Pearson Brings America’s No.1 School Test to India

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June 8, 2012

The International standard of excellence in achievement testing for over 80 years, now has its own India edition. Pearson launches Stanford Achievement Test Series, Tenth Edition (India) in Kolkata

Pearson, the world’s largest education company, has launched Stanford Achievement Test Series, Tenth Edition (India) – Stanford 10 India in Kolkata. This is the Indian adaptation and standardization of the gold standard for achievement testing. The Stanford 10 India was launched at a guest lecture event presided by Dr Jose Aikara, Chariman, ICSE Board, on ‘The Future of Assessment in Indian Schools’. Also present for the launch were principals and educationists from prominent schools in Kolkata.

Devised to suit the needs of the Indian education system, Stanford 10 India is a valid and a reliable tool needed for objective assessment of academic achievement based on application-based learning of classroom curriculum. It is mapped onto all educations boards in India such as ICSE, CBSE, and IB.

Stanford 10 India enters India at an interesting juncture, when the country is slowly realizing that application of learning is more valuable than getting good marks by rote-learning. Stanford 10 India gives parents, teachers and the students a glimpse of where a child stands on a national percentile scale, unlike normal exams where the child is tested against her classmates alone. This test series measures student’s progress towards high academic standards. It includes a range of user friendly score-reports, designed with the inputs from administrators and teachers across the country and also supports teaching, learning and accountability requirements.
Speaking on the occasion, Naveen Rajlani, Senior Vice President, ELT and School, Pearson Education, said, “We, at Pearson, firmly believe that application-based learning fosters higher order of thinking skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking and creativity. Stanford Assessment Test Series’ relevance in the Indian educational environment is higher as more and more educators now realise that learning by rote is ineffective. In our endeavour to bring the best for the Indian education system, Stanford 10 India is yet another product, unmatched in its category. It will help schools in India change the way they educate students by helping and encouraging application-based learning over rote-learning.”

Dr Aikara is the current Chairman of ICSE commenting on the test said, “Achievement tests are essential for objective assessment of academic standards. Using application-based evaluation methods makes the learning and teaching process for the students and teachers more user-friendly and meaningful. Look at my hand. All my fingers do not have the same length or the
same function. Hence, learning and assessments should be customized for each child.”

Commenting on the product, Sushil Eapen, Managing Director, Pearson Clinical and Talent Assessment, said, “Pearson has launched the Stanford Achievement Test, one of the best known student achievement tests in India. This test has been adapted and standardized for our country. Pearson will be introducing Mathematics, Science and English tests for grades 3-10 in India and has plans to introduce more subjects in future years. The test will be beneficial for students, parents and teachers across India.”//

Benefits and features of Stanford 10 India

Comprehensive assessment of achievement for students tested on Mathematics, English and Science
Wide range covered through eight test levels, from classes 3 to 10
Easy-hard-easy format encourages students complete the test
Listening section, introduced for the first time in India for an in-depth assessment of language skills
Full color testing materials engage and motivate children more effectively during test taking
Easy-to-navigate test documents offer a hassle free testing experience

“Reaching Out to the Un-served Segments of Schools”

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June 8, 2012

Founded in 2009, EduSports began its operations with 10 schools. Now the company is working with more than 130,000 children in schools located in 60 cities. Saumil Majumdar, Co- founder and CEO, EduSports, shares his views on need of sports education in India …

Why is there a need for outsourcing of sports in India?

The boards have made it mandatory to have certain number of classes on physical education and sports education. Having trained teachers on the roll is also a must. So at a regulatory level, it is accepted as a critical part of education. During the last 20-30 years, sports in India have not got the kind of importance it deserved. Children used to play on their own after school hours. They could as there was no dearth of open areas. But now the situation has changed. In urban areas we hardly have any open space. There is scarcity of playgrounds. Perhaps we are expecting the kids to get their exercise in the gym. But gym is not the same thing as a sports field. That is why it is important for schools to have adequate sporting facilities.

Do you thing computers, video games and television have taken away the time share of kids?

It is important to know why kids play. Kids don’t play with the intention of becoming healthy; they play because they want to have fun. So we need to find out if the current playing fun? How can it be fun enough when there is dearth of parks, the kids are being forced to play on roads. Their games often get them on the way of their neighbours and the traffic on the road. Therefore the kids hardly have any alternative except watching TV and playing video games. I am of the opinion that if the kids are given a good playground and good sporting equipment, they will prefer the playground to the best video game or TV programme.

