INDIRA GANDHI NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY

e-Newsletter

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I S S U E

J A N U A R Y

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From the Vice Chancellors Desk

INSIDE
THIS
ISSUE:

Indira Gandhi National Open University is today uniquely positioned

Welcome to

in terms of its outreach to all corners of the country and all segments

IGNOU !
About Open

of the society. This gives the University a distinct identity and character in the panorama of higher education in India. IGNOU has

and Distance

evolved as the worlds largest, most diverse and inclusive higher

Learning
Know your

education institution having a cumulative strength of over 3 million

students on its rolls. As a leader in open and distance learning in

University

India, IGNOU has been making a significant contribution in democAbout

ratizing and expanding opportunities for quality tertiary education in

Induction

the country. Ensuring the educational well-being of society is a man-

Meeting
About

date given to the University and I am happy to share that we have

3

Academic

made significant contribution in addressing this mandate.

Counselling
About

Assignments

With such a high cumulative student strength spread across the country, it is necessary to have in place
stable tools of communication with them and other stakeholders. I am confident that the e-Newsletter of the
University shall serve as a tool for communication among all our stakeholders, our students being the most

About Term- 4
end Examinations
Your Role as

a Distance

them updates and alerts and more importantly, connect them with the University.
I take this opportunity to welcome all the learners who are enrolled in various programmes of IGNOU and
particularly those joining the January-2014 session from across the country. I may add here that open and

Learner
Facilities

important of them. It is expected to disseminate relevant and necessary information to our students, provide

available at

distance learning is generically different from conventional, classroom-based teaching-learning arrangements. I believe that the Newsletter shall also play an important role in inducting our learners into the

your Study

beautiful world of open and distance learning. I advise the learners to thoroughly acquaint themselves with

Centre

this new system so that they can pursue their chosen programme of study without any difficulty. I would like

Important

Dates
Whom to

need.
5

Contact
A Success

Once again I welcome all the learners and wish them good luck in their educational endeavour.
5

Story
Important
Links

to assure them that all our efforts will be directed towards providing them all the necessary support they

I am confident that their association with IGNOU shall be an empowering, enriching and educative experi5

ence in all senses.

M Aslam
Vice Chancellor

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Welcome to IGNOU!

View of Main Campus

of the University

The Newsletter Team extends a warm welcome and wishes a Happy New Year to all the learners,
especially those who have joined different programmes in the January 2014 session. We look forward
to a constructive and pleasant association with you. By joining IGNOU you have become a member of
the worlds largest family with 3 million members!
At the outset, we would like to say that this is your Newsletter. It shall be our endeavour to provide
you updated information related to various activities associated with your studies. We welcome you to
share your experiences with us. In case you come across any difficulty in pursuing your programme
of study, do let us know. We shall be happy to address your issues.
In this issue we give you a glimpse of the services and facilities available to you as a learner of this
University.
Do write to us about your experience with IGNOU, about your achievements and also about the difficulties you face, if any. We shall be happy to respond. Please send us your feedback at
newsletter@ignou.ac.in.

About Open and Distance Learning

Welcome to the world of Open and Distance Learning (ODL)!
Before we proceed further, let us tell you what is the ODL system and what you can expect
from us as a university .
Students participating in
the Induction Meeting

ODL is a learner-centric, flexible system of education where you can study at your own
pace and place. The founding principle of ODL is democratization of higher education - it
should be available to all those who seek it, especially to those who cannot access the oncampus, face-to-face educational system for one reason or the other. Today, about onefourth of the total student population in higher education is enrolled in ODL programmes!
As a student, you will receive extensive support in the form of high-quality selfinstructional material, academic support through counselling sessions and feedback on assignments, audio and video programmes, interactive radio and teleconference sessions etc.
In case of any difficulty, your Regional Centre and Study Centre will provide you necessary
assistance and guidance. Let us now tell you more about academic counselling, assignments
and examinations. But before that, here is some information about IGNOU-your University.

