Microcomputer-based interactive videodisc training project, US Agency for International Development, New Delhi, India -- final report : a pilot project in interactive videodisc technology

A total of five videodiscs were completed, each of which is highly complex and demonstrates different IVD capabilities. Two core Indian teams, one from the Aurangabad Water and Land Management Institute and one from College of Technology and Agricultural Engineering (CTAE) at Rajasthan Agricultural University at Udaipur, received hands on production training in the United States and in India. Due to the severe time constraints posed by their regular faculty responsibilities, the involvement of the Institute core team members in IVD"s 2 and 3 was far less than anticipated. In response to this situation, EDC had the teams develop an IVD course independently, as fitted their schedules, under EDC guidance and workshop instruction. EDC also transferred many IVD skills to its partner Indian firm, NIIT, as part of the effort to develop IVD courseware production skills in India. To assess the quality and relevance of the IVD courses, EDC developed rigorous evaluation plans with each of the four testing sites (three Institutes and CTAE). Data were collected at each site, but due to late receipt of the Not Made in India Certificate (NMIC), have not been analyzed. The project was unique, being the first in its field to involve extensive participation of host country professionals in the form of hands-on production and training. The project developed outstanding training videodiscs, introduced the technology to India, generated strong interest and commitment to the technology in both irrigation management training agencies and other sectors, and developed basic IVD skills upon which India can build. The project also raised interest in multimedia among other developing countries as well as interest in developing countries among U.S. multimedia companies. In this way, the project was a landmark, demonstrating that multimedia, in the form of IVD, can be an appropriate, effective technology for training professionals in a developing country. The project encountered five major problems. (1) Existing irrigation management content was too abstract to serve as the basis for a "hands-on" IVD course, while for some topics there was no content at all that was generally agreed upon by experts. (2) Severe communications and logistics difficulties obstructed production in Aurangabad and Udaipur. (3) The delay in the NMIC, which prevented transport of the IVD equipment to India in a timely manner, impaired production, training, and evaluation. (4) The core teams could devote only limited time to IVD activities and to gaining "hands-on" experience because of their very heavy load of other responsibilities. (5) The formal IVD evaluation, which was to be a crucial part of the project, could not proceed as scheduled due to the delay in the NMIC. (Author abstract, modified)