A Critical Study of NPTEL

Abstract

Indian economy is growing at a fast pace presently. Sustaining this growth requires technically trained professionals in large number. It requires providing education and training to population in increasing number. The technological advancement can be of great help in this regard. This paper studies and evaluates Technology Enhanced learning, with particular reference to NPTEL -- a portal dedicated to technical e-content -- across eight different Engineering Colleges of India located in Gujarat. Based on a comprehensive survey conducted across the Engineering Colleges with over 850 respondents, this study is a quantitative analysis of the findings and preferences articulated by students and faculty members. The questions pertain to the use and features of e content such as NPTEL used by students. Questions related to faculty quality, need for online educational services, content, technologies, pedagogies, research and extension are also posed to the sample. The responses of 287 NPTEL users out of the 875 respondents are compared across gender, institution, income level and such other factors. The responses are also tested for hypothesis analyses and other analysis such as factor analysis etc. The results and findings of the paper can be of use for further modifications and modeling of NPTEL for phase II.