At Early Learning Village (ELV), we understand that development in a child’s early years is crucial for lifelong well-being and success, says Pradeep Jolly, Co-Founder, Early Learning Village & Wonderland, in an interview with Elets News Network (ENN).
How does Early Learning Village help its students to grow and develop while reading, listening and playing?
Our team of internationally experienced educators work closely with students to ensure that the time spent at Early Learning Village (ELV) is enjoyable and enriching. the international Early years (iEy) Curriculum underpins all learning at our preschool. it is a comprehensive curriculum focused explicitly on the developmental needs of young children. the globally accredited iEy curriculum clearly defines learning and development goals and helps your child to be internationally minded. Children use childfriendly cameras, bee-bots, learning apps and voice recorders to develop skills in technology at ELV preschool.
Infrastructure wise, what facilities are provided at early learning village to make the learning delightful for students, yet keeping them safe?
Children learn in an environment that provides stimulating spaces and exciting experiences. A child’s day at Early Learning Village has a balance of open-ended activities, exploration, child-initiated play supported by adults, focused-learning with adult guiding, and learning through playful and rich experiential activities. our outdoor activities provide children with a range of engaging and challenging opportunities to explore freely, develop physically, and solve problems while playing independently and collaboratively.
All the activities are on the lines of international practices. Focusing on the idea that every child learns in a healthy and safe environment, we ensure learning spaces both indoor and outdoor are designed to involve our students.
How various programmes at Early Learning Village help the students to develop holistically?
All our programmes have been purposefully designed to support every child’s educational needs. the Adult and Child Programme allows parents to be present while their children learns in an informal educational setting. our Early year programmes for students aged 2-4 allow them to learn at their own pace, discover areas of their interest and be creative. Expressive arts and creativity are an important part of the ELV curriculum. our play space is a safe, rich and dynamic environment to grow confidence, take risks and solve problems while playing independently and collaboratively.
How the curriculum helps the preschool students face real-life challenges?
Learning happens when a child’s natural curiosity is enabled in a safe environment. independent earning experiences create a context for personal development and are the foundation of nurturing global citizens. our curriculum involves ongoing assessment in the form of evaluation and reflection of the activities. outdoor play opens up a vast universe of learning for children which, in return, helps in developing skills like critical thinking, problem-solving and crisis management.
How do you see the road ahead for the Early Learning Village?
We are currently focused on being consistent with our care and quality measures while making sure that we create a beautiful closed community of parents. We aim to touch the lives of more children, ensuring that we continue to create a positive impact in their growth and learning.
Engineering was key to the transformation of an agrarian and artisan economy to that dominated by machine power for manufacturing, agriculture and extracting natural resources; automation replaced labour intensive systems for improved health, sanitation and mobility, writes ProfRao Bhamidimarri, President, The Institute of Advanced Research, Gandhinagar, for Elets News Network (ENN).
Engineering played a central role in advancing civilization throughout human history. In the modern era, we have made unprecedented economic and social gains through advances in acquiring and applying knowledge.
However, this progress came at a cost to our planet and the environment. The global grand challenges of the 21st century are profound and wide-ranging. Health and wellness, climate change, resource depletion, poverty and social inequalities are amongst the challenges we confront, as the population approaches 10 billion by the middle of this century. Today, the benefits of economic and social progress are not distributed evenly. A billion people without access to safe drinking water and 2.5 billion without sanitation. Some 4 billion people have no access to internet, placing them on the wrong side of the digital divide.
Addressing these challenges will require creative and innovative engineering talent and leadership to develop solutions to these complex problems. These solutions need to be sustainable, equitable and safe.
Role of Engineering
Whether it is the Egyptian pyramids or the International Space Station, the Great Wall of China or Artificial Intelligence, they reflect the creativity and technical knowledge of engineers.
