News from the world of education: June 4, 2021

Ashoka invites applications for VISP

Ashoka University invites current undergraduate students from across India to experience the university’s academic offerings through the Visiting Indian Student Programme (VISP). The six-week long online programme will commence on July 5 and conclude on August 13. Deadline for enrollment is June 5. Classes will be held Monday to Friday with over 48 contact hours and in-depth interaction with faculty and teaching fellows. All courses and materials will be offered via secure online platform with full technology support. In addition, numerous professional, cultural and social interaction will be offered through the ‘eSCAPe’ platform of events online for the summer undergraduate cohort. Students can gain credits for the courses they take. To apply, visit: https://apply.ashoka.edu.in/SocialLogin.aspx#

Live learning launches coding programme

Live Learning Technologies began its “Coding for Kids”programme under its Tech Entrepreneurship Initiatives. Not only will this help them help them learn coding but also develop an analytical mindset,a problem-solving attitude and enhance creativity. Open for students from Classes 5 to 10, the virtual classes will be conducted by professionally qualified experts and mentors. More information at Schools.livelearning.io

Govt. of Haryana calls for applications for CMGGA 2021

The Government of Haryana has announced a call for applications for the sixth cohort of the Chief Minister’s Good Governance Associates (CMGGA) programme commencing July 26. Last date for applications is June 7 2021. The CMGGAs work on multiple issues, from transport, education, health, and nutrition, public service delivery, sanitation & COVID management to strengthening flagship schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Antyodaya Saral, eOffice, etc. across Haryana. The new batch will get an opportunity to work on new and current flagship programs under Education, Health & Nutrition, Women Safety, and public service delivery in Haryana. To apply visit www.cmgga.in. The results will be announced in June end.

NIT Andhra Pradesh Calls for Applications to Research Programmes

The National Institute of Technology Andhra Pradesh has called for applications to its research programmes (for full-time and part-time Ph.D. and M.S. by Research for the academic year 2021-22. Those interested can visit www.nitandhra.ac.in to fill and submit the online application form. Last daete for submission is June 10. Eligibility criteria and other information can be found at https://www.nitandhra.ac.in/main/aphd Applicants can write to phdadmissions@nitandhra.ac.in for any clarifications.

BMU to hold Mock CLAT

BML Munjal University (BMU) will hold the All India Mock CLAT Test 2021 on June 5. The exam is based on the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) structure and syllabus and is meant to help students get accustomed to the rigour of the examination. This will be a two-hour exam with 150 multiple-choice questions carrying one mark each. There will be negative marking of 0.25 marks for every wrong answer. Questions will be divided across English Language, Current Affairs including General Knowledge, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques.

Vidyamandir Classes hosts second Lecture by Legend

Vidyamandir Classes Limited hosted the second session of its virtual Lecture by Legend series recently. The focus of the session was to guide medical aspirants and frontline warriors about ways to defeat the COVID virus. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Additional Director, Department of Orthopaedics and Joint Replacement at Jaypee Hospital, Noida, spoke about the need for vaccination and appealed to people to get vaccinated. He also offered tips for medical aspirants and students in general.

Bloombrain’s COVID initiative

Ed-tech start-up Bloombrain has reduced its course fees by 50% for students belonging to financially weaker backgrounds or whose parents lost their jobs recently. The company has developed an in-house scholarship approval and profiling system that identifies deserving candidates and allows approval within 24 hours of application submission. Bloombrain also signed a partnership with Health Gennie app to offer its employees and learners free access for one year to medical consultations for any illness via India’s leading doctors.

Sanskriti University hosts webinar

Sanskriti University hosted a webinar on the Legal Framework for Pandemic Management & Response to COVID-19 in India. The objective was to discuss how public health legislation plays an important role in the containment of any pandemic. Dr. Reena Kansal Jain, Assistant Professor, Department of Law, Punjab University, was a key speaker. Dr. Rana Singh, Vice Chancellor of Sanskriti University, faculty members and students participated.

Virtual graduation ceremony at Stonehill International School

Stonehill International School hosted a virtual ceremony for the graduating class of 2021 recently. All the students have received admission offers in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia and have opted for diverse areas of study like Computer Science, Medicine, Engineering, Design, Business Management, Genetics, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Economics and Hospitality, to name a few.

