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TUNING EDUCATION to Stay Ahead

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

IMS Noida, a 18-year-old premier institute, is known for its academic excellence in value-based education. Dr KJS Anand, Executive Director, IMS Noida, in an interaction with Elets News Network (ENN ) talks about the education scenario in India, importance of teacher’s training, IMS’ methodology for making students future ready and much more

How do you see the education scenario in India as com – pared to other countries?
The present day education system in India has come a long way and the age old traditions have undergone a makeover to produce an ecosystem that is evolving every single day. However, the Indian pattern of education system still has few challenges as compared to other countries that needs to be addressed. Cur – rently, Indian education system across the board strictly follows the culture of classroom teaching. Once considered as an ideal mode, this teaching method has lost its essence at the hands of the need for more practical exposure, to match pace with the industry. Comparatively, other countries have embarked upon the path of out-of-class teaching, where the faculty/teachers engage with students on matters beyond the classroom and encour – age their participation into career shaping activities like industry debate & conclave, skill development and incubation, and real-life problem solving.

In addition, the students in India are still evaluated on param – eters of written examinations compared to the West where the axis of grading and marking is shifted to classroom participation, project work, communication, leadership skills and extracurricular performance. The Indian education system needs to introduce combination courses in which students can opt for a major and a minor subject or set straight into diplomas and certificate courses, in case the conventional format doesn’t fit him/her and get equal mileage in career later.

What is the IMS approach of ‘Delivering Next’ all about?
No amount of theory will substitute skill tuning and training. And this is what the industry seeks from the new age professionals.

Through extensive research and industry interaction, IMS Noida has identified the hygiene as well as the High Impact (Next) skill sets for each area of specialisation to proactively sense the challenges and generate the quickest possible solutions. With a radical, cuttingedge curriculum, infrastructure, teaching methodology and industry interface, IMS is focused on creating students ready for delivering the ‘Next’.

A part of our core ‘Next’ initiative, is about tuning education to stay ahead of industry needs. The IMS Course offerings have been divided into Industry Agnostic and Specific Courses. While industry-specific courses are seen more frequently as they deal with an industry domain and specialises the student in areas like BFSI, Luxury Retailing & International Business, there is a need for courses that can apply across all industries in today’s context like Data Science, Digital marketing, e-Commerce, Business Economics, Media & Communication and Entrepreneurship which are Industry Agnostic programmes and would be in high demand in the coming years. These courses are highly adaptable to varied industry requirements and have longer shelf life in terms of career mileage.

IMS Noida believes in innovating continuously and promoting practical knowledge over the theoretical. The Institute focuses on developing innovative skills like technologybased decision making skills, critical thinking ability, problemsolving skills, etc, among the students, to help them get better position in the industry with maximum industry exposure

What methodology you follow to make your students future-ready as well as industry-ready?
IMS Noida primarily focuses on training students to groom them to be both efficient and effective. With a pedigree of well-trained faculty that includes scholars and industry stalwarts, IMS Noida offers a lot more. Apart from seminars and workshops executed on different relevant and current subjects, the students are encouraged to participate on social issues through awareness camps. The institution provides practical knowledge to students through comprehensive industrial visits and successful internship programmes with reputed corporate houses in the process of skill enhancement and industry exposure.

To make sure that the educational standards are at par with any top management institution, IMS Noida believes in innovating continuously and promoting practical knowledge over the theoretical. The Institute focuses on developing innovative skills like technology-based decision making skills, critical thinking ability, problem-solving skills, etc, among the students, to help them get better position in the industry with maximum industry exposure.

Please share the two best practices followed at IMS to manage students in digital age.
IMS Noida, fosters technology-led information exchange through its potent and functioning ERP in practice. It supports by helping IMS build, manage and extend its digital campus. It enables individuals, systems and communities to interact seamlessly across campus in an environment where efficiency, service delivery, and personalised educational experiences propel desired outcomes. Students get the services that they want, faculty facilitate teaching and learning in the classroom or online, and departmental staff have the information and support to be more effective.

