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Mythili Rajkumar
N.S. Vageesh

Thirty policewomen, 10 each from three police stations at Chennai (Adyar), Coimbatore (Central) and Madurai (South) were selected for the pilot project on Web-based training in dispute resolution. They were first given 15 days' training to handle computers at the Police Training College (PTC), Chennai, in September 2002. They also learnt how to chat, use the forum facility, send e-mails, and browse the Internet.

For the Web-based training, five modules (course material) in English and Tamil were prepared. They were: Introduction to domestic dispute/violence; introduction to dispute resolution (DR) techniques; basics of negotiation; basics of mediation; and counselling approach to mediation.

In addition, a user guide, one of the end products, was also prepared, says Radhakrishnan. In October 2002, all the three police stations and the Command Centre at the PTC were equipped with two computers, each with Net and printer facilities. A Web site for e-learning, www.tawpt.net, was launched in November 2002, and the lessons were posted periodically. Every trainee had a login and password identity. The `Administration site' monitored each trainee's time of login, the duration of login, and her activity. So the administrators knew the time each trainee spent on each module. If anyone fell short on performance, e-mails from the command centre helped steer them back on course. The trainees, for their part, could clarify doubts on chat mode (text and audio).

The forum facility helped the course participants interact amongst themselves. To make this e-learning system truly effective, at the end of every module, online testing was also conducted. Based on the questions posted by participants and the answers provided by the consultants, a "Frequently Asked Questions" module was prepared, which would also serve as a guide for future trainees. The computer-based offline training was delivered through interactive CD-ROMs. This learning too was monitored at every turn of the online page. For instance, eWorld watched one session where an officer chose one of three options for each question. The questions ranged from defining abuse to cultural clues. The policewoman was able to move on with the lesson only if she chose the right answer. Otherwise a friendly-looking genie materialised and told her no luck, she had to try again. This way, learning was made both fun and effective.

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