EDITORIAL

The pandemic of CORONA has already engulfed more than 200 countries in the world. It has made us mute witnesses to one of the ugliest havocs caused by Nature. None of us in our lifetime had ever imagined that we would live to witness a time when we would be locked inside our homes for more than a month. We, human beings who love to put and see the animals and birds in cages, now find ourselves caged in our own homes. People ventured out into the open during the first phase of lock-down but during the second phase, they seem to have been humbled by the massive damage COVID-19 has caused to life and economies across the world. As on today,more than 3 million people have come under the tentacles of this virus and more than 200000 people have lost their lives, despite our rapid advances in the field of science, technology and medical facilities. Countries affected by it may need decades to overcome this havoc. Undoubtedly, it has taught us lessons in humility, self-discipline and spirituality. The positive impacts of COVID-19 have also started surfacing. Pollution across the world has come down, rivers have become cleaner, oceans have become calm and wild animals have startedcoming into the erstwhile crowded areas to smile at the helplessness of humanity. It appears as if nature has reclaimed its own space. CORONA hasopened up infinite possibilities for us. Many of us have learnt how to use the mobile, tablet, Facebook, Twitter and Whats App for educational purposes. Online counselling and training sessions, once the privilege and practice of elite organizations and institutions, have become a part of our daily routine. Most importantly, some of us have started honing our skills and knowledge base by doing new things we often thought of doing in our routine life but had no time to spare for it. Our visits to Swayamprabha, SWAYAM and E-Gyankosh have increased manifold. The reader in us, the poet in us, the artist in us, the creator in us, the social activist in us have awakened and have helped us spring into action to make most of the situation. So let’s thank CORONA for adding wings to our academic aspirations, dreams and innovative ideas. Ministry of Human Resource Development(MHRD), Government of India and University Grants Commission(UGC) have come together to offer us a plethora of avenues to enhance our knowledge and skills. The list of resources identified by the MHRD and UGC are given in this Newsletter in the Appendix to help you explore them at your convenience during the lockdown period. In response to this, IGNOU has geared up and the teaching-learning process in the university has undergone a metamorphosis. The university authorities have undertaken all possible measures to keep the learners and employees protected from the impact of CORONA. Mass gatherings of learners in the Learner Support Centres was stopped immediately after the break out of the virus in India and subsequently the teaching and non-teaching staff of the university in the schools of studies and Regional Centres have been asked to work from home. Under the leadership of our Honourable Vice Chancellor Prof Nageswar Rao, we have taken up it as an opportunity to transform our activities in the ODL mode to the online mode. Series of online classes, Facebook live sessions, workshops are being organized by the members of faculty from different schools of study, expert and experienced academic counsellors at the Learner Support Centres so that learners do not feel disconnected from the University

and are able to continue their studies from home. An innovative way of receiving and assessing the assignment responses online has been introduced to help the learners submit the assignment responses from their homes. The last date for submission of assignments and filling up forms for the Term End Examination, June 2020 have been extended to help the learners. Acting upon the recommendations of the Quality Mandate of the UGC, Honourable Vice Chancellor has set up 11 Task Groups to design the plans of action under this mandate. A Task Force has also been set up to make detailed plans for admission and re-registration; teaching-learning processes including material development & distribution, academic counselling; providing learner support services; conduct of examinations including entrance tests; financial planning and other related matters immediately after the lockdown is over. Regional Centre, Patna has also taken up many new initiatives to reach out to the learners during this critical period. This issue of the Newsletter has been mainly devoted to the initiatives and activities of the University, Regional Centre and Learner Support Centres in regard to the online support services being extended to the learners during the lockdown period. This issue also carries the success stories of two of our successful Alumni MrAjit Kumar Amit and Mr Rajat Pandit to inspire the learners. The portion IT Today in the current issue has been dedicated to Arogya Setu to spread awareness about COVID-19 among the learners, academic counsellors and the readers in general. It would be a pleasure to receive your constructive suggestions for improving the quality of the Newsletter in future. Happy reading! Warm regards Abhilash Nayak

Initiatives, Activities of the University to Provide Online Support to the Learners The university under the leadership and guidance of our Honourable Vice Chancellor, Prof Nageshwar Rao has been taking all possible measures to contain the spread of CORONA Virus among the employees, LSC functionaries, academic counsellors and learners. Detailed Advisory has been issued in consonance with the guidelines of Ministry of Home Affairs to maintain social distancing at each and every level in the three tier system of the university. All the support services at the Learner Support Centres have been suspended with effect from 15

th march 2020. The employees of the university have

been allowed to work from home and provide uninterrupted online support services to the learners during the lockdown period. Honourable Vice Chancellor, has addressed the employees of the university, the academic fraternity and the learners time and again to boost their morale in this critical situation. He has advised all to abide by the guidelines of the government and keep themselves safe.