Tell us about the growth that you are expecting.

With more awareness about the category and wider acceptance of our philosophy, we expect to double our turnover every year. About 1 million children will play with the EduSports programme by 2014-2015. Considering that there are potentially 15,000+ early adopters (Private schools with a tuition fee of at least INR 1250 a month), EduSports expects the robust growth to continue. All the policy changes (CBSE, Government mandates) supports the idea of sports/physical education for all and will only add to the growth. Expanding within India to newer geographies with the existing proposition (More cities and schools), reaching out to the un-served segments of the schools (Pre-Schools), and enhancing our existing impact through addition of complementary services (e.g. Infrastructure, Middle School, Training the Trainers etc.) will help us realise the goals of the company.

Please share with us the details of your Expansion Plans.

We are expanding our partnerships with schools in Gujarat. We offer sports and PE curriculum to about eight schools comprising 5,500 students in Gujarat. We are looking at partnering with another 10 such schools in Gujarat whereby we will extend our reach to over 10,000 students in the state. Of these, we intend to initiate training in five schools by June this year.

Any plan for diversification?

EduSports does not plan to diversify beyond the school-sports business focus. In order to strengthen the value proposition to schools, EduSports has just started the sports infrastructure business. Other initiatives like Leagues, GetActive Workbooks, EduSports Academy of Coaching Excellence, etc. are designed to ensure that our core position as India’s largest school sports provider gets strengthened.//

“Ten10 Racing is on its way to set up a Training School for Children”

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June 8, 2012

Ramji Govindarajan, Director, Ten10 Racing presents his perspective on the importance of sports education in India

What is your view of the sports education that is being currently provided by schools in India?

Sport is an important part of human life. It is important that sports should be introduced in early days of a child’s life. Schools should try to teach the child about the ways by which sports can be developed as a professional career. Children have to be allowed to peruse a passion and a dream. In fact, I am of the opinion that India can win world class tournaments once we have proper sporting culture in our institutions. So when it comes to our institutes, lot of work has to be done for creating a proper sporting environment.

What are your expectations from the government to enhance the quality of sports in Education in schools?

It is very important for the government to invest in improvement of facilities. The proper infrastructure has to be there to allow students to access sports related technology and knowledge.

Being an eminent sportsman, please highlight your contribution for the development of sports among students?

We invest a lot of time interacting with children who are interested in taking up motorcycle racing as a career, but we also face the challenge of accessing right technology and proper equipment. This restricts the children from dreaming big. Ten10 racing is in the process of setting a small training school for young children to start learning to ride mini motorcycles in a controlled environment so that they can have some fun. This may also lead to the building of crop of talented young motorcycle riders in the country, we are working towards the fulfilment of this aim.

“Sandeep Sejwal, Olympian Swimmer, is Alumnus of our School”

Ashutosh Batta, Director and Principal, Bloom Public School, Vasantkunj, New Delhi, speaks about the importance of sports in overall education of a child

What kind of steps is the school taking to emphasise the need of sports development ?

Our sports curriculum starts with basic physical activities at 3+ onwards level to imparting skills in various sports at middle and senior level.

In addition to this we are hiring Sports faculty with specialised coaches. The school is also conducting a programme called Physical Education in curriculum initiated by British council. Along with this, we are conducting intra-school and interschool sports tournament.

To boost the sports among students we offer designation of sports captain in the body of student council.

For sports development among the students, we award scholarship to students participating at state level. Also, we impart free coaching to students in various sports before and after school.

We have seen very positive results of this. Sandeep Sejwal, Olympian Swimmer, is an alumnus of our school.

Please provide us with an overview of sports solutions installed in the school.

Sporting infrastructure available in the school includes courts for volleyball, badminton, basketball, skating and we also have grounds for cricket, football, etc. There are tables for Table Tennis. Large expense on sport equipments has been made. We would appreciate some assistance from government and also from the corporate sector to subsidise our sporting needs.

Tell us about the company from which you are getting your solutions.

We are working with Sportseed towards introducing non-mainstream sports like Archery, which is an Olympic Sport with tremendous potential. They are able to bring the best coaches in these sports due to their tie ups with the concerned sports association/federation at national levels.