Engineering education dates back to medieval times and focused on apprenticeships in trades, which originally focused on traditional trades such as construction, metal working and paper-making. This expanded as industrialisation progressed to include engineering, mining, shipbuilding and textiles by the late nineteenth century. It was not until early 19th century that degree level education began at universities. By the end of the 19th century, as knowledge in sciences and mathematics accelerated, the initial emphasis on shop floor experience in engineering education shifted towards classroom instruction.
Successful engineers have a strong knowledge of engineering science while gaining a holistic approach to engineering application. This allows them to develop creative and innovative solutions to real world problems. Great engineering entrepreneurs over the last two centuries have not only been masters of scientific and technical knowledge, but also have excelled in non-technical factors such as environmental, ethical and social factors, to translate innovative ideas into reality.
With the increased specialism and academic focus, engineering graduates have proved themselves to be excellent in modelling and analysis in recent decades. But employers have had increasing concerns about the disconnection between engineering education and real world context. Therefore, employers also recognise what are commonly described as soft skills such as communication skills, ability to work in a team, commitment, organizational skills and flexibility.
The 21st Century Engineer
“We educate engineers for the 21st century using 20th century curriculum in 19th century universities” — Vincent Wiegel, professor, HAN University of Applied Science
There has been increasing awareness that the engineering graduates in general, while technically competent, lack the following professional skills:
Communication Skills,
Organisational Skills
Interpersonal Skills,
Commitment
Ability to work in a team and
Time management
While enhancing these skills and attributes can enable graduates to secure employment and to operate effectively in the world of work today, addressing the unprecedented global challenges, engineering education needs to undergo a fundamental change. Creativity driven problem solving skills in the real world context are increasingly important along with the following higher value skills:
Critical Thinking,
Creativity,
Empathy,
Collaboration,
Motivation,
Cultural Sensitivity and
Flexibility
In addition to these future engineering graduates also will need to be equipped with the 3Rs of Reflection, Relationships and Resilience.
The Creative Engineer
Engineering is an intensely creative profession. Creativity is a process – not a Eureka moment, nor is it a mysterious process, but an ability to disassemble knowledge and reassemble it in new ways. Curiosity, motivation and knowledge are the key ingredients of creativity.
Often creativity in engineering is underrepresented in engineering including by the engineering profession itself. While complex problems demand creative solutions, engineers are constrained in practice by the need to minimize risk to public, investors and the environment. This together with increased academic focus, the current engineering education has become an antithesis of creativity.
The traditional engineering curricula and pedagogies used equip the graduates with technical competence, but do not foster attributes necessary for creativity. Engineers of the 21st century will need to be creative in order to develop solutions to new and emerging challenges. Embedding creativity in engineering education continues remain a challenge.
A curriculum that embraces a multidisciplinary focus with emphasis on design thinking and self-determined learning, undertaken in a real world context, will help foster confidence and creativity in graduates.
Railway Engineering is a multi-faceted, yet specialized discipline dealing with the design, construction, production and operation of all types of railway systems, including the high-end options that bring immense savings in time and energy. Dr Ajam C Shaikh, Principal In-charge, MAEER’s MIT College of Railway Engineering and Research, Barshi, Solapur, for Elets News Network (ENN).
Dr Ajam C Shaikh, Principal In-charge, MAEER’s MIT College of Railway Engineering and Research
India has a long legacy of value-based education. It has evolved over time from the holistic Vedic Gurukuls, dating back to around 7,000 BC to the modern age computer-based e-learning education. The Indian education ethos was ascribed by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, first prime minister and a visionary, in the following words, “A university stands for humanism, for tolerance, for reason, for the adventure of ideas and for the search for truth. It stands for onward march of human race towards even higher objectives. If the universities discharge their duties adequately, then it works well for the nation and the people”.
Apart from inherent complexity, the intertwined nature of education and culture has influenced each other to an extent where one’s individuality melts away and becomes part of the unity. But, in spite of having such a glorious past and one of the largest networks of higher education institutions in the world, in the modern era of market-based, research-driven education system, none of our education institutions are ranked among the top 200. Being a developing nation and moving to become a developed nation, India ought to achieve a decorous position in the field of education, on the global platform. Though, so much has been done till now to meet the goals through various propitious efforts by the government as well as by private players, we have miles to go in cementing the position of our institutions of higher education in the world ranking.