INDIRA GANDHI NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY

MAIDAN GARHI, NEW DELHI- 110068 IG/VC/Appeal/2020/19

3rd April 2020 APPEAL

Dear Colleagues and Learners,

As you are aware, in order to combat the spread of this global COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of India has taken several safety measures and initiatives. Hon’ble Prime Minister of our Country has announced complete lockdown of 21 days from the midnight of 24th March 2020. In further continuation the Government of India has taken several other measures, which have been highlighted by Hon’ble Minister of Human Resources and Development, Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank ji in his address to the MHRD Officials, Vice Chancellors and other Officials of the Universities and Academic Institutions through teleconferencing today on 3rd April 2020, as under: 1. An ‘Arogya Setu App’ has been developed to fight against Covid-19. This App will be helpful to students,

faculty/teachers/academics and their family members. This App can be downloaded from: iOS: itms-apps://itunes.apple.com/app/id505825357

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nic.goi.arogyasetu

2. Ministry of AYUSH has developed a protocol for immunity boosting measures for self care for kids. The same is also

enclosed for downloading by our students, faculty members, teachers, academics and their family members.

3. As addressed by Hon’ble Prime Minister on 3rd April 2020, students and staff members may light a candle, diya or torch

of their mobile for 9 minutes at 9 PM on 5th April 2020 to realize the power of light and to highlight the objective for

which we all are fighting together. However, social distancing should be maintained and no one should assemble in

colonies or roads or anywhere outside their homes.

As a member of IGNOU family comprising of more than 30 lacs learners, more than 2000 staff members and about 60000

Academic Counselors spread across the length and breadth of the Country and abroad through its 56 Regional Centres and

more than 1800 Learner Support Centres, let us follow the aforementioned measures as well as sensitize our family, friends

and society towards the same and resolve to fight this war against COVID-19.

Jai Hind !

Nageshwar Rao

Vice Chancellor, IGNOU

1. All Colleagues at HQRs/RCs/RECs of IGNOU

2. All the learners enrolled with IGNOU across Country and abroad

3. All the Academic Counselors of IGNOU programmes

Introduction of the facility of Submission of Assignment Responses through Email, Extension of Last Date for Submission of Assignments and

Filling up Examination Forms for TEE, June 2020 In view of the continuous lockdown declared to fight COVID-19 the university authorities have introduced an innovative way of collecting the scanned copies of the assignment responses through email. The assignment responses collected through email are being evaluated online and the awards shall be received online. Moreover, in order to help the learners facing problems while sending scanned copies of the assignment responses, the authorities have extended the last dates for submission of assignments and examination forms for Term End Examination, June, 2020. The last date for submission of examination forms has been extended until 15th May 2020 whereas the last date for submission of assignment responses has been extended until 31st May 2020.

Online Academic Support from the Schools of Study, IGNOU Headquarters, New Delhi

Being inspired by the words of our Honourable Vice Chancellor, various schools of Study have undertaken initiatives to provide multiple modes of online support to the learners. The School of Computer and Information Science has been the leader in organizing a series of Facebook Live Sessions by various members of faculty all through the month. Moreover, the school has created and shared the QR codes of the self-learning materials and Programme Guides, links for e-resources, presentations of the live-classes with the Regional Centres for information to the Programme Study Centres and the learners. Many Schools and Centres like School of Health Sciences, School of Management Studies, School of Journalism and New Media Studies(SOJNMS), School of Humanities, school of Foreign Languages, School of Social Sciences, School of Sciences, School of Education, School of Engineering and Technology, School of Vocational Education and Training, School of Agriculture, National Centre for Disability Studies and Centre for Online Education have taken wonderful initiatives to reach out to the learners.School of Journalism and New Media Studies(SOJNMS) has deployed Google Classroom based online support services for the students of MAJMC and PGJMC. Nearly 67% of MAJMC students and 23% of PGJMC are already a part of this Google Classroom initiative. The school has created a separate Google Classroom space for counsellors of MAJMC and PGJMC (revised).The Discipline of Psychology under School of Social Sciences has taken up many initiatives to address the mental health and psychosocial well-being of people during this COVID-19 pandemic. Interactive Radio Counselling sessions have been organized on topics like MentalHealth during Corona crisis, Mental health during Covid-19: Focusing on our strengths, Work-life balance while working from home during Covid-19, Optimizing learning during Corona crisis, Barefoot counselling skills during Covid-19, and Parenting during Corona crisis. A specific email (mentalhealth@ignou.ac.in) has been created to addressmental health concerns, living safe and healthy, and promoting well-being during COVID-19. Facebook live sessions have been organized everyday at 11 am and the details have been shared with the Regional Centres for information of the Learner Support Centres and learners. Prof R P Kanhere, Honourable Pro Vice Chancellor, Prof Satyakam, Honourable Pro Vice Chancellor, Prof Pradeep Sahni, Prof Akshay Kumar, Prof Jitendra Srivastava, Prof VV Subrahmanyam, Prof Neeti Agrawal, Prof Sunil Kumar, Dr Tangjakhombi Akoijam, Mr M P Mishra, Dr Sanjay Agrawal, Dr Shikha Rai, Ms Padmini Jain, Dr Jyoti Chawla were some of the academic luminaries of the university who conducted the Facebook Live Sessions which attracted thousands of engagements across the country.