We are working with Sportseed for the introduction of new Olympic sports. Advantage of such an alliance is that we are able to institutionalise certain sports for which the coaches are not easily available and we can stay abreast with global standards on sports and Physical Education.//

Using Digital Technologies to Improve Academic Results

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June 8, 2012

Poonam Sharma, Group Director, Accurate Institute of Management and Technology, Greater Noida, in conversation with Sheena Joseph Cherian on digital technologies in engineering education. Excerpts:

www.accurate.in

What are your views on use of digital technologies in engineering institutions?

Digital technologies provide professors with a sense of ownership and motivation as they create their own lecture, add/edit content. Such technologies are of great help in illustrating concepts and reinforcing skills, facts and ideas effectively thus creating an enhanced classroom experience. An effective use also improves the academic results of the institution. It is also helpful in positioning the institution as technology-forward institution with state-of-the art infrastructure.

What are the digital technologies already deployed in the institute?

We have designed programmes, which equip professors with skills to integrate technology into the curriculum and customise their classroom lessons. A ceiling mounted projector, along with an interactive device is installed in classroom, with a CPU equipped with digital content and audiovisual resources. By utilising digital technology inter alia faculty members are able to do the following:

Share content with other teacher.
Add / edit content.
Create question papers.

New digital teaching tools you are planning to deploy in future. We are in the process of introducing complete digital set up in all areas of activities including Lab, Library, Classroom teaching, monitoring of attendance, evaluation system, etc.

Tell us about the practices in engineering education being followed at the institute.

With India becoming one of the fastest growing economies in the globe, the demand for industrially and technically skilled professionals is increasing. There are various practices we are following like, renowned faculty members, advance
labs, industrial visits, brain storming sessions, case based study etc.

Please share your vision for future.

Accurate has a vision to produce students who have knowledge comparable to the top Institutes of the Country. Our motto remains to impart vibrant, comprehensive and innovative learning to our students enabling them to be technocrats, managers, entrepreneurs and leaders with strong cultural values and to provide an ideal teaching environment and ambience to develop their skills to meet the challenges of the global environment”. Our future plans include sponsored research and consultancies for private, public and government undertakings, patents, technology transfer and TBIU (Technology Business Incubation Units).

“Education Sector to Spend USD 704 Million on IT”

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June 8, 2012

Rajesh Shetty, Vice President, Cisco India & SAARC, shares his insights on the importance of wireless network and the latest technology available for the education segment with Pragya Gupta

Rajesh Shetty
Vice President, Cisco India & SAARC

How do you see the role of wireless campus for better learning delivery outcomes?

Wireless campuses benefit both students and teachers. For instance, apart from uploading assignments and sharing related links on mails, students can access information on-the-go, listen and view virtual classes at a time convenient to them. Most importantly, it enables the institutes to reach out to students who are physically challenged or students who stay in far off places, enabling them to view lessons remotely.

Furthermore, with students today adopting tablets and other devices, many educational institutes are embracing the concept of BYOD (bring your own device) to enhance learning and teaching. Going wireless helps as it addresses the need to be connected constantly and provides seamless networking, ensuring improved student engagement.

Please tell us about the most popular solutions among institutes.

Universities and educational institutions today are using a diverse range of technologies. However, the fundamental need is for robust network that would allow all stakeholders of an institute, including the staff, administration and students, to be connected on one platform. This enables the institute to recognise relevant applications and technologies to suit their purposes. Most institutes opt for solutions with focus on video communication, collaboration tools, IT-as-a-Service, or any combination of services and applications. Some of the solutions provided by Cisco for educational institutes are – Unified Communications, Mobility, Digital Media System, Notifi-ED, Smart+Connected Communities, Physical Security, and Cisco CloudVerse.

What is the market size of WiFi in India? What is the contribution of education in that?

Over the last few years, WiFi has been the preferred medium through which individuals are connecting to the internet and social networking sites. According to a report issued by WiFi Alliance in 2009, the WiFi market in India is supposed to hit $1billion in 2012.
Last year, the sector was estimated at Rs 3,000 crore. This is slated to grow further by 25-30 percent this year. New areas such as e-learning, digital classrooms and campus networking are growing within this sector. The Indian education sector is one of the largest in the world, with over 600 universities and about 13 lakh education institutes, presenting a huge opportunity to technology vendors. According to a Springboard Research, India’s education sector will also step up its IT spending to USD 704 million in 2012.

