Samsung inaugurates AR-VR Innovation Lab at IIT Jodhpur

News

By

-

November 20, 2020

Samsung India has inaugurated the Samsung AR-VR Innovation Lab at the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur (IIT-Jodhpur). The lab will train students on new technologies such as Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AR/VR), helping them learn industry-relevant skills and making them job-ready.

Courses at the lab would be run by Samsung engineers in conjunction with the faculty of IIT-Jodhpur and will be offered to B.Tech, M.Tech and PhD students by the department of computer science and engineering at IIT-Jodhpur. As per a release issued by Samsung, a batch of 30-35 bachelor students would be trained per year and part of this lab would be used by research fellows to conduct their experiments. The course will be taught over 14 weeks through classroom lectures, assignments and lab room sessions, self-study and mini projects.

Also read: IIT Jodhpur inks pact with NHAI to share expertise

Extensive tutorials and approach documents will also be provided to students to facilitate practical exercises. Samsung has so far set up six Samsung Innovation Labs in IIT-Delhi, IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Hyderabad, IIT-Kharagpur, IIT-Roorkee and IIT-Guwahati as part of its Samsung Digital Academy program.

Edu-tech platform Udemy raises Rs 371 cr in funding

News

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

November 20, 2020

Edu-tech platform Udemy has raised Rs 371.2 crore from global edu-tech and growth funds including Learn Capital.

Pre-money valuation refers to the value of a company without including external funding or the latest round of funding.

“The funds raised from leading global ed-tech and growth funds, including Learn Capital will enable the company to continue to grow its consumer and business product offerings to serve the world’s learners, organisations, and instructors,” a statement said.

Also read: Ed Tech firm Udemy set to raise $100 million in funding

Udemy CEO Gregg Coccari said this year upended everything about how one lives and works, and people everywhere turned to online learning to help them meet new challenges.

“We are perfectly positioned to meet these demands and help drive success for individuals, businesses, and governments,” he added.

As countries enacted stay-at-home advisories and national closures, course enrolments across the entire Udemy marketplace platform increased more than 425 per cent, consumption across Udemy for Business surged 90 per cent, and the company saw a 55 per cent increase in course creation by instructors.

Headquartered in San Francisco, Udemy has offices in Denver, Brazil, India, Ireland, and Turkey. Its investors include Insight Partners, Learn Capital, Prosus, Norwest Venture Partners, Stripes, and Benesse Holdings.

Currently, 35 million students globally learn from 57,000 instructors who collectively teach over 1,30,000 courses via Udemy.

Powered by the Udemy marketplace, Udemy for Business is designed to serve the next generation of workplace learners. With subscription access to a collection of 7,000 relevant courses on the most in-demand skills, customers can upskill their workforces and harness learning to drive business performance.

UP CM Adityanath: NEP 2020 to be implemented in phases

News

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

November 20, 2020

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the National Education Policy-2020 will be implemented in the state in phases by 2022.

Addressing a gathering at the Lucknow University after inaugurating its centenary celebrations, he also said the new education policy will take the society forward and prove to be the foundation of “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat” and a self-reliant India.

“The policy is the vision of the prime minister and is to be implemented by 2022. It includes both the theoretical and practical aspect of knowledge that is necessary for students. If the Lucknow University moves ahead with the new National Education Policy, it will set a new paradigm,” Adityanath said.

Also read: UP CM Adityanath launches portal for career and employment

Congratulating everyone associated with the university on the completion of 100 years of its establishment, he said during this glorious journey, the institution has made remarkable achievements in the academic field at national and international levels.

“This university has given many distinguished dignitaries, politicians, administrative officers, principals, scientists and industrialists, including the president, to the country,” the CM said.

Stressing the need for educational institutions to connect with the public and play an important role in local problems, he pointed out that a hand sanitiser was made by the Lucknow University to face the challenge of COVID-19.

Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh has the capacity to fulfil the dream of a self-reliant India and make the country a $5 trillion economy.

Sisodia: Happiness curriculum aims at developing mindset of students

News

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

November 20, 2020

The Happiness curriculum is aimed towards the development of the mindset of students, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said during an online panel discussion on systematic social emotional learning. The happiness curriculum developed for Delhi government schools was featured in Harvard University’s International Education Week.

The Deputy CM said the programme is not focussed on preaching values but rather on developing students’ mindsets ad lifelong learners. The happiness curriculum was organised by the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) during its International Education Week. The curriculum celebrates the successful implementation of the “happiness classes” in the government schools of Delhi. The Deputy CM said that the curriculum is focussed on developing students mindsets so that they can adopt the values in their everyday attitude and behaviour rather than being a value education class that preaching moral values to students.

