computers and other necessary electronic devices for adequate
and proper use of ICT in teacher training courses.
Summary
Distance Education refers to a planned and regular educational provision where there is distance
between the instructor and the learner. The focus of the study is concerned with all aspects of the
fact that this form of education has abandoned face-to-face communication and replaced it by
media based communication at a distance. This fact creates a distinct set of problems essential
for the existence of distance education as a separate academic field of study within education.
After collecting necessary information they were classified according to their nature. Necessary
analysis was also made to present them in a meaningful way. From the analysis some major
findings have been drawn which were mentioned below:

Almost all the teachers in the program felt that ICT is required in teacher education
program through distance mode.

The chairman also thinks that implementing ICT in the program will be a good idea as
quality delivery is possible only through ICT mode.

Another major finding was students feel bored during contact session in this program as
they have to sit in the classroom the whole day. So, they are ready to pay the extra fee if
the program is in ICT based.
52
CHAPTER IV
SYSTEM DESIGN AND PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT
A software process is a set of activities and associated results, which lead to the production of a
software product. The project is being developed from the scratch. For the development of this
project, Waterfall Application Development model process is being applied. Following standard
software process were followed, executed and documented:
Software Requirement Specification
Software Design
Software Coding
Software Validation
Software Implementation
Software Feedback
Software
Requirement
Elicitation
Software
Requirement
Requirement
Specification
doc of user
Software Design
and Development
SRS Document
Software
Verification and
SD
Document
Validation
and Code
Software
Implementation
Test
Case
Report
Figure 5.1 Software Development Process
53
User Manual
5.1 System Requirement Specification (SRS)
Software Requirement Specification is the process of understanding and defining what services
are required from the system and identifying the constraints on the system’s operation and
development.
Purpose OF SRS:
There are three major parties involved in a system - client, user and developer. The requirement
of the system that will satisfy the needs of clients and the concerns of the user has to
communicate to the developer. The client usually doesn’t know the software development
processes and the developer does not understand the client problem and application area. This
causes the communication gap between the parties involved in the development project. A basic
purpose of SOFTWARE REQUIREMENT SPECIFICATION is to bridge this communication
gap.
Main advantages of SRS:
 An SRS establishes the basis for agreement between the client and the supplier on
what the supplier will do.
 An SRS provides a reference for validation of the final product.
 A high quality SRS is a prerequisite to high quality software.
 A high quality SRS reduces the development cost.
5.2 System Requirement Specification for: Open Mode of Learning for
Teacher Education Program
5.2.1 General Description
The design started by identifying users/stakeholders to be involved in this project, system and
their action boundaries towards the use of the system. Following are the number of users which
were identified and summarized in use case diagram below.
54
Admin: - Admin is the one who is responsible for administering the system as a whole. Admin is
responsible for:

Activating the user which has been registered and send the link to the email provided.

Managing the Lecturers and providing them the access to manage the teaching part.

Creating and editing the functional components of the system i.e. user interface pages.

Exam Management: - Upload the questions for the particular subject.

News Management: - Update the latest news to the site like Exam schedule,
Administrative notices and any news articles.

Forum Management: - Keep an eye on the forum to keep track of the things going on
like, what are posted? Are all the problems solved by the lecturers? Removal of any
unintentional post.

Managing the event log of the user.
Student: - Student represents any person who registers in the portal and visits portal for
downloading and discussion of the materials. Students can:

Login the portal to view the news, notices and further information which is published
from admin side.

Download the notes and materials that are supportive to the course materials like text,
audios and videos that are uploaded by the lecturers.

Post something in the forum if he/she has any confusion on the reading material and
needs clarification from the lecturers or classmates.

Change his/her login password.

Give the online examination.

Check their result online.
Lecturer: - Lecturers are registered to use the system by the school administrator. Some
competent lecturers will provide learning materials as per their area of specialization. Then these
learning materials will be uploaded into the learning material repository centrally by the
administrator. In this view, teachers will make use of the system just like students to access
55
learning materials, though they will be having extra privileges like accessing reference answers if
available to the given chapter and topic exercises. Lecturers will support their students during the
learning process. Lecturers are responsible for:

Preparing the notes and upload them for the students availability.