Tekie raises $1.5 million in seed funding

Ed-tech startup Tekie has raised $1.5 million in seed funding co-led by Silicon Valley-based GSV Ventures and Multiply Ventures. Founded in 2017 by IIT-Delhi graduate Naman Mukund and SRCC alumnus Anand Verma, Tekie is a live coding platform that brings the art of storytelling to make learning a movie-like experience. It has created an animated series on coding to teach text-based coding to kids.

New BBA programme in International Finance and Accounting

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), along with Zell Education, has signed an MoU with Bennett University aimed to provide students with global exposure and international certifications through their new three-year BBA programme in International Finance and Accounting. With this, Bennett University will now be able to provide students from all domains a chance to study International Finance and Accounting from the 2021 academic year. Interested students can enrol for the programme on the Bennett University website

EuroKids Group to be known as Lighthouse Learning

Early childhood and K12 education company EuroKids Group unveiled its new identity Lighthouse Learning Pvt. Ltd. recently. Backed by global investment firm KKR, this reflects the company’s vision to be a high quality educational platform that offers the best educational experiences through its various brands. It also announced that it has extended its national network of schools to Nagpur through a partnership with The Centre Point Group of Schools (“Centre Point” or “The Group”) and Mother’s Pet Kindergarten (“Mother’s Pet”). This further expands the group’s existing portfolio of 38 K-12 schools and 1200+ Preschool across India.

Board Infinity launches mentorship campaign

Ed-tech firm Board Infinity has launched a campaign #TakeChargewithBI to offer pro-bono career coaching sessions and career guidance to students and working professionals affected by the pandemic. Board Infinity will offer 1:1 coaching session of one’s choice with an industry expert at a nominal fee of ₹50; proceeds of which will be donated towards COVID Relief Fund. On the Board Infinity platform, a learner or professional will be able to opt for any live 1:1 coaching session of their choice with an industry mentor. While all the sessions are priced at just ₹50, one can opt to contribute more if they liked the session.

Aakash launches course for JEE

Aakash Educational Services Limited has launched JEE 350, a short-term course for JEE aspirants, in association with Airtel DTH. The classes will run from 11:00am to 2:00pm on Aakash EduTV Channel no. 467, available on Airtel DTH. The daily classes will be conducted on subjects like Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. In addition to the test preparatory classes, AESL experts will also provide motivational and mentoring session to the aspirants every Sunday to ease their stress and to encourage them to overcome their challenges. To subscribe to the channel (costs ₹8.23/day), customers need to give a missed call on 9154052467 and activate their 5-Day Free Trial.

Maruti Suzuki Podar Learn School opens virtual doors

Maruti Suzuki Podar Learn School is all set to open its doors virtually for students of Sitapur in Ahmedabad district of Gujarat in June 2021. Due to the pandemic, the school will begin the online classes for the primary wing initially followed by a senior secondary school in a phased manner. As a part of its CSR initiatives, Maruti Suzuki India joined hands with Podar Education Network (PEN) to launch Maruti Suzuki Podar Learn School, which will affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Educatio.n

WUD signs MoU with University of Reading

World University of Design has signed an MoU with University of Reading, the U.K. for a range of collaboration areas ranging from Arts, Film & theatre to Communication Design, Architecture & Management. The understanding will promote staff and student exchanges and ensure mobility of qualified students from one institution to the other for the purpose of enrolling in undergraduate and graduate programmes. With this, World University of Design has now signed MoUs with over 15 top design universities in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Europe & Mexico.

Mahindra University launches School of Management

Mahindra University launched its School of Management virtually with the top management from MU and Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University, the U.S., participating in the event. The event focused on “a collaborative relationship” and shared the collaboration across different segments including Cornell faculty delivering guest lectures at MU, academic consulting, curriculum development, student summer immersion and e-Cornell expert-led online programmes. Courses like B.A. in Economics and Finance, BBA in Digital Technologies and BBA in Computation Business Analytics will be offered under the collaboration. To mark the event, a panel discussion on Careers on the “Skills and Careers for the Modern Management Era” was also held.

