A major state in South India, Karnataka is considered the leading destination for higher education. A large section of students here opt for distance learning programs to add to their knowledge and resume. The main benefit of opting for a distance learning institute or an open university is that it gives flexibility to the students to study on their own convenience. Moreover, in most of the cases the curriculum, the study material, the faulty and the mode of examination remains the same for distance education programs as well as regular courses.
Karnataka distance learning institutes offer various courses under different disciplines at the under graduate as well as Post Graduate level. Students can also opt for short-term certificate courses in specific subjects to get specialization. Diploma courses are also of comparatively shorter tenure. Here are some of the top distance learning institutes in Karnataka, judged on the basis of educational programs offered, quality of education, mode of teaching and recognition by the UGC.
1. Bangalore University – Incepted in 1882, the Bangalore University is among the oldest universities of India. Being a part of the Association of Indian Universities, it is a public university. It has a separate Directorate of Correspondence Courses and Distance Education, through which it imparts off-campus education to those who are unfortunately not able to attend regular courses at the campus.
With the aim of making education easily accessible to students, it offers various courses through the distance education mode. The Open University courses include BA, BCom, MA (languages) and MCom. The correspondence courses are offered in BA, BCom, BBM, BEd, BCA, MA (languages) and MSc Mathematics. One can also opt for different diploma and certificate courses at Bangalore University through distance education.
2. Karnataka State Open University – The burden of providing distance learning education to the students of Karnataka lies primarily on the shoulders of Karnataka State Open University. Located in Mysore, it is among the premier distance learning institutes of the nation. The University is solely dedicated to cater to the creed of knowledge and education of students. To provide the best of education even through off-campus mode, this institute makes use of traditional and un-conventional methodologies of teaching.
It has a number of study centres, where classes and counselling sessions are held on weekends. This enables students to clear their doubts face to face with the faculty. The courses offered here include under graduation programs, Post Graduate programs, Research programs, diploma and certificate programs, IGNOU adopted programs and Post Graduate diploma programs.
3. Indian Institute of Science – Founded in 1909, IISC is a research higher education institute. Located in Bangalore it is one of its kind in scientific research in the country. It is ranked among the top universities of India to offer courses in scientific area. Owing to its popularity among students, it has come with distance learning courses in Environment Engineering. The two courses offered at present are Environmental Management and Municipal Solid Waste Management. To make things easier for the students, the institute offers classroom briefing and introductory sessions at the beginning. While Interactive sessions continuously take place through the Internet, certain contact sessions are also conducted.
Though this institute does not offer the conventional courses, the specific courses offered here cannot be found anywhere else. The education under this distance learning program is imparted using multi-media resources, including print media and electronic media.
The two main distance learning institutes in Karnataka are the Karnataka State Open University, Mysore and Bangalore University Directorate of Correspondence Courses & Distance Education.
