Mysuru: Very soon, students of Karnataka State Open University (KSOU)can watch videos of study materials and lectures at the comforts of their homes and need not depend on any other source for learning. Learning through audio-visual medium will enhance their knowledge in a speedy manner. The Open University has been recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) till the year 2023. 

The KSOU that has got approval for 50 Undergraduate, Post-Graduate and PG Diploma, Diploma and Certificate Courses (all non-technical) has decided to upload the videos on YouTube and this is the first-of-its-kind initiative in Karnataka as no State University has so far attempted this initiative. 

The material will be uploaded on to YouTube after seeking approval from the KSOU Board of Management that will meet on July 31, said KSOU Vice-Chancellor Prof. S. Vidyashankar. 

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, he said that online videos was one of the demands made by students and the University too realised that uploading videos on the internet will give easy access to students. 

“With the facility, students can either watch the videos online or download them to watch offline from the comforts of their homes or offices. Of the 11,000 students enrolled in KSOU, many come from the rural backgrounds and they may not be able to attend the contact classes. In such a situation, these videos will help them learn the lessons without missing out on syllabus,” he said. 

“We got the idea from some Universities that offer technical courses through online videos. Ours is a University that offers non-technical courses and we came up with the similar idea,” the VC revealed. 

Under the system, lecturers and professors will be asked to speak about subjects and then they will be filmed by a private agency. These lecture sessions will cover all topics in the syllabus and once the Board of Management approves it, tenders will be called from private agencies to record the videos and upload them on YouTube. 

“All 50 courses offered by KSOU will have their material available online, prepared by various experts. These will run into 46 to 50 hours study materials and will be helpful to students since they can access these lessons through their computers and mobile phones,” Prof. Vidyashankar added. 

KSOU is also working on its online portal. Currently students can only use the online portal for admissions and paying fees but it will be upgraded where students can get their documents and study materials along with the materials that will be despatched to their doorsteps. 

The University will seek approval from the Board of Management to outsource the online portal work. The portal is based on Enterprise Resource  Planning (ERP). 

As rural areas do not have easy access to internet, students have to visit the KSOU regional offices or study centres at Taluk headquarters to secure admission forms and payment of application, admission and examination fees through SBI challans. Now with the portal, this academic year more than 7,500 students have applied online for examinations, said the VC.