Responding on the forum for the particular subject matter, if students have any query on
them.

Preparing the question papers at the last of the session and provide them to the admin.
Questions should be objective hence should be provided with the options also.
5.2.2 Software Requirements
To develop the prototype for Open Mode of Learning, I have used the followings:
Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML)
HTML is the predominant markup language for web pages. It provides a means to create
structured documents by denoting structural semantics for text such as headings, paragraphs,
lists, links, quotes and other items. It can be created and processed by a wide range of tools, from
simple plain text editors (like Notepad) to sophisticated WYSIWYG authoring tools (like
FrontPage and Dreamweaver). HTML was used in the static pages of the system. It allows
images and objects to be embedded and can be used to create interactive forms. It is written in
the form of HTML elements consisting of "tags" surrounded by angle brackets within the web
page content. It can embed scripts in languages such as JavaScript which affect the behavior of
HTML web pages. HTML can also be used to include Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to define
the appearance and layout of text and other material.
JavaScript
JavaScript is the most popular scripting language on the internet and works in all major browsers
such as, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Opera and Safari. JavaScript was designed to add
interactivity to HTML pages. It is usually embedded directly into HTML pages. JavaScript is
56
used in millions of Web pages to add functionality, validate forms, to detect browsers and many
more. In this application, JavaScript is used to validate the forms.
Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP)
PHP is a powerful tool for making dynamic and interactive web pages. It is a server-side
scripting language i.e. executed on the server. Hypertext Preprocessor is a widely used, generalpurpose scripting language that was originally designed for web development to produce
dynamic web pages. For this purpose, PHP code is embedded into the HTML source document
and interpreted by a web server with a PHP processor module, which generates the web page
document. As a general-purpose programming language, PHP code is processed by an interpreter
application in command-line mode performing desired operating system operations and
producing program output on its standard output channel. It may also function as a graphical
application. PHP is available as a processor for most modern web servers and as standalone
interpreter on most operating systems and computing platforms.
MySQL
MySQL is a relational database management system (RDBMS) that runs as a server providing
multi-user access to a number of databases. It is ideal for both small and large applications. It
supports standard SQL. In this application, it works as a backend.
5.2.3 Hardware Requirements
Should be able to run on any standard web server with PIV 1.2 GHz processor with 1GB
memory is recommended and at least 20GB free disk space with XP Operating System.
5.3 Design Approach
In application development, two approaches are used:
i)
Function Oriented Approach: This is also known as procedural approach where
functions and procedures are used to define different methods. The call from one
57
function to another defines the flow of program. The data are transferred from one
procedure to another through the global variables in the include files or, as a
parameter and hence there is strong data security to maintain the payment information
from the user or, debtor.
ii)
Object Oriented Approach: In Object Oriented Approach, every entity is
represented in the form of object. Each object encapsulates data and processes hence
eliminating the issue of data insecurity as in function oriented approach. Interface
specifications are made in terms of messages that can be accepted by each object.
Greater independence between objects increases the flexibility in building and changing systems.
Thus, the system can be modeled as a collection of independent components and allow these
components to communicate with each other. The independence of object supports the idea of
reuse, allowing the easy plugged together into systems.
5.4 Object Modeling
Object Modeling is the object oriented approach to system development. It emphasizes on:

Combining processes, data and flows into the one modeling paradigm, thus allowing
objects to be modeled as independent entities that can be flexibly combined into
cooperating systems;

