Learner support services at distance higher education institutions in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir

1. Introduction

2. Significance of the study

The contributions of DEIs have been enormous towards the educational upliftment of people living in this northern hilly area of India. However, despite these contributions, some researchers and practitioners raise doubts over the teaching-learning quality and especially the learner support services (LSSs) in the ODL system. “Support services are probably the weakest component of ODL in India as over 50% of the DEIs do not have any learner support service (LSS) network”, Katoch (2014). Furthermore, there is a dearth of research studies on LSS in J&K in comparison to other areas of distance education. In this context, the present study was conceptualised and conducted to examine LSS, which is a very essential component of a distance education system. Special attention is paid to reviewing the effectiveness of some selected LSS components, which are considered extremely necessary whilst delivering educational programmes through the distance mode. The findings of this work may be useful not only for the DEIs in J&K, but these findings may be equally helpful for the other institutions based in similar geographical terrain and socio-cultural backgrounds in offering quality support services.

3. Objectives

The major objectives of this study are:

1. To discuss the major features of ODL and the importance of LSS in the context of the Union Territory of J&K.

2. To overall examine the select aspects of support services provided by the ODL institutions in the Union Territory of J&K.

3. To study the select aspects of LSS offered by DEIs in the Jammu Division and Kashmir Division of the Union Territory of J&K and make a comparison of support services offered by DEIs of these two divisions.

4. To ascertain gaps in LSS, if any, and suggest measures to improve support services in the Union Territory of J&K.

4. Relevant studies

5. Methodology

6. Findings and discussion

According to UNESCO (2002) “distance education is an educational process in which all or most of the teaching-learning is conducted through an artificial medium, either electronic or print”. Taking cues from the advantages of ODL in terms of flexibility in admission criteria, mode of instruction or methods, a number of ODL institutions have been established in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir. However, extreme weather conditions, hilly terrain, disturbances in communication and decades-long socio-political crisis have affected the lives of common people and the conventional educational ecosystem; as a result, there has been a huge scope for the virtual/distance teaching-learning in the area (Wani et al., 2022).– MANUU and IGNOU are working as a dual-mode university and open university, respectively. These two universities play their respective roles through RCs and providing education through various learner support centres LSCs or programme study centres (PSCs) spread across the territory. Besides the engagement of these two central universities in distance teaching-learning, there are two state universities (UoK and UoJ) working as dual-mode institutions/universities, offering academic programmes through their respective DDE. Therefore, within a short-span of time, the distance education gained huge popularity and acceptance amongst knowledge seekers.

As we can see in Table 1, presently, six ODL institutions are operating in the territory, and amongst them, IGNOU RCs are offering more programmes compared to other DDEs and RCs of other universities. This may be on two grounds: first, IGNOU has national stature and second, directorates of UoJ and UoK admit a limited number of students in some courses offered by them. The highest number of study centres was associated with IGNOU RC Srinagar (45), whist the lowest number of LSCs was associated with DDE University of Jammu (07). Secondary data revealed that IGNOU has the privilege of having study centres in jails as well to impart free education and skills to the prisoners. During the study, it was also observed that the learner centres of the majority of institutions are spread across the length and breadth of the entire Jammu and Kashmir Divisions. However, academics of DEIs were of the view that there was a need to focus more on difficult terrain and some institutions need to extend their reach by opening study centres in the districts like Udhampur, Samba, Kathua, Ganderbal, Ramband, Reasi, Vailo Larnoo, Uri, Gurez, Drass, Kargil and Leh, etc. for the benefit of defence personnel and people from Scheduled Tribe (ST), etc. Moreover, stakeholder opinions also indicated the need for starting a toll-free number for learners, TV and radio broadcasts, and setting up placement cells at the local level by institutions that do not offer these facilities, besides the implementation of vital facilities like, pre- and post-admission counselling, induction programmes and grievance redressal mechanisms in a more professional and effective manner.

