Effectiveness of Online Support Services during Covid-19: A case study of IGNOU

Abstract

The pandemic Covid-19 has compelled human society to maintain social distancing and it has not allowed us to continue our education through the traditional face to face mode. It has taught us to opt for platforms with technologies, which have not been used before. In this situation, many students are preferring their education through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) or online learning mode. Most of the educational institutions are also offering online support services to tackle the pandemic Covid-19 situation. In order to understand the effectiveness of online support services an online survey using Google form was conducted among learners, coordinators, and counsellors of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) during the lockdown period for Covid-19. The data collected through questionnaires were put together in the form of tables and a simple percentage method is used for the analysis. Their views are analyzed and found some important factors which are required to enhance the effectiveness of online support services. It is very interesting to note that about 88 percent of learners prefer online mode of admission but only 17 percent of learners prefer a soft copy of the study materials. Maximum learners are agreeing to continue online induction meetings and online counselling classes in future. The majority of the learners, coordinators & counsellors recommended conducting online examinations and online evaluations.