Interactive Mechanisms in Distance Education – Perception of Academic Counsellors in the ODL System

Abstract

This paper examines the perception of academic counsellors on the availability, accessibility and usage of interactive mechanisms in distance education. The data were collected from 101 academic counsellors of three universities i.e., Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU) and Institute of Distance and Open Learning (IDOL) within Maharashtra. The key findings showed that academic counsellors were comfortable in using the various media though the preference was for face to face counselling, reference material, self-learning print material and tutorials for assignments. The more experienced counsellors favoured the use of audio/video/interactive mechanisms. The availability and accessibility of various media were generally satisfactory though logistic support and training would help enhance its usage.