Abstract
This chapter explores the use of Online Blended Learning Platform to mitigate opportunity divide, in addition to access and capability divide that exists between rural and urban population of India. The opportunity divide is created between the ones in possession of relevant knowledge and skills needed to improve market performance, and the ones devoid of those relevant knowledge and skills, thereby having poor market performance. The chapter begins by exploring the problems faced by the rural adults with regard to their inability to exploit appropriate opportunities for themselves within their specific rural locales. Our attempt is therefore to enhance rural opportunity scopes by connecting rural adults to the larger available opportunity structure through the online blended learning platform, connecting them with expert trainers and advisors from urban areas. We present instances of pilot studies where we try to connect rural adults from some villages in West Bengal, India with urban experts, mentors, classroom coordinators, and other agencies through the blended learning platform, enhancing their opportunity scopes.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Basak, J., Bandyopadhyay, S., Bhaumik, P., & Roy, S. (2017). Cultivating online communities of practice as rural knowledge management strategy in India. In Proceedings of the 18th European conference on knowledge management (ECKM 2017), Barcelona, Spain.
Bhattacharyya, S., Basak, J., Bhaumik, P., & Bandyopadhyay, S. (2020). Cultivating online virtual community of purpose to mitigate knowledge asymmetry and market separation of rural artisans in India. In The proceedings of 11th international development informatics association conference (IDIA 2020), Macau, China. Retrieved from https://www.idia2020.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/IDIA2020-Abstract-Book-Preliminary_Small.pdf.
Kapur, R. (2019). Problems and challenges in rural areas. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332187494_Problems_and_Challenges_in_Rural_Areas.
Nagori, N., & Saxena, K. (2012). Marketing of rural handicraft products through retail format: A synthetic review. Annals of Management Research, 2(1), 45–59. Retrieved from https://ijmtpublication.com/files/AOMR_2_1_2012/AOMR_2_1_2012_5.pdf.
Philip, L., & Williams, F. (2019). Remote rural home based businesses and digital inequalities: Understanding needs and expectations in a digitally underserved community. Journal of Rural Studies, 68, 306–318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2018.09.011.
Policy Research Initiative. (2005). Social capital as a public policy tool project report. Ottawa: Policy Research Initiative. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/1880/43196.
Scrase, T. J. (2003). Precarious production: Globalisation and artisan labour in the third world. Third World Quarterly, 24(3), 449–461. https://doi.org/10.1080/0143659032000084401.
Shah, A., Vidyapith, G., Patel, R., & Vidyapith, G. (2017). Problems and challenges faced by handicraft artisans. Voice of Research, 6(1), 57–61. Retrieved from https://www.voiceofresearch.org/Doc/Jun-2017/Jun-2017_14.pdf.
Wenger, E. (1997). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning and identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wenger, E., McDermott, R., & Snyder, W. M. (2002). Cultivating communities of practice. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bandyopadhyay, S., Bardhan, A., Dey, P., Bhattacharyya, S. (2021). Online Blended Learning Platform for Rural Adult Learners. In: Bridging the Education Divide Using Social Technologies. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6738-8_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6738-8_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-33-6737-1
Online ISBN: 978-981-33-6738-8
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)