Reaction paper
There is abundant research available on discovering new techniques and teaching methods that can be suitable for teaching different subjects at various levels of education. Efforts are constantly made to introduce innovation in teaching-learning. The current trend that pervades the system of education is to find out ways of integrating technology in education. There is a need to find out e-learning methods and apply them to classroom teaching in such a way that they prove to be valuable and sound and create a profound impact. It motivates a number of researchers to carry out research in e-learning and ‘ technology based’ education.
Doing research in a chosen subject is related to the researcher’s interests, passion, understanding of the subject and career objectives. Research is a serious and time-consuming business. Hence, I was looking for an institute where the timings would be flexible, preferably an online course or distance learning institute. I did not want a course spreading over a long time, but I am of the opinion that the course duration must not be too short. There should be enough time to do justice to the topic. I did not want a very expensive course. I was looking for a prestigious, reputed organization, legally registered and duly accredited and approved by the concerned government authorities. Accordingly, after thorough investigation, I enrolled in (Name of the institution) to do research.
Getting admitted to a good institution is not very simple. Students often regret a choice after it is too late. When I made up my mind to do research, I discussed my intention with friends and colleagues. I talked to some acquaintances that had completed research or who are in the process, and asked them about their experiences in the institutions. I searched the internet and also looked for advertisements in newspapers and magazines. I read the details of the courses, the library facilities, their student support facilities, provision of material, fee structure, location, and duration of the course and all other details before finalizing where I would do the research. I did reject the institutions which did not clearly mention the course outcomes and the details of syllabus.
I did consult a few databases for the Written assignment I. I searched for articles on Google Scholar. I tried to access articles through the open access library portals of Jaykar Library of Pune University and Symbiosis International University. I also tried the Free Online Library. Researchers can access scholarly articles from Google. The Free Online Library was very useful. In most cases, an abstract of articles was available. A preview of online articles was available for some articles. It is possible to download older articles without hassles. A password and is essential for paid sites. It is possible to log in from an institution that subscribes to that particular magazine.
The only search engine I used was Google Search Engine. Following is a list of my search items: technology in education, e-learning, online education, impact of e-learning, value of e- learning, ‘computer based’ education. I rejected sources that did not provide full-length articles. The details of articles are also necessary. I looked for Google Books on the subject. For most of the recent books, the preview was not available. It is possible to enter ‘key words’ and find them on pages inside the book; however, page numbers are often missing.
The written assignment was the beginning of research for me. It afforded a glimpse of the kind of work I shall be doing throughout the course. I learnt how to access relevant material from different sources. I also realized the need for patience in research activity. Research is all about reviewing the work done by others and studying the subject deeply. All this is a preparatory activity for conducting actual research.
