Schools - SCHOOL OF EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

Profile and brief history

In 1986 Jadavpur University took up a project entitled Computer Aided Instruction (CAI) Project for using the computer as a teaching aid to supplement conventional classroom teaching. The School of Education Technology (SET) was established in 1988 in acknowledgement of the importance of the Open Learning System and to carry out Research & Development work on different aspects of the Teaching-learning process for improving the quality of education. The main thrust of the SET's work is on production of Computer Aided Learning materials (in the form of CAI packages including Multimedia and Web-based packages) for an Open Learning Environment. In recognition of the University's activities in this respect, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Govt. of India identified Jadavpur University in 1988 as one of the centres of research and development in the area of Education Technology.

The objectives of the school are :
·• Development of instruction materials using newer tools and techniques for    improvement of the quality of education.
·• Carrying out research work on different aspects of the teaching-learning process.
·• Promoting awareness about newer tools and techniques of instructional    technology at the regional and national levels.
·• Organising courses at different levels in the emerging areas related to     teaching- learning.
·• Organising intensive orientation-cum-induction programmes for intending content     creators.
·• Interacting with other institutions and organisations in India and abroad.
·• Providing an Open Learning environment for self-learning.
·• Experimenting with newer dissemination methodology for imparting cost- effective    quality education.

In 1992 the MHRD and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) identified SET as one of the nodal centres for courseware development (in the form of books) for working professionals in Continuing Education Programmes. So far, SET has produced 22 items of courseware in the form of books in diverse disciplines of Engineering & Technology. The project is still continuing.

A project on "Multimedia Application to Education Technology" was sanctioned by AICTE in 1998 to promote awareness of the CAI medium and its use in supplementing conventional classroom teaching. The project was successfully completed. The SET organised a number of short courses for intending authors to train them in the methodology, tools and techniques of the new emerging technology. Computer Based Training (CBT) materials developed by SET have been sold to Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. and Coal India Ltd. for their HRD Training programmes. For the production and dissemination of Multimedia courseware, two state-of-the-art Multimedia labs have been established. The central facilities are being used by the students of the Arts, Science and Engineering & Technology Faculties of Jadavpur University. About 6000 UG & PG students have already utilised the CAI/Multimedia Lab facilities and courseware.

In 1996 MHRD and AICTE identified SET as one of the nodal centres for the nationally coordinated project on Education Technology. As a mark of appreciation of the activities of SET, the Department of Electronics (now Ministry of Information Technology, Govt. of India) established a Multimedia Training and Development Resource Centre (MTDRC) at the School in 1998. The objectives of this National

Centre are
·• Development of standardised curricular structure along with necessary course    materials for training in Multimedia.
 • Organising short courses on Multimedia Content Creation.
·• Development of subject-specific Multimedia CBTs.
·• Research and Development in Multimedia Content Creation Process.
·• Development of methodology for productivity tools and customised templates.
·• Franchising training to selected organisations.
·• Creating and maintaining a multimedia object library and a local repository.
·• Providing consultancy.

The MTDRC offered a number of 5-week full-time or 25 week part-time career-oriented courses on Multimedia Development Technology to graduates of any discipline. The programme proved extremely attractive to students. The Multimedia products developed by the students during their project work have been highly appreciated by experts. Most of the students have found jobs or are acting as entrepreneurs.

In the 2000-01 session, the School has started a new interdisciplinary 3-Semester (1½ years) Masters Degree Course, the first of its kind in India, entitled "Master in Multimedia Development". The UGC has sanctioned financial assistance including 2 teaching posts (1 Professor and 1 Reader) for the course. The West Bengal Government has conveyed its concurrence for the teaching posts as also for the construction of a building for conducting the course.

Academic and admin1istrative Structure
The School is admin1istered by an Academic cum admin1istrative Committee chaired by the Vice-Chancellor and with the Deans of the three Faculties, the Director, Joint Director and 16 other members including one external member.

Contact
Programmes Offered
Infrastructural Facilities
Research
Seminars/Conferences
International/National links
Consultancy Services
Other Highlights
Publications
Developments

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Contacts


Address :
Jupiter Building, Jadavpur University
Kolkata 700 032

Telephone : (033) 473-6129
Fax : (033)472-7723
E-mail : kalyandatta@debesh.wb.nic.in

Date of Establishment : 1988

Built-up area of the School : 700 sq.m. +
300 sq.m. planned (building grant sanctioned)

Director : Prof. Kalyankumar Datta
Joint Director : Prof. Tapan Kumar Ghoshal

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Programmes offered by the School :

Both these courses are employment oriented. The successful students of the short course can serve as multimedia technicians or become entrepreneurs. After completion of the postgraduate course, successful students can expect to work as Multimedia Managers. This postgraduate course is unique in India, and will be able to fulfil the industrial requirement in the relevant area.

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Infrastructural facilities

·• Books in School Library 319
·• Journals/Periodicals subscribed 03
·• Computers in the School 60

Basic and advanced facilities
·• 2 Multimedia laboratories for content creation and dissemination
·• Facility for open learning for Jadavpur University students
·• Leased Line Internet facility with IP advantage VSAT
·• A small desktop video conference facility
·• An in-house library
·• A touch-screen information kiosk.