Easy conversion from analysis to design models, through the use of similar terms.
Analysis
Object representation
Object represents a smallest independent entity with its own local goals. The objects can
exchange message between themselves to achieve a global goal of a large system. The object
encapsulates data and processes providing interface to exchange messages. This model helps to
eliminate some of the disadvantages of storing data, processes and flows separately. There are
various methods for object representation which differs in the way they represent the object
features.
58
5.5 Information Description
5.5.1 Framework
Fig: Framework of Open Mode of Learning
59
5.5.2 Data Flow Diagram
Fig: Context Diagram
60
Student grades data
Final Grade,
GPA, total
credit
Student
Student grades
Academic Transcript
4.0
Final Grade
Course Confirmation
Choosen courses
Student course plan
Online Registration
1.0
Course plan approval
Lecturer
Student course plan
Learning Materials
downloaded
Assignment to
be uploaded
Course plan
Secretarial Staff
Assignments
downloaded
Learning material to
be updated
Course File
Management
3.0
User Management
2.0
Data user updated
Profile Users
Data Users
Fig:- DFD level -1
61
Administrator
5.5.3 Flow Chart
Fig: Flow Chart of Open mode of Learning
62
5.5.4 Use Case
Register
Login/Logout
Change Password
Download notes/resources
Actor
Post in Forum
Give Exam
Check Result
Fig: - Student Role
63
Activate User
Lecturer Management
Exam Management
News Management
Actor
Forum Management
Content Management
Fig: - Admin Role
64
Upload Notes/videos/Audios
Forum response
Actor
Prepare Questions
Fig: - Lecturer Role
65
5.5.5 ER Diagram
option3
username
Answer
Question_id
admin_id
password
email
option1
option4
status
option2
question
Uploads
Admin
Questions
has
Exam
Manages
exam_stat
us
exam_title
examid
exam_end
_date
exam_start
_date
exam_desc
level_id
Lecturer
password
registerdat
e
id
username
name
subject
status
Fig: Admin Role
66
option2
option3
option1
Answer
question
examid
Exam
option4
option2
Appears
Forum_status
Forum_id
Forum_name
Forum_title
Forum_email
Forum_ddate
Joins
Forums
Students
id
username
password
rollno
name
Fig: Student Role
67
level
Question_id
option3
Answer
option4
option1
question
option2
Questions
Prepares
Lecturer
Supervises
password
id
registerdat
e
name
Students
username
id
rollno
password
name
subject
status
username
Fig: Lecturer Role
68
level
5.5.6 Data Dictionary
Below are the details of required table and their description:
Table name: tbl_admin:
Field Name
Data Types
Description
admin_id
Int (9)
Unique id to store administrator
admin_username
Varchar(30)
User name as an email id
admin_password
Varchar (60)
User password
admin_email
Varchar (60)
Email address of the user
admin_lld
datetime
admin_status
Int (1)
Status of user
Table name: tbl_lecturers:
Field Name
Data Type
Description
lecturer_id
Int (11)
Id of the lecturer
lecturer_name
Varchar (30)
Name of the lecturers.
lecturer_subject
Varchar (100)
Subject of the lecturer
lecturer_username
Varchar (30)
Lecturer’s email address as username
lecturer_password
Varchar (30)
Password of the lecturer
lecturer_registeredon
datetime
Date of registration of the lecturer
lecturer_status
Int
Status of the lecturer
Table name: tbl_students:
Field Name
Data Type
Description
69
student_id
Int (11)
Id of student
student_rollno
Varchar (10)
student’s roll number
student_name
Varchar (30)
Name of the student
student_level
Int (11)
Level of the student
student_username
Varchar (30)
Username of the student
student_password
Varchar (30)
Password of the student
student_registeredon
Datetime
Registration date
student_status
Int
Status of the student
Field Name
Data Type
Description
level_id
Int (11)
Id of level
level_name
Varchar (255)
Name of level
level_order
Int (11)
level_status
Int (1)
Table name: tbl_levels:
Status of each level
Table name: tbl_contents:
Field Name
Data Type
Description
sn
Int (5)
Serial number of contents
location
Varchar (50)
Content
Text
title_tag
Varchar (255)
meta_keywords
text
Title of the content
70
meta_description
text
Short description of the content
Field Name
Data Type
Description
file_id
Int (11)
Id of file
lecturer_id
Int (11)
Id of the lecturer
file_title
Varchar (255)
Title of the file
file_name
Varchar (255)
Name of the file.
