Indian multinationals adapt e-Learning to train their workforce

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May 1, 2009

Indian multinationals are increasingly adopting e-Learning practices to train their workforce, globally. < ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Apart from being highly interactive, these programmes help break geographical barriers to include a larger workforce, at a time when domestic companies are increasing their global footprint through acquisitions and partnerships. The Aditya Birla Management Corporation Ltd is designing new programmes on e-Learning and job valuation based on its core group values. Automotive major Mahindra & Mahindra is in the early stages of providing e-Learning through a knowledge management network that spans China, USA, Middle East, South Africa, Australia, Latin America and Spain. The new e-learning training programme will allow employees across the globe to choose what they want to learn and where, according to their changing needs. The e-Learning programme at Mahindra & Mahindra will impart critical knowledge of the various business processes.

AIEEE likely to see lower cut-offs

Higher Education

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digitalLEARNING Network

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May 1, 2009

According to the experts, the pattern of AIEEE is becoming similar to that of IIT-JEE. The exam was held across 1,460 centres in the country with nearly one million students appeared for the exam, it took everybody by surprise with a complete change in the examination pattern. 'It was comparatively a difficult paper and the paper pattern was on the lines of the IIT entrance exams. This year the total marks were 432 instead of 315 total marks of last year. Thus, the difficulty also increased,' said Kedar Takalkar, who conducts coaching classes for AIEEE. The marks allocation was also quite different from previous year's exams. This year, a total of 30 questions in each subject physics, chemistry and mathematics were asked. Out of these, 24 questions were of four marks each and six questions of eight marks each. One-fourth negative marking was also one of the elements in the paper. As per Pitam Singh, head of special examination, Central Board of Secondary education (CBSE), 'This year we decided to reduce the total number of questions and fix it to 90. Out of these questions, 80 % of questions needed only normal skills to solve them. The rest of the 20 % were of conceptual type that would actually test the caliber and talent of the candidate. This will be helpful while selecting the candidates.'

A good score in AIEEE can get a candidate admission into B.E, B.Tech, B. Arch and 20 National Institute of Technology, besides Deemed Universities and nine Central and State Government-funded institutions. In the city alone, around 40 engineering colleges accept AIEEE score for admissions, while most of the engineering colleges in the state fill up 15 % of their total intake capacity through the AIEEE scores. Akash Chaudhry, who runs a coaching institute for AIEEE in the city, said, 'The questions asked in the mathematics section was lengthy as well as conceptual. The level of questions can be compared with the questions asked in mathematics section of IIT-JEE. This, in a way, is an indication that the paper or level of AIEEE is moving towards higher level of complexity, since the amount of time remains same but the numbers of questions asked have reduced.' It is also estimated that the cut-offs will be marginally lower this year. 'If the cut-off was 160 to get into one of the engineering colleges in the state, this time around, the cut-off could be around 130 as a result of the changed pattern in the question paper,' observed Takalkar.

Computer virus hits Norfolk Schools

K-12

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digitalLEARNING Network

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May 1, 2009

Hundreds of Norfolk schools were urged last night to double-check their computer security after five high schools had their systems infected by a virus. Thousands of pupils were unable to access important online work after the invasive programme breached online security and quickly spread through the ranks of computers in hundreds of classrooms. Teachers and software experts had to work around the clock to get rid of the Downadup/Conficker worm, which has the potential to get hold of sensitive information and circulate it. The worm – which also hit Norfolk County Council's professional development centre and sensory support team – has infected millions of computers worldwide, including systems within the French air force and navy and the US air force.

The council was able to cut off the schools and the two other areas from the rest of the network before it spread further, but it is not known whether any top-secret information was compromised by the attacks. Downadup is believed to be such a threat that software giant Microsoft has offered a US$ 250,000 reward to anyone coming forward with information that leads to the capture of the person who wrote the programme. The high schools affected are Caister, Wymondham, Thorpe St Andrew, Oriel at Gorleston and Rosemary Musker at Thetford. At Thorpe St Andrew School, which is one Norfolk's biggest with 1,700 students, the worm was first detected on February 27. It is having an impact on learning because students cannot get access to their work on the system. Staff and computer experts have been working around the clock, seven-days-a-week to clean up all of the 1000-plus computers at the school.