Please comment on the adoption of WiFi by the higher education institutes in India?

Digital revolution has just begun in the education sector of India. This can be largely attributed to students having access to the net on their smart phones and tablets. This has prompted institutes to invest in technology to develop their IT infrastructure and provide better learning experiences. The demand for WiFi in education can also be partly attributed to foreign collaborations, working professionals opting for higher education online etc. Like we said before, this sector has a huge potential and we foresee investments growing in the near future.

The Indian government is also playing an important role in driving the adoption of digital technologies in the education sector. Under the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12), National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT) has been set up to provide digitised content, connectivity and low-cost computing devices to the higher education sector in the country.

What challenges do you face while deploying solutions in educational institutes?

While institutes are adopting technology, there is still room for improvement. The primary roadblock for IT adoption is a low perceived ROI. Another challenge we face is the comfort level and familiarity with technology among faculties who are slow in adapting to new technologies and devices. Furthermore, lack of digital content and courses, fragmented material, copyrights are other common issues. Huge data demand, infrastructure, delay in decision making and user density at the campus are other common concerns that need to be considered while deploying.

What Security features are being deployed to eliminate possibility of data breaches and to control the students from accessing unauthorised sites?

During deployment itself, Cisco ensures utmost security of the network. Cisco offers Cisco Self-Defending Network technology, including Cisco Network Admission Control Enterprise-class security with a built-in intrusion prevention system (IPS) and intrusion detection system (IDS). Threat Defence is another security feature that provides real-time RF monitoring for rogue detection and self-management. The product also offers a centralised network management of campus, branch office, and remote locations from a single management console, thereby enabling a tightly integrated secure network. Cisco also offers integrated mobility services for security, voice services, guest access, and location services.

What advice would you like to give to the education institutes planning to go for wireless networks?

In India quality educational institutes are mostly concentrated in urban areas and students are often forced to choose their specialisation based on proximity and course cost. Education institutes can overcome this problem by going wireless.

Wireless environments will also help faculties to mould the future workforce, improve campus efficiencies, streamline operations, and enable real-time connectivity through any device. Students will benefit from the exposure to technology, as more and more corporate houses are looking for job-ready candidates who are tech savvy.

With students today expecting services such as video conferencing, live streaming of video, virtual classrooms and social media access through high speed internet connections, there is a significant strain on the wireless infrastructure. Education institutes should deploy solutions which can cater to these requirements and should be willing to pay a premium for solutions which are scalable and reliable.

While deploying wireless infrastructure, educational institutions should also keep in view security above the traditional UTM solutions. Data loss prevention and content filtering are requisites for any educational institution migrating to technology infrastructure.

Please throw some light on the latest trends and futuristic solutions in wireless segment.

Operators are experiencing (or will experience) congestion in their networks especially in densely populated areas. To alleviate the congestion, many operators are turning towards WiFi networks to offload data traffic. However, WiFi networks in its current form of implementation bring several challenges for wide user adoption. WiFi Hotspot network selection is a manual process and the browser based authentication is not seamless and further requires user intervention.

To overcome these challenges, WiFi Alliance has launched a new standard called “Passpoint technology”. This standard would allow people to access a carrier’s Wi-Fi without needing to type a passcode or selecting a Wi-Fi hot spot. The technology automatically authenticates users and it layers on security that is typically missing from some Wi-Fi hot spots. Depending on roaming agreements between carriers, this technology also provide the users to access more than one Wi-Fi network. Wi-Fi Alliance will start certifying carrier networks and the devices with Passpoint technology from June 2012.

802.11ac, also known as 5G-WiFi, is a new standard currently under development and is the next step after 802.11n. This specification will enable multi-station WLAN network to achieve datarates upto 1 Gigabit per second. This is accomplished by extending the air interface concepts embraced by 802.11n: wider RF bandwidth (up to 160 MHz), more MIMO spatial streams (up to 8), multi-user MIMO, and high-density modulation.//

“We Are Open to New Investments in Technology”

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June 8, 2012

Aman Mittal

Deputy Director, Lovely Professional University (LPU)

Aman Mittal, Deputy Director, Lovely Professional University (LPU), in conversation with Pragya Gupta, shares his insights on importance of Wireless Campus

Please share your views on the use of digital teaching technologies in education?
The infusion of digital teaching technologies is revolutionising systems of education everywhere in the world. We now have access to advanced tools of imparting quality education. Use of digital teaching technologies in India is of utmost importance, as we need to accelerate the process through which we can build up the human resource base. Digital technologies should not be identified only with higher education; but there is a greater need to infuse them in primary and middle education as well.

