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4. Develop network-enabled delivery infrastructure. Along
with the national initiative for content development, we must develop a
network-enabled delivery infrastructure with a focus on two primary areas:
access and delivery. For access to the network, high bandwidth connections
across institutions and a national backbone that provides advanced networking capabilities
are major requirements. Additionally, connectivity to global networks is
essential. Delivery of the OER content would be done through distributed
repositories of educational resources.
5. Create a Faculty and Institutional Development
Programme. Faculty development and teacher training is the primary area
that needs to be addressed in order to realize the benefits of extended access
and improved quality through OER. The training programme must develop domain
competencies and teaching skills using new educational technologies. The training
will also help developers of new OER and in contextualizing existing
educational resources. Centres at specific institutions should be identified so
that the faculty of these institutions will eventually own, modify, and expand
OER repositories. These must be integrated into university curricula and
organizational structures. The availability of learning management systems and
other quizzing, authoring and collaborating tools should be increased. The
evaluation system should be based on the use of the content and the pedagogy in
OER. To implement and monitor the above recommendations urgently and
efficiently, the Government of India
may designate a suitable organisation or establish a new institution with necessary
mandate to achieve the above objectives. This institute may serve the following
functions:
- Provide leadership
and coordination of network-based open education resources
- Select
institutional collaborations for developing content
- Develop adoption
support strategies
- Recommend and
monitor standards for content development and adoption
- Advise on policy
implications vis-à-vis licensing, intellectual property rights, etc.
- Identify and set
benchmarks based on global best practices
- Establish
relationships with global OA and OER initiatives
We look forward to being engaged in the implementation of
these recommendations.
Thank you and warm personal regards,
Sam Pitroda
Chairman
National Knowledge Commission
CC: Sh. Arjun Singh, Minister, Human Resource Development
Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning
Commission
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