Education Satellite
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Education Satellite
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Enhance the current knowledge of diarrhoea management
by facilitating lectures and training courses which will allow for
dialogue and interaction of hundreds of people simultaneously. Key health
issues will be taught and discussed by doctors, medical specialists,
medical students, and health care providers at the existing 100 virtual
learning centres in Maharashtra with video conferencing facilities linked
by satellite. |
| Name: Education Satellite |
| Status: |
| Theme: Health Workers' Education |
Region and Country: Maharashtra, India |
| Partners: |
Beneficiaries: |
| Funding Need: |
Budget: |
| Duration: |
Contact: |
Programme Activities:
This programme will enhance knowledge of diarrhoea management by facilitating
lectures and training courses which will allow for dialogue and interaction
of hundreds of people simultaneously. Key health issues will be taught and
discussed by doctors, medical specialists, medical students, and health care
providers at the existing 100 virtual learning centres in Maharashtra with
video conferencing facilities linked by satellite.
EDUSAT - A Satellite Dedicated to Education
This complete brochure in
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This programme looks to utilize EDUSAT, an exclusive satellite for
educational purposes, that is presently in a geo-stationary orbit. The
initial establishment of ground infrastructure and the software needed for
the distance education programmes is well under way. EDUSAT meets the needs
of a growing demand for an interactive satellite based distance education
system for the country. The new areas which need special attention include
linking of schools, colleges/universities, educational institutions,
continuing education and up-gradation of professionals (e.g. doctors,
lawyers, etc.) The thrust will be on reaching people in remote areas and
facilitating interaction between them and other academics and health
professionals.
Objectives of Education Satellite System are to meet the challenges of number
and quality of education through
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providing effective teachers' training,
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supplementing the curriculum based teaching,
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greater community participation and monitoring,
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providing access to quality resource persons (higher & professional
education),
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strengthening the distance education efforts initiated by various agencies,
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taking education to every nook & corner of the country, and
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providing access to new technologies.
Following are some of the main features and services of the proposed system:
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Multimedia
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Multicast with provisions of interactivity from all remotes
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Secured access to transmission through registration and accounting
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Educational content archival service
The satellite will offer literacy, enhanced education, training, and
enrichment through 5 Ku-band transponders. Pilot projects are being initiated
in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.
ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) and YCMOU (Yashwantrao Chavan
Maharashtra Open University) have started a joint pilot project on virtual
classroom in Maharashtra. The network for Virtual Learning will start
operating from May-June 2004 at about 100 Centres.
The pilot project will provide health training, of all types, on the network.
The VLC (Virtual Learning Centre) network will open a new chapter in learning
of various faculties including health.
It typically works as follows:
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The Trainer / Expert sits at the YCMOU Nashik hub studio and takes a lesson
with the help of Audio Visual (AV) aids.
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The Lesson is seen at the 100 centres spread out in Maharashtra.
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The sessions are interactive - audio at first and video some months later.
Intended Results:
EDUSAT with the 100 virtual learning centres will enhance
the current knowledge of health issues such as diarrhoea management,
breastfeeding, water systems, and many other issues. The benefits of the
EDUSAT broadcasts to the Virtual Learning Centre are numerous. It reduces
travel and expert-time costs. There is lesson variation, and the lessons are
rich due to audio and visual components. Telephone lines are not required
because the system uses the satellite beam. The training programmes are
downloadable, so centres can store programmes on CDs and re-use as required.
Centres also have the ability to upload to the Nashik hub. This will assist
in creating personalized content of training programmes. The transmission is
at 8 mbps. Through all of these advantages of the EDUSAT system, education of
and interaction among academics, medical students, health professionals, and
others in the field will be improved.
Programme Management and Implementation:
This programme will be managed and
implemented with partnership of the state of Maharashtra, EDUSAT, and the
appropriate academics, students, health professionals and others involved in
the classes.
Programme Monitoring and Evaluation:
Programme monitoring and evaluation will
supervise technical issues of the EDUSAT system. It will also monitor and
evaluate the content and the quality of the lessons provided. Possible
challenges will be monitored and evaluated throughout the programme
implementation including issues of:
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Credibility - studies using this method of teaching
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Number of Students - Also excessive enrolment of students in certain
courses, could create administrative problems.
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The physical presence and attention of teachers, which is absent in this
case, achieves an influence far beyond the intellectual knowledge they
impart.
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Updating course content with changes in syllabus (if any) may take a lot of
time.
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Interacting with fellow students also adds to the knowledge base, which does
not happen in this system.
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The course material, more often than not, may not reach students in time
which does create problems.
Learning and Dissemination:
Related Resources:
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