Live Sessions on Gyandarshan and Gyanvani During the entire lockdown period, Prof Satyakam, Honourable Pro-Vice Chancellor has shown the way for others bydelivering talks and making presentations on various topics through the GyanvaniProgrammes almost everyday. His lively and interactive sessions have benefited thousands of learners across the country. Eminent Professors from other Schools of Study like Prof Santosh Panda from STRIDE, Prof Rajendra Prasad Pandey & Prof Jagdish Sharma, School of Translation Studies and Training, Prof Suhas Shetgovekar& Prof Swati Patra, Discipline of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Prof Narayan Prasad, School of Social Sciences, Prof Vijayashree, School of Sciences, Prof AK Gaba, School of Vocational Education and Training, Prof M K Salooja, School of agriculture and many other members of faculty have also come forward to provide academic support to the learners during this critical period. Prof TK Jena, Director, School of Health sciences has been providing counselling to people across the country from 4 pm to 5pm everydayon the precautions that people need to take to keep themselves away from CORONA and answers the queries of the listeners. There have been many sessions on student support services by the academics from the RSD like Dr Bhanu Pratap Singh and Dr VanitaKatiyar. Now the Gyandarshan and Gyanvani sessions are held live and hence learners across the country can benefit from them

Workshops by School of Continuing Education Prof Heena K Bijli, Director, School of Continuing Education and Programme Coordinator, Diploma in Event Management(DEVMT) has been active and exemplary by organizing webinars and workshops on different aspects of event management all round the month for the benefit of the learners. All these events have been organized in collaboration with the leading personalities as resource persons from the Event Management Association of India and other leading organisations. She has also organized an Orientation Programme for the Academic Counsellors of the programme through the online mode. Some of the important themes on which the workshops were organized include:

The Balancing Act- Aerial Rigging for Live Events by Mr .AvishkarTendle, MD of Natural Outdoor Education & Training Solutions Pvt Ltd.

The Power of Mind by Major K J S Gurna (Retd) MD- Bellset Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

The Fine Art of Negotiation - Making Money by Saving Money by Mr. Atul Chabra Founder Director - Enthuse Answers Communications Pvt.Ltd.

Safe Power Distribution for Events by Mr. Vaibhav Kapoor, Project Director of Third Wave Services Pvt. Ltd.

Lessons from My Life by Sam Balsara, Chairman of Madison World and also known as "India's Most Influential Media Person

The Future with Event Tech by Mr. Siddharth Shah, Co-founder and Director - Webcontxt India Audio Consoles & Microphones for Live Events by Mr. Elisha GladsonYeshwanth, Senior Application Engineer - Harman Professional Solutions

Event Production -Stitching All Together by Mr. Vincent Samuel, GM - Production Live Entertainment , BookMyShow.India

Staying in Cue-Stage Management & Show Calling by Ms. Nishita Patwardhan & Ms. RajjoMirpuri, Partners on Cue Productions

The Importance of Health, Safety and Environment in the Events Industry by Mr. Rohan Oberoi, Founder and CEO - Momentum India Pvt. Ltd

Thinking between the Lines-Creative Ideation Process by Ms. Payal Shah Karwa, Content Director - The World Jockey Creative Content Studio.

Leadership Talks organized by MHRD’s Innovation Council(MIC) on Twitter Live The Institution’s Innovation Council(IIC) of IGNOU has played an active role in disseminating information about the online sessions being organized by the MHRD’s Innovation Council(MIC) among the employees and learners of the university by sharing the details of the events and the links for the events on twitter(Twitter@https://twitter.com/abhayjere). Some of the important sessions on Leadership Talks included eminent speakers like:

Mr. Abhishek Suryavanshi, Director, Wikipedia Project SWASTHA

Prof. K Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India

Prof. Anil D Sahashrabudhe,Chairman, AICTE

Prof. Partha Chakraborty, Ex-Director IIT-Kharagpur & Chairman, National Digital Library

Mr. Abhishek Singh, CEO, My Gov.

Dr. VK Saraswat, Member NITI Aayog.

Dr. Anand Deshpande, Founder, Chairman & Managing Director, Persistent Systems Ltd .

Ms. Shradha Sharma, Founder, and Chief Editor, YourStory.com..

Dr. Vinay Sahasrabudhe, President ICCR

Mr. Ronnie Screwvala, Chairman UpGrad on how to handle failures

Mr.Yashraj Bhardwaj, Co-Founder Zenith Vipers & Partner Ensure Equity.