Deloitte, the leading consultancy & audit firm in the world, appropriately described the education sector of India as the “sunrise sector for investments”. India has seen a boom in the education sector in recent years as a result of the government’s growing urban and rural initiatives for increasing the gross enrolment ratio, emergence of private universities with world class infrastructure, and government’s campaigns such as Make in India and Startup India. Although these developments are appealing to the eyes of educationists and economists, realities such as an average of 35% seats remaining vacant in technical and non-technical colleges, lower gross enrolment ratio (GER), unemployed youth causing a burden on the country’s economy and declining credibility of education, are areas of concern.
Scrupulous investigation reveals that the undiversified approach of the current institutions of higher education is the root cause of the problem. The colonial mindset that still prevails, has made Indians to believe that the conventional branches and courses being taught are the only mode by which employment can be gained. The unenterprising approach of many colleges also aggravated the issues to a large extent. The monotonous education system not only failed to associate itself with the growing demand for skilled personnel in various fields; but also did not create interest for learning in the budding minds. The growing void between industry and academia is enormous, which needs to be addressed soon. Government’s initiatives such as Skill India, Make in India and DDU Grameen Kaushalya Yojana have fostered the identification of different skill sets in order to bridge the gap between technical and non-technical resources. It could be achieved by encouraging youth to be equipped with a variety of skills.
Just like education, infrastructure is another factor upon which the real progress and development of a nation depends, since it serves as a catalyst for economic growth. The transportation sector can’t remain untouched in a growing economy where connectivity, even with small towns and villages, either by road, rail or other means, is the objective. This creates enormous demand for manpower capable of dealing with the new challenges. Among the various segments of the transportation sector, railways play a pivotal role in stimulating and ameliorating the country’s economic growth. The world is changing fast and rail transportation is no exception.
It has become an essential vehicle for economic diversification and proved to be a true catalyst for cultural assimilation. With the government focusing on bringing the remote areas on the railway map of India and on phenomenal upgradation such as dedicated freight corridors and bullet trains, there is a rising demand for trained engineering professionals who can cater to this segment. Keeping in mind this projected infrastructure growth in the Indian economy and the need for a specialized workforce of trained and customized engineers, capable of dealing with the railway sector and allied manufacturing sectors, there is a dire necessity of having institutions fully devoted to the discipline of Railway Engineering. This will provide well qualified and competent manpower to take up the challenges pertaining to track renewal, maintenance, traffic management and signaling, and structural analysis, coupled with efficient and effective management of the railway system in totality.
More skills are needed by rail industry professionals today than ever before, which warrants higher level and continuous development of skills and qualifications. It encompasses study of a wide range of engineering disciplines including civil, mechanical, electrical, electronics & telecommunications, computer, industrial and production. It covers many other sub-disciplines of engineering and management such as advanced strength of materials, intelligent transport systems, sustainable rail technologies, nano-materials applications, intelligent transport systems, project finance, supply chain management and operations management. It is absolutely essential to have an institute/university, which will focus on creating a quality learning habitat through processes driven by innovative ideas in pedagogy and projects across all these domains.
There is pressing need to have a specialized group of railway engineers capable of dealing with the prototypical issues associated with railways. With passing time, Railway Systems Engineering is going to emerge as a vibrant field of engineering with great demand for competent, qualified and specialized Railway Engineering graduates, postgraduates and researchers. Many countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, China, Japan and Russia are way ahead in establishing universities devoted to railway engineering. Ironically, India is lagging behind to initiate demand-driven programs in railways. The present government’s steps in developing skill and entrepreneurship among Indian youth, makes Railway Engineering a promising career in a booming ecosystem of first generation entrepreneurs in the country.