Also read: Manish Sisodia: Wants to run Delhi school autonomously

He further said that the curriculum provides the tool kit for school children to scientifically observe their emotions and comprehend them. The Minister said that happiness curriculum focusses on the science of emotions because once the students are able to comprehend and recognise their emotions well, they will grow up and become better human beings.

The role of the happiness curriculum said the Deputy CM, then becomes critical in developing the students’ mindsets as well as the teachers to adopt these ethical values in their behaviour. The minister said that these students coming out of schools should be prepared to live in the world as lifelong learners, which is the main aim of the curriculum.

Fintech firm Eduvanz acquires edtech startup Klarity

News

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

November 19, 2020

Country’s one of largest fintech firm Eduvanz has acquired edtech startup, Klarity. Klarity is an online one-on-one platform that connects students with professionals in their area of interest to provide video-based mentoring.

Varun Chopra, CEO, and Co-Founder, Eduvanz, said “The acquisition of Klarity has helped Eduvanz reach out to a network of passionate industry mentors and more than 300 education institutes powered by mentoring that enabled them to choose the most suitable path in their education and career. Through its fantastic platform, Klarity has impacted more than 5000 careers via one-on-one mentoring and the team can help Eduvanz users not only finance their courses but also get help in choosing the right course.”

Also read: Ed Tech firm Udemy set to raise $100 million in funding

The online one-on-one mentorship of Klarity runs across a span of two years, and primarily works with post-graduate students. While most of the post graduate programs ask the students to decide on their specializations in the second year, the students get confused about their prospects and job-roles that will be on offer. The mentoring program involves analytics-driven assessment, specialization-wise market realities workshops that cover job-roles followed by one-on-one mentorship meetings with industry professionals.

Manmeet Singh Akali, CEO and Founder Klarity, said “Joining forces with Eduvanz will help us amplify our reach, and intensify the impact of our work in the careers of students with whom we are working. We are equipped with a mentor network of more than 200 industry experts from some of the best companies of the world such as the Big Four consulting firms, Amazon, JP Morgan, Uber who graduated from institutes such as the IIMs, Carnegie Melon, Georgia Tech and so on. “

IIT Delhi tops among Indian institutes in employability

News

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

November 19, 2020

According to Global Employability Ranking and Survey (GEURS) 2020 results, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has been ranked as the best institute in India and 27th globally, in terms of employability of its students.

Globally, India has been ranked among the 15 best-performing countries in employability, improving from its 23rd rank in 2010.

IIT Delhi climbed 27 ranks from 54 in 2019 to 27. Indian Institute of Science (IISc), however, has dropped to 71 from 43 in 2019. The other Indian institutes that made it to the list are IIT Bombay (128), Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad (184), IIT Kharagpur (195), and Amity University (236).

Also read: 22 IIT Guwahati researchers featured in list of world’s top scientists

GEURS 2020, released by the Times Higher Education and French HR Consultancy group ‘Emerging’, is based on 1,08 225 votes from 9,000 operational and international managers in 22 countries. They voted to rate the employability performance of 6,000 international institutions.

Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank congratulated institutions, faculty, and students for the outstanding achievement.

“Employability Rankings 2020: Glad to share that India has been featured among the top 15 countries with universities producing the most employable graduates. India has improved its ranking from 23 in 2010 to 15 in 2020,” said Pokhriyal said.

Universities from the USA — California Institute of Technology, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Harvard University — made it to the podium, followed by two universities from UK — University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford — in top five.

Employability Rankings 2020: Glad to share that India has been featured among the top 15 countries with universities producing the most employable graduates. India has improved its ranking from 23 in 2010 to 15 in 2020. @timeshighered

— Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) November 19, 2020

2.68 Lakhs students shifted to government schools in Andhra

News

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

November 19, 2020

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s education reforms have resulted in 2.68 lakh students opting for transfer from private to government schools, said a statement by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

A total of 42.46 lakh students have enrolled themselves in Government/Government-aided schools this year, which is 2.68 lakh more than the enrolment figure from 2019, which stood at 39.78 lakh, CMO stated.

The Government’s success in reversing the trend can be attributed to a plethora of student/parent-oriented schemes implemented since 2019. Jagananna Ammavodi, Nadu-Nedu and Jaganna Vidya Kanuka form the base of the Government’s drive to place Government schools at par with their corporate counterparts, CMO added.

