Open source software needs marketing

Updated on: Friday, November 13, 2009

Pune: There is a need for greater promotion of the use of open source software for information and communication technology (ICT)-based teaching and learning.

Professor Kannan M Moudgalya of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B), highlighted this on Monday. Moudgalya, who heads the Centre for Distance Engineering Education Programme (CDEEP) at the IIT, was delivering the keynote address at the launch of kPoint, a software solution for interactive learning and training.

kPoint, developed by city-based Great Software Laboratory (GSL), was launched by noted computer expert Vijay Bhatkar, creator of India's Param series of supercomputers. Heads and professionals from leading IT companies as well as principals of engineering institutions were present at the occasion.

Open source software refers to computer software provided under a license that is in the public domain.

"Open source software has a distinct cost advantage over the expensive commercial software packages. However, a considerable marketing effort is required to secure a greater and wider audience of students for courses transmitted live using ICT tools based on open source software," Moudgalya said.

"Open source software is often sufficient in most distance education programmes, except for some niche academic segments. However, academic institutions don't train students in using good open source software," he further stated.

Moudgalya gave an overview of the CDEEP's involvement in the Talk to teacher' programme, which is funded by the Union human resource development ministry and aims to train students as well as teachers in higher education. IIT-B started disseminating its courses live on the internet nearly a decade ago.

For the last two years, he stated, the CDEEP has been using the education satellite Edusat, provided by the Indian Space Research Organisation, and has raised a network of 75 centres for transmission of live courses.

In his brief address, Bhatkar made out a strong case for Indian ICT professionals acknowledging and adopting technologies and innovations developed indigenously.

Sunil Gaitonde, chief executive of GSL, said, "Technology must bridge the gap between the growing number of learners and lesser number of teachers. The prevailing knowledge economy needs highly skilled workers and the existing faculty crunch can be tackled only through apt use of technology."

Gaitonde said: "Factors like grassroots videos, collaborations, mobile broadband, data mash-ups, collective intelligence and social operating systems are bound to make a sea change in the way education is delivered."

College of Engineering, Pune (CoEP) principal Anil Sahasrabudhe, Vishwakarma Institute of Technology principal Hemant Abhyankar, Persistent Systems chief Anand Deshpande and founder-CEO of music education web portal ShadjaMadhyam, Nandu Kulkarni, were among those present at the event.

Open source software needs marketing

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