 Welcome to Krishna Kanta Handic State Open University. Today we have with us Dr. Hemlata Chary, Deputy Director Academic from the Mumbai University and today we will be discussing on online learning. Welcome ma'am. My first question would be, what is the current scenario in the field of online learning in India, in your opinion? It is a very good question and let me just tell you that the scenario with the coming end of online learning, the entire scenario not only for distance education but also for the conventional education has changed very drastically. Every university has tried to provide access through online in some way or the other. It had started with the online admissions and now you see that most of the courses are also offered online and that is why we have this flipped classroom and blended learning. All this has come and it is taking a major change in the field of online learning. Ma'am, do you think in your opinion that when we talk of MOOCs and OER, they are the future of learning in this digital era? I totally agree. I am very much for OER and MOOC. But prior to getting into that, we need to train our faculty, train, also engage them in activities so that they are able to adapt and accept that. To engage them, each university and the presidents, I would like to say yesterday's session I was so happy that vice chancellor of this university has taken such a step to provide such access. I wish every vice chancellor, whether it be from a regular university or open university, take this and these are the people who would lead us to where we are in this area. Ma'am, regarding to online learning, according to you what are the opportunities and challenges if any in this particular aspect of online learning? Opportunities are plenty. Maybe the teachers do not have that much access of what they are learning, but the students are very much aware. The learners know where to get the material, how to access and so many sites like Coursera and edX and MITs, they have all started this as a source, so it is very good sources that are available. And I would say right from beginning, be it online or MOOC or OER or such site, most important is training, next is infrastructure and motivation. We have to motivate the faculties to get that because it is not difficult, it only has to be taking the plunge into the system. Ma'am, what do you think should be the qualities of a teacher, particularly in this digital era? We are talking about digital India, skill India. So in this particular era when we are talking about all these changes that are happening in the field of technology, how can a teacher adapt himself in his role? As I said before, but one word I would use for everyone is openness. Unless you are open and willing to change, this cannot happen. So it is just like this thing that keep pace or be replaced. So this is the era of that which very well adapts to this and I think every teacher realizes that they need to have and each today if you look at it, everyone, a farmer or a milk vendor or a shopkeeper, they all have mobile phones and smartphones. So we have come into that era already. So it is not very difficult for them to get. But all the time the teacher's fear is the time constraint. They try to withdraw themselves from situation and again I would say the departments in the university should give such confidence and motivate them to get into that and we have to learn a lot from the western world and we have to get amalgamated and interconnected with them. And I think that is the best opportunity for teachers and they all will do it. I think I could see that from yesterday's this thing. Even the coordinators were very enthusiastic. Yes, they were asking a lot of questions on MOOCs and all. Again there is another question like accessibility. For example when you talk about online learning, you are talking about everything which is technology oriented. But again like in a state like us where connectivity is a problem. So this question of accessibility becomes problematic at times. So what would you... I would again tell I will give my own example in the state of Maharashtra also. We have rural places where the connectivity is an issue. I offer MA education in ICT. So I know some of the students genuinely they want to learn but because of access and sometimes they do not get the Wi-Fi and right at the time when they want to upload their materials they are unable to do so. At that time we have to give them some leverage. So what I do is in my own example I will tell is I call those people from the rural and I tell them to come to the headquarters and I train them there. So then they get and nothing is impossible. We think access, access but today with the digital efficacy we are getting there. No more we only used to look for the web parlours where we used to go but each university sees that their centre is well equipped. And we have to give them the transition for the change in a very nice way. Understanding that we cannot impose. I would say that you cannot impose on someone do this but we can really tell them try to adopt we are there to help you and each and every time a word of motivation, a word of comfort understanding helps you to reach where you are. Then I am coming back to OER, what is your opinion on quality issue regarding OER? For example it is all about all the resources being opened online for the students and learners everywhere. Then there is again another aspect to this particular thing is like about quality. Will the quality be maintained and how do you look into this? Yes I think actually if you look at it before. We have all of us access the internet and download some material in some form or the other. We do not label it as OER because OER is specifically have a licensing and we look into that. Now coming to your question of how authentic it is it depends on the teacher on how much to take. We know how much we have even if we used to access Wikipedia you know some of them are not up to the mark so we leave it. This is an area where you learn and share you may get one point from which you can develop I am not saying just adapt the resource as it is and that is the main aspect of OER they allow you to modify and reuse. So this is not just take it and then use so you as a teacher based on your state like in a sum what your level of teachers require or a student require you adapt it. You can modify you do not have to take it as is where basis but you get a platform something in a platter and then you can add it is just like you know a salad you have all the vegetables you pick and choose what you want and then you add your garnishing as you want you will not take the garnishing that others use. So the OER for me is just like a platter of a salad. And then yesterday we were together for the session we had a workshop on counseling counsellors and one of the major issue was less participants or few number of students coming to the study centers. So how would you motivate our counsellors in bringing the students to the study centers? Yes I did discuss and I as I said before I really really I mean I appreciate the work of your vice chancellor I have in fact I couldn't meet him but I would say that he is doing a tremendous job because the number of participants who had come on a Sunday shows how the center has coordinated with those with the study centers and their coordinators. This has been a major issue across it is not only in your university most of these students are working students and for a Sunday to come they feel little you have to really pull them out. So to do that I mean actually again I will get back we have started induction program for students and we used to I feel that we just have once in a while a tea session with the students and have them and don't treat them as students they know much more than what we know and I feel involve them in activities and give one or two students to get the other students and I think you will win the battle. Ma'am that was it for today and we are very very thankful to you for being with us and with this we come to the end of the discussion. I also thank KK Henry University, Open University for inviting me and all you people who have taken the lead and I thank all the people here who has given me a very good opportunity to share my views on this. Thank you.