In addition, IMS Noida uses a crossplatform mobile messaging app (WhatsApp Messenger) which allows us to exchange messages/information across departments connecting micro to macro. Google Drive, a file storage and synchronisation service, is also widely used by students and faculties to store files in the cloud, share and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations with collaborators.

Another noteworthy initiative by IMS Noida is the embodiment of various Centres of Excellence like digital learning and e-commerce, in creating Techprenuers or technology-based entrepreneurial activities, where technology is imbibed not as an afterthought but as an integral part of strategic decision making process.

According to you how important is teacher training in nurturing the future leaders?
The new age technology in education can provide students with individualised learning platforms and instant feedback and assessment. It also allows teachers to more easily identify and address particular student needs. However, for the technological benefits to achieve its maximum potential, it must be harnessed and implemented properly. This requires that the facilitator and teacher possesses a certain set of knowledge and skills to understand how and when various tools and study materials best support the curricula.

Teaching in a professional school demands high level of intellectual quotient among their instructors and ability to remain in sync with the changing environment around them. Hence, as a part of self evolution process, IMS Noida practices frequent Faculty Development Programmes, which are aimed to chisel the existing skill sets, enhance pedagogy, execution and ramification of knowledge areas, resulting in an excellent engagement model with the students.

Finally, what are your professional achievements and what priorities have you set for the future?
IMS Noida has attained numerous prestigious rankings in both undergraduate and postgraduate categories in recognition to the quality education it has been imparting over the years. IMS Noida holds notable ranks by India Today, The Week, Outlook, Career 360 and Competition Success, to name a few.

IMS has worked hard in terms of its methodologies in teaching and have been consistently producing university toppers and excellent placement records with reputed international placements.

As a part of IMS Noida’s futuristic planning, it is extensively working on value-based Management Development Programme (MDP) and other short-term certificate courses.

LEARNING THROUGH Industry Exposure

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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Prof (Dr) Deependra Kumar Jha is a well-versed administrator with years of experience in research, teaching, industry and administration. He is currently working as the Pro Vice Chancellor of GD Goenka University. Dr Jha shares with Elets News Network (ENN) regarding the state of engineering education in India and how it needs to be changed and also discusses GD Goenka’s methodology to make students future-ready and more

How do you see the Higher Education scenario in India (especially in engineering discipline) as compared to other countries?
With 140 million students in the collegegoing age group, India’s education system is one of the largest in the world. The programmes that attract most students today are engineering, medical, management and law. Of this, engineering is the most sought after.

During the last few decades, hundreds of engineering institutes have mushroomed across the country. But many of them do not evoke confidence. There is one major issue. In the past, much emphasis was given to theoretical knowledge and research in engineering institutes. There was not much emphasis on practical training. Today, one can see a subtle change. Some new age institutes have started focusing more on the practical and interdisciplinary aspects of engineering education, without diluting the theoretical component.

At GD Goenka University, students are introduced to the concept of projects from the very first semester and the results have been heartening. The projects developed by students have won appreciation from visitors from top universities from India as well as Europe, America and Asia. I believe that engineering institutes that are adopting project-based learning will produce better engineering graduates.

Our students are encouraged to attend conferences, research seminars etc, so that they imbibe new knowledge. The University has entered into partnerships with some American and European universities to give students international exposure

How technological transformations and innovative learning tools can change the education landscape in India in the coming decade?
Technology has brought about a significant transformation in teaching and learning. Online resources are used extensively by the students. In some cases, these have replaced the personal tutor. However, technology cannot replace vision; it can only help in realising it. We must realise that innovative learning tools can deliver only when the importance of learning centricity is recognised and emphasised upon. The real transformation will happen when learning outcomes are better defined and the teachers and students are provided the best tools to achieve these goals.

What methodology you follow to make your students future-ready as well as industry-ready?
A key part of our education is interdisciplinary and project-based learning. This helps the students acquire communication, project management, time management and leadership skills. These are the skills desired by the industry but cannot be imparted in a traditional classroom.