National Innovation and Startup Policy (NISP) for Students and Faculties in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs)" by Shri DipanSahu, Asst. Innovation Director, MHRD's Innovation Cell, and National Coordinator of NISP, ARIIA, and IIC.

In addition to the above the IIC also shared information about the Online workshop being organized by Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU) in association with Intellectual Property Protection Organization (IPPO) on Intellectual Property Rights for Academicians and Researchers on 10th & 11th April 2020. As the registration was free, it gave a great opportunity to the faculties, students and Innovation Ambassadors. All the information received from the IIC are being circulated to the members of staff, functionaries at the Learner Support Centres for information to the learners.

Address to the staff of the Regional Centres and Learners by Prof Nageshwar Rao, Honourable Vice Chancellor

On 25th April 2020, Honourable Vice Chancellor addressed the learners across the country and advised everyone to stay home and stay safe during COVID-19. He asked all to download the Arogya Setu App developed by the Ministry of Ayush from the Google Play Store to keep themselves informed about the developments in regard to COVID-19 and keep safe. Then he advised the learners to keep themselves calm during the lockdown and wait patiently and peacefully until the difficult times get over. He shared with the learners that India has become an example for the countries across the world for having successfully contained the spread of CORONA in the country. He informed the learners that it is in order to help them during the lockdown period the last dates for submission of assignments and examination forms have been extended and the system of online submission of assignments through email to the Regional Centres and Study Centres has been introduced. He advised the learners to use the digital materials available on e-Gyankoshor IGNOU Student App and make maximum use of the time available to them and prepare the assignment responses. He then encouraged the learners to take advantage of the online counselling facility provided through Facebook Live Sessions, sessions on Gyandarshan, Gyandhara and Swayamprabha. He also encouraged them to listen and watch the recorded versions if they are not able to watch or listen to the live programmes. He informed the audience that it is matter of pride for IGNOU that the Government of Uttar Pradesh has issued directions to the learners in the state of Uttar Pradesh to watch programs on Gyandarshan during the lockdown period. He advised the learners not to worry about getting promoted to the next year as in the Open and Distance Learning System one can go to next year without appearing any of the examinations of first year. In conclusion, he stated that the university is more concerned about the problems the learners are experiencing due to the lockdown and assured that all possible measures are being undertaken to take care of their problems (https://drive.google.com/ open?id= 1B1jKURxsS4vMheCD6-73d6FmHJfkUYCV).

Regular Interaction of Dr M Shanmugam, Director, RSD with the

Regional Directors

Dr M Shanmugam, Director, Regional Services Division, has been the guiding and driving force for all the Regional

Centres by organizing video conferences with the Regional Directors from time to time to boost their morale and

review the status of online support to the learners during the lockdown period, particularly the status of receipt and

processing of assignment responses through email and redressal of grievances of learners.

Virtual Meeting of Prof Nageshwar Rao, Honourable Vice Chancellor, Prof Satykam, Honourable Pro Vice Chancellor, Prof RP Kanhere, Honourable

Pro Vice Chancellor and Dr M Shanmugam, Director, RSD with the RDs and In Charges of RECs

A virtual meetingwas conducted in the video conference mode on the Microsoft Teams platform, was facilitated

by Prof. Uma Kanjilal, Director COE and coordinated by Dr. M. Shanmugam, Director RSD. The meeting was also

attended by the Pro Vice Chancellors, Finance Officer, Registrar SED, Head Computer Division, Director of SOCIS,

and other academics and officers of the University. In his address Honourable Vice Chancellor focused on the

following:

Appreciation of the efforts put in by the RCs in providing online support services during the lock-down

period

Extensive utilization of Gyan Darshan (GD) and Gyan Vani (GV) Live sessions

Use of Facebook and Twitter Pages for sharing the online support provided to the learners by the enabling

divisions, Schools of Studies, Regional Centres and Learner Support Centres

Accomplishment of IGNOU for being exempted from the UGC-ODL Regulations 2017 and UGC Online

Regulations 2018 as a result of which IGNOU could now launch its own ODL and online courses.

Conduct of Term End Examinations, June 2020

Monitoring of Grievance Redressal by the Student Support Committee

Need for undertaking initiatives by the RCs popularization of SWAYAM and SWAYAMPRABHA channels

among the learners

Need for undertaking translation of SWAYAM and Swayamprabha materials into eight regional languages,

i.e, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Malyalam, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Bengali by the Regional Centres to

popularize them

Rationalization of expenditure at the Regional Centres

Initiatives and Activities Of Regional Centre and Learner Support Centres Celebration of International Day for Women

The Regional Centre celebrated the International Day for Women on 8 th March 2020 in the Conference Hall of

the Regional Centre. On this occasion, Professor Punam Singh, Head, Department of Philosophy, Patna

University, Patna, and Vice Chairman of Gender Sensitization Cell Patna University Patna was the Chief