Whilst discussing institutions, their operational ambit and features, one should clearly understand that a robust learner support system, learner-centred facilities and services are the essential features of ODL (Asgar, 2021), which determine the strengths and weaknesses of this system. LSS becomes more important in areas that face problems of accessibility and connectivity to achieve the philosophy of reaching to the unreached and making education accessible to all. The ODL system has a unique teaching-learning methodology, student support mechanism and different facilities focused on learners' needs and expectations. In the ODL system, where there is limited face-to-face contact between the learners and the teachers, there is a strong need to provide necessary facilities and help to learners for quality education. Keeping this in view, perceptions of distance learners from the above institutions (Table 1) were collected to ascertain the availability of some key facilities at the institutional level and effectiveness of select LSS components.

Starting with the first item, conducting an induction programme is an important component of LSS as it is the first step to induct learners into the distance education and make them familiar with the ODL system. Most of the learners join distance education after getting education through the conventional or face-to-face mode of education; therefore, induction should be organised in a systematic and professional way so that learners feel welcomed into the new system and take most of the benefits. Analysis of the results on this component revealed that 69% of the learners found the induction programme useful; however, 16% reported disagreement (DA + SDA) and 15% remained neutral (N). If we combine figures of disagreement and neutrality, it comes to about 31%, which cannot be ignored. Therefore, it is suggested, that the induction programme should be conducted regularly for all the new learners to win their confidence in the system. Moreover, their participation in such programmes will help them in interacting and getting familiar with the peer-groups, counsellors and functionaries of the study centres and RCs. This also becomes essential because a big chunk of distance learners are unaware about their role in the systemic requirements; hence, they need to be professionally guided in the transition phase of their studies.

SLMs are another important component of TL at distance, which are a medium of simulated two-way communication between an invisible teacher and a learner. The use of quick response (QR) codes and open educational resources (OERs), 3D animations, pictures, graphs and charts have enriched the scope and usefulness of SLMs (Asgar and Wani, 2019). These self-learning resources should be based on specific instructional design and presented in a learner-centric format, keeping in view the unique features and requirements of distance learners. But features aside, timely delivery of learning resources to learners is equally important. Shazia (2013) also pressed upon timely delivery of SLMs to achieve one of the LSS objectives of making resources easily available and accessible to learners. In this context, results of the present study show that on average 55% learners were satisfied (SA + A) with the time taken for the delivery of SLMs but 23% learners were in disagreement (DA + SDA) with the delivery time, whilst 22% remained neutral.

Similarly, timely evaluation of assignments is necessary, as tutor comments and feedback provided on them motivate learners and prepare them for the term-end examination. Findings of the study showed that 71% (SA + A) of learners reported that the evaluation of assignment was done on time. Results also indicate that 58% of respondents were satisfied with the feedback on the assignment, whilst 20% showed a neutral response. However, if we see the results of DA + SDA, 22% of learners were dissatisfied and need the attention of support services officials. Tutor comments on assignments promote two-way communication between the teacher and the learners, and it has major pedagogic significance, i.e. feedback from teachers encourages and motivates learners to improve their learning skills and also guides to prepare for the term-end examinations.

Academic counselling creates an opportunity of face-to-face interactions between teachers/counsellors and learners. It is necessary not only to remove the doubts of the learners about a specific topic of the subject but also to keep them active and motivated during the course of study. Findings unveiled that majority of (58%) respondents reported that counselling sessions were well organised and these helped them in their studies, whilst 22% were dissatisfied. In total, 64% of learners also reported as mentioned in Table 2 that counselling sessions were taken by the qualified and expert tutor/counsellor, whilst 21% remained neutral, and if we examine the scale DA + SDA, 15% may be expecting more qualified and experienced academic counsellors. This also highlights the need to deploy trained academic counsellors who could work up to the expectations of the learners. In his study on LSS, Nanda (2003) also reported that although a large number of learners were satisfied with the support services, there was scope for improvement in academic counselling. This should also be noted that in distance education, learners merely get the immediate feedback and remain isolated from their peer group. In this scenario, it is academic counselling sessions that provide an opportunity for the interactions amongst learners and teachers. Therefore, the conduct of counselling sessions or contact classes must become a serious affair for the study centres to keep the learners engaged in lively and fruitful academic interactions.

