Open Courseware: A Unique Opportunity for India

Abstract

The pivotal role of education as an instrument of social change - by altering the human perspective and transforming the traditional mindset of society is well recognized. The universalisation of education has become the top priority, especially for the developing countries. But the extension of quality education to remote and rural regions becomes a Herculean task for a large country like India with multi-lingual and multi-cultural population separated by vast geographical distances, and, in many instances, inaccessible terrain. Open Courseware (OCW) is part of a comparatively new educational movement in the line of Open Access (OA) and leading institutions and universities around the world are capitalizing it for the betterment of the society. OCW provides learners an opportunity to disseminate knowledge beyond the traditional classroom environment. The present study aims to spread the word of OCW and sensitize the teachers and learners about the tremendous potential of OCW in the context of education in India.