file_date
datetime
Upload date of file
file_status
int
Status of the file
Field Name
Data Type
Description
text_id
Int (11)
Id of text file
lecturer_id
Int (11)
Id of the lecturer
text_title
Varchar (255)
Title of the text file
text_desc
Text
Description of the text file
text_date
text
Date of file uploaded
text_status
Int (1)
Status of the text file
Field Name
Data Types
Description
audio_id
Int (11)
Id given to audio files
lecturer_id
Int (11)
Lecturer’s id to upload audio files
Table name: tbl_files:
Table name: tbl_texts:
Table name: tbl_audios:
71
audio_title
Varchar (255)
Title of the audio file
audio_name
Varchar (255)
Name of the audio file
audio_date
datetime
Date of upload
audio_status
Int
Status of audio file
Field Name
Data Type
Description
video_id
Int (11)
Id of the video
lecturer_id
Int (11)
Id of the lecturer
video_title
Varchar (255)
Title of the video
video_name
Varchar (255)
Name of the video
video_date
datetime
Date of the video uploaded
video_status
Int (1)
Status of the video
Field Name
Data Type
Description
exam_id
Int (11)
Id of examination
exam_title
Varchar (60)
Title of the exam
exam_desc
Text
Exam’s description
level_id
Varchar (255)
Examination level
exam_start_date
date
Start date of exam
exam_end_date
date
End date of exam
Table name: tbl_videos:
Table name: tbl_exams:
72
exam_status
Int
Status of exam
Table name: tbl_questions:
Field Name
Data Type
Description
question_id
Int (11)
Unique field to question
exam_id
Int (11)
Unique field to exam
question
Text
Questions
option1
Varchar (100)
1st option
Option2
Varchar (100)
2nd option
Option3
Varchar (100)
3rd option
Option4
Varchar (100)
4th option
answer
Int
Correct Answer
Field Name
Data Type
Description
result_id
Int (11)
Unique id
student_id
Int (11)
Id of the student
exam_id
Int (11)
Id of the exam
marks
Float (5,2)
Marks obtained by the student
Ddate
datetime
Table name: tbl_results:
Table name: tbl_settings:
Field Name
Data Type
setting_id
Int (11)
Description
73
setting_name
Varchar (100)
setting_value
Text
Table name: tbl_forums:
Field Name
Data Type
Description
forum_id
Int (11)
Id of discussion forum
forum_title
Varchar (100)
Title of the discussion forum
forum_ddate
datetime
Date of forum created
forum_status
int
Status of the forum
forum_name
Varchar (30)
Name of the forum
forum_email
Varchar (60)
Email address of the forum creator
Table name: tbl_threads:
Field Name
Data Type
sn
Int (5)
location
Varchar (50)
Content
Text
title_tag
Varchar (255)
meta_keywords
text
meta_description
text
Description
Table name: tbl_news:
Field Name
Data Type
Description
news_id
Int (11)
Id of news
74
news_name
Varchar (255)
Main heading of news
news_content
Text
Content of news
news_order
Int (11)
Order of news.
news_status
Int (11)
Status of news
5.6 Verification and Validation
Software verification and validation are measured to show that a system confirms to its
specification and that the system meets the expectations of the requirement. I did range of
verification and validation in a process mentioned below: First of all, Unit testing is done for
different units of code blocks. Then after module testing was done like, student module, admin
module, lecture module then tested the whole flow of the system to verify and validate the
product. After this testing approach I found the system meeting the requirement for which this
research was done.
Unit Testing
Module Testing
Sub System Testing
System Testing
Figure 5.6: Testing Process
75
CHAPTER VI
CONCLUSIONS AND SUMMARY
6.1 Conclusions
From what has been discussed in previous chapters the following concluding remarks can be
made.
Nepal is a developing country so all the interested candidates cannot get time to get and enroll in colleges
and go for study over there. Distance mode of learning allows education to reach those who are not able
to physically attend courses on a campus; may be in the case of residing in the remote area or, in the case
of physical disabilities. In case of teachers, there are teachers who cannot allocate time for going college
and further steps because of their busy life schedule. So, this system will provide them ease of education
to enhance their carrier and knowledge.
Following are the advantages that can be anticipated by the teachers after the implementation of the
system