Microsoft and Ministry of Education push for educational reform

K-12

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digitalLEARNING Network

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May 1, 2009

As part of the Partners in Learning initiative, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by H.E. Dr. Haneef Hassan Ali, minister of Education and Mark East, managing director of Microsoft Gulf's Education Division at the 2009 Gulf Education Forum. Reflecting the importance of technology education in primary and secondary schools, the MoU will see schools, government and partners equipped with the resources, training and expertise necessary to prepare students for a bright digital future.

'The strategic objective of the agreement is to develop a successful education based society with high-quality educational services across all levels. Putting technology to work for people throughout the country will enable us to strengthen our economy and create greater opportunities for young people to fulfil their dreams,' said H.E. Dr. Haneef Hassan Ali, minister of Education. The agreement Microsoft and the Ministry will also organize an annual competition for students titled 'Imagine Us.' 'Together with the Ministry of Education, we hope to make a positive impact on the education sector in the country by using ICT as a tool to empower students and teachers and transform education,' commented Mark East, managing director, Education Division, Microsoft Corp.

YouthConnect programme in China by Dell

Corporate Updates

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digitalLEARNING Network

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May 1, 2009

Dell YouthConnect, a global program designed to support education and digital inclusion initiatives for underserved youth, was launched in Beijing. Dell awarded $2 million in cash and in-kind grants of products to the China Education Development Foundation (CEDF) and the China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF). Both non-profits will use the grants to enhance Information Communication Technology (ICT) education and digital inclusion for China's underserved youth. It's estimated that every day, nearly 500,000 people get online for the first time in their lives. Prior to the launch of the Dell YouthConnect Program, Dell has donated over $740,000 to set up 25 Dell Learning Centers in 15 cities across China since 2006. Dell YouthConnect was first inaugurated in February 2009 with grants totaling more than US$2.7 million, to 11 organizations in Brazil, India, and Mexico. The program will also be rolled out in four more countries by the end of this year.

Delhi education dept, a case study, inspires IIM-A

Higher Education

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digitalLEARNING Network

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May 1, 2009

Inspired from the success of the management skills and success mantra of the Delhi education department, the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) has decided to take this as a case study. Case study is a characteristic part of IIM-A's Centre for Innovation in Education. Professor Sanjay Verma and Rajiv Sharma from IIM-A has recently visited the education department of Delhi Government. Professor Sanjay Verma said, 'We always prefer to take case study from real life. We were enthusiastic to know about the several factors by which a government department could improve results and enrollments.' 'We have decided to opt for Delhi education dept. because it has taken several interesting and successful initiatives. For the first time we were happy to see a total change in the thought process,' added Verma.

He told, 'The department has kept in mind the requisites of all the stakeholders – teachers, students and parents and tried to improve the overall learning process.' 'The Delhi education dept. has witnessed officials from different states of the country keen to know what we are doing right so that even they can follow the same policies. The delegates were from Assam, Pondicherry, Rajasthan and Bihar,' said Rina Ray, Education Secretary. 'The shortfalls won't be taken into consideration rather we would analyze how far the initiatives have been successful. We will look into what has worked for them and see if others can implement that too,' added Verma. The pass percentage of Class XII students in government schools has gone up from 78.07pc in 2006 to 85.70pc in 2008. The department has also spent on improving the school infrastructure. In 2007, it spent INR 2.5 lakh on Building As Learning Aid (BALA) that led to brightly painted school buildings.

Programme launched for Indian Railway Officers by IIM C

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digitalLEARNING Network

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May 1, 2009

IIM Calcutta has been commissioned by the Railway Board of India to conduct a 12-week executive general management programme for 60 officers, as a part of the regular 18-month training program for Indian Railway service probationer officers.

In this connection, Indian Railways and IIM Calcutta have signed an MoU for training of Indian railway service officers for the next five years starting this year.

The general management programme will cover topics in economics, human resource management, management information systems, public policy, behavioural sciences, operations management, marketing, ethics, finance and accounting and strategic management.

