Case:SymbiosisCentreforDistanceLearning

(ICON) CompanyFactsandFigures
Industry:Highereducation 2008Revenues:US$37million ScopeofServicesandProducts:Providingpostuniversityeducation,16programs,and134coursesofstudyinsix disciplines EstimatedNumberofStudents:200,000distancelearningstudents YeartheInitiativewasIntroduced:2001 OfficesandLocations:ThreeschoollocationsinIndia,withafourthopeninginDelhiin2010 Website:http://www.scdl.net/

Introduction
In2001,asmallgroupofeducationalvisionariesstarteda smallprivateeducationalinstitutecalledtheSymbiosisCentre forDistanceLearning(SCDL).Thevisionwassimple;provide qualityeducationthroughdistantlearninginabroad spectrumofprogramsanddisciplinesthatcouldprovidepost graduateworkingstudentswithanopportunitytofurther increasetheirknowledgeinasubjectarealeadingtonew opportunitiesforpersonalgrowthandjobenhancement. Yeswebeganwith8000studentsin2001.By2003wehad 15,000students&by2006wehad100,000students.The exponentialgrowthhappenedbetween2003&2006from 15,000to100,000studentseachyearduringthatperiodwe enrollingabout50,000studentsthusactivestudentsstrength become100,000by2006.TheInstitutewasalsoconfronted withthefactthattechnologywasquicklygainingstrengthasa strategiclearningtoolandcouldnotbeignored.Withthe realizationthatelearningcouldbeanexcellentwaytoattract andeducateyoungworkingadults,itwasclearthattherewas anopportunityforthefutureexpansionandgrowthofthis

Why Technologybased Learning?

Needtosupplement printedselflearning materialwithinteractivee learningcoursemodules Provideteachingtoa broaderbaseofstudents Costeffectivesolutionto teachinglargenumbersof students Scalablesolutionatany time Richeranddeeperteaching opportunity Reduceneedforfrequent facultyinteraction

 privateuniversity.TodaySCDLhasover200,000studentsfromallcornersofIndiaand42countries. Beginningin2004,SCDLhasstrategicallyfocusedonimplementingtechnologysolutionsthatwould increasestudentaccesstoeducation,improveprogramqualityanddelivery,provideaquickerresponse timetostudentquestionsandtoimprovestudentsupportservices.Today,adultlearnersatSCDLhave accesstoelearning,virtualclassrooms,podcasts,facultychatsessions,exambooking,andacademic testresultsalldeliveredthroughasophisticatedWebportal,thuscreatingalargevirtualcampus.Prior totheelearninginitiativeatSCDLin2004,SCDLonlyprovideditsdistantadultlearnerswithhardcopy, selfdirectedlearningmaterials,whichweresupplementedwithoccasionalfacultyledclassroombased programs.

HowwastheInitiativeAlignedwiththeBusiness?

ThomasFriedmanrecentlywroteTheWorldisFlat:ABriefHistoryoftheTwentyFirstCentury,ande learningisoneoftheproofsofthatbecauseitcanreachlearnersanytimeandanywhere.Butjust becausestudentscanaccesselearning,doesntmeanitcansuccessfullyteacheveryone.Youmusttake intoaccountsuchdifferencesascultural,language,organizational,andhowonelearns.Doneproperly, elearningcanbeapowerfultooltopromoteeffectiveadultlearninginacountryaslargeanddiverseas India. Sinceitsbeginnings,SCDLofferedonlytraditionalprintedlearningmaterialtoitsadultstudents.In2006 theInstituteactivestudentenrollmentattendancewasapproaching100,000students.Themajor challengethatexistedatthetimewasthatthestudentswerespreadacrosslongdistancesinremote areasandacrossmanycountries(asmanyas30differentcountries).Understandably,itwasdifficultand challengingtoorganizefacetoface,facultyledclassesthataddedtremendousvaluetothestudents learningexperiences.Thedynamicsofgeography,timezones,anddiversestudentpopulationwasan immensechallengetowardsimplementingauniversal,oneforallsolutioninthelearningpedagogy.At thesametime,itwasimportanttoenhancelearningexperiencesofstudentsbyprovidingtechnology basedsolutionsthatwouldeasetheoperationaldifficultiesthatexistedatSCDL.Therefore,elearning emergedasasuitableandlucrativepossiblesolution.Implementingthiskindofasolutionwasfarmore costeffectivethanarrangingmultilocation,facultyledclassroomlectures.Facultywasconsidereda veryexpensiveoperationalexpense,sotheInstitutedecidedtousefacultyonlywhenandasneeded. TheelearninginitiativegoeswellwiththeInstitutesvisionandmissionofprovidingselfpaced,self styledlearning. Afterfurtherinvestigation,theSCDLInstitutetooktheinitiativeofintroducingelearningcourse modulestosupplementtheselfguided,paperbased,learningmaterials.Thecustomizedelearning coursemodulescoveredkeyconcepts,usedcasestudies,andreallifesituationalexamplestoexplain variousconcepts.However,whendesigninganyelearningcourse,agreatdealofeffortwasmadein notreiteratinginformationalreadyavailablethroughexistingfacultylecturesorthepaperbased learningmaterials,thereforeensuringthattheelearningwasaneffectivesupplementtotheexisting selfguidedlearningmaterials.