With these conditions taken into account, efforts have been initiated to offer a program in Railway Engineering, which would serve the diverse railway sector with state-of-the-art information technology and complex systems. MAEER’s MIT College of Railway Engineering and Research (MITCORER) in Barshi in Solapur district, fulfils this need with add-on Railway Engineering courses, along with conventional engineering degrees. Similarly, Sir Padampat Singhania University has an undergraduate program in Rail Transportation Engineering, while Shri Vaishnav Institute of Technology and Science runs an undergraduate course in railway engineering.
Apart from degree courses, several certificate and diploma courses are being conducted by institutions such as Vishswakarma University, Pune; Institution of Permanent Way Engineers, New Delhi, and Institute of Metro and Rail Technology, New Delhi. In line with these efforts, Government of India has established National Rail and Transport Institute (NRTI) as India’s first ever railway university in Vadodara in Gujarat. This deemed to be university under the de novo category would create a resource pool of the best in class professionals for the railway and transportation sector. NRTI will offer multi-disciplinary programs by designing demand-driven curriculum by aligning with industry priorities. Currently, NRTI offers B.Sc. in Transport Technology and BBA in Transport Management. The establishment of the university is seen as a big boost for Indian Railways.
The enormous demand of skilled man power does not limit the opportunities to just degree or diploma courses in railway engineering; but also brings into picture skill courses of short duration in areas such as total quality management of railway stations and sidings, ballast-less track technology, railway track lay-out and construction, high speed railway track technology, design of high speed locomotives system, rail vibrations and control, structural analysis of railway tracks, construction claims and settlement, environmental engineering and pollution control, and benefit and cost analysis of railway transport system.
In a nutshell, the emergence of modernization in rail transport, high-speed railway route between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, and the proposed Hyperloop route between Pune and Mumbai, create a pool of job opportunities, which demand innovation and a research mindset.
A Railway Engineering degree, along with diploma and certificate courses would create competent, qualified and specialized graduates, postgraduates and researchers who would not only be capable of handling various critical tasks related to the overall railway system; but also cater to take up the challenges of global demand. The program should be coupled with efficient and effective management of the railway system in its totality. It would help in cutting down dependency for railway technology on other countries, thereby helping new startups to grow under the “Make in India” initiative of the Central Government. The efforts for skill developing shall play a critical role in furthering developments in this booming ecosystem.
Education is not just about understanding different subjects of Science, Commerce or Arts; it is to understand about the world around us and learning the skills for life. Billabong High International School (BHIS) is a place where students are nurtured to be successful human beings with a positive attitude towards life and a strong commitment towards society.
BHIS is set in the heart of the city of Kanpur – An idyllic setting of classes in open spaces! What makes it such an impressive school is not only the wonderful staff, the students and the parents but also the myriad of opportunities available to its students. Whether it is the unique curriculum or the co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, BHIS Kanpur has distinguished itself as a centre of excellence.
The senior school provides its students option of choosing education boards among CBSE, International Cambridge – IGCSE and A levels. The curriculum is dynamic and the lesson planning is effective to make the classrooms engaging and enthralling. The curriculum is based on multiple intelligences, VARK system of learning progressing from lower order to higher order thinking skills. A well researched and planned KKEL curriculum engages students and leads to outstanding outcomes in learning. We have a no tuition policy and our teachers run a gratis learningsupport club post school hours for students.
A huge emphasis is on value based education. We inspire students to commit to local and international charities and make regular visits to Shishu Bhawan and specially-abled children organizations to volunteer and engage, evoking mindfulness and deep seated sense of gratitude and humility. We are passionate about providing an education where every student is known and valued in a family environment, which inspires excellence and instills values.
Enhancing classroom teaching and learning dynamics, learning is no longer confined to share syllabus teaching in the classrooms. We are very particular in engaging our students with the local community, country and the world. There is a very strong sense of contributing to the progress and development of the community.
