IGNOU launches Flexi-Learn for continuing education

Good news atlast for those who have a long desire to continue education.

Prospective students can now log on to Indira Gandhi National Open University’s (IGNOU) Flexi-Learn , to pick the subject of their choice and gain education free of cost.

According to an official press release, Flexi-Learn provides free and easy access to IGNOU’s courses. It integrates free learning resources with learning management systems for anyone who wants to learn, whatever their educational needs and experience.

The platform provides an alternate way of awarding degrees and diplomas. The student can pay the fee later and get a Certificate.

“Flexi-Learn offers courses in a completely open and flexible environment with a number of unique features, like, a visitor to the Flexi-Learn site has the option to register for any particular course or for a full length programme. A modular approach is followed wherein a learner can combine course credits to obtain a degree or diploma of their choice,” said an official.

In addition, the platform provides a self-learning environment with a list of Academic Advisors/ Course guides to act as mentors. The Personal Learning Environment (PLE) will also have interactive tools like Discussion Boards, Blogs, Wikis, podcasting, RSS Feeds etc.

Each course also has the option for both online as well as offline assessment, as per the choice of the learner, who can take exams ‘on demand’.

A complete tracking mechanism is integrated into the Flexi-Learn platform through e-portfolios of individual learners. The E-portfolio will keep a formal record of all formal and informal studies carried out by the registered learner.

Certification of the courses will be based on stipulated time spent on a course and completion of all learning activities identified by the faculty.

The Flexi-Learn platform provides an opportunity for prospective learners to sample a course before enrolling and help them in choosing courses and programmes of study.

Course wise registration facilities will also offer topic specific continuing education programmes.

“This platform also provides a flexible framework for Schools of Studies to identify and combine different courses already available, for offering tailor-made, need-based programmes,” he added.

In the long run, this unique initiative will help in achieving IGNOU’s objective of democratization of education by taking it to the doorsteps of the learners and providing high-quality education to anyone who seeks it.

The courses that are offered now are limited to the below, but there is a long list worth watching.

• Law
• Agriculture
• Library Science

There are some virtual classes that are really worth looking at too. The portal is designed using moodle which is a cool open-source education/course oriented content management system.

I am really glad that open source is used for good purposes instead of relying on flashy or silverlighty commercial softwares.