IBM ties up with Indian institutions

IBM has announced that it will allow over-the-cloud access to its quantum systems for top-tier institutions of India to accelerate advanced training and research in quantum computing. The faculty and students of Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER)-Pune, IISER-Thiruvananthapuram, Indian Institute of Science (IISc)-Bengaluru, IIT-Jodhpur, IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Kharagpur, IIT-Madras, Indian Statistical Institute (ISI)-Kolkata, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT)-Delhi, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR)-Mumbai and the University of Calcutta will be able to access IBM quantum systems, quantum learning resources and, quantum tools over IBM Cloud for education and research purposes. The collaboration will be part of the IBM Quantum Educators programme that helps faculty in the quantum field connect with one another and provides them with resources to enable quality educational experiences.

Cambridge International releases March series results

Cambridge International recently announced the results of its March 2021 exam series. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, more than 7300 students received their Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge International AS and A Level results. Cambridge International engaged with education authorities, the government, local authorities and schools to develop robust guidance to ensure the March series ran safely. The release of the results means that thousands of Cambridge students across the country can continue their educational journeys despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The March series is popular with Indian students as it enables them to get their results in time to meet local university admission deadlines.

IIT-Guwahati develops smart window materials for automatic climate control

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-Guwahati) have developed smart window materials for automatic climate control of buildings. Dr. Debabrata Sikdar, Assistant Professor, Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, along with his research scholar, Ashish Kumar Chowdhary, have designed a smart window material that can effectively control the amount of heat and light passing through it in response to an applied voltage. This will help develop efficient automatic climate control systems in buildings. The results of their study have recently been published in the journal, Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells.

Source

3 ways COVID has changed education for the better

 

As millions more Americans are vaccinated against COVID-19 every day, many are now wondering what society will look like in a post-COVID world. While the virus may stay with us in some form, many things will go back to normal. However, it’s less certain which of the adaptations we’ve collectively made over the previous year will fade along with the virus, and which might represent a “new normal” that we’ll take with us into the future. The American educational system, having seen dramatic impacts to educators, parents, and students as a result of the virus, is no different.

COVID-19 has represented a tremendous hardship for millions of Americans. However, that doesn’t mean that some good won’t come out of it, particularly as it relates to our students’ education. Over the past year, my organization, the Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE), has reacted, experimented, and adapted to the realities of education in the time of COVID-19, in order to fulfill our mission of providing economics classes and curriculum to high school teachers and students.

Our experience points to three positive trends COVID-19 has set in motion within the American education system: educators will become more receptive to innovation, students will be able to access learning opportunities with fewer barriers than before, and educators will have more online tools to connect with their students.

Education should be first and foremost about the student’s learning experience and outcomes. However, innovation in public education that benefits student learning has tended to come in fits and starts. COVID-19, by forcing almost all public schools online, supercharged the dissemination of beneficial learning technologies throughout the country. As daily instruction moved out of the classroom and into the home, it forced us to be more thoughtful about using these new tools to meet students where they are, rather than asking them to adapt to pre-existing methods. We now have more opportunities to individualize instruction, rather than defaulting to a one-size-fits-all approach. We are also more aware of the obstacles that sometimes trip up students seeking a quality education— whether related to a lack of parental support or a bad internet connection at home—and seeking solutions to these challenges.

Fortunately, the pandemic has also opened up more opportunities for students to engage with education than ever before. Virtual education is less wedded to a specific location or certain times of the day, meaning that students don’t always need to be physically in the classroom each and every day. At FTE, the virtual element allows us to serve more students and teachers from all over the country, creating a more diverse student body, thanks to reduced travel costs. Of course, challenges remain with online education. Some subjects, like physical education, are awkward when taught remotely and the lack of in-person interaction can lead to students feeling socially isolated and lonely. We must remember that the internet is not a substitute for education; to use it effectively, teachers need support in mastering the tools of online education.

Because of these challenges, educators have learned to be more effective in communicating and connecting with students online. Prior to COVID-19, virtual education was less than widespread— meaning that some educators were naturally worried whether their style would work virtually. At FTE, we’ve now introduced more than a thousand teachers to resources on how to use technology to make their virtual economics classroom more interactive and interesting.  Online platforms, such as Nearpod or Pear Deck, enable teachers make their presentations interactive and provide the means to check student understanding in real-time. This real-time feedback and use of activities can be a game-changer as educators constantly look to connect with students in their virtual classrooms. 