The training programme also includes sessions with industry experts and visits to various industries in the eastern region. After selection through the Engineering Service Examinations and the Civil Services Examinations of the Union Public Service Commission, the probationer Indian railway service officers are required to undergo an 18-month training program before induction into service on various railway zones.

The 18-month training program includes classroom training at Railway Staff College Vadodara and specialised training institutes, as well as field training on zonal railways, divisions, construction organisations and manufacturing units of the Indian Railways.

HP grants for Anna University

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digitalLEARNING Network

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May 1, 2009

HP has awarded a Technology for Teaching grant worth $70,000 to Anna University, Chennei, India, to transform the way subjects are taught in the campus.

The grant worth $70,000 will include HP Tablet PCs, external storage and optical drives, wireless networking cards and printers, as well as a stipend for staff to work on the projects. HP will help Anna University to establish a mobile learning (m-learning) centre where students taking computer science and IT courses can access content using hand-held computers. The centre will maintain a portal and a digital library, and assist with content management and development using an m-learning authoring tool. Students will also be able to tap a server-based open source wireless laboratory, built on existing low-end computers and wireless technology. The grant aims at transforming teaching through the use of mobile computing and wireless technologies to create the classroom of tomorrow, today, on its campus. This sits well with HPs aim to help universities drive innovation and create new models of success for integrating technology into learning. Dr D. Vishwanathan, vice chancellor, Anna University, said that they are very pleased that a leading technology company like HP has selected them for this prestigious grant.

St. Stephen

Higher Education

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digitalLEARNING Network

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May 1, 2009

The admission season is still several weeks away, but discussion and debate over the admission policy of St Stephen's College have started already. And it has started with a critique of last year's admission procedure by faculty members. Miffed with the manner in which guidelines were formulated and 'proclaimed' in 2008, teachers of the institution have unanimously recommended changes to the admission policy at a staff council meeting held on April 28. The most significant recommendation comes in shape of a suggestion of having at least 50 % of seats earmarked for the merit category as against 40 % last year. Last year, 50 % of the seats were reserved for Christian students, 40 % for merit category and 10 per cent for SC, ST and physically challenged students. 'In my opinion, it's a wrong statement to make, if you are not going to admit even half the class on the basis of merit,' said a teacher requesting anonymity. In the minutes of the meeting (a copy of which is with HT) teachers have also advocated for the margin between cut-offs for the general merit and the reserved category to not be more than 15 per cent except for sports and physically challenged students.

'The recommendations were made based on our experience of teaching students admitted as per the 2008 policy. Last year, in a few departments the cut-off margin for Christian candidates was more than 15 %. Teachers found that such students had problems coping with the rest of the class,' said a teacher requesting anonymity. The reduced weightage of 10 % for interviews, too, came under the scanner and was recommended for revision. According to teachers it should be reinstated to 15 % as per 2007's policy as Board marks are not a true indicator of the student's aptitude as far as a few subjects are concerned. The recommendations of the staff council will be placed be fore the Governing Body during its next meeting tentatively scheduled on May 11.

New courses at Manipal from 2009

Higher Education

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digitalLEARNING Network

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May 1, 2009

The Manipal University will offer various new courses during the academic year 2009-10. This was announced through a press release issued by the varsity. The new courses include postgraduate (M.Sc) degree in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. For M.Sc Mathematics course (Applied and Computations) students of B.Sc with Mathematics/ BE/ B.Tech are eligible. For M.Sc Physics course (Condensed Matter Physics and Optoelectronics) B.Sc Physics graduates with Mathematics are eligible. For M.Sc Chemistry course (Organic) B.Sc Chemistry graduates are eligible. The University also offers Msc Photonics, PG Diploma in Photonics and Msc in Biostatistics. A two year course with specialised training in stem cells research and clinical training namely Msc Regenerative Medicine is also being offered by the varsity.

The Department of Public Health offers Master of Social Works (MSW) course for any graduate with over 50 per cent marks and Master of Public Health (MPH) course for graduates with first-class marks in Medical, Dental, Nursing, Allied Health or Life Science.

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