Decisive Evaluation in Distance Education: A Case Study of the Certificate in Computing at IGNOU, India

Evaluation of a course or a programme not only demonstrates its strengths, but also points out its inherent shortcomings. This is why programme evaluation constitutes an important function in an open and distance learning system. This paper presents the results of an evaluation of a computer science programme taught in distance learning mode by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), India. This six-month programme for the Certificate in Computing (CIC) was launched in 1994. The courses intend to give basic awareness and skill about computers. Feedback was obtained from the students currently pursuing the programme, from those who had successfully completed the programme and from the counsellors and experts teaching the courses. The evaluation presented here is focussed on two aspects of the programme; one the administration of distance education and another course content. The data was gathered through feedback questionnaires sent to identify study centres and through face-to- face interviews of the CIC students. The survey findings were coded and analyzed using MS-Excel. This paper also looks at the students perception of the content, value and quality of the course, and the effectiveness of counselling and practical methods. Our study will be useful to the researchers and practitioners in the field of computer literacy and awareness programmes through distance and open learning environment.