Another thing that we stress on is learning through exposure. Our students are encouraged to attend conferences, guest lectures, research seminars etc, so that they imbibe new knowledge. The University has entered into partnerships with some American and European universities to give students international exposure. We also believe in sensitising the students towards society by arranging visits to orphanages and old-age homes. This all-round approach to teaching is helping us make our students not only future-ready and industry-ready but also life-ready.

According to you, how does a ‘brand’ matters for an educational institution?
Brand brings trust and it cannot be built in a day. Brand means quality, and quality has no substitute. Brand in the educational scenario means stability and viability and that’s why it matters a lot.

What makes GD Goenka a ‘Trusted Brand in Engineering Education’?
The GD Goenka University is guided by the philosophy that new thinking in the areas of teaching, learning, research and training are pivotal to making students the future leaders. The School of Engineering has been ranked the 3rd Top Emerging Private Institute in India by Times Engineering 2015. We have taken great care in setting up our engineering labs. They are equipped with world class infrastructure and provide the students an opportunity to work on some of the latest and most modern instruments from day one. We are not even three years old, but in this short span, we have held two conferences that had international participation; organised two national level project exhibitions; organised over 30 industrial visits and guest lectures and set up partnerships with leading industries, institutes and top foreign universities.

Technology has brought about a significant transformation in teaching and learning. Online resources are used extensively by the students. In some cases, these have replaced the personal tutor. However, technology cannot replace vision; it can only help in realising it. We must realise that innovative learning tools can deliver only when the importance of learning centricity is recognised and emphasised upon

Why do students opt for GD Goenka University as an educational destination?
 Some of the factors that are building student trust and faith in the GD Goenka University are its world class infrastructure, qualified and dedicated faculty, flexible credit system, industrial and global exposure, and interdisciplinary and project-based learning.

Spearheading Financial Literacy the ELEARNMARKET.COM WAY !!!

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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Aiming to take online financial education to newer heights, Elearnmarkets.com, a young and vibrant company has been established just an year ago in the City of Joy. In an interview with Abha Garyali of Elets News Network (ENN), Vineet Patawari, CEO, Elearnmarkets.com shares about his unique venture, its success and how online learning is taking over the traditional frontiers when it comes to specialized areas like Financial Education

Elearnmarket.com (ELM) seems to be quite a unique business venture. What motivated you to come up with an online portal, especially dedicated to financial aspects?
Well, our experience and expertise in the field of financial markets, learning management systems, visualization of learning tools and most importantly our passion for spreading financial literacy makes us the perfect team to take this product to the global scale. E-Learn markets signifies learn markets (financial) online. This was our thought at the time we started. However, post that, it pivoted to financial literacy theme.

ELM has been recently launched in 2015. How is the overall response of the portal that you have received?
The overall response of the portal has been tremendous! Elearnmarkets was launched just over a year ago, and today it has helped more than 20,000 registered users and 900+ premium users to learn from the 80+ courses that it offers in English, Hindi and other vernacular languages. It provides the learners with the option to choose from multiple learning formats like Live-Interactive Program and Instructor-Led Recorded Programs which are constantly being enhanced through, regular webinars and various online financial tools including learning games.

In today’s world technology is more engaging as compared to a typical classroom teacher. In this program, the students can use the convenient environment of the virtual world to learn without being confined within the bounds of classrooms. The biggest advantage of the program is that, they are open 24×7, hence making education available anytime and anywhere

What are your views about LiveInteractive Program and InstructorLed Recorded Programs offered by ELM, being at par or better than the classroom teaching?
Live-Interactive Program and InstructorLed Recorded Program are way more effective than classroom teaching for various reasons. In today’s world technology is more engaging as compared to a typical classroom teacher. In this program, the students can use the convenient environment of the virtual world to learn without being confined within the bounds of classrooms. The biggest advantage of the program is that, they are open 24×7, hence making education available anytime and anywhere. Further, the students can study at their own pace because the course materials are available online.