Do you see any improvements in teaching-learning process after having the wireless campus?
A wireless campus goes a long way in creating a culture of free sharing of information. The giant strides India has made in professional education in the last decade can be attributed to the access of information to the students via Internet. With the progression of time, a larger student base has got access to Internet, and this augurs well for Indian education as a whole. So, the role of WiFi cannot be underestimated. Some of the key advantages of having a WiFi campus include multi-user log in facility, getting rid from the maze of wired networks, better connectivity and higher signal strength, lesser frequency of service disruption, ease to use, cheaper deployment of (LANs), enhanced security, etc.

Tell us about the WiFi network at your campus.
In hardware, we have deployed equipments of Cisco and Ruckus and have configured it with Juniper. We are using software like LDAP and Active Directory. The maximum speed of our WiFi network is of the tune of 64 -100 mbps. We have 1000 WiFi points in our campus, to which nearly 40,000 students can log in at a given point of time.

Our prime concern is to provide seamless, uninterrupted, high quality Internet connectivity to all the students, faculty members and other staff. And with an army of more than 30,000 Internet users in the campus, this is a daunting task. The security of the network is also an issue that needs our attention. Further expansion in network and the prospects of switching on to a higher technology in future is also being contemplated.

Please share key challenges in the adoption of WiFi on campus?
A multitude of challenges are faced in the use and adoption of WiFi on campus. The major one is the integration of a new solution with the existing set up, which sometimes acquires tedious propositions. Distributing the spread of the network on a uniform basis across a large area is yet another big challenge. Sometimes, the layout of certain buildings is such that it retards the penetration of the signal in its interior, which again poses serious troubles. Then, when the coverage area is vast and access points are in large number, it becomes difficult to address a problem arising at distant location remotely from the control centre. Training of users is another challenge inherent in setting up a WiFi campus.

Companies should go in for an extensive survey before laying down the network. The survey will help in identifying the weak links in advance, which can be addressed in a timely manner. Secondly, there should be a Fibre Backbone at the back end to ensure that the services are not hampered when new applications are integrated, or the usage surges. Finally, in a bid to cut costs, the companies should not compromise on aspects that ultimately lead to setting up of a weak network.

Do you have plans to acquire more devices for wireless?
Yes, we will certainly be upgrading our existing system on a continuous basis – in sync with the emergence of new technologies. We are open to make new investments in technology as long as it benefits our students.//

“We Aim to Reach Out to 300 Schools by End of this Year”

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June 8, 2012

Amitava Banerjee, Head of Marketing, Rumi Education, talks about the advanced solutions that his company is offering to schools, inconversation with Pragya Gupta, ENN

Please share the genesis of Rumi Education in India.

Rumi is an education solutions company that is dedicated to transforming the quality of education provided in schools. We offer a host of education solutions that are world-class, comprehensive, cost-effective and enable partner institutions
to greatly enhance learning outcomes.

Rumi was established in 2008 by the Richard Chandler Corporation, a Singapore-based investment organisation. We strongly believe that making quality education cost-effective for all is the first step towards building a strong and prosperous society.

Tell us about Rumi’s classroom solutions.

Rumi Ready School is our introductory programme that enhances the school’s present curriculum. It can be implemented at any time during the academic year. The programme focuses on language development, communication skills and phonics training, conceptual tools for Math and enables students to acquire the skills that are essential for social interaction and knowledge absorption. The product is available for pre-primary, primary and high schools.

Rumi Smart School is a comprehensive programme that introduces core curriculum and runs throughout the academic year. The core curriculum includes specially conceptualised enhancement tools to boost inquiry-based learning that aims to satisfy students’ curiosity and offers an exploratory approach to build problem-solving and thinking skills. The tools are designed to develop confidence, critical thinking, and articulation skills that allow real-life application and lay the foundation for higher learning.

Rumi Digital Skills is an add-on programme. This award-winning digital education product has an IT-based curriculum and seeks to develop students for future employability.

Rumi English for Teachers present a rigorous curriculum that aims to improve the English speaking skills of teachers, thereby enabling them to communicate better with their students.

