Globally and in India, e-Learning occupies an increasing portion of the total learning delivered and also growing very rapidly. Even though e-Learning is growing and lot of organisations are using e-Learning to train their staff, there are serious concerns about
a) Learner Disengagement
b) Non
Be it the last day of college or the first day to a nursery with the tiffin, the only content of the bag, the story of Computer can no longer be an adult one. It May sound far-fetched, but tests have revealed that it is more so a true explanation in reality. At times, a parent May find this taste of a child a smart one with expectation to conduct their day-to-day data entry operations and even locating particular information on the web by just clicking on the keypad using Google search as their available medium.
They say that “Computers, software, CDs and Smart Toys should always be considered a supplement to the other, more concrete learning activities like completing puzzles, building with Lego and blocks, reading books, creating art projects and playing on the playground
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) of Philippines has asked schools, particularly the Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to focus more on the ICT skills nationwide.
The CHED is also focusing on the potential of technology in designing and providing education based on the new learning needs of tomorrow's world citizens. Universities can also partner with industries so that it can play its role as new source of innovation and knowledge. The CHED suggested the need to execute major changes in policies and practices through service deliveries and network linkages with local and international institutions to achieve these vision and directions. Moreover, the Commission emphasized the role of teachers in improving the schools delivery system of education.
The Chandigarh administration is coming up with a public-private partnership project (PPP) for education sector to make the city as Education City.
In the first phase, the administration has finalised six players and 26 applications have been shortlisted for the second phase. In the first phase, Fortis Healthcare, Maya Acadamy of Advanced Cinematics, Hit Abhilashi Foundation Society and IL&FS, Mumbai-based Shri Vile Parle Kelvani Mandal, Tech Mahindra and DAV College Managing Committee have been selected to set up their institutions. According to sources, the administration will retain the ownership while charging licence fee or lease money from the players. The private players will also share the revenue with the Chandigarh administration when they commence the courses. The Education City would have centres of excellence in the fields of hospital management, pharma R&D, software development, 3D animation among other upcoming fields. The Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics is developing a centre for 3D animation on the pattern of the developed countries. While Fortis Healthcare will come up with hospital management institutes with this project.
The Government of India is planning to set up 20 Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) in various parts of the country in collaboration with different industry associations.
The Planning Commission of India has allocated INR 100 crore for this project. The government would ensure broadband accessibility to almost every citizen in the countryside, covering 97 per cent of its geographical area latest by 2012. In the 100 crore project, education will be imparted for nano IT/computing content, bio-IT/computing content, information security, telemedicine, telebanking and finance.
The government of Indiana has announced for an ambitious national program to improve the quality of teachers and the education schools in the state.
The program has been created by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation which will be funded by a $10.1 million grant from the Lilly Endowment. Under the program, an initial group of 80 new math and science teachers will earn master’s degrees in education at Ball State University; Purdue University; Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis; and the University of Indianapolis. Eventually, the program would educate 400 Indiana teachers per year.
After testing the program in Indiana, the Wilson Fellowship Foundation will expand to other Midwestern states and then nationwide. The goal of the program is to both improve teachers in schools with poor performance and to change the ways that teachers are educated in general, said Arthur Levine, president of the foundation.
The UK located web-based knowledge systems provider MyKnowledgeMap has integrated new modular e-portfolio Multi-Port into the Moodle course management system (CMS) in anticipation of its increased uptake by the educational sector.
Designed to help educators create quality online courses, open-source freeware Moodle CMS is used by universities, schools, companies and independent teachers. From a single-teacher site to a university with 200,000 students, Moodle is currently registered to nearly 36000 sites from over 200 countries. Britain's Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of the Arts in London are using Multi-Port with Moodle to enable employees of supermarket giant Tesco Stores, looking to develop careers in retail management, study for the new Foundation Degree in Retailing. The Foundation Degree has been developed for Foundation Degree Forward by MyKnowledgeMap and is mapped against the Skillsmart Retail Foundation degree framework. Geographically dispersed tutors and learners can set, respond to and discuss assignments, and collect and assess evidence of their competences via a single online portal using Multi-Port. Students access the programme in the workplace using a combination of e-learning materials, residential delivery and online support. The programme draws upon the workplace to structure and inform the development of learning materials and integrates work-based learning and academic study through work-based projects and assignments.
The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute of the US will not be allowed to conduct its course in India from now on. This is after the Delhi High Court dismissed the writ petition filed by the institute against an AICTE order to stop operations in India.
The institute doesn't have an approval from the regulatory body to function in the country. This will hit hard around 10,500 students who are enrolled across levels for the course. CFA is the premier qualification for those who want to become fund managers or equity researchers. The CFA is a three year course and is considered equivalent to a masters degree in finance. The course costs almost Rs 1 lakh. The institute in now left with two options, either to seek approval from AICTE and continue operations or challenge the judgement in the Supreme Court. Any institution imparting technical knowledge should submit to the jurisdiction of AICTE as it is accountable to the students for maintaining the quality of technical education in the country. According to ICFAI University, Tripura, attractive advertisements luring students in the name of foreign degrees are being issued by many institutions. Students desirous of joining any technical programme of any foreign university, institution operating in India , either directly or in collaboration with an Indian institution, must confirm the status of its approval by AICTE.
The UK government has launched a
The federal government of Nigeria has restated its resolve to restore the dignity and high esteem of polytechnic education in the country.
Minister of education, said that the government has plans for merger of polytechnics with universities. He stated that by so doing, the problem of proliferation of business and art courses would be curtailed in the polytechnics, allowing them to specialise in programmes critical to national development. Last year, over 878 programmes in 84 institutions was assessed for the purposes of accreditation with over 190 curricula either developed or reviewed within a span of five years. Besides, 25 curricula for the newly established Vocational Enterprise Institutions (VEIs) and Innovation Enterprise Institutions (IEIs) were developed by the Board. The process of increasing the enrollment of science and technology-based courses in the polytechnics has begun with enforcement of the 70:30 enrollment ratio in favour of science and technology based programmes in the country.