ELM has recently started an online Joint Certification Program on capital Markets, along with National Stock Exchange (NSE) of India. What do you foresee from this venture?
We initially started with one course and then NSE gave us a mandate of 10. So as of now, we have 10 NSE certified courses on Elearnmarkets.com. Apart from this, we have recently signed an MoU with MCX for introducing courses on the commodity markets in the near future.

Location is an important factor for the success of any venture. What are your views about Kolkata as the hub of your biz venture?
We have been fortunate to spot the right kind of people in Kolkata and we have an amazing team today. Moreover since we are an online educational platform, the opportunities have never been limited.

According to Arun Mitra, the current Finance, Commerce & Industries Minister of the Indian state of West Bengal, the state has attracted over Rs 83,000 crore of investments, including from leading corporate, during the last four and half years and we can hope for better business prospects in the near future.

ELM is considered as the Creator and Curator of Financial Market Courses. How far is this justified by your brand?
We provide a platform for finance experts to host their live or recorded courses on ELM on a revenue sharing arrangement. ELM enhances the learning outcome of each course by integrating topic specific Interactive Learning Tools for practical orientation and Market Simulators & Data Analytics for presenting real market scenario.

Where do you see ELM in 5 years? What can you say about the other competitors in this segment?
In 5 years – we want to become the Brand Ambassador of Financial Literacy and want to launch courses in other finance domains like Banking, Insurance, KPO, etc. We will also explore e-Learning opportunities in domains other than finance & financial markets.

We strongly believe in co-opetition and not competition! Hence we are ready to collaborate with different education players, regulators, exchanges, brokers, Government and so on to spread financial literacy and financial education in developing nations, starting with India.

Creating Value through Technology

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

Through innovation and technology, Konica Minolta is creating value for its customers by offering several solutions, specifically for the education sector. In an interaction with Elets News Network (ENN), Yuji Nakata, MD and V Balakrishnan, EGM of Konica Minolta India, share about Konica Minolta’s journey, philosophy, products & solutions for education sector and much more

With several players offering education technologies, what is different about Konica Minolta?
VB: As far as the offerings in the education space is concerned, we are today the only one who offer a basket of solutions – from processes to document management. These include the ERP software to the institutions, MFPs and document solutions as well as OMR for conducting the examinations. And all these are integrated into the ERP.

Konica Minolta is unique because it is the only brand which caters to more than just an ERP solution. However, this basket of solutions will increase as we go on in this year.

In ERP, if a school has to accept the online payment, we offer the facility to accept online payments. For this, they only need a payment gateway, which is automatically integrated into ERP.

                                                                                   How your education ERP solution is beneficial for learners as well as educators?v_balakrishnan VB: There are multiple stakeholders in the institutions: owners/administrators of the school, teachers, students and the parents. If a person who runs the school would like to know, how the results are being deployed, how many students are enrolled, whether the fees has been paid on time, transport buses are running on time or not, we have very configurable ERP process. As it is a cloud-based solution, it is easily configurable for each school according to the way they have designed their fee or transport structure.

We can also offer the customizable solution if an institution wants to do onsite implementation. Even we can customise a few processes as per the requirements. Typically, a cloud-based solution is already well-structured, based on the best practices available as of that day. There is no need to invest on the infrastructure. We help you to do the setup and once the setup is done, you just start using it.

On part of teachers, they can use the platform to deploy the content or material for the students. Teacher can also communicate to the students and their parents, if they want. Through ERP, students can know about the time table, marksheets, progress report, etc. It also has the ability to have online exam system, which helps in getting the results quickly. In the Educo ERP, every stakeholder has something or the other. Most importantly, they can access it across platforms such as tablets, phones, laptops, mobiles, etc.