Speaker. She delivered a talk on "Women Empowerment -Myth or a Reality". Professor Punam Singh in her

address to the gathering highlighted the role of women at large from time immemorial in both the context of

India and abroad. She felt that for a woman to be empowered, she should rest more on her ability,

credibility, commitment and dedication to oneself, family and the society at large. To commemorate the

event, a quiz competition for the staff on the Importance of the day and Debate competition on "Do women

need reservation?" were organized. The students and the staff members of the local Study Centres, staff of

RC and REC actively participated in the events. Prize Distribution was done among the winners. Dr Meeta

ARD, Dr Iqbal ARD and Dr Shailini Dixit ARD spoke on women's rights and empowerment and inspired the

audience to be respectful to the rights of women so that they can work with freedom and contribute to

social reconstruction. Mr Anand Kumar, AR proposed formal vote of thanks.

Orientation Programme for Academic Counsellors

A One Day Orientation Programme of newly empanelled Academic Counsellors of IGNOU Regional Centre, Patna

was organized in the Conference Hall today(15.03.2020). A total of 58 Academic Counsellors from various Learner

Support Centres of this region attended the programme and actively participated in the sessions on various

aspects of support services.

Dr. Abhilash Nayak, Regional Director inaugurated the Orientation Programme and welcomed all the participants.

Subsequently he gave an overview on Open and Distance Learning. During this session, he highlighted the

systemic, curricular and administrative features of ODL that make it different from the conventional mode of

education, the characteristics of the learners that help them thrive through open and distance education. In the

second session, Dr. Shalini, ARD discussed the significance of Academic Counselling in Open and Distance Learning

system, empanelment of new academic counsellors and activation of new programmes on the online portal. The

third session was on activation of new programmes in existing Learners Support Centres. It was again handled by

the Regional Director. He encouraged the academic counsellors to make a need analysis of their students, request

the Regional Centre to open the links for the activation of programmes related to their disciplines in the centers to

which they are attached. He stressed upon the need to activate certificate programmes in the existing study

centres so that it could contribute to the capacity building and skill development of learners pursuing different

programmes in the conventional colleges and universities and enhance their employability. The next session was

on Assignment Evaluation System by Dr Shailini Dixit, ARD. She discussed the significance of assignments in the

open and distance learning system and the need to give constructive tutor comments to motivate the learners and

give them the right feedback at the right time. In the last session the participants were asked to give their

feedback. The participants were very happy regarding the organization of an orientation programme after a gap of

four years. They wanted such programmes to be organized at regular intervals.

The Regional Director, in his concluding remarks, encouraged the participants to provide all support to the learners, strengthen the bond between the university and the learners and help IGNOU reach every doorstep in the region. Mr Anand Kumar, AR proposed formal vote of thanks to all the participants for their presence and active participation in the prorgamme. All the participants were given Certificates of Participation by the Regional Director.

Online Meeting with the Staff for Review of Online Support to the Learners Weekly Online Meetings of the Staff of RC Patna have been organized on 16 th, 23rd and 30th of April 2020 to review the status of online support being provided to the learners. As the Induction Meetings for most of the LSCs have been completed, the ARDs are coordinating with the Coordinators/PICs/Academic Counsellors of LSCs under their jurisdiction and encourage them to organize online academic counselling sessions and identify academic counsellors for online evaluation of the assignments. All members of staff in charge of support services have been advised to be alert in responding to the emails and phone calls/Whats App messages received from the learners so that the learners do not feel isolated during the lockdown period

Online Meet of the Coordinators and PICs

Online Meetings of the Coordinators/PICs of RC Patna have been organized twice on 11.04.2020 and

25.04.2020 to review the status of online support being provided to the learners during the lo ckdown period.

The Coordinators/PICs have been requested to respond to the calls and Whats App messages received from the

learners and provide all possible online support to them. In view of the ongoing lockdown, they have been

requested to organize online academic counselling sessions for all programmes, especially programmes of six

month duration and identify academic counsellors for online evaluation of the assignments. They have also

been requested to encourage their learners to take advantage of al l the Facebook live sessions and sessions on

Gyandarshan and Gyandhara being telecast/broadcast by the faculty from various schools of study at the

headquarters.

.

Organisation of E-Induction Meetings by the Regional Centre

As the learner support services have been suspended at the Learner Support Centres to prevent the spread of CORONA, e-Induction Meetings were organized for the learners admitted for January 2020 at all the Learner Support Centres. The PICS and Coordinators of the respective Learner Support Centres have been advised to guide the learners to visit the website of the university(www.ignou.ac.in) and website of the Regional Centre at regular intervals, make use of digital self-learning materials until the printed materials reach them and guide them in the preparation and submission of assignment responses through email and Google Form and attend the online classes

Conduct of Online Counselling Sessions by the Learner Support Centres All Learner Support Centres under the Regional Centre have been encouraged to use innovative ICT -enabled strategies to reach out to the learners of different programmes during the lockdown period. Nine Learner Support Centres(0516P,0529, 0549, 0568, 0586P, 0593, 05147P, 05168D and 46012P) have already started online counselling sessions for CIT, CRD, CHR, DEVMT, BCA, BAG, BSW, BED, PGDCA and MCA programmes by using various platforms like Zoom, Google Meet and Facebook Live. More than 400 hundred online classes have been held so far. Though the attendance of the learners is not very encouraging, learners attending the sessions find this new way of learning innovative and interesting. The academics at the Regional Centre are following up with the Coordinators of other Learner Study Centres to start the online sessions at the earliest so

that learners are able to continue their studies from home.