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Research

·• Ongoing research project and their outlay                       06; Rs. 1.88 crores
·• Research Projects completed during last
   3 years                                                                                     03 (outlay Rs. 28 lakhs)
·• All Projects since inception 1988 till date                         27 (outlay Rs. 2.92 crores)

Details of ongoing projects funded by external agencies

Major thrust areas

· • Digital Distance Education
· • Multimedia Content Creation Process
· • Cognitive Science
· • Teaching-Learning Methodology
· • Web Technology

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Seminars/conferences
· • Members (associated with the School) who
    have attended National seminars/conferences
    during last 3 years 06

· • Multimedia for IT Enabled Education : 2000
· • Integrated Coastal Zone Management : 1999
· • Multimedia Authoring Process : 1998

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International/national links

International

The School has academic links with a number of foreign institutions and organisations. The following scientists/professors from the UK have visited the School.
· • Prof. Peter William, Director, Micro Electronic Educational Development Centre, Scotland, UK (1987)
· • Prof. Mark Elson Cook, Open University, UK (1988)
· • Prof. D.C. Povey, University of Surrey, UK (1988)
· • Prof. Buist, University of Surrey (1988)
· • Dr. George R.S. Weir, Scotish Human Computer International Centre, University      of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK (1988).
· • Prof. M Sharple, School of Cognitive Science, University of Sussex, UK (1989)
· • Prof. Keith Williams, Dean and Director of Studies, Faculty of Engineering, Open      University, UK (1990)
· • Prof. Charles Curtis, Dean, Science & Engineering, University of Manchester     (1995 and 1998)
· • Dr. David A.C. Manning, University of Manchester, UK (1997)
· • Prof. Asif Tejani, University of Westminster, UK (2001)
· • Prof. John Edmonds, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK (2001).
All the above visits have been sponsored by The British Council. The School carried out a Higher Education Link Programme entitled "Computer Aided Instruction Package for Environmental Management of Coal" during 1996-1999. The link was with the University of Manchester, UK, and was supported by the British Council.
A Higher Education Link Programme between Leeds Metropolitan University and the School of Education Technology has been started from April 01, 2000 for 3 years. The link title is "Web Based Courseware Development for Distance Education".

National

The School has established close links with many leading educational institutions, R & D organisations and Industrial organisations in India.

National / international recognition received by the faculty

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Consultancy services

Full-time faculty members have been recruited only recently. However, the possibility of consultancy is certainly being considered.
The School earns revenue through its other activities. In the last two years, it has earned Rs.15 lakhs through the franchisees for its short courses on Multimedia (see item 37 below) as well as Rs.20 lakhs through in-house short courses.

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Any other highlights

1. In 1992 MHRD/AICTE identified the School of Education Technology as one of the nodal centres for courseware development for working professionals for Continuing Education Programmes. So far, the School has produced 22 items of courseware in the form of books in diverse disciplines of Engineering and Technology. The full list of books is given in Annexure I.
2. In 1996, the MHRD/AICTE identified SET as one of the nodal centres for the Nationally Co-ordinated Project in Education Technology.

3. In 1998 the Department of Electronics, now Ministry of Information Technology, Govt. of India established "Multimedia Training & Development Resource Centre at SET.

4. SET has taken up an endeavour called "Cyber Art Initiative". Under this programme a tailor-made short course "Multimedia for Artists" is being offered to train commercial artists in the tools and techniques of Multimedia and Animation. The initiative is partially supported by the British Council.

5. SET has organised several programmes for increasing awareness among people at different levels in the area of Multimedia and IT Enabled Education.

6. SET has taken the initiative to form an EDITWEB (Education & IT for West Bengal) Forum. All Vice-Chancellors of West Bengal Universities, the Principal Secretary of the Higher Education Department, Govt. of West Bengal, Directors of Technical Colleges, the Technical Teachers' Training Institute, and leading R & D organisations like the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology and the Indian Association for Cultivation of Science are its members. The forum has held three meetings and is in the process of forming a registered EDITWEB Consortium.

7. Considering on its available expertise in Content Creation and its basic infrastructure, SET is proposing to introduce Multimodal Digital Distance Education Programme in certain critical areas.

8. MTDRC, SET has developed an authoring tool "Ekalabya" for use in the Teaching-in-Absentia format. MTDRC has also developed a number of Multimedia products, of which a CD entitled "Nritya Manjari", for teaching Bharat Natyam Dance, is worth mentioning. The School is continuing research in innovations in the teaching-learning process and the use of new technology for imparting training. Its current research activities are geared towards implementing Courseware Engineering & Digital Distance Education in certain IT areas as well as courses of social relevance.

9. To spread IT and Multimedia training to a wider public, SET has appointed 22 Franchisees distributed throughout the East and North-East region of India. Please see item 37 above.

10. The central facilities of the School are used by the students of Arts, Science and Engineering & Technology Faculties of Jadavpur University. About 6000 UG & PG students have already utilised the CAI/Multimedia Lab facilities and courseware.

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Publications

5 in international and 10 in national journals/fora.
Also a corpus of courseware.
See Annexure I for details.