Raising the queries is a normal phenomenon in any educational system, but immediate resolution of these should be the focus of the functionaries of the ODL system because ensuring quality support services and fulfilling learner satisfaction is a continuous process, and HEIs are the best evaluators to evaluate themselves (Wong and Chapman, 2023). In this context, a common questionnaire was put before the learners to register their reactions to the solution of their problems. Results underline that 58% of the learners were in agreement (SA + A) that their academic queries were solved timely and effectively by the concerned RCs/directorates/learner support centres. However, 18% showed neutral response and 24% were dissatisfied (DA + SDA). In total, 52% respondents reported that their administrative problems were also resolved, whilst 25% disagreed (DA + SDA) with the statement on the resolution of non-academic problems. In total, 48% respondents reported that their general queries were addressed promptly (SA + A), whilst 27% of them reported otherwise (DA + SDA) and this is a big number. It is quite evident from the results that academic and administrative problems were solved by the concerned bodies; however, there is also scope for further improvement in these kinds of services, as more than 20% were unsatisfied. As far as promptness in addressing academic and administrative problems is concerned, 27% reported that they could not get prompt action; thus, LSCs/RCs must pay due attention to the learners' problems and quick resolution of the problems/queries raised by learners. This finding is corroborated by Amin (2018), who reported that DEIs need to improve LSS in J&K by addressing issues faced by learners in a time-bound manner. Apart from adapting friendly pedagogical principles, DEIs must ensure effective academic, administrative support to ensure equity, equality and justice for all learners (Kocdar and Bozkurt, 2022). Mistri and Sardar (2022) also argued for prompt academic support services for the students residing in the hilly terrain of India so that they can continue their studies without complaint or compromise.

Assessment and evaluation are another other important areas of LSS. In total, 57% of learners were satisfied (SA + A) with the evaluation process, 29% were neutral (N) and 14% disagreed (DA + SDA). Responding to the question on the timely declaration of results, the majority of them (61%) agreed that the results were declared on time, and they completed the programme on time, but still 25% of learners disagreed. Time taken for the evaluation of assignments, answer scripts and declaration of results can be reduced further by implementing emerging educational tools and online technologies. DEIs in J&K needed to work on this area, especially experiences faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it was only technology which came to rescue the ODL institutions by facilitating ERT. Srivastava (2002) also emphasised the need for quality upgradation in LSS through extensive use of technology. In addition to these, distance education colleges/universities will have to develop and work rigorously on a tech-based mechanism that guarantees quality and speedy learner support, which will lead them towards satisfying the needs of learners and other stakeholders. Kocdar and Bozkurt (2022) suggest that DEIs need to further focus on tech-enabled support services and provide accessibility to assistive technologies for teaching-learning purposes. According to Sharma (2019), mobile technology has a greater scope in J&K for faster communication between institutions and learners and joyful and enriching TL experiences and support services.

If we take the holistic view of responses received from the learners of 6 ODL institutions of J&K on 12 different components of LSS, it is quite obvious from the results mentioned in Table 2 that majority of respondents (60%) are in agreement or satisfied (SA + A) with the various services they received. In total, 20% of them remained neutral whilst 21% disagreed (DA + SDA) with the different statements. Even though the majority is satisfied, N and DA + SDA (19 + 21 = 40) is a big number and this makes a strong and valid argument that still DEIs will still have to go to extra miles to fulfil learners' requirements by strengthening specific support services like specific services like timely delivery of SLM, resolving academic and administrative problems, answering learners' queries promptly, speedy declaration of results, commenting on assignments and counselling services so that ODL system turns more learner-centric in J&K.

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in the northern part of India is divided into two divisions, namely the Jammu Division and the Kashmir Division and 20 districts to streamline governance (Govt. of J&K, 2023). During the study, researchers tried to get feedback from learners of both the divisions separately on the effectiveness of 12 aspects of LSS.

It is quite evident from the results (Table 3) that the majority of respondents (between 50 and 71%) are in agreement on the effectiveness of the majority of support services components provided to them. The overall perception of learners from both the divisions about various support services components on the scale of Strongly Agree + Agree (SA + A) differs very slightly only by 2%, which may not be a significant difference. 1% variation is found on the neutral scale, whilst 3% variation was found on the scale of disagree and strongly disagree (DA + SDA). However, learner opinions on a few components such as quick solution to academic and non-academic problems hovered just below or just above the 50% on the scale of SA + A, which suggests that institutions need to work on these areas to augment the LSS further to satisfy learners needs.