Monitoring of Online Counselling Sessions by the Learner Support Centres

The academics of the Regional Centre log in to the online classes being organized by the Learner Support Centres to monitor the academic counselling sessions, inform the learners about their duties and responsibilities during the lockdown period and encourage the learners to take advantage of the online sessions. This also helps the Regional Centre get feedback on the difficulties faced by the learners while attending the online sessions. Dr Shailini Dixit, ARD and Dr Asif Iqbal, ARD have been monitoring these sessions on a regular basis

New Initiatives of our Learner Support Centres during the Lockdown

Period

Distribution of Food Packets among the Helpless People

One of our Learner Support Centres located in Sugiya Devi Memorial School of Management and Information

Technology(05168D) under the leadership Mr Rajaram Pandey, Director of the organisaiton, distributed food

packets among the poor and helpless people under the initiative MADAD as a noble gesture during the lockdown

period. The members of the team and the recipients maintained social distance while distributing and receiving

the packets. The efforts of the Learner Support Centre has been appreciated by the local public.

Wide Coverage of IGNOU Activities in the Educational News Channel as

well as E-Newspaper

Under the dynamic leadership of Dr Sanjay Kumar, coordinator of our Study centre in Maa Kamala Chandrika Ji

Institute of Management, Jehanabad, one new educationalchannel by the name of Educational News and E-

Newspaper Educational News are operational. Dr Sanjay has been playing a significant role in sharing the online

sessions on Gyandarshan, Gyandhara and other online platforms on his channel and publishing IGNOU news in his

E-newspaper.

Innovative Practices Adopted by the Regional Centre to reach out to the

learners

Launching of the You Tube Channel of IGNOU RC Patna

The Regional Centre has started a You Tube Channel by the name of IGNOU RC

Patna(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv7yUuHqhmQVRxntKo9Q-2w). Initially, the videos and

presentations for Induction Meetings on various aspects of support services like academic counselling, SLM and

assignments have been uploaded on the channel. Coordinators/PICs have been requested to send us the

selectedrecordings of the online counselling sessions for uploading on the channel for the benefit of learners

across the country.

Conduct of Online Quiz Competitions

PICs of Programme Study Centres for Computer Programmes are being encouraged to organize Online Quiz

Competition for the learners of their own Study Centres and learners of the region. Two PSCs (0586P and

046012P) have come forward for this cause. PSC 0586P and 046012P have scheduledonline Quiz

Competitionsfor the learners of BCA to promote reading skills among them .

Uploading of the e-Gyankosh links for Masters Degree Programmes on the

Website of the Regional Centre

In order to help the learners locate the self-learning materials on E-Gyankosh, the Regional Centre has put the

links for the self-learning materials of all the masters Degree programmes on the website of the Regional Centre

(http://rcpatna.ignou.ac.in/Ignou-RC-Patna/userfiles/file/slm.pdf). Similar efforts are being put in to provide the

links for the self-learning materials of other programmes.

Guidelines to learners for Attending Online Classes

The Regional Centre has prepared the Guidelines for online sessions to help the learners take maximum advantage

of these sessions. The guidelines have been uploaded on the website of the Regional centre

(http://rcpatna.ignou.ac.in/Ignou-RC-Patna/userfiles/file/guidelines_online_classes.pdf).

Online Submission and Evaluation of Assignments received through Email

& Google Form

In view of the continuous lock down and keeping the problems of the learners in view, the Regional Centre has

created an email ID by the name of rcpatnaassignment@gmail.com and a Google

Form(https://forms.gle/2T21FLguoNaUwDzu7) to receive the assignment responses from the learners. As the

number of assignments received through the dedicated email ID of the Regional Centre has increased, the

Regional Centre has created four new IDs according to level of the programmes:

1. rcpatnaassignmentmdp@gmail.com for Master’s Degree Programmes,

2. rcpatnaassignmentbdp@gmail.com for Bachelors’ Degree Programmes,

3. rcpatnaassignmentdp@gmail.com for PD Diploma and Diploma Programmes and

4. rcpatnaassignmentcp@gmail.com for all Certificate Programmes)

These new IDs are expected to reduce the load on the dedicated email ID and help the officials easily sort out

and process the assignment responses for evaluation. This has been done in accordance with the advice of the

Honourable Vice Chancellor during his address to the RDs on 28.04.2020.