 Utilizingelearningforteachingwasselectedasanappropriatelearningstrategybecauseitwould enabletheInstitutetoaddresskeyconceptsofthecurriculuminaninteractive,interestingmannervia custombuiltelearningmodules.Furthermore,theInstitutedecidedtousereallifeexamples,case studies,andscenariosinthetreatmentofelearning,therebymakingtheelearningcoursesmore applicationbased.Thiswasonlypossiblethroughcustomizedelearningmodules,whichwouldbe basedontheselfpacedlearningmaterialthattheInstitutealreadyhad. TheInstitutesleadershipconsideredthatelearningcouldalsoprovideacosteffectivelearningmodel tosupporttheInstitutestremendousgrowth.Inordertoaccommodatenew,largernumbersof studentsenrolledintheInstitute,thecostrelatedtohiringmorefacultymembersandbuildingmore schoolswasnotnecessarilytherightapproachtogrowingtheschool.Elearningwasscalable.More studentstakecourseswithoutincreasingthefacultysizeanditallowedstudentstolearnattheirown paceandintheirhomes.Soconsideringthesefactors,SCDLcouldincreasestudentnumbers,expandits reach,andmaintaincosts. TheInstitutewantedtoimprovetherichnessofthelearningexperienceitwasdeliveringtoitsstudents. Throughtheintegrationoftechnology,teaching,andelearningSCDLcouldmixtheseimportant ingredientstogethertocreateafarmorepersonalizedlearningexperiencetotheenduser.TheInstitute leverageditshighlyrecognizedfacultyinprovidingrealtimelearningwithinsightintotheelearning experiencethatothertraditionalschoolsinIndiacouldnotmatch.

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KeyBusinessDrivers
Improveandenhancethequalityandrichnessofthelearningprograms Integratelearningtechnologiesintoexistingprograms Reducefacultyledclasses ExpandthereachoftheInstituteoutsideofIndia

HowwastheInitiativeDesigned?
Ms.SwatiMujumdar,DirectorofSCDLinPune,Indiawasanintegralroleplayerintheestablishmentof elearningwithintheInstitute.Clearly,toleveragelearningtechnologiesintoanyacademic environment,onemustconsideralloptionsandthendevelopaconcisestrategicplanthatcanbe operationalizedtocoexistwithourtraditionalteachingapproaches,Mujumdarsaid.Throughateam offacultyandelearningexperts,SCDLbuilttheirstrategicplanandtookthenumerousstepsintheir goaltobuildaneffectiveelearningprogramthatwouldenhancetheirexistingdistantlearningprogram. ThefirststeptakenbymanagementattheInstitutewastocreateateamfromexistinginternal departments,whereoneteamwasorganizedtoprovidethecoursecontent,subjectmatterexpertise, anddesignanddevelopmentexpertise.Thedifferentacademicdepartments,themediadepartment, andelearningdepartmentwereallprimarilyinvolvedintheplanningandimplementationofthee

 learninginitiative.Theacademicdepartmentsprovidedcontentandsubjectmatterexpertise.Themedia departmentdidtheschedulingandlogisticsmanagement.Theelearningdepartmentcoordinatedwith allinvolveddepartments,vendors,andfacultyinactualdesignanddevelopmentoftheelearning coursesandservices.AllelearningcourseswerecreatedintheEnglishlanguageonlyasitisthe languageofbusinessusedinIndiaandmostotherworldcountries. Anotheraspectoftheschoolsapproachwastheuseofexternalvendorstodeveloptheelearning coursesastheschoolhadlimitedresourcestodothis.Theinternalelearningteamthencreated guidelinesandstandardsthatexternalvendorswoulduseinmeetingSCDLsdevelopment requirements.Thedesignapproachwastokeepeachelearningcoursetoonehourofstudentseattime andkeepthedevelopmentcosttoapproximatelyUS$3,500toUS$4,000perelearningcourse.History hasshownthatonaverage,ittakestheinternalelearningteamabouttwomonthstodesignand developeachcourseusingboththeMacromediaFlashandDreamweavercoursedevelopment applicationtools.AllthecourseswereinEnglishasthemediumofinstructionisEnglishforall educationalprogramsofferedbySCDL. Thesecondstepthatfollowedintheplanwastocreateelearningcoursesforalimitednumberof classes.ThesecourseswerecreatedtobedeliveredthroughtheInternetandremotestudentswithout theInternetwouldreceivethecourseonadiskintheformofaDVD. <InsertPPMELearningScreenshot.TIF>
Figure121:ExampleofOnlineLearningUserInterfacewewouldliketocontinuetousetheword Interface