Know your University

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is a national university under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India and is established by an Act of Parliament in 1985 (Act No. 50 of 1985) with the
responsibility of enhancing access to quality higher education through distance
mode.
The University started offering academic programmes from 1987 with strength of
4,528 students. Today, it serves the educational aspirations of about 3 million
students in India and 42 other countries!
IGNOU is a Member of Association of Indian Universities and the Degrees/
Diplomas /Certificates issued by IGNOU are recognized by all other Universities.
IGNOU has been recognized as a Centre of Excellence in Distance Education
by the Commonwealth of Learning, Canada. (1993)
IGNOU has received Award of Excellence for Distance Education Material by
the Commonwealth of Learning, Canada. (1999)
UNESCO has declared IGNOU as the Largest Institution of Higher Learning in
the world in 2010.

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About Induction Meeting

At IGNOU, we begin our interaction with newly enrolled learners with an Induction Meeting.
The Induction Meeting is organized at the Study Centre. This is a very important event and we advise
you to attend the meeting without fail. Your Study Centre will inform you about the data and time of the
Induction Meeting.
Why is the Induction Meeting important?
The Induction meeting is an occasion for you to know about:

The University
Open and distance learning
Your Study Centre
Your peers
Facilities available to a learner of IGNOU
Schedule of counselling sessions, assignment submission etc. and
Your role and responsibilities as a learner of IGNOU.

About Academic Counselling

Your Study Centre will organize Counselling Sessions for you. These sessions are discussionoriented and not lectures. Participation in these sessions will help you clarify your doubts and develop a sound understanding of the subject matter. We advise you to go through the relevant study
material before attending the counselling sessions. The schedule of the counselling sessions shall be
prepared by your Study Centre. Please remember to collect a copy of the counselling schedule from
your Study Centre during/after the Induction Meeting. We strongly recommend that you attend
the counselling sessions. Some Programmes have practical components. Please note that attendance in practical sessions is compulsory. Participation in practical /laboratory sessions will help
you in gaining skills and in applying the theoretical knowledge to practical situations.

If you fail to appear

in the first
examination, you
can always appear
in the subsequent
examination

About Assignments
You
will
receive
Assignments along with
your study material. Assignments are an important component of the overall teachinglearning arrangement followed
by IGNOU. Once you have
gone through the study
material and have attended the
counselling sessions, you are
supposed to submit your assignment responses at your
Study Centre. Please make it a
point to submit the assignments within the prescribed

date. The dates will be communicated to you by the Study

Centre.
Some Programmes
have Project components.
Students of BCA, MCA,
M.ED, MA(EDU) etc. have to
submit their project synopsis as
well as final Project at the
Regional
Centre,
while
students of MBA have to get
their synopsis approved by the
School of Management Studies
and submit their final project to
Student Evaluation Division,
IGNOU, Maidan Garhi, New

Delhi-110068.
Please
go
through the Programme Guide
prepared for your chosen programme of study for specific
information on how to prepare
your project proposal and who
would approve it, whom to
submit your project report etc.

Assignments are
an important
teaching tool.
Prepare your
assignments in
your own words,
and submit them
in time.

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About Term-end Examinations

The University conducts term-end examinations twice a year - in June and December. In order to
appear in the examination, you must fill up the examination form within the prescribed dates. Before filling up the examination form please make sure that you are eligible to appear in a particular
examination. You can appear in the Term-end Examination after completion of minimum duration
of the Programme. Thus, if you are enrolled in a Certificate Programme of 6-month duration in
January 2014, you can take the examination in June 2014. Similarly, if you are enrolled in a
Diploma Programme of one year duration in January 2014, you can appear in the examination in
December 2014. You may seek guidance from your Study Centre in this regard. Please note that
submission of assignments is a pre-requisite to being allowed to appear in the term-end
examination.

If you fail to appear

in the first
examination, you
can always appear
in the subsequent
examination

Your role as a Distance Learner

As a distance learner you enjoy a great deal of flexibility and freedom. However, this freedom is
accompanied by responsibility. Your role as a distance learner is very different from that of a learner
in a conventional university. It is important that you understand your role clearly.