Coverage of the Online Support Services of the Regional Centre and

Learner Support Centres in the Media

IT Today

Cyber Security

Videoconferencing keeps people connected while the coronavirus keeps them inside – but privacy and security

are far from perfect

Privacy refers to individuals’ universal rights to control their data. Security is how that data is protected. One or

both can be compromised when using popular videoconferencing tools, leaving personal information vulnerable.

For example, say someone signs up for a new videoconferencing platform using full name, email address and

phone number. Ideally, the platform company would maintain both privacy and security, meaning the company

wouldn’t share that person’s information outside the company, and would keep their system protected from

hackers and viruses. The most private platforms, like Signal and FaceTime, use end-to-end encryption to ensure

that even the companies themselves do not have access to the contents of anyone’s communication. When such

systems are kept secure, they are the best communication tools to use.

Alternatively, a company could compromise privacy but maintain security, meaning it would collect information

about video calls and sell that data to a third party for marketing purposes. Many companies will include such

conditions in their terms of service, which users rarely read. However, companies have incentive to maintain

security; they don’t want to be overrun with criminals or pranksters, which could damage their reputations.

ICT in Education

COVID-19: The best resources for online teaching during coronavirus

Educational Institutions across the globe have already closed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic – including those in India from 15th March 2020.As a result, teachers are suddenly faced with the challenge of how to continue their students’ education. While this might seem a daunting task, there are several ways teachers can utilize the technology and resources already available to support online learning and ensure students still receive a quality education.

It’s important to note that there is no one size fits all when it comes to learning. Different groups have different

priorities and the resources that should be used are context-dependent. There are also special considerations to

think about for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and for students who might not

have access to high-speed broadband.

However, teachers should take some comfort in the fact that there are hundreds of online resources to guide them

as to how to teach online. IGNOU is already providing online classes and organizing Inductions Meets and other

meetings.

We have rounded up some of the best here to help ease the transition from the classroom to the web.

MS OFFICE 365

Google Class Room

ZOOM net meet app

Seneca learning

NPTEL

IGNOU e-Gyankosh

Advancement in ICT

Aarogya Setu:App

Aarogya Setu is a mobile application developed by the Government of India to connect essential health services

with the people of India in our combined fight against COVID-19. The App is aimed at augmenting the initiatives of

the Government of India, particularly the Department of Health, in proactively reaching out to and informing the

users of the app regarding risks, best practices and relevant advisories pertaining to the containment of COVID-19.

The app will only detect fresh corona cases and alert only those who have been around the infected person. This

app will help in finding the parameters with the technology used through voice. This includes the use of ultra-

modern Bluetooth technology, algorithms, and artificial intelligence. This app is available in 11 languages. It has

been launched on both Android and iOS platforms.

The nudge was largely citizen-focused, given the app's value in informing citizens and alerting them about their proximity to COVID-19 infected persons or people who may have come in contact with them. The data generated by the app's users (in aggregated, anonymized form) would play a role in aiding the

government make policy interventions: specifically, managing the eventual removal of the ongoing lockdown. A cursory reading of the app’s privacy policy says that the data would be used by the Government of India “in anonymised, aggregated datasets for the purpose of generating reports, heat maps, and other statistical visualisations for the purpose of the management of COVID-19 in the country.

Blockchain Data

Block chain data, like the new crypto currency Bitcoin, is a secure method that will continue to grow in popularity

and use in 2019. This system allows you to input additional data without changing, replacing, or deleting anything.

In the influx of shared data systems like cloud storage and resources, protecting original data without losing

important information is crucial.

The authority of many parties keeps the data accounted for without turning over too much responsibility to certain

employees or management staff. For transaction purposes, blockchain data offers a safe and straightforward way

to do business with suppliers and customers. Private data is particularly secure with blockchain systems, and the

medical and information technology industries can benefit equally from added protection.

“Blocks” on the blockchain are made up of digital pieces of information. Specifically, they have three parts:

Blocks store information about transactions .

Blocks store information about who is participating in transactions.

Blocks store information that distinguishes them from other blocks.

Success Stories of Alumni

About Me: Rajat Pandit

BCA 1999-2003

Hi - I am Rajat Pandit from the BCA 1999-2003 Batch of IGNOU 0516P Center, Patna - Currently working for Google.

In a Sales Engineering Leadership role, at Google Cloud - I run the pre sales engineering team for South Of India with my team of very experienced

architects and industry leaders.

I have worked in various other roles including Software Engineering Leadership roles (Tesco - UK’s largest retailer, Time Inc / IPCMedia - UK’s Largest

Publishing House, Yahoo! - The coolest tech company to work for) and Management Consulting Roles (Accenture - One of the big 4 Consulting Firms

globally and HCL) I have a passion for delivering engaging, connected consumer experiences and creating, managing and leading highly functional

development teams that deliver business value with technology.

