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Prometric to computerize CAT for IIMs

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digitalLEARNING Network
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Prometric, the world's leading provider of technology-enabled testing and assessment services announced that it has been awarded an exclusive, US $ 40 million dollar contract by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) to computerize the prestigious Common Admissions Test (CAT). To efficiently deliver the first ever computerized version of the exam to over 250,000 Indian students this fall, Prometric will accelerate plans to further build out its people, services and technology infrastructure in India. In assuming responsibility for all aspects of the CAT program, including item authoring, test development, test administration and scoring and reporting services, Prometric will add resources, including dedicated test development and support staff, in India.

Complementing the 185 employees, test center network and other assets Prometric already operates in India, these additional new resources will provide a more powerful and rigorous means for the CAT, and any other test publishers looking at expansion in India, to leverage for growth. The CAT is the premiere admissions test used in the selection process for admission to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), a network of India's most prestigious business schools based in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Indore, Kozhikode, Lucknow and Shillong. Of the 250,000 students that take the exam each year, ultimately just over 1,500 are admitted to one of the IIMs. It is therefore one of the most competitive and high profile admission exam administrations in the world, requiring tight execution and secure exam delivery. For the first time in history, instead of testing only one day a year, candidates will be able to test during a 10-day testing window across 23 Indian cities where secure computer-based testing centers specially prepared for the CAT exam are strategically positioned throughout the country. The longer window and wider availability will provide candidates greater flexibility when choosing a testing date, time or location as well as near-ubiquitous access to testing locations. In addition, computerization of the CAT will result in faster score processing, enabling the IIMs and more than a hundred other Indian business schools that rely on the results to more quickly make their admissions decisions.

Call for linking theory and practice by Stakeholders

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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Stakeholders at a day's forum on development of appropriate skills for the country's educational institutions have called for a strong link between theory and practical training in order to well-prepare students to meet the needs of the job market. They called for rationalization of curricula with emphasis on job attachment and acquisition of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills to enable students to become competitive and lead the country's development agenda. The symposium was organized by the Ghana Employers' Association (GEA), to assess the skills gap in the labour market and recommend measures to bridge that gap by training of students in skills that were relevant to the labour market needs and training institutions.

Currently, programmes offered in Ghanaian training institutions were skewed towards the humanities as a result of which even the polytechnics, which were more technical inclined, were currently admitting more people for business related courses instead of science and technical subjects. The stakeholders said measures, including review of curriculum and content rationalization of programmes that did not meet the demands of employers, relevance of programmes, the dexterity of graduates, relevant skills and competencies and exposure to global and international competition were necessary to ensure that graduates were well positioned to take advantage of the job market. Festus Addo-Yobo, Rector, Accra Polytechnic, called for the promotion of business model for training institutions to address issues such as teachers having renewable contracts that were subject to periodic evaluations, give close monitoring to graduates, create strong links with enterprises through governance; delivery of training services, in-service training and financial sustainability. Addo-Yobo said that this resulted in the introduction of the competence based teaching approach in the polytechnics where students progress after they demonstrate their understanding of what they have been taught. Alexander Frimpong, Acting Executive Director of GEA, said, 'employers had been challenged with funding for training of employees against the back-drop of the global economic crises and that Ghana shall experience a significant boost if the quality of education and training in institutions are improved.'

Colleges funded by State demand their DU

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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The Delhi government is allegedly considering de-linking 12 of its colleges from Delhi University. The government is reportedly unhappy with huge number of outstation students getting admission in these colleges. 'The government is considering affiliating the 12 colleges it fully funds to the state-run Guru Govind Singh Indraprastha University,' said Rajib Ray, DU Executive Council member. 'They want to ensure that 85 % of the seats in these colleges are reserved for Delhi students.' Ray referred to a meeting called on Wednesday by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to discuss the admission, land allotment and management issues of the Indira Gandhi Institute of Physical Education and Sports Science, which is 100 % funded by the state government.

'The Delhi government has no right to decide the admission or management policy of any colleges under Delhi University,' said Ray. 'These are done by the academic and executive councils.' Teachers of these 12 colleges have alleged that the government is interfering with the admission policies of the colleges, although it has no prerogative to do so. College principals expressed concern over the alleged move. 'None of these colleges can be shifted from Delhi University because they get their identity from the university,' said Savitri Singh, principal, Acharya Narendra Dev College. 'It is the DU degree that is of value to students.' The chief minister said no decision has been taken. 'Such a move would require a Cabinet decision and no such decision has been taken yet,' said Dikshit. 'It is imperative that Delhi students get to study in Delhi government-funded colleges. But for that we can create more colleges under Ambedkar University,' Dikshit added, referring to the newly formed state university for humanities and social science. Teachers, however, pressed the panic button after alleged inquiries from government officials.