What is your opinion on the issue of having curriculum that is more employability specific?

‘Employability’ refers to a candidate’s potential to obtain a ‘job’, and should not be confused with the actual acquisition of the job. Whereas the world of employment has, by and large, been satisfied with the disciplinary understanding and skills developed as a consequence of participation in education, it has been less happy with the development of what has been termed ‘generic skills’, such as communication, team-work and critical thinking. Employability derives from complex learning, and is a concept of wider range than those of ‘core’ and ‘key’ skills. And our programmes like Rumi Digital Skills and Rumi English for Teachers addresses just those gaps.

Please highlight your plans for the Indian market?

Successful implementation of our school education solutions leads to improved academic performance, better student attendance, reduced dropout rates and increased motivation, retention and engagement of teachers. Our mission is to be the market leader in providing education solutions by offering comprehensive and sustainable education solutions that enable schools, teachers and students reach their full potential through effective and innovative teachinglearning methods. We aim to reach out to 300 schools by the end of this year. “We Aim to Reach Out to 300 Schools by End of this Year” Amitava Banerjee, Head of Marketing, Rumi Education, talks about the advanced solutions that his company is offering to schools, inconversation with Pragya Gupta, ENN Corporate Diary

“WiFi – The Solution for Connectivity in the Campus”

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June 8, 2012

Dr Uday Salunkhe, Director, Welingkar Institute of Management Development & Research, Mumbai and Bangalore, spoke to Rachita Jha on the importance of WiFi and other tools of connectivity play in the process of teaching

Tell us the reasons for which you have invested in WiFi technology for the campus?
WiFi serves a very important purpose of linking faculty with students as well as with one another. It leads to the creation of the necessary infrastructure for faculty engagement. It supports both: formal and informal learning and communications among all on the campus. For most students, the WiFi networks are the primary way of connecting while on the campus. Seamless access to email, and other avenues of learning, can dramatically change the way our students go about their academic pursuits. WiFi can lead to a convergance between voice and video, while liberating the students from the constraints of location. WiFi is also easy for the administration to manage as they have to manage only one central Access Point (AP).

How did you decide on the company to install WiFi technology on campus?
We looked at a company that had the capabilities to accommodate a wide range of devices as technology keeps evolving. Technology is not only fast paced, it also springs surprises. Also, for a company that could offer a good backend support.

Tell us more about the wireless network at Welingkar campus.
Our institutions is one of the first WiFi enabled campuses (2001) with a proper data centre, a Giga Ethernet backbone and enterprise backend solutions. WiFi comes with the speed of 54 mbps. One AP and can cater around 90 students at a time. There are around 35 APs. The Institute has a 10 mbps Internet bandwidth with backup arrangements to ensure minimum downtime. Students using their own laptops and other devices such as tablet PCs can avail of the Internet through the WiFi from any place on the campus.

In what ways is the technology helping the students?

Students can roam around the campus and still be in touch with their class. They can be reached through Internet whenever required.
The WiFi systems are also enabling video conferencing and audio video lectures. In our distance learning programmes with the virtual classroom facility, technology has almost nullified the distance. We are accessible to our students worldwide at a click.
Global events like Global Jam Session which saw a concurrent participation of entrepreneurs and innovators from around 40 nations went on swimmingly; now talent sharing is not constrained by geography. Web has given a virtual global platform to talent in all domains.
Welingkar’s IT has the wherewithal to conduct online synchronised training sessions and online exams. Each class room is also equipped with a PC, Projector and audio devices. Some of the classrooms are also enabled with Video Conference.
Admissions, placements internship all these require students to be well-connected. We have some very reputed companies that have been recruiting via video conferencing on campus.

What are the key challenges in the use and adoption of Wi-Fi on campus?
Setting up a campus-wide WiFi system has its share of challenges. Security is a big area of concern. We are trying our best to prevent any unauthorised access to the network.

There should be streamlined inbuilt channels for each individual user within the network. Welingkar does have this facility but it has to be further updated. Other concerns include coverage, capacity and density.//

“Connectivity that makes us SMILE”

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June 8, 2012

Santanu Mishra, Co founder and Executive Trustee of Smile Foundation spoke to Pragya Gupta, about wireless campus

http://smilefoundationindia.org

Tell us about your Wireless campus.