About Studying at IGNOU/0516P

Reading my profile, might make you wonder that I must have been a top scorer, top of my class student - but in reality I was above average and needed a

few (let's say a couple) re-tries to get through with my degree. The key thing, looking back though, that had the biggest impact in my life was having my

student years coached and guided by some amazing teachers. Not only did they teach what was required for the courseware but also inculcate discipline,

thought leadership and most importantly self belief - confidence in oneself that you can deal with the biggest challenges because you have it in you - with

what it takes to get there. Especially study under IGNOU was a wonderful experience and course content of IGNOU was up to level of global technology

compliance particularly for BCA & MCA.

I am ever so grateful to all the teachers and Mr. Singh to my time at IGNOU, but most certainly like to mention my special gratitude to Raza Sir and Faiz

Sir - who are amazing coaches, the kind that everyone should have - the ones that can help you really elevate your self-image and make you believe that

you anything is a possibility. I am extremely grateful to then RD Patna Dr. Mohapatra Sir for his blessing and giving us a centre like 0516P and a team of

knowledge people.

Thanks

Rajat Pandit

Team Lead Google Cloud

rpandit@gmail.com

About me: Ajit Kumar Amit

(Batch of BCA-MCA integrated Program - 2000-2005.)

Enrolment Number 002308308

The academic experience with a world class infrastructure and excellent faculty at XCCS , IGNOU PSC 0516P has

endured me with a lifelong career excellence.

The exceptional programmes and teaching methodologies backed by practical skills and industry interface have given me the confidence

to pursue my career ahead. The all-time support and motivation of the faculty members namely , Shuvro Roy, Sudeep Mukherjee, Md.

Faizanuddin and above all Shams Raza has enlightened me throughout the beautiful journey. XCCS-IGNOU has not just taught us for our

learning rather how to be a self and life long learner. The experiences of my mentors have helped me to be consistently striving for

excellence and that's the reason despite being from a Village like Tikari, Gaya still I am able to work with world reputable companies like

Google, Cloudera, Confluent, MariaDB and Imply as partner

I started my career with a very small company at Delhi called "MCT India" with 20+ employees and Master Servant environment nature of

small company gave me exposure to learn more and deliver more. Only within 6 month working with MCT India, I had gained so much

knowledge and experience, I had been offered 6 times of salary packaged and I moved to BirlaSoft hyderabad where I was serving the

Client GE(General Electric) Plastics. My first technical tool was SAP Business Objects. Working for large corporate like GE gave me

exposure to real MNC experience and collaborative environment after that I had no looking back. 1.5 year of stint oF GE Plastics gave me

the next major breakthrough of my career to go to overseas (Singapore) and work for Citibank IN 2005. Since 2005 I am here in Singapore

and worked for MNC like GE Plastics again as Global BI leader, Prudential Asset Management as Development Manager, TCS as Consultant

and Bank of America as Senior Architect - Regulatory Reporting. After Long stint with corporate I decided to grow myself as an

entrepreneur and started Agilitics in 2013. Today we have offices in India, Singapore and Dubai and soon we are opening in United States.

Once again Thank you very much to all the staff especially Mr. Singh and faculty of XCCS-IGNOU PSC0516P

Ajit Kumar Amit CEO Agilitics Singapore/India/Dubai Batch of BCA-MCA integrated Program - 2000-2005. Enrolment Number 002308308 Email# amit@agilitics.sg

APPENDIX Advisory to prevent Coronavirus

UGC Quality Mandate_28.03.2020

Task Group Notification Deeksharambh-converted

ICT INITIATIVES OF MHRD AND UGC FOR OPEN EDUCATION AND

LEARNING

https://mhrd.gov.in/ict-initiatives

SL Programme Web Link

1. SWAYAM Online Courses

http://storage.googleapis.com/uniquecourses/online.html

2. UG/PG Moocs http://ugcmoocs.inflibnet.ac.in/ugcmoocs/moocs_courses.php

3. E PG Pathshala https://epgp.inflibnet.ac.in/

4. E Content Courseware in UG Subjects

http://cec.nic.in/

5. Swayam Prabha https://swayamprabha.gov.in/

6. CEC UGC You Tube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/user/cecedusat

7. National Digital Library

https://ndl.iitkgp.ac.in/

8. ShodhGanga https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/ 9. e-Shodh Sindhu https://ess.inflibnet.ac.in/

10. Vidwan https://vidwan.inflibnet.ac.in/

11 Covid19 free content from different publishers

several publishers under eSS have opened access to additional contents to scholars and researchers which can be viewed at https://ess.inflibnet.ac.in/covidresources.php.

Initiatives under NME-ICT MHRD

On-Line-Learning---ICT-initiatives-of-MHRD-and-UGC

Task Force to suggest Plan of Action for Academic Activities