INTERACTIVE E-LEARNING A PILOT PROJECT AT A RURAL MEDICAL

COLLEGE

(Tankhiwale, 2014)

This article talks about the interactive E-learning module in pharmacology for
effectiveness, acceptability and feasibility, with the aim of promoting active learning
in this fact-filled subject, it basically shows the comparison between the normal
teaching method to the E-learning process. It shows as to how innovative,
convenient, flexible and useful E-learning is to deliver a wide array of solutions that
enhance knowledge and performance, and how it has become an important
component of today’s teaching–learning process in higher education institutes. It is
also used in active learning which promotes to self-directed learning by providing
simple computer tools such as power point. They also conducted a quasi-
experimental single-group pre-test/post-test to check the affectivity of E- learning
both in rural and urban areas and both of them showed a positive result and increase
in the percentages (score). Even when the students were given the questionnaire to
give a feedback in 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree)
and the average answers for all the questions were between 4-5 points. Nevertheless,
they also faced a few challenges, the most important being internet connectivity, but
everything has its own advantages and disadvantages what should be considered is
that how many people does it help and how it is making studies easier for the coming
generations.
To conclude we would like to say that this document has proposed a new teaching
methodology in the form of E-learning where students get an opportunity to improve
the learning experience by ease of access, greater interactivity, and individual choice
concerning the pace and mix of learning. At the same time, it also offers advantages
for teachers such as improved distribution of learning content, ease of update,
standardization, and tracking of learner activities. Also as medical teachers are
inculcating a culture of self-directed learning among medical students to facilitate
active learning, we cannot overlook the role of technology for this cause, so sought
to employ technology in the form of interactive PowerPoint presentations shared via
the website during E-learning sessions and assessed through online tests, to promote
self-directed learning among medical undergraduates. Students’ acceptability for
this innovation was further strengthened by their suggestion for inclusion of E-
learning sessions in pharmacology and other subjects as well. Nevertheless, it will
be worthwhile to further explore the scope of E-learning, especially in medical
colleges in rural area.
 DIGITAL INDIA – MAKING VILLAGES ‘SMART’

(Sharma, 2015)
This article talks about how the concept of “Digital India” aims at digitally
connecting all villages and gram panchayats by the end of year 2019 stating that
there will be around 250000 Indian villages enjoying this service. Obviously
implementing this will be a challenging task as our country is highly populated and
also it being a rural area it will be difficult. Global case-studies have also
demonstrated how wireless broadband plays a key role in rural society, impacting
GDP, productivity and employment. It also gives us an idea about how Broadband
has got huge change in various GDPs of the country which basically impacts in a
positive economic growth of the country. For broadband penetration various
conditions must be fulfilled without which this implementation of Digital India
would be nearly impossible. Globally, cities have an open public space like a
“town square” which become a focal point for recreational and social activity even
India is planning to do the same in the rural areas to provide various services. ATC
mobile towers are also provided for e-Learning in rural areas. This programme
uses the 24/7 energy backup at the tower and the 3G/4G/WiMax broadband link.
With these features in place, implementing this program will be neither quick, nor
easy.

This article has shown how to make our country digitally stable and connected.
The telecom infrastructure companies can play a major role in the eventual success
of ‘Digital India’. For achieving this our country’s Government, policy makers,
mobile network operators, and telecom infrastructure company’s collaboration
must be strong as it is crucial to the success of this venture. Through this method of
providing a platform of E-learning for the rural India it can become the spring
board for rapid economic growth in our country as rural areas hold a very huge
percentage of population. The towers provided are also very useful and can be used
in various different ways which are all helpful for the rural people. However, rather
than imposing taxes, levies, charges, and license fees on the telecom sector, the
government must provide ‘gap funding’ which can help the, to invest more and
more on these different types of methods to make their own economy better. This
is a truly visionary and commendable initiative taken by our government to
provide a knowledge economy.
Designing a sustainable business model for e-governance embedded rural
telecentres
(Naik, 2011)

The article talks about the setting up of Information and communication telecentres
in rural as part of expansion and diversification of government services through
technology. It focuses on the current business models available for setting up of
such telecentres as well as well as the existing models that are already being
implemented or on the verge of implementation. The other part of the article
focuses on all the plausible challenges that lie in the way of expansion of such
services and all the ways to improve such services by exploring the ways of
eradicating such obstacles and challenges.
The article talks about the basic problems in setting up such services in rural areas
such as lack of infrastructure, lack of appropriate manpower as well as problem of
erratic power supply in rural areas of the country. Also, it highlights the difficulties
involving the remodeling of the institutional design and legalities involved for the
same.

The article is relevant for this research as our work aims to highlight the impact of
digital media in rural areas of the country and the article includes the government’s
plan of digitization of rural India primarily through digitization of government
services through use of growing technology for providing smoother delivery of
government services to rural citizens.
 Is rural India finally embracing the digital life?

(Gupta, 2017)
This Journal talks about the more than 200 villages going cashless and connecting
to airtel payment banks. It talks about how the e banking has been initiated through
the rural areas of the country. It focuses on providing rural India with the facilities
of depositing money, getting interest on their savings and providing medium to
store and deposit the cash that they used to keep in there house earlier. RBI has
recently given its nod to the Indian post payment banks to start its operations of
having more banks and rural India and making a cashless India as a whole. It aims
to leverage the telecom major’s vast retail network and reach in rural areas to
provide banking services. More than 2.5 lakh neighborhood retail stores also
function as banking points. The bank aims to scale its network to 6 lakh points
across the country. The company has invested Rs 3,000 crore in operations and
plans to build a digital payments ecosystem with over 5 million merchants.
Already over a million merchants are on board the platform.

The Journal is relevant for our research about how the rural area is getting
impacted by the electronic modes of communication and payments. The journal
tells us about the positive impact of electronic banking in rural India and how it is
helping lakhs of people in channelizing there saving and depositing there saving in
the nearest airtel payment banks. It is helping people living in cities to transfer
money directly to there relatives who are living in these rural areas with ease. This
is a truly visionary and commendable initiative taken by our government and
which will help India develop even more at a much faster position and combine
rural and urban India on the same page or platform.