The students need to be stretched and imparted transferable skills relevant to the work place environment. Our various initiatives are an endeavour to impart globally relevant education to students. Our system of teaching and learning is based on best practices worldwide. Focusing on inquiry-based and project-based learning, various activities like debating, quizzing, parent interactions and self learning give meaning to a fun version of teaching and learning. Use of technology in the classrooms and the multidisciplinary subject labs are a great aid to effective teaching. Initiative, observation, feedback and reflection have catapulted the school in the league of reckoning. This creates irreplaceable value for our students, teachers and parents.
“What distinguishes Billabong is the lack of pretention- a down to earth attitude, an encouraging intellectual curiosity among the students to debate, to question and to really be their own person .We are genuinely committed to being a school for everybody – widening access as far as possible .There is an extraordinary sense of community at Billabong which makes it a very special place to be.We are aschool for individuals, where young men and women know their own minds and ones who will go out into the world and really make a difference- so right at the heart of Billabong is the commitment to service in the true sense of the word.It is indeed a remarkable place,” says Priti Agarwal, CEO & Founder,Billabong High International School, Kanpur.
A plethora of cutting edge co-curricular activities like hosting of World Scholar’s Cup, Tri Sports Cup, Family Quiz, IIMUN, World School Debate, Vox Populi, TED talks, Aerospace Camps and heritage trips, and initiatives like Cross over Faculty visits by Top Schools in the world like Westminster and Highgate create national and international platforms for our students.
Shobhit Institute of Engineering and Technology (popularly known as Shobhit University, Meerut), is a NAAC accredited deemed to-be university u/s 3 of UGC Act, 1956. Shobhit University, Gangoh Saharanpur is a State University notified u/s 2(f) of UGC Act, 1956 by the Government of Uttar Pradesh. Ranked among the top institutions of India, both the Universities aspire to make academic issues and commitments as the key concerns of the young generation and thereby, make a significant contribution to the academic developments across the world. By fostering quality education, research and innovation, the universities endeavour to empower youth.
Kunwar Shekhar Vijendra, Chancellor, Shobhit University
The Universities’ academic centres and programmes focus on education and research in specific disciplines, and areas of study. The faculty works with students to develop their academic skills, both in general and in the context of specific courses or assignments.
We are committed to creating the best learning environment and provide the right equipment and facilities, to help our students to achieve their potential during studies. Our students learn in a variety of ways, including case studies, role-plays, and simulations. Because we know that no single approach can effectively address the range of challenges they’ll encounter throughout their career, this diverse education is designed to give them the breadth and depth of skills and experience they’ll need for success.
In Shobhit, we are working to achieve excellence in research, and to ensure that our research contributes to the well-being of society. We are a research-oriented university that shares the values of high-quality teaching within an environment of internationally competitive research. We seek to provide a creative and supportive environment in which ideas are generated and flourish. The University is open to diversity in perspectives, experiences, and traditions as essential components of a quality education in a global context. Excellence as the standard for teaching, scholarship, creative expression, and service to the University community are crucial for the members of the University.
The University Training & Development Centre understands that active engagement of the industry with the academia is vital for developing the required skills in the future professionals. To facilitate the industry in the current scenario of the skill gap on one hand and to enrich students with the industry exposure on the other hand; a one semester internship program has been incorporated in the course curriculum of most of the academic programmes.
Today, Shobhit University is a preferred destination for recruitment among young universities in India. More than 200 renowned Corporate, Research Organisations and Institutions are patronising our students by providing excellent job offers. The University has evolved as a Campus of Excellence. Our excellent talents are placed in the best of the corporate houses in India and abroad.
As innovation diffuses within the higher education system and touches every element of a higher education institution, the innovation process needs to be better managed, observes Elets News Network (ENN).
The economic success of any nation largely depends on the quality of education provided by its educational institutions. This is even more pertinent for India, where more than 50 percent of its 1.36 billion citizens are under the age of 25 and 65 percent are under 35 years of age. Consequently, this makes India’s higher education system the third largest in the world (in terms of number of students). The problem is that we as a nation are not effectively able to utilise such a large pool of prospective employees and assimilate them into the workforce. Of the educated citizens of India, a mere 45 percent are employable. While this statistic represents a big jump from the 33 percent employability five years ago, the situation still remains concerning.