In the light of the above discussion, the importance of effective support services remains intact. According to Venkaiah (1996), this is also because distance learners come from diverse educational, social, occupational and economic backgrounds, there is a lack of study skills amongst them and most of the time they are isolated from teachers/peer-groups. They have to balance their work, studies and family responsibilities and they may be in need of different kinds of support at any stage of their studies and its institutions responsibility to make the provision of LSS as per the learners' expectations and requirements. Aggarwal (2010) opined that the necessary support system is an essential component for DEIs for effective educational transactions. Therefore, J&K-based ODL institutions should work towards addressing the gaps discussed in the previous sections and take solid steps to make LSS more effective, which shall help in building confidence and self-esteem amongst learners and ultimately lead to reducing the dropout ratio and timely completion of the academic programmes (Tait, 2003). However, there may be challenges related to infrastructure, funds and human resources that should be taken care of by the centre and local government. Moreover, ODL institutions should also go for collaborations and resource pooling (Rocha et al., 2000) to create a robust support system. Another challenge may be the dearth of trained academic counsellors and other supporting staff, who are mostly from the convention colleges, universities and departments. They may be less familiar with the ODL system, its specific and unique instructional design and support service mechanism. Therefore, DEIs need to orient these employees and build their capacities to contribute effectively in this system. Asgar and Rampelli (2021) emphasised on conducting different kinds of workshops and capacity building programmes on different themes of open distance and online learning to train academic counsellors and different ODL functionaries so that institutions could ensure timely and effective support services to learners with the help of trained professionals posted at different RCs and study centres.

7. Conclusion and suggestions

Two state universities (UoK and UoJ) are functioning in the dual mode and providing distance education through their respective directorates. Besides these, the two central universities IGNOU and MANUU are offering ODL programmes and different kinds of academic and administrative support services to their learners through their respective RCs and study centres across J&K. Overall, these institutions have the penetration of LSCs/PSCs in almost all districts of their jurisdictions. However, some RCs and Sub-RCs may strive to set up more/new study centres and launch new courses and programmes in areas that are mostly unreached; this may not only help in increasing the enrolment but also make education accessible to all. Some institutions offer facilities like toll-free number for learners, TV and radio broadcasts; however, more DEIs may also take initiative in this direction and further also work for creating local placement cell, robust grievance redressal mechanism besides organising induction programmes and pre- and post-admission counselling in more frequently and in a complete professional way. Majority of respondents were found satisfied with the various services they received at RCs of LSCs, however, (21%) registered dissatisfaction, and this reflects that still there is scope for DEIs to take measures to improve specific services like timely delivery of SLM, immediate resolution of academic/administrative problems, speedy evaluation of assignments, sending tutor's comments on assignments to learners, declaration of results and ensuring quality academic counselling services or contact classes to fulfil learners' requirements and expectations. This shall greatly contribute towards making the ODL system more learner-centric, dynamic, demanding and offering quality support services in J&K.

On the basis of the findings of the present study as discussed in previous sections, followings are a few major suggestions:

1. DDEs of UoK and UoJand RCs of MANUU may launch new programmes/courses so that learners get the more choices, which will also help in achieving the GER target of NEP 2020 may be fulfilled.

2. The number of LSCs/PSCs in uncovered/far-flung areas/border areas of J&K where the facilities of the conventional system of education are not possible should be increased.

3. DEIs should strive for an effective mechanism to ensure timely delivery of SLMs to learners, which is vital to retain the interest of the learners and motivate them.

4. Results must be declared on time and grade cards dispatched immediately that will help the learners in getting employment without losing further time.

5. DDEs/RCs/LSCs/PSCs should utilise the technology at the optimum level for speedy, effective services and delivery of programmes.

6. DIEs should show promptness in addressing the academic and administrative problems of students. They must be provided with the necessary information on real-time basis through different media/tools.

7. DEIs may like to follow IGNOU practice to offer education to jail inmates free of cost, so that inmates get education, reform themselves and come out of jail as a literate and good human beings.

8. Institutions may arrange for training of academic counsellors and other staff handling LSS to sensitise them towards learners' specific needs, and how they can help them in resolving academic and administrative issues.