Convenience: In this economy, it is difficult to take time away from work for further
education towards a more secure future. An advantage of distance mode of learning is
that it makes it possible for interested candidate to maintain employment without a
conflict in schedule. This allows students to attend class anytime day or night.

Availability: Another advantage of distance learning is that you are not limited to only
courses offered by local colleges. With personal responsibilities already in place,
attending schools at a greater distance away from home is not always an option. This
learning makes it possible to take almost any course from any higher learning institution.

Increased Resources: Distance learning not only provides advantages of broadening the
courses and programs available at your convenience, it also provides more opportunities
for feedback and interaction with instructors and fellow students. Since email and forums
are integral components of distance learning, interaction can all be done as needed – not
limited to class or campus time or playing phone tag and voicemail.
76
6.2 Summary
Thereafter implementation of this system in teacher’s education program has been necessity in
the context of Nepal. In distance mode of learning, teachers don’t need to shift from one place to
another for education. Distance mode of learning allows the learners to enjoy their own pace of
learning by using video, audio, active learning, simulations and electronic advances which
enhance more than one learning style. Further, it is equally beneficial for the teachers who are in
need of additional skills to maintain a job or advance in the work. Therefore, this implementation
will be feasible for the teachers and students also.
77
REFERENCES
[1]
Holmberg Borje, The evolution, principles and practices of distance education.
Oldenburg Germany, 2005, pp. 13.
[2]
Moore, Michael G.; Greg Kearsley, Distance Education: A Systems View (2nd ed.).
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2005.
[3]
University of London External Program, “Key Facts”, Internet:
http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/about_us/facts.shtml , January 21, 2011.
[4]
Levinson, David L., “Community colleges:a reference handbook”. Internet:
http://books.google.com/books?id=xrnPJcb7c54C , January 23, 2011.
[5]
White, M., Distance education in Australian higher education — a history. Australia,
1982, pp. 255-278.
[6]
Moore, Michael G., Greg Kearsley, Distance Education: A Systems View (2nd ed.).
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2005, pp 33-36.
[7]
UK: FernUniversität in Hage, "Three Decades". Internet: http://www.fernunihagen.de/english/profile/3decades/learning.shtml, January 23, 2011.
[8]
Daniel, Sir John S. (1998). Mega-Universities and Knowledge Media: Technology
Strategies for Higher Education. Routledge, 1998.
[9]
Gold, Larry; Maitland, Christine, Phipps, Ronald A.; Merisotis, Jamie, What's the
difference? A review of contemporary research on the effectiveness of distance learning
in higher education. Washington DC: Institute for Higher Education Policy, 1999.
[10]
US: Jones International University, "Accreditation", Internet:
http://www.international.edu/about/history/accreditation, January 23, 2011.
78
[11]
Allen, I. Elaine; Seaman, Jeff, Making the Grade: Online Education in the United States,
Needham, MA: The Sloan Consortium, 2006.
[12]
UK: Quality Assurance Agency, "Degree awarding powers and university title". Internet:
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews/dap/default.asp , January 23, 2011.
[13]
Bidyanath Koirala (2010). “Distance Education in Nepal”, Distance Education. Special
Vol July. [Jan 23, 2011]
[14]
NCED, Teacher education. Vol 8, Bhaktapur: National Center for Education
Development, 2001.
[15]
NCED, Distance education. Special Vol July. Bhaktapur: National Center for Education
Development, 2010
Web References
1. Wikipedia, “Distance Education”. Internet:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distance_learning, Jan 1, 2011 [Jan 23, 2011].
2. UNESCO,”Teacher Education through distance learning”, Internet:
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001242/124208e.pdf, Oct 1, 2011[Jan 23, 2011].
3. “Distance and Media education of Nepal”, Internet:
http://www.accu.or.jp/litdbase/literacy/nrc_nfe/eng_bul/BUL12.pdf, Sept 8, 2009 [Jan
25, 2011].
4. S.K. Pudasaini, “ICT in Nepal”, Internet:
http://www.adb.org/Documents/Events/2004/SASEC/First_Mtg_ICT/Nepal_Country_Pa
per.pdf, Jan 14, 2004 [Jan 25, 2011].
5. Internet: http://www2.cffn.ca/openu/3-openu-description, [Jan 25, 2011].