Also read: Srinagar to upgrade 180 government schools to smart schools

“Major infrastructural lapses and negligence of the previous Government led to parents and students in the state of Andhra Pradesh preferring private schools over the Government-run or aided institutions for years now,” CMO stated.

Educational reforms undertaken by the present government, since it took over in May 2019 were aimed at reversing this very trend by uplifting the standard of education imparted at Government schools. Statistics reveal that the efforts of the Government in this direction have yielded immaculate results.

President Kovind: Universities can provide inspiration to deal challenges

News

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

November 19, 2020

President Ram Nath Kovind said one can draw inspiration from the ancient universities of Takshashila, Nalanda, Vikramshila and Vallabhi which had set high standards of teaching and research. Addressing the fourth annual convocation of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, he said Indian scholars of today should try to create an original body of knowledge which would be useful in dealing with contemporary global challenges.

“In dealing with today’s challenges, we can draw inspiration from universities in Takshashila, Nalanda, Vikramshila and Vallabhi which had set high standards of teaching and research. Scholars and students from all across the world came to those centres to attain specialised knowledge,” Kovind said.

Also read: Universities not mere degree factories: President Ram Nath Kovind

That ancient system, which had many elements of modernity, produced great scholars such as Charaka, Aryabhata, Chanakya, Panini, Patanjali, Gargi, Maitreyi and Thiruvalluvar. They made invaluable contributions to medical science, mathematics, astronomy, grammar and social development, he said. “Today’s Indian scholars should try to create such an original body of knowledge which is utilised for dealing with contemporary global challenges. JNU is among those select institutions of higher learning which can reach globally comparable excellence,” the President said.

About the COVID-19 pandemic, he said the whole world is in a state of crisis because of it. “In the prevailing scenario of epidemics and pandemics, the National Education Policy 2020 states that it is critical for higher education institutions to take the lead in undertaking research in areas of infectious diseases, epidemiology, virology, diagnostics, instrumentation, vaccinology and other relevant areas,” Kovind said.

Pokhriyal lauds educational institutions for conducting final year exams

News

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

November 19, 2020

Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank hailed educational institutions for conducting final year college exams successfully in the country amid the coronavirus pandemic. The minister also praised educational institutes and teachers for switching to online platforms for teaching during the pandemic.

“We took a strong stand and decided to conduct the exams. Some people opposed the decision, some went to the Supreme Court, but the SC also quashed their petitions and ruled that exams should be held,” Pokhriyal said.

When the decision to conduct JEE and NEET exams (for engineering and medical courses) was taken, some people hit the road to protest, but the majority of students who had burned the midnight oil to prepare wanted exams to be held, he said.

Also read: Pokhriyal: Committed to make India as a global hub of education

“The holding of JEE and NEET was so successful that the Election Commission, when asked how would they hold Bihar elections during the pandemic…their reply was they will adopt the pattern used for the conduct of JEE and NEET,” the minister said.

The new education policy stresses that students should be taught in their mother tongues because experts believe that it improves comprehension, he said.

“We do not oppose English but we insist on mother tongue….take the example of Japan, Germany, Israel, who prefer their own language to impart education and none of these countries are lagging behind in any field,” he added.

The new education policy is also the foundation of ‘atma-nirbharata’ (self reliance) because it introduces vocational training at early stage, he said.

UP CM hails SC order on assistant basic teachers recruitment

News

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

November 18, 2020

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath welcomed the Supreme Court order allowing it to fill up vacancies of 69,000 assistant basic teachers in the state as per results declared by it in May.

Adityanath said, “The Supreme Court judgement has put its stamp on the UP Government’s decision. Shiksha Mitras who have not got a chance will be given another chance by the state government.” Instructions have been issued to the Basic Education department to take permission from the Election Commission to distribute appointment letters to the selected candidates.

Also read: UP CM Adityanath launches portal for career and employment

According to an official of the Basic Education department, Shiksha Mitras are para-teachers, who were appointed by their respective village panchayats before 2010 in primary schools.At present there are over 1.50 lakh Shiksha Mitras in the state. The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the Uttar Pradesh government to fill up vacancies of 69,000 assistant basic teachers in the state as per results declared by it in May.

A bench headed by Justice U U Lalit dismissed a batch of petitions including the one filed by the Uttar Pradesh Prathmik Shiksha Mitra Association’ challenging the Allahabad High Court’s decision to uphold the cut off marks for selection of assistant basic teachers in the states. The bench, in its judgement, said it has recorded the submission of the state government that a ‘Shiksha Mitra’ who has been unable to crack the test, would be given another chance to compete in the next selection.

LATEST NEWS

Top Trending News

Top Trending Categories