What is the target market segment for your ERP solutions?
YN: Our target is pan India. We are making strategies to penetrate the market. Firstly, our priority is metro cities and surrounding areas. After that, we will expand to the larger geography of India, that is, Tier II & III cities of India. VB: In Tier II & III cities, the challenge is that the schools don’t have the ability to invest in infrastructure. However, more than investment in infrastructure, the main thing is the maintenance of that infrastructure. Therefore, cloud-based solutions are ideally suited for Tier II & III cities. All they need is a good internet connectivity.

Please share the primary features of Educo ERP.
VB: Our Educo ERP has the following salient features that makes it different:

  • Usability and user experience: The structure is simple, therefore very easy to use.
  • Cloud-based solution: No infrastructure investment is required.
  • Captured almost all the functionalities of a school: From student life cycle management to asset management and human resource management.
  • Expandable: Whether the number of students are less or more, it expands automatically.

We are making strategies to penetrate the market. Firstly, our priority is metro cities and surrounding areas. After that, we will expand to the larger geography of India, that is, Tier II & III cities of India

What would be the estimated cost of implementing the Educo ERP?
 VB: The cost starts from Rs 100,000 and above, to almost Rs 200,000, depending on the functionalities and elements you buy.

Konica Minolta is basically into development, manufacturing and sale of multi-functional peripherals. How is the journey from hardware and technology to software?
 YN: Our core business of hardware and technological solutions remains unchanged. We want to mix the solutions and hardware in order to help the customers’ programming issues. Therefore, we have transformed ourselves into a customer- centric company. And this Educo ERP is the answer to the transformation. We studied the education market and then bring out this product. In future, our Educo ERP will be integrated into our hardware printing machines.

How your peripherals are empowering the education sector?
 YN: We have an optimised printer service for schools. We have technology and know-how to minimise and optimise the printing cost. We support our customers in schools to manage the printing cost and also the security of confidential information.

Do you have products that are specifically designed for education sector?
YN: As such we don’t have specifically designed products for education sector but we have printing machines for all verticals. However, we can provide tailor-made solutions to educational institutions.

VB: For optimised printing solutions, we have a separate package that is tailor-made for the education sector. We have a special software solution that is created for education sector only.

As it is a cloud-based solution, it is easily configurable for each school according to the way they have designed their fee or transport structure. We can also offer the customizable solution if an institution wants to do onsite implementation

What is the unique philosophy of “The Creation of New Value” all about?
YN: We have transformed ourselves to a customer-centric company. We have produced value by ourselves to cater to the customers by knowing their requirements. Through innovation and technology, which only Konica Minolta can provide, we create value and share it with society for the betterment of people’s lives today and for the generations to come.

According to you, can technology in education space diminish the experience of classroom teaching in the coming years?
 VB: The education is here from a long time. The more technology develop, more the adaption of technology happen to deliver content delivery and also the consumption of the content. Whether it will totally remove classroom teaching, is still a question. I don’t think that the human contact can be avoided in teaching and learning process such as team learning, social participation, etc. Classrooms will remain in some form or the other. Technology is only a supportive tool for teachers and can enable learning. It can enhance the ability to deliver content for learning. I don’t think technology will ever replace the human touch in teaching.

VB = V Balakrishnan, YN = Yuji Nakata

 

PayU Simplifies Fee collection for CCSU

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-
How PayU transformed the Fee Collection process for Chaudhary Charan Singh University (CCSU)
CCSU’s Pain-points

  • Management of various payment channels – offline and online
  • High level of dependency on a single bank for online fee collection leading to delays
  • Management of multiple accounts for fee collection
  • Cumbersome reconciliation process and delayed refunds
  • Large overheads, accountability issues and cash management

PayU Solution

  • Streamlined fee collection process resulting in more than 95% of fees being collected through online mode – resolving cash management issues, overhead issues, and delays
  • Deployed multiple payment gateways and dynamic routing, ensuring higher transaction success rates without any dependency on a single bank
  • Put in place checks and customized dashboards to keep track of each transaction resulting in higher accountability, no duplicate payments and faster refunds
  • The entire solution was integrated and deployed within few hours of effort spread over a week.