6. Internet: http://nced.gov.np, [Jan 27, 2011].
7. Internet: http://www.ejisdc.org/ojs2/index.php/ejisdc/article/viewFile/44/44, [Jan 27,
2011].
79
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Sommerville, Ian, Software Engineering, 7th Edition. New Delhi: Prentice-Hall, 2007.
2. Khotari, C.R., Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques. Delhi: New Age
International(P) Limited, Publishers, 2004.
3. Roger S. Pressman, Software Engineering a practitioner’s approach, 5th Ed.
4. Jefferey L. Whitten and Lonnie D. Bentley, System Analysis and Design Methods. New
Delhi, Galgotia Publication, 1999.
5. NCED, Newsletters. Bhaktapur: National Center for Education Development, 2009
6. NCED, Newsletters. Bhaktapur: National Center for Education Development, 2010.
80
ANNEX – 1
SCREENSHOTS
1. Main Page
81
2. Admin Login
82
3. Admin page after Login
83
4. Change Admin email address
5. Change Admin Password
84
6. Home Page Content Management
85
7. About Us page Content Management
86
8. Add new Levels
9. Managing Levels
87
10. Managing Students
11. Adding Lecturers
88
12. Editing Lecturer’s Information
89
13. Managing Lecturer
14. Adding Examination
90
15. Managing Examinations
91
16. Adding Questions
92
17. Adding News
93
18. Managing News
19. Managing Forums
94
20. Managing single Forum
95
21. Student’s Registration
96
22. Change Password
23. Examination notice for students
97
24. Examination Questions
25. Examination Result
98
26. Forum Creation
99
27. Reply to a Forum
100
28. Download Video File
101
29. Lecturer’s Login
102
30. Text Upload
103
31. File Upload
32. Audio file Upload
104
33. Video file Upload
105
ANNEX – 2
Gantt chart
106
ANNEX – 3
Questionnaires
Existing Program
1. How does open mode of learning work in teacher education program?
2. What are the procedures of admission in your institution?
3. What are the courses offered in the program?
4. What reading materials are readily available for the various part of the curriculum?
5. Do you need any additional material for the curriculum? (Yes, No)
6. What difficulties do you feel in the program?
7. What do you do if you have some problem regarding the courses/materials?
8. How do you manage to solve the problems?
9. How do students assessed in the program?
ICT Program
10. Do you prefer ICT to be implemented in teacher education program? (Yes, No)
11. Do you believe that implementing ICT in teacher education will be a good idea? (Yes,
No)
107
12. Can ICT help to develop the quality education for teacher’s education? (Yes, No)
13. What reading materials do you think to develop for the students of ICT based?
14. Do you have the basic computer skills? (Yes, No)
15. What should be done if the students do not have basic computer skills to admit in the ICT
program?
16. What laboratory facilities do you suggest to install in the institution?
17. Do you think an orientation program is needed for he students who will admit in the ICT
program?
18. What fee structure will be appropriate for the students of ICT program?
19. What should be the duration of contact session for the students of ICT?
20. What evaluation Procedure do you suggest to adopt in the program?
108
Interview guidelines for the key informant
1. What are the procedures of admission in open mode of teacher education program?
2. What are the prerequisites of the students to get admission?
3. What is the duration of the program?
4. What is the fee structure of the program?
5. What are the courses offered in the program?
6. What are the contents of the courses?
7. Are the contents up to date?
8. What reading materials are provided for the students?
9. Do you think any additional material needed for conducting the program?
10. Where do you get those materials?
11. What do you think about the quality of the reading materials?
12. Is there any provision to orient the students?
13. How and when is the contact sessions organized?
14. How do you manage the experts for the contact session?
15. How is the students evaluated?
16. Do you prefer ICT to be implemented in teacher education program?
17. Can ICT help to develop the quality education for teacher education program?
18. What procedures are to be followed to implement ICT in teacher education?
19. What preliminary preparation will be required to conduct ICT based teacher education
program?
20. What reading materials are to be developed for the students?
21. How can subject experts be managed?
22. What will be the procedures of developing reading materials?
23. What do you suggest about the prerequisite for the ICT program?
109