Instructorledcoursesdeliveredinaclassroombyfacultymemberswerevideotapedandagainoffered viatheInternetorbyDVD.Thisthirdimportantstepnowprovidedstudentswithevengreaterflexibility ofnothavingtobephysicallypresentinaclassandstillhaveaccesstowhatthefacultymemberwas teaching. Followingstepthree,theSCDLteamdesignedandbuiltarobustlearningportalsostudentscouldhave onlineaccesstocourses,grades,videotapeslectures,careerpaths,andsupportservices.

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MediaandTools
Contentandsubjectmatterexpertiseprovidedfromthefacultytosupporttheirexistingcourses MacromediaFlashandDreamweaver Externalelearningvendorstosupplementdevelopment Internetstudentportaldevelopedastheprimaryaccesspointforstudentstogettoelearningcourses,classlectures thatwerevideotaped,careerpaths,grades,andsupport Virtualclassroomsusedsoforeignstudentscouldtakeclasseswithouthavingtobeonsite

HowwastheInitiativeDeployed?
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 Thedeploymentoftheelearninginitiativebeganwiththedevelopmentandlaunchingofseverale learningcoursemodulestosupportthemostdifficultcoursesthatwerebeingofferedattheInstitute. TheSCDLsmanagementandacademicsdepartmentdecidedthattheelearningmodulesshouldbe integratedintoexistingfacultyledanddistancelearningcourses,whichinturnwouldprovidethe participatingstudentswithdeeperlearningopportunities,particularlywithdifficultconceptsand thereforeimprovetheintrinsicvalueofthecourse. Futurereleasesofelearningmodulesandonlinelearningwasdeployedinaphasedrolloutwiththe annualgoalofreleasingbetween10to15newelearningcoursesinfutureyears.Theactual deploymentnumbercouldvaryonthehighersidedependinguponprogramrequirements.Avarietyof elearningispresentlyusedbyover200,000studentsfromallstatesofIndiaand42countries. OneofthemostchallengingearlydecisionsthatneededtobemadebytheSCDLsexecutive managementteamwaswhattodoregardingthepurchase/leaseofalearningmanagementsystem (LMS).TheELearningDepartmentthoroughlyinvestigateddifferentlearningmanagementsystems,but theirfindingsindicatedthatthesystemswereeithertoolarge,difficulttoimplementandmanage, and/orverycostlytopurchase.ThedecisionwasmadenottohaveanLMS,butrathertheywould sacrificesomeofthebenefitsofanLMS,suchastrackingstudents,andsimplyallowstudentstolaunch courses,videos,andrecordingsfromtheschoolswebsiteportal. SCDLhasrecentlydecidedtointroducevirtualclassrooms.AtpresentSCDLisexploringvariousvirtual classroomsoftware,suchasWimba.Thismodelwillbeusedonanexperimentalbasisfor12courses, especiallytojudgestudentresponseconsideringSCDLhasaverylargestudentpopulation.Thismodel willhelpSCDLstudentstogetflexibilityofattendingclassesfromtheconvenienceoftheirhomeor officewithoutcomingtoourcampus.Wecanalsooffermanymorecoursesthroughthevirtual classroomsasphysicalinfrastructurerequirementisminimalinthismodel.Thiswillhelpfurtherour visionofcreatingavirtualcampustoprovideselfbasedlearningenvironmenttoourstudents.

MarketingApproach
BoththeInstituteandfacultyinternallypromotedelearningaspartoftheimprovedcurriculumtoexistingstudents throughcoursecatalogsandtheirwebsite. AdvertisementswereplacedinlargenewspaperssuchastheIndiaTimespromotingtheexpandedlearning opportunities. SampledemoelearningcourseswereuploadedtotheInstituteswebsitetopromoteandtrainstudentsonthe approachanduseofelearningcoursesintheirlearning.