About Chaudhary Charan Singh University
 Chaudhary Charan Singh University (formerly, Meerut University), a premier educational institute in the country, was established in 1965 to cater to the needs of higher education in western Uttar Pradesh.

Challenges faced by CCSU
CCSU has more than 6,00,000 students enrolled in more than 50 courses. There are more than 400 colleges affiliated to the University. The average annual fee paid per student ranges from Rs 500 to Rs 5000 across various undergraduate and post-graduate courses. The total fees collected by the institute in a year adds up to approximately 100 crores.

CCSU collects this fees in five different bank accounts through both online and offline channels, making it a tedious process from accounting and management viewpoint. An issue related to this is the cost of overheads for managing this process and risks associated with cash management.

Second problem faced by the institute was related to tracking of duplicate payments and subsequent refunds to students. This problem resulted due to technical issues/limitations of the website. Further, refund processing used to take as long as six months.

In the third scenario, during the fees cycle, when innumerable students were using the bank’s payment gateway, the bank’s website often experienced downtime. This interrupted the fee payment process leading to unwanted delays.

CCSU wanted an integrated solution to address all these problems without increasing any overheads.

How PayU transformed the Fee Collection process
PayU deployed a comprehensive solution at CCSU to efficiently manage the problems faced by CCSU. As a result, more than 95 percent of the fees is collected through online mode and through PayU.

A keyword sensitive payment system was introduced which automated the routing of fees to desired bank account. The moment a student enters the name of a course or the year of education, PayU directs the fees to one of the five bank accounts of CCSU as per the pre-determined rules. This enabled faster and hassle-free management of cash in various accounts and also substantially improved the tracking of funds through dashboards and multiple reports.

PayU resolved the payment duplication problem by effectively tracking fees paid by each student and streamlined the refund process, reducing the refund cycle from six months to less than a month.

To resolve the problem of bank’s website downtime, PayU activated multiple payment gateways with CCSU and developed an intelligent algorithm based software that can detect the health of a payment gateway and dynamically route the payment through the best channel, ensuring high success rates.

PayU has also set up a Merchant Relationship Management (MRM) team to help CCSU and its students with their queries, ensuring smooth payment processes. This team resolves more than 90% of the queries or issues over the phone at the same time and the remaining queries including technical issues are resolved within few hours. Additionally, CCSU has been provided with a customizable dashboard to keep a track of each and every online transaction, ensuring much greater accountability and, easy and faster reporting.

The integration has had a far-reaching impact on both CCSU and the students:|
Benefi ts to CCSU

  • Cashless fee payment reducing the risks associated with cash management.
  • Reduced administrative cost through ready-to-use online reports.
  • Higher accuracy and hassle-free reconciliation through a comprehensive dashboard.
  • Instant money transfer to the desired bank.
  • Higher success rates and faster refunds.

Benefi ts to the students

  • Easy and quick fee payment at “anytime anywhere”.
  • No need to carry cash
  • No Branch or University Walk-in
  • Students save a lot of time and money
  • MRM team addresses all CCSU and its students’ queries in real time

about PayU

PayU is India’s leading payment gateway solution provider, authorized by RBI, specializing in education fee collection. It serves more than 140,000 businesses including some of the leading educational institutions in the country. PayU is part of multi-billion dollars NASPERS group which is listed on London and Johannesburg stock exchanges.

PayU offers fee collection solution to all types of educational institutions such as pre-schools, schools, colleges, universities, boards, exam conducting bodies, coaching institutes etc. PayU has also helped institutes which do not have any technical team or website to start collecting fees online within few days.

payU

Championing Transnational Business Education THE S P JAIN WAY !!!