Back to home: Lack of job opportunties for students in US, Uk

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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Last November, Abhimanyu Gupta, an MBA student in New York University's Stern School of Business, was on the top of the world when he How to stay afloat in your job landed a job offer from Bank of America's investment banking division. This February he felt right at the bottom of the abyss as the bank withdrew the offer and Gupta's world cratered just like the global markets. Now, the 27-year-old chartered accountant, who left his home Mumbai in 2007 to become an investment banker in the world's financial capital, plans to return home if he doesn't get an offer by June when his course ends. With five months of recruitment time gone, Gupta concedes that his chances of finding similar job in the US, which is battling the worst downturn in decades, are bleak. His chances are as bleak as hundreds of other Indian and foreign national students across top universities in the US, UK and other western economies, who now plan to go back home. The Harvards, Whartons, NYU Sterns, Kelloggs, MIT Sloans, Michigans and Dukes

Cut on online MBA sponsorship

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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If reducing travel and accommodation costs was not enough, corporates have now begun cutting down on sponsorship of online MBA programmes by 15-20 % to conserve cash. Companies in the IT, finance and automotive sectors have reduced enrollments, according to U21Global

AMU organises Computer course for teachers

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is organising a Refresher Course 'Computer Application in Teaching' for teachers of Deeni Madrasas. The Centre for Promotion of Science, AMU, will carry the course from February 23-March 5, 2010. Selection of the participants for the course will be made on all India basis.

TA/DA and their lodging at AMU will be the responsibility of Centre for Promotion of Science, making all facilities paid for the participants. The announcements regarding the course details have been sent to selected Madrasas. Additionally, the prescribed application form and other details of the course can be viewed at the website of the centre.

Expert: There

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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Many educators may find computer games which are already common among students in this digital age as an educational promise to harness learning in the classroom but an expert said there is much to learn about it. Sylvia Martinez, president of US-based Generation of Youth and Educators Succeeding, who is one of the resource persons of the second ICT Education Conference, stressed this in her talk to explain how educators can discern the difference between hype and promise in considering computer games as an effective tool for learning in the classroom. According to studies, although there are still objections to games from educators who advocate for project-based learning, many teachers view school-age students' attraction to video and computer games with envy and hope that any educational experience that occurs on a computer will somehow capture the magic. 'There is much to learn from exploring the educational promise of games in the classroom,' said Martinez.

In her talk that dwelt on the subject 'Myths, Realities and Promise,' Martinez, however, said students can learn if they programme their own games to make them understand better a particular subject they are discussing in the classroom. She said teaching game design that would suit the specific need of a subject discussed in the classroom is not that really hard since there are many teachers in many parts of the world who are doing it citing those in UK and Australia where they joined networks and get friendly supports to develop a computer game design for learning. 'Game design involve the kind of problem-solving that make math come alive,' said Martinez. There are Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) games that are professionally designed and offers compelling game play but Martinez said these are not necessarily accurate, not connected to curriculum subjects and time consuming.

NIIT initiative for 1,870 Gujarat Schools

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

Global Talent Development Corporation, NIIT has entered into a contract with the Department of Education, Government of Gujarat, to introduce Computer Aided Learning in 1,870 high and higher secondary government schools for classes 9-12 in Gujarat. The five-year contract valued at Rs 84.38 crore, would impact around 9,00,000 school students across Gujarat, thus consolidating yet another State into NIIT's portfolio after its recent foray into Rajasthan with 1,672 schools. Based on its track record of providing quality ICT education solutions in schools NIIT bagged the majority share of the contract awarded by the Government of Gujarat. L. Balasubramanian, President, School Learning Solutions, NIIT Ltd, told BSE on Monday, 'We are honoured to partner with the Department of Education, Gujarat for the first time, in their initiative to promote computer education across 1,870 government schools in the State. We remain committed towards making education more impactful and interactive, by leveraging IT, and ensuring that the best tools and resources are made available to the school students. The confidence placed in us by two new States in Gujarat and Rajasthan, bears testimonial to our cause.'

NIIT had recently bagged the single largest turnkey IT education contract in the school segment in the country of 2005 schools from the Government of Andhra Pradesh. This was followed by its bagging of orders from the Rajasthan government (1672 schools) and two back to back orders from the Maharashtra and Bihar State governments to provide training in 900 schools for the next five years.

Applied Learning: A new approach

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

Toss out conventional textbooks and design a curriculum from scratch. Assess students on an ongoing basis, rather than the usual exam or test framework. To keep apace with students who have been brought up to consider online socialising the norm and the Internet their main source of information, these are some of the big steps the School of Science of Technology (SST) in Clementi

No science tests in primary schools

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

They will be replaced by a less formal system of ‘teacher assessment’ to encourage more experiments and group work in the classroom. But exams in English and mathematics will remain at the end of primary school, ministers will announce today. A panel of experts was established by Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, to reform the way children aged five to 14 are assessed in England. At the moment, children take Sats tests in reading, writing, maths and science in the final year of primary education.

The group’s report – being published on Thursday – will stop short of demanding the all-out abolition of Sats, but it is likely to downgrade science. Science tests are expected to be replaced with a ‘beefed up’ system of classroom assessment, in which teachers log children’s progress during a series of set pieces of work. It follows concerns that existing tests fail to properly measure children’s grasp of the subject.

The new-style system will allow for more experiments to be completed in small groups. The expert panel, which includes Sir Jim Rose, who led a recent overhaul of the primary curriculum, will also call for computing to be put on an equal footing with science between the age of seven and 11. Teachers will be expected to assess pupils’ skills in ICT (information and communication technology) in a similar way.

Mick Brookes, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said, ‘If there is a concern that tests are turning young children off science, then the same is true for English and maths. If anything, this move will simply narrow the curriculum further because it will encourage schools to concentrate on two subjects instead of three.’

The report will also make recommendations about how schools can ensure preparation for Sats is, ‘proportionate educationally appropriate”. It follows criticism that Sats encourage schools to “teach to the test,’ dropping other subjects such as history, geography, PE and art to give pupils exam coaching. In a further move, it will endorse Government plans for new-style “report cards” to give parents more information about children’s progress at school.

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