WhatwastheBusinessImpactoftheInitiative?
Theuseofelearningbegantotakeshapein2004whenitwasdeployedtoapproximately60,000 students.Todaytherearemorethan200,000studentsusingtheelearningcoursesforvariousprograms intheirstudies.TheInstitutepresentlyoffers16programsin134coursesofstudyin6disciplines, primarilyinManagement,InformationTechnology,Education,Humanities,andLaw.Fromthis,sixty

 fourelearningcoursesareinusetodayattheInstitutewiththegoalofadding10morecoursesper year.Thisequatestoover60%ofthecurriculumforallprogramsbeingofferedwithsupportinge learningmodes. Theelearninginitiativehasyieldedexcellentresponsesforthestudentpopulation.Thissupplementary learningapproachhashelpedstudentstounderstandkeycourseconceptsbetter.Duetothisresponse, inclass,facetoface,facultybasedlearninghasbeenreducedintermsofalearningneedandthe Institutehasbeenabletomanagecostsassociatedwithrequirementsofadditionalfacultytomeet growingstudentsenrollmentnumbers.Thefacultywasinitiallyreluctantandhesitant.Therewasa feelingofinsecurityastowhetherelearningwouldtakeawayjobs!However,SCDLtrainedfacultyon theentireprocessofelearningcontentdevelopmentandthentheimportantroleassubjectmatter experts.Thesetrainingprogramsandworkshopsforfacultycreatedinterestandcleareddoubts.Italso helpedtosettheirbuyin. Distancelearningstudentswerenotveryenthusiastictoattendandparticipateinfacetoface,pre scheduledclasseswithfaculty.Assuch,SCDLincurredhugelogisticscoststoarrangecontactclasses withpoorstudentattendance.Afterelearningwasintroduced,thestudentfeedbacksuggestedthate learningbecameanexcellentalternativesourceoflearningandtheoverallneedforfacetofacefaculty interactionwasreduced. Moreimportantly,SCDLhasbeenabletoreachbeyondtheboundariesofIndiaitself.Studentsare distributedallovertheworldandallacrossIndia.Theelearningaspectofcoursedeliveryallowsthe Institutetoreachastudentpopulationnowfromallagegroups,nationalities,cultural,andeducational backgrounds. Duringarecentelectronicsurveyofover16,000students,morethanhalfthestudentsrepresenting bothurbanandruralbackgroundsacknowledgedaverysatisfiedratingoftheelearningmodules;its content;itsrelevancetotheirdailylives;anditscoverageofcasestudies,examples,andscenarios. Studentsratedtheinteractivitywithinelearningasafavorablefeature,butsuggestedincorporating moreexamples.SCDLhasalreadyimplementedthisfeedbackinallelearningcoursesnewlydeveloped in2009.Thefeedbackobtainedwasprovidedtotheprofessorssothattheycouldimproveareaswithin theelearningmodulesinfuturereleases.

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BusinessandLearnerPerspectives
NumberofStudentsSurveyed:16,645(Rural=15,853+Urban=792) Keyresultsofsurveywithrespecttoelearningcoursesandqualityofcontent:
Numberofstudentswhoratedelearningqualityasexcellent/good:12,065 Numberofstudentswhoratedelearningqualityasinteractive/casestudybased:14,437 Numberofstudentswhoratedexamplesinelearningcontentasapplicabletoreallife/relevant:10,980

 StudentQuotesfromSurvey: The e-content was very easy to understand and follow.Housewife

The examples and case studies covered in the e-learning course were very relevant and applicable to my job environment.Working Professional The e-learning course was quite interactive and overall it was an enjoyable learning experience!Student

SUMMARY
Purpose:WithSCDLInstitutesgoalsofimprovedqualityofcurriculum,expandedreachtonew students,andcontrollingcoststheintegrationofelearningintotheInstitutebeginningin2003,ithas workedextremelywellinmakingSCDLaleaderofprivatehigherleveleducationinIndia. InitiativeStructure:Morethan60%oftotalcurriculumsupportedwiththeuseofelearningthat includes: OnlineInternetandclassroombasedtrainingcourses,prerecordedlecturesonDVDs Synchronouslearningthroughvirtualclasses Aneducationalportalforelearningcourses,assessments,careerpaths,andstudent support

NumberofLearningHoursperProfessional:Approximately10 NumberofLearners:Over200,000studentsactivelyusingsomeformofelearningaspartoftheir courses CompletionRequirements:Studentsarerequiredtocompleteabout9698creditstoacquireapost graduatediploma(2yearprogram) AverageLengthofTimeaStudentisatSCDL:Twotofouryears MediaandTools:MacromediaFlashandDreamweaver DeploymentMechanisms:ThroughtheInstituteswebsite,alsodeliveredtoremotestudentsthrough DVDs

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LessonsLearned
Itisalongandarduousjourney,sobuildastrategyandmakesureitisalignedwiththebusiness.


Makesureyougetfacultysupportandtrainteachersontheeffectiveuseofelearningwithintheexistingcourses theyteach. Buildinternalcapabilityandexpertisewiththedesignteaminordertodevelopengagingelearningprograms. Useaphasedrolloutapproachtodeployanelearningprogram. Findtherightvendorwhocanpartnerwithyouoverthelongtermandwhohasthenecessaryexpertisetobuilde learningcourses.