We are making our Smile Twin e-Learning Programme (STeP) centres across 60 locations in India completely Wi-Fi enabled. It’s very important to have Wi-Fi campus because as it reduces the cost of wires along with the complexities of connectivity. The maintenance cost comes down. It also helps in seamless teaching and learning.

How critical is wireless campus in creating better teaching learning outcomes?

The role of wireless campus for the enhancement of teaching learning process is vast. Wireless campus supports everyday activities unobtrusively and seamlessly in classroom contexts. Project-based learning is facilitated as teachers and students can engage in teaching and learning via Wi-Fi. Also, it gives the class freedom and spontaneity in learning as the teaching is in progress.

Tell us about the ways by which the institute is making use of digital and connectivity related technologies?

We aim towards connecting all our institutes with WiFi for availing the maximum mobility. Also we are looking forward to convert our institutes into virtual classrooms for maintaining the quality of education through the country. We are looking forward in conducting virtual recruitments for increasing job opportunities of our students. In near future, we may facilitate free teaching of our students by connecting our classrooms with the best of the institutes and colleges.

What new digital teaching tools do you plan to deploy in future?

Our centres are already being upgraded with WiFi networks, which will reduce the cost and complication of wires. Also cloud computing is being made availed to all the centres. The main idea is to provide virtual classes across the country to all our students. In future we will like to introduce virtual recruitment process.//

“We are Going to Acquire More APs”

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June 8, 2012

Akhlesh Agarwal
VP – Learning Technologies, NIIT University (NU)

Akhlesh Agarwal, VP – Learning Technologies, NIIT University(NU), talks about Wireless Campus and digital technology tools in education

Tell us about your views on the use of digital teaching technologies in Education.
Technology is complimentary to teaching. Digital resources have the potential to enhance science, technology, engineering and mathematics education by providing access to innovative curricula, stimulating applets and other hands-on resources. Use of the digital learning technologies engage students in the everyday application of technology and engineering to improve their understanding of fundamental and often complex concepts, in a way, that makes sense to them through exploration of the established norms.

What are the digital technologies that have already been deployed in the university?
Our focus is to use the best of technologies to increase effectiveness of teaching learning process. We use Open source LMS Moodle, where all the faculty members upload class content and also use it for online quizzes and assignment. The LMS is integrated with mail and SMS gateway to communicate effectively with students.

We also use a Synchronous Learning technology (SLT) to deliver lectures to students who are not on campus. SLT technology allows us to provide the best possible combination of Work integrated learning.

We use electronic, digital whiteboard technology in some of the courses to use the interactive digital content efficiently. Recently, we have also deployed an online hostel management and gate-pass management system to streamline the student in and outflow to reduce the paper usage.

Tell us about the new digital teaching tools the university plans to deploy in future.
We are in the process of implementing a digital library, where all the faculty members will be able to make any digital content available to all the students in the university. This will be an addition to the content in the LMS, which is accessible to only students of the specific batch/ course. We are also starting a pilot of the Mobile based attendance system that will facilitate accuracy in the attendance system and will save time for the faculty member. Moreover, a student information management system will also be implemented from the forth-coming academic year, which will include academic records, fee records, and hostel and library management.

What kind of features do you generally seek in WiFi solutions for education?

A WiFi campus network offers teachers and students, a diverse and secure access to the information they need.

We decided to give only wireless LAN in hostel, so we were looking for solution that should fulfill the need of student of Internet. We have explored various companies based on the following criteria: latest standards with higher bandwidth support, video streaming, coverage of maximum area. In addition, it should offer single Access Point (AP) to support the maximum users with friendly diagnostic tools. The controlled performance monitoring capabilities is also one of the important criteria.

Wi-Fi Access Point(AP) in NU campus is of latest ‘n’ standard and dual band. We have installed 54 APs to cover the academic block, hostels and open area. The speed varies from 100 Mbps to 300 Mbps. All (400+) students on campus can access the Wi-Fi simultaneously. All APs are centrally controlled. we are going to acquire some more APs.

Tell us about the key challenges that you faced in implementation of WiFi solutions.

The key challenges in the use and adoption of WiFi on campus includes the placement of Access Points. It should be done in such a way that minimum number of APs should cover the maximum area, with redundancy. Also, efforts should be taken to eradicate issues like- WiFi is slower than any other Internet connection and it does not support the bandwidth-oriented applications like Streaming Video, Live Lecture Feed, etc.//

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