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

Globalization is all about cultural contextualization. Creating incisive and impact creating managers thereby need to sensitize the students with a multi-cultural work environment. S P Jain School of Global Management is attempting something interesting in this regard. In an email interaction with Elets News Network (ENN), Nitish Jain, President S P Jain School of Global Management elaborates upon the drive, design and a whole lot of other areas expanding the frontiers of management education

What is the central drive behind the MultiCampus Management Education Model being spearheaded by S P Jain?
In an increasingly globalizing world, where geography is no longer a deterrent and migration is part of our everyday biography, the ability to work seamlessly in a multi-cultural environment has to become part of our DNA. The tri-city model, the first in the world has achieved this precisely. Students spend the first year of study in Singapore (or Mumbai) and then proceed to Dubai for the second year and finally, to Sydney for the remaining two years. It is an extraordinary experience and goes way beyond book-knowledge. They end up having friends from different parts of the world. Presently, our Singapore campus has students from over 30 different countries. The way we see the world depends entirely on how we have been ‘taught’ to see the world. It is critical that the youngsters are comfortable in a multicultural space. Our multi-campus model delivers this, which is why our students end up with global placements. I see it as our USP. What’s more important is that our students love it. It is only when you live for an extended period in a city and have peers from different countries that you are able to expand your horizons and ways of seeing.

Has there been a deliberate design behind having set-ups in Australia, Singapore, Mumbai and Dubai for championing the multi-campus model?
Yes and no! There is strong justification in having campuses in Dubai, Singapore, Sydney and Mumbai. The Asia Pacific region is seen as the next economic growth driver. International corporates recognize this and are present in each of these cities. As a business school, we are naturally focused on adding value to businesses through our future-ready graduates. At the same time, the School is also looking at other regions and areas of high growth and innovation, which is why the School is likely to enter the US market. You need to be where you can add value and make a difference. Contributing to productivity and decision making is our primary focus.
Despite having roots in India, the group is domiciled in the sovereign territories of Australia. Being stuck in one country in our view is out of date. The model of S P Jain Global is to create global business leaders in an ever increasing global world where political boundaries have given way to connections. Our model require all our students to study in 3 out of 4 campuses – Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore and Sydney. In each country, they learn the unique aspects of doing business there and thereby they become global citizens.
Being proud of our roots, we have an Indian name but we believe that we must not get bounded by that. Much like the explorers of the 17th and 18th centuries we too must create a pool of talent ready to explore the world and find opportunities in world markets. We have currently 700 alums working in Singapore. Twice that in Dubai. Over a 100 each in UK, USA, Australia, Malaysia and other countries.

In an era when Sovereign Nation States are organizing & furthering their causes on the lines of Corporate Management, does S P Jain provide a succor in terms of training & research to its graduates to take on positions in Government Establishments as well?
Many of the management principles – whether it is leadership or team-work or negotiations or decision making – are aspects we encounter on daily basis. However, styles of functioning in the bureaucracy are naturally different from the corporate world. Family managed businesses, for instance, are very different from other businesses. Leadership styles also vary hugely. What we achieve through our business education model is to teach our students to think globally and to learn the art of smart decision making. Of course, many of our students would add value to government establishments, at the same time many would add value to corporate enterprises as well. Several civil servants have an MBA degree these days. If one or more of our students joins the civil service, we are confident they would do well. Where they work is not our focus, what they bring to their work space is our responsibility.

At a time when India is aspiring to be a global behemoth by leveraging its demographic dividend riding on a number of national initiatives, where do you see the unfurling of the local management education steeped deeply into the Indian grass root realities?
The future is rapidly changing and transforming lives. Technology is the game changer. You simply cannot have a 19th century mind-set while dialoguing with students who are steeped in the 21st century. Sadly, most educators in India and several other countries continue to see technology as a threat. They know that the smartphone ‘knows’ more than them. It is time to embrace the future. In fact, education as we know it now, is already irrelevant. Please remember that education fails unless we engage the students and the only way to do so is to speak in a vocabulary the students understand. That vocabulary is called ICT. Tomorrow there will be something else. We need to keep up our learning process.

The tri-city model, the first in the world has achieved this precisely. Students spend the first year of study in Singapore (or Mumbai) and then proceed to Dubai for the second year and finally, to Sydney for the remaining two years

What shall be S P Jain’s wishlist to the Indian Policy Envisioners as far as the arena of Private Higher Education