The document discusses leveraging e-learning technologies to provide education in rural areas. It argues that e-learning design is as important as the technology and should be tailored to learners' needs and contexts. Effective e-learning involves analyzing content, learners, and contexts to create compelling content and optimize the learning experience. E-learning should facilitate a collaborative environment that connects learning to real-life experiences. Ongoing support through courses is also important. E-learning complements, but does not replace, teachers. When designed and implemented properly, e-learning can help increase agricultural production and employment.

1. Convergence of Learning and Design:
a Blueprint for High-Impact e-Learning
Madhuri Dubey, Ph.D
ASEAN eLearning Conference at CDAC Hyderbad Nov 2007

2. Leverage e-learning technologies to offer
adult and primary education in far-flunged areas
• design aspect is often seen as a peripheral issue
• e-learning is mostly understood as technology stuff
• benefits of technology should penetrate till the
towns and rural areas

3. e-learning is much more than deploying content or
information using technology
• the role of design in making content compelling and
highly engaging
• creation of effective content and design high-impact
e-learning

4. Re-align design with learning
• Design involves analysis of content, context and learners
• Design should be well suited for the learner profile.
It should ensure optimum learning experience.

5. e-learning is essentially about learning
 Experience plays a crucial role in knowledge construction
 Learning in a collaborative environment helps them to
create and share meaning
 Learning gets successfully reinforced if it is connected to
real life experiences
 It is important to get the big picture view of the curriculum

6. Facilitate comfort with the medium
 unique set of challenges
 socio-cultural reasons
 prepare the learners to appreciate the advantages

7. Ongoing support through the course
 Pre-course counseling with the help of professional
counselors
 Collaboration and help during the course
 Formative and summative evaluation
 Follow-up activities to apply knowledge in practical situations

8. e-Learning will not replace the teacher
 e-learning and classroom synergize to bring the
perfect learning environment for the learner.

9. The introduction of second green revolution with training to
farmers and technology will increase agricultural production
to 360 million tonnes by 2020.
A P J Abdul Kalam

10.  Employment in agriculture reduces to 60% with a
doubling in the demand for food, measures like deploying
higher-level research, technology, agricultural extension
services and training will need to be instituted.
 R&D , infrastructure industries, education and training
can lead to augmentation in agriculture sector in the
form of high technology agricultural equipment,
biotechnology and complementary methods.

11.  Buy already existing courses and convert them into Indian
languages
 On the innovative side, use TV programs and blend
e-learning with these programs
 Experiment with e-learning that assumes high levels of
literacy

12.  Is the pre-design study conducted before arriving at a suitable
instructional strategy?
 Have we spent time with the farmers in their environment learning
how they work, understanding what could be their learning needs?
 How are the computer skills assessed for this group of learners?
 What could be the cultural issues while motivating them to learn?
Continued…

13.  How do we make sure that we sustain their interest throughout the
learning program?
 What is the best support mechanism that can help them in
successful course completion?
 Is there a plan to conduct a pilot study before embarking on the
actual project?

14. Thank you
Questions?