Early Experiences with a Community Driven Open Education Management System

The mainstream Open and Distance learning programmes in Indira Gandhi National Open University are developed and delivered by a community of Programme/Course Coordinators, Academic Counsellors, Regional Centres, Study Centres and the other assisting staff. These programmes are offered across the length and breadth of Indian subcontinent and beyond necessitating an effective delivery mechanism for the successful running of these programmes. Needless to say that information and communication technology can play a significant role. However, despite reasonably good ICT facilities in IGNOU, there is a felt need for a concerted effort involving coordination amongst them. In order to address the same, an inclusive Open Distance Technology Enhanced Learning (ODTEL) framework has been developed at IGNOU with a community driven Open Education Management System. The academic management of this framework is anchored by the Vedyadhara Open e-Learning Environment (VOLE) a community empowering e-learning environment. VOLE envisages integrating multiple modes of reaching out through ICT and is programme /course centric with assured quality independent of geography. The present work describes the initiatives taken towards the use of the ODTEL framework and its open learning environment (VOLE) for one of the Post Graduate Diploma programmes with an objective to empower the learner with academic and administrative support in her/his endeavour to acquire the desired attributes of an enabled and transformed individual.The feedback from the first cohort of learners, academic counsellors and programme-in-charges at study centres has revealed results that give an insight into the utility of such a framework and motivate the development team to work more in this direction.