These abysmal numbers do not come across as a surprise because the disparity can be seen clearly when we look at the demand and supply gap in the higher education system of India. With the largest population in the world between the age bracket of 5 to 25, India requires hundredthousands of universities, schools and colleges to reach out to the dynamic talent pool it has. The next gap comes to fore when we see that quality education, especially at the higher level is limited only to a few institutes such as IITs, IIMs and some others. The conversion rate for IIMs itself is very low as only 1 out of 150 applicants manage to get admission there. This fact is partially due to the smaller number of seats available for candidates in the premier institutes of our nation.
But the situation is not that bleak all around, for one, around 75 percent of global STEM graduates will be concentrated in BRICS nations by 2030. Another development to be optimistic about in recent years is the rise of online education in India, with its market value standing at $247 Million, as of 2016 with 1.57 Million users. The more traditional and rigid teaching models are now being replaced by adaptive and personalised pedagogies, examples of which include mobile based learning, open educational resources, and utilisation of AR and VR for learning, and mobilebased learning.
Keeping in mind some of the above developments, Indian Institute of Management Rohtak offers programmes for working professionals, government officials, and entrepreneurs to enhance their productivity, quality and consciousness that will help them transform into executive managers who make a significant contribution to their respective fields. Notably, IIM Rohtak has launched several online executive programmes in the domain of Data Analytics, Project Management, Sales & Marketing, Strategic Management, Digital Marketing and Market Analysis, HR Analytics and Entrepreneurship among others. Thus, nearly 1,000 executives from private and public sector have been trained using the digital learning platform in last one year. Similarly, long duration programmes for sports professionals and working executives have been the key initiatives of the institute. All the programmes are devised to be delivered on ‘Interactive Online Learning Platform (IOL)’. The unique IOL provides a live, interactive ‘Direct to Desktop/Device’ capability where participants in any part of the country can listen and discuss questions directly with IIM Rohtak faculty members, cutting across geographical constraints.
“Great institutions are faculty led, administrative supported, and technology enabled. Therefore, one must provide facilitative environment for academic research, offer a caring and keen administration, and provide cutting edge technology in any institution for it to achieve greater success,” said Prof Dheeraj Sharma, Director, IIM Rohtak.
India today stands at the crossroads where it can either become the growth engine of the world, leveraging its demographic dividend, or lose out on the opportunity. The level of excellence in higher education will be a key factor in determining the role that India will play, globally, in the immediate future. (Disclaimer: Views expreassed are a personal opinion).
Dates for AIIMS MBBS 2019 basic registration process has been extended till January 14 notified by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.
AIIMS will screen the applications after the completion of the basic registration process. Only complete and correct application forms will be eligible to register further for AIIMS MBBS 2019 Entrance Exam. The candidature list will be released on January 16. Candidates will be given a chance to complete or correct the application till January 22.
The final registration which was earlier supposed to begin on January 29 has been postponed and will now begin on February 21. The registration process will continue till March 12.
However, AIIMS MBBS 2019 Exam Date is not changed. As per the old schedule, AIIMS MBBS entrance exam will be held on May 25 and 26. Admit cards will be released on May 15.
AIIMS will conduct the entrance exam for selecting candidates for MBBS courses in AIIMS New Delhi, Bathinda, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Deogarh, Gorakhpur, Jodhpur, Kalyani, Mangalagiri, Nagpur, Patna, Raipur, Rae Bareli, Rishikesh and Telangana.
GATE 2019 Admit Cards will be released today around 4:00 PM at gate.iitm.ac.in. “Candidates will be able to download GATE 2019 Admit Card from 4/1/2019 evening (around 4:00 pm),” reads the update available on the official website.
Candidates will be required to login to the portal of GATE Online Application Processing System to download their admit cards. Candidates should print the admit card on an A4 sized paper using a laser printer, preferably a color printer.
