Edu-leaders

Starting in 1997 with a batch of 42 students in its Postgraduate Programme (PGP), IIM K increased PGP intake to 120 in 2003, 180 in 2005 and to 261 in 2008, thus making it the fastest growing management school in the country to reach that landmark. This was done keeping the quality of the programme high, as the Institute continued to maintain its sound placement record, ranking among the top 5 institutes in the country in 2008. IIMK pioneered Interactive Distance Learning (IDL) for working executives in India.

The IDL programme was initially based on VSAT technology with two way audio and one way video interaction. It was further enhanced to two way audio and audio interaction. The technology used is one to many, with many-to many interaction (controlled centrally) possibilities. There is live streaming of video over the dedicated VSAT network with an educational software, simulating the class room experience. With a huge demand in the IT sector during the late 90's, most executives did not get a chance to undergo a formal management education as they were absorbed directly from campuses. Further, given the high pressure and highly mobile nature of the IT sector, there was a need for a rigorous, yet flexible programme that allowed mobility and flexibility of timings. Furthermore, existing distance learning programmes were not suitable for management education as they were asynchronous and lacked the important component of "peer-based learning" which is essential in management education. Thus, a country wide virtual classroom was necessary. Also, as IIMK was situated in Kozhikode, a logistically disadvantaged area, it was but natural to leverage on technology to tide over that handicap.

Options Available

There were several options available like pure distance learning or blended learning or even asynchronous web based learning. However, IIMK felt that the technology should simulate a classroom environment and should provide a high level of interactivity. Hence, the broadcasting modes were rejected. IIMK also felt that the technology should support an intense learning atmosphere and provide adequate tools for a range of pedagogies adopted in the class, like case studies. Another major consideration was that it should provide a centralised control to maintain discipline and should help teachers to synthesize students though process while delivering the sessions through a series of interactive tools, like pop-ups, directed questions and flagging. They found IDL technology best met these requirements. Since the objective was to develop a premium product and not a commoditised mass product, other choices were eliminated naturally. Moreover as the first full fledged virtual educational programme in Asia, they wanted to avoid the common pitfall of pre-mature termination by students.

Major Challenges

The IDl was implemented on a BOT model. As the model was untested, IIMK decided against spending money from the public exchequer. Tenders were floated requesting for eligible players who were ready to invest in technology and provide high quality classrooms. Revenue sharing was the mode of revenue for the vendor who, at their cost had to set up studio, provide adequate bandwidth and allied infrastructure as per specifications and classrooms spread across the country. A two stage bidding process was made. Two players qualified for the technical bid- M/s Zee Networks and Hughes Escorts Communications Ltd. Further, on inspection of quality, technical parameters, commercial viability and pan Indian presence in business centres, HECL was awarded the contract. The lack of a model to benchmark was the major challenge. Since it was a pioneering concept, translating classroom rigour to a virtual platform and training faculty to adapt themselves to the new way of educational delivery were major challenges. The virtual platform also provided more information on the fly, making it necessary for teachers to use them effectively for improving quality of delivery. Through continuous training and technical hand-holding,the challenges were overcome successfully. Moreover, the first batch had a very enthusiastic group of technocrats as participants and minor technological issues were sorted out during the course. A detailed backup plan to ensure that the 'classroom experience' was not lost was made at the time of launch of the programme itself.

Benefits Of The Deployment

The benefits of the deployment were multifold. The institute developed a niche in the emerging market of virtual- guided learning. As the participants were senior executives, there was a lot of learning in the classroom sessions. The project also influenced the corpus of the institute positively, making IIMK the IIM with the largest corpus fund in the shortest period of time. The Institute has been recognised for its pioneering efforts and its fillip to executive education. Moreover, the faculty found it easy to migrate to technology-enabled learning. It also benefited students as the technology chosen was allowing anonymous interactions and mutual discussions. Hence the students have a higher level of interaction than a physical class. Moreover the pan Indian presence makes the discussions quite rich as it brings a live, multicultural perspective in the class.