As an adult learner, we expect you to be an active seeker of information rather than a passive
recipient. If you want some information, do not wait for it to reach you: ask for it.

Be an active reader. Please read all the communications sent to you by the University. If you
do not, you may miss some very important information. Read the Programme Guide carefully.

Be a good manager. Your time is precious. Manage it effectively. It would be a good idea to
earmark a few hours for your studies. You may choose the timing as per your convenience.

Be punctual. Remember the important dates for various activities like assignment submission,
re-registration, and examination form submission and adhere to the deadlines. Delayed action
may delay your programme completion.

The Universitys
role is to
facilitate your
learning by
providing all the
support you need.

Keep in regular touch with your Study Centre and Regional Centre. This will help you get
important updates.

Make the maximum use of multi-media resources. This will not only help you understand
your subjects better, this will also make your learning enjoyable.

Keep a record of all your communications with the University.

Your role is to
make the best use
of this
opportunity

Facilities available at your Study Centre

Your Study Centre shall open on Sundays and during evening hours on some of the weekdays.
Please ascertain the working hours of your Study Centre. You may avail the library facility at
your Study Centre during the working hours of the Study Centre. We have also equipped your
Study Centre with audio/video facilities. Please contact your Coordinator for availing this facility.
You may also watch IGNOU programmes on Gyan Darshan. You can also participate in live,
interactive teleconference sessions on Gyan Darshan. The schedule of Gyan Darshan is available at
the website of IGNOU (http://www.ignou.ac.in). In addition, Interactive Radio Counseling (IRC)
sessions are broadcast regularly. The schedule of IRC is available at your Regional Centre.

Keep in regular
touch with your
Study Centre to
stay updated

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Important Dates
The University has a calendar of activities. For various activities like re-registration, submission of assignments, submission
of examination form, submission of project reports etc. there are fixed dates. We advise you to remember the dates relevant
to you. You may also think of setting reminders in your phone for these dates. Click here for details.

Whom to contact
In the course of your study, you may need certain information, clarification or other support. It will help you to know whom
to contact for which information/support. Click here for details.

A success story
This

is a truly inspiring story a story of grit and determination. We

thought we should share it with you. We salute the courage of Bandana,
who in spite of severe disability (she writes, surfs the Internet with the help
of her feet!), not only earned a Bachelors Degree, but also bagged the Prof.
Grover Cash Award for meritorious disabled student during the 26th Convocation!
In a way, this is also a story of how open and distance learning can empower people, especially the underserved.

is what Bandana had to say after she came to know about

IGNOU.
To
know
more
about
her,
visit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIKU25KFy9I . Bandana is currently
pursuing a Masters degree from IGNOU . She is also associated with
IGNOU as a functionary of IGNOU Study Centre at Dumka, Jharkhand..

Important Links
To know about

Visit

Registration status

http://admission.ignou.ac.in/changeadmdata/admissionstatusnew.asp

Current assignments

http://webserver.ignou.ac.in/Assignments/index.htm

Examination schedule

http://www.ignou.ac.in/ignou/bulletinboard/announcements/latest/detail/
Tentative_Date_Sheet_for_Term_End_Examination_December_20131084

On-line submission of Examination Form

http://exam.ignou.ac.in

Examination result

http://www.ignou.ac.in/ignou/studentzone/results/2

Grade card status

http://www.ignou.ac.in/ignou/studentzone/results/4

Old question papers

http://webserver.ignou.ac.in/prevyrpapers/pyq_papers.htm

E-Gyankosh

http://www.egyankosh.ac.in/

Webcasting of Gyan Darshan Programmes

http://www.ignouonline.ac.in/broadcast/

Editorial Team

Prof. Sunaina Kumar (Chairperson)

Prof. Satyakam
Prof. Anu J. Thomas

newsletter@ignou.ac.in

Dr. Akshay Kumar

Dr. R. Satyanarayana
Dr. V. P. Rupam (Convener)