The admit card of GATE 2019 will carry details like candidate’s name, paper to be appeared in, exam centre, shift time and date. The Graduate Aptitude in Engineering (GATE) is scheduled to be held for four days from 2 – 10 February, 2019, in two shifts – 9:30 am to 12.30 pm (forenoon shift) and 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm (afternoon shift).
“It is mandatory for candidates to take the admit card and valid original photo identification document at the exam centres. Candidates without aforementioned documents will not be permitted to take the examination. For international candidates, only a valid passport/government issued ID/college ID/employee ID will be accepted as the recogniSed identification document,” said the organising institute – Indian Institute of Technology Madras.
“Mobile phones, physical calculators, wristwatches, or any other electronic items are not permitted inside the examination hall. If a candidate brings any of these items, they have to be kept outside the examination hall at the candidate’s own risk. If the candidate is found to be in possession of these items (even if not using them), they will be disqualified and the result will not be declared for the candidate,” it added further.
Geoinformatics holds great promise in environmental modelling and its analysis, studying climate change, disaster management, and telecommunications, writes Dr Ketan Kotecha, Director, Symbiosis Institute of Technology, for Elets News Network (ENN).
Dr Ketan Kotecha, Director, Symbiosis Institute of Technology
Geoinformatics is almost an unknown term for many people. But mention Google maps or talk about GPS enabled apps like Ola and Uber and faces light up with interest! Today, Geoinformatics has gained a lot of potential in the job market because of the current and unexplored opportunities. This emerging and evolving technology offer great career avenues.
But first, let’s understand what exactly is Geoinformatics? In simple words, it deals with the tools, science, and technology which are used to acquire, analyse, and visualize our planet and its resources from space. For example, the geographic location of our planet, the various oceans, man-made structures, etc. can all be located with the help of Geoinformatics.
Remember the famous movie, Lion? Here the boy could find his family 25 years later, thanks to Google Maps. This movie and this incident could only be possible because of Geoinformatics. Geoinformatics is a field which is used in various walks of life. Be it urban or rural planning, land use management, agriculture, defence sector, and infrastructure development among others.
When it comes to transport, it is used for in-car navigation, maritime, aviation, network planning, etc. Geography and Earth Sciences rely on geoinformatics data as well.
Educational Qualification
In order to pursue a career in Geoinformatics, one must have a degree in science. Geography, agriculture, geology, engineering, IT or computer science students can also get admission to M.Sc., M.Tech. courses in Geoinformatics and Remote Sensing. People can also follow up with Ph.D programmes or diploma courses, certificate courses.
Well, to be honest, the most important thing for a successful career in this field is genuine interest and passion that one possesses. Students who are eager to learn and push their limits beyond boundaries will excel in this field. A positive outlook, robust analytical and problem-solving skills are also major pointers that will help one stand ahead of the crowd.
A Rapidly Growing Field with Good Job Prospects
Today, a Geoinformatics(GIS) professional has more tools at his disposal than ever before. This has been possible because of the increase of geospatial data like Google Maps and the internet of things. The growth has thus helped in enhancing humanitarian efforts such as city planning and disease control to giving business intelligence solutions for product marketing and helped solve other such large-scale problems. According to research done by, P&S Market Research the global GIS market could be worth $17.5 billion by 2023. With that sort of expansion, comes great employment opportunities for skilled GIS experts. This trend of expansion is expected to be the maximum out of all other professions.
Decent package
The simple fact is that most professions benefit majorly because of this field. Thus, the opportunities for a person with technical acumen and critical thinking skills will improve a lot in the coming future. A person can use these skills in solving complex problems and thus being able to withdraw decent packages from companies.
Variety of work and an array of sectors
The best thing about this field is that it covers an array of sectors. Starting from public sector to private sector, different work styles can be used to become masters in this field. This industry covers an array of fields. One can spend his time outside tracking wildlife in the Arctic, or tracking down insurance fraud in the Southern part of Europe; location intelligence is a hot trend in this industry.
