E-learning: cooperation between the Netherlands and India

External links

7 April 2011

The Netherlands India Foundation for Innovation (NIFI) and the KIT Intercultural Management and Communication organized the 7th Netherlands India Innovation Circle meeting in Amsterdam on March 23. The main question at this meeting was: what is the potential for collaboration between India and The Netherlands on E-learning?

E-learning in practice
During the meeting, attended by 20 participants, speakers described examples of e-learning methods for children and adults and technical developments were also discussed.

Lisanne Gerstel, education advisor at KIT, discussed her experiences using e-learning for adults. KIT’s department KIT Development Policy and Practice has extensive experience with international e-learning, which it uses in its postgraduate courses. Through e-learning, KIT brings together students from Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe, allowing them to benefit from each other's expertise. Distance learning allows students to discuss new insights with colleagues around the world who face similar issues. The students particularly enjoy the combination of computer-based e-learning with interactive sessions led by KIT's experts via Skype, videoconferencing or in the classroom.

Thijs Chanowski, producer of a famous children's television show called ‘Fabeltjeskrant’ and professor of Multimedia Interaction at the University of Amsterdam, described the activities of Childtuition Foundation, of which he is a board member. Childtuition has an operational e-learning site in India and successfully makes educational software for children in deprived areas of the world.

Arno van den Arend, Client Director for the Quint Academy, also shared his experiences with distance learning. He stressed the gap between the current technological possibilities and an ‘anybody, anyplace, anytime’ e-learning solution.

Final conclusion
The potential of e-learning in relation to collaboration between the Netherlands and India was summarized during the closing discussion. E-learning can:

  • reduce distance and costs while maintaining interactivity
  • transfer knowledge in a short timeframe between the two countries
  • help to overcome cultural gaps
  • be fun!


Participants agreed that the ‘new way of learning’ has just begun.