Research Publications

International Journals

1. Das, G., Datta, K., and Ghoshal, T.K. "A Prolog based Text Animator for Computer Aided Instruction" Symposium on Computer Assisted Learning (CAL `89), University of Surrey, Guildford, 11-14 April 1989, (Abstract published)

2. Maity, R., Ghoshal, T.K., and Ghosh, A. "Computer Aided instruction for Petrological Identification of Rock Samples", Computers and Education, Vol 14, pp. 475-480, Pergamon Press, 1990

3. Bhattacharya S., Ghoshal T. K., and Ghosh, A. "Computer based identification techniques for fossil plants" Computers and Education, 1992.

4. Bhattacharya S., Ghosh R. K., Maity R., and Ghosh A., "Computer assisted identification of gems". Knowledge Based Environment for Teaching and Learning, eds. Rosa Maria Bottini, Paola Forchen, and Maria Tersa, Rapallo, Italy, May 31-June 2, 1991, pp. 57-65.

5. Maity R., Bhattacharya S., Ghosh A., Ghoshal T.K., "Teaching non-hierarchical classification". Accepted for publication in Computers and Education.

National Journals

6. Ghosh, A., Datta, K.K., and Ghoshal, T.K. "Methods of Teaching Earth Sciences Through Some Innovative Media, Prospect and Possibility of Computer Aided Instruction", Presented at the Workshop on "Teaching of Earth Sciences in the Light of Information Explosion" - Geological Mining and Metallurgical Society of India, 1988

7. Datta K., Ghoshal T. K., Som P., and Sen S. K., " Computer Assisted Instruction: Issues and Perspective", FIEC Calcutta, 1987, pp. 48-51.

8. Ray D., and Datta K., "A review of student model in intelligent tutoring systems" Journal of the Institution of Engineers, India, Vol. 72, March 1992, pp. 37-42.

9. Bhattacharya S., Kundu S., Datta K.' Learning Philology through Computer aided Instruction', Proceedings. Southern Regional Convention 1995, Computer Society of India, |Cochin, 4-6 May 1995

10. Pramanik K, Datta K., Ghosh A., 'Teaching Geology through Multimedia System', Proceedings. Southern Regional Convention 1995, Computer Society of India, |Cochin, 4-6 May 1995

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Development of Computer Aided Instruction (CAI) and Multimedia

1. Time Response of Linear Systems (2nours)
2. Basic Geology (2 hours)
3. Assembly language programming of Intel 8085 (1 hour)
4. Preliminaries of Adaptive Control (2 hours)
5. Basics of process control (1 hour)
6. Igneous rock identificaiton using chemical and petrographic approach (2 hours)
7. Classification of Glossopteris by fuzzy logic (1 hour)
8. International Relations as a system (2 hours)
9. Management of epilepsy (1 hour)
10.Memory organisation (1 hour)
11.Studies on geo-magnetism (1 hour)
12.Multimedia demo on sedimentary environments (30 minutes)
13.Amalysis of indeterminate structures (2 hours)
14.Quantification of colour (2 hours)
15.Interfacing with programmable parallel interface INtel 8255 (1 hour)
16.Introdution to finite element methods (2 hours)
17.Computer aided instruction on philology (2 hours)
18.Using MS FORTRAN Compiler
19.Earthquake and volcanism (2 hours)
20. Environmental management of coal extraction and utilisation (2 hours)
21. Multimedia package on "Technical Appreciation of Personal Computer Subsystems"
22. Multimedia package on the School of Education Technology
23. CBT on Sound and Audio Technology in Multimedia
24. CD on Nritta Manjari

Authoring Tools Developed by SET

1.Ganesha
2.A Prolog based text animator (capable of producing CAI from text entered as ASCII file through any word processing software)
3.A Pascal based CAI authoring tool
4.An authoring tool for displaying text and graphics on a screen
5.An authoring tool for producing CAI in INdian languages

An authoring tool for multimedia based CAI is under development.

Some authoring tools have been distributed to different departments of the University as well as to other institutes and universities. Thus they are also being used outside the School for developing CAI courseware.

Courseware for Engineering Professionals under Continuing Education Programme

1.Legal aspect of contract management
2.Apaplication of computers in chemical engineering industries
3. Computer based instruction
4. Natural gas - a versatile fuel and feedstock
5.Transducer engineering
6.Cryogenics and cyogenic application to industry
7. Plastics as an engineering material
8. Principles of metal cutting and design of cutting tools
9. Fits and finishes
10.Geotechnical aspects of foundation design
11. Bio-mechanics
12.Microprocessor I?O interface
13. Introduction to a Finite Element Method and Its Application in Structural Mechanics
14. Earthquake and Volcanism
15. Analysis of Indeterminate Structures
16. Remote Sensing Application
17. Food Biotechnology
18. Recent Advances in Fruit and Vegetable Processing
19. Case Studies on Remoting Sensing Applications: Geomorphology, Bathymetry, Coastal Erosion, Land and Water
20. CAD/CAM
21. Advanced Quantitative Techniques for Production and Management
1. Process Control for Food Processing Industries

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