Some of the fields in which Geoinformatics can be used are:
Agriculture
India has always been an agriculture-driven economy. But today, agriculture has evolved beyond words. From hand farming, it has become technical farming. From soil testing to analyzing productivity from a remote location, agribusiness relies on geoinformatics experts
IT
IT firms are always on the lookout for people who have specialization in this field because people with this specialization can have a lot of depth and knowledge in this field. Several applications and software programs are developed with keeping the core concept as geoinformatics.
Aviation
No aeroplane can function without GIS applications and remote sensing and hence one can not imagine life without GIS. The aviation sector which is growing beyond leaps and bounds needs geoinformatics professionals for their expert and crucial role in the industry.
A chance to make the difference
There is absolutely nothing that you can’t do under the sky in this field. If you want to conserve the wildlife sanctuary, or protect your nation as a service member, or streamline operations of a particular field, you will have the opportunity to do all that. Geoinformatics enable one’s understanding of the geological, social, temporal factors that are responsible for contributing to some of the world’s most challenging problems.
One can safely say that geoinformatics is a promising career opportunity and is here to stay for long.
Since education forms the foundation of our economy, it becomes vital to impart education more effectively and successfully. This calls for innovation in the education sector in terms of teaching, classroom management techniques and with respect to the subjects which are taught, writes Dr Ginu George, Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce, Kristu Jayanti College, Bengaluru, for Elets News Network (ENN).
Education plays a vital role in everyone’s individual life. Education is not just to secure marks; it is far more than scoring grades. Education moulds a child to stand out as a future leader who can handle all the issues and obstacles which is stopping to grow. Education also exposes children to various facet of life, inculcates value systems and helps them to break social evils like racism, poverty, discrimination etc. Without a doubt there has been a huge transformation in the teaching pedagogy which has been shifted from traditional to modern method.
Some of the remarkable education innovations which have taken place in the year 2018 are as follows:
Motion Capture Technology: This is a upcoming innovation in the education sector which is commonly referred as MoCap and provided both at high schools and colleges. Students can learn and understand concepts with the help of movement of objects or people. This kind of technology is more adopted and used for students in field of biomedical, interactive media, film and television industry. This is an interactive teaching pedagogy which creates a lot of enthusiasm among students while learning.
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality: VR and AR which are currently been in all fields as also taken a place in education sector. It is not yet been used full-fledged however picking up at a faster pace. This creates an immersive learning space for children and enables them in better understanding. Virtual field trips are one such example which is been in use in the education sector and giving the student a better outlook. These innovations also help students to improve their imagination and thinking ability, motor skills, better understanding about the concepts
Flipgrid: Another video based technology which is used for high school and college students as part of their learning. This allows a teacher to create “grids” which enables students to participate in video discussion. The grid allows a teacher to post different topics and students can participate in the discussion by posting video responses. This provides an opportunity for every student to plan their responses and speak thoughtfully.
Gamification: This is one of biggest trend which is taking place in most of the schools which is adding more fun and making the learning session more engaging. Most of the schools are incorporating in their teaching pedagogy gamification by bringing more game elements. This will help the students to have better concentration level also helps in understanding tough concepts in a better way.
Online Courses and Learning: This trend is been most encouraged in many colleges and universities were students can access to various online courses. This provides them an opportunity to get better understanding on tough subjects by doing additional courses on the same subjects. It also helps them to focus more on their preferred area and do in-depth research on those subjects.
Flipped Learning: Yet another trend in education sector that is catching up is flipped learning. It is nothing but inverting traditional teaching. Here students prepare ahead for a topic before it is taken in the class by going through various tutorials and videos. This helps students to ask thought provoking questions and thus helping students to have a better understanding about the subjects they learn. This also improve their reading and analytical skills.
Adoption of new innovation into the education sectorhelps students to be more focussed and engaged. Like every year 2018 had also been a year of innovation in education sector. These innovations have without a doubt helped students to secure better grades and also enhanced the teaching pedagogy. Innovation in education helps students to nurture their skills which prepares them for future and also increases the quality of learning.