The American educational system has sometimes been criticized for being resistant to change. Fortunately, the past year has shown that the system is capable of adopting incredibly innovative solutions, including a dramatic increase in the use of technology, in order to meet the needs of our students. While technology and virtual education isn’t a panacea, as we now approach a return to normalcy, I hope that educators, parents, and children will maintain the open-minded approach that proved so vital over the past year. If we can lock in the lessons of COVID-19, the system as a whole will be all the better for it going forward. 

Source

3D Technology: The Future Of Education

Bipin Dama, Founder and CEO of Saras-3D, Inc speaks with BW Businessworld about studying from home, student engagement and the advantages of 3D learning. 

Saras-3D is the natural progression in the study from home (SFH) reality. This helps teachers digitally engage students, empowering students to learn faster and more deeply through the power of active learning. Through virtual hands-on learning, students actively learn through the topic rather than passively learning about it. Instead of merely reading information or passively watching a video (both are useful), you can now also “interact” with 3D simulations. “Scaled models” depict a topic the way it exists in real life, helping students experience the material through direct interactions. This can only be achieved by using 3D technology. The ultimate result is two-fold. Students master skills swiftly. While parents relax, knowing their children are engaged, actively reaching their academic goals.

By learning through exploration, students are engaged just as profoundly as they would be learning in a real-life laboratory. We also utilize virtual labs and 3D videos with online learning fundamentals such as quizzes and analytics. This way, students are guided through multiple media to understand each concept thoroughly. To stay engaged while they study from home, students need a way to mimic real-world learning experiences. Genius 3D Learning uses 3D simulations and virtual hands-on learning methods. This empowers students to interact with the material and play with scaled models that depict concepts the way they exist in real life. 

This technique is based on stereoscopy, a technology that combines special eyeglasses with a booster box to create a three-dimensional, interactive experience. Students can learn twice as fast through interacting with realistic, scaled models because they learn through doing rather than simply learning about concepts. This leads to deeper understanding and better recall. In fact, many students are already using this technology to master competitive exams like JEE and NEET. 

Genius 3D Learning does not require an internet connection to access the learning content. Everything a student needs to succeed is included with Genius 3D Learning bundles. Students often lack access to devices, a reliable internet connection, or a dedicated quiet place to study. The 2017-2018 report from National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) showed that only 24 per cent of the Indian population had reliable internet access, leaving most students behind. 

When the pandemic first began, most of us thought the school closures would be short-term. But as students continue to study from home, more parents are seeing the need for tools to help their children learn effectively. The pressure is compounded when students are simultaneously preparing for competitive college entrance exams like JEE and NEET. As a study from home continues to be a lasting situation, more people are searching for long-term solutions.

By creating a solution that does not require the internet to access the learning material, a high bandwidth internet connection is no longer the dividing line for who does and does not get access to digital education. This is how we are democratizing a high-quality education across the country. 

Even after the pandemic, parents will still want to give their children the tools they need to study from home effectively. The pandemic has made us all aware of how difficult it is to study from home. The students who can do it effectively will have a distinct advantage. When schools have permanently reopened, teachers will find Genius 3D Learning the perfect tool to guide their students' understanding, imagination, and retention.

Innovation and creativity tend to peak during times of disruption. It is now apparent that the way we educate our children is ripe for innovation. This moment is an opportunity for educators to take the time to identify what is and is not working, look at problems as steps toward a solution and prioritize the most important steps to tackle. The current reality should propel us to find new ways to reach students beyond the traditional education model. 

It is also a moment for parents (a child’s first educators) to rethink the way their children learn. During this time, they are finding strategic ways to best support them to reach their full potential. This can make stressors more manageable while also carving out a way to rebuild things better than before.

During these stressful times, it is also essential for educators to focus on taking extra good care of themselves. The expectations of teachers are demanding and can feel isolating. We should connect with other educators, learn from each other. Realize we are not going through this alone, and you do not need to take everything on by yourself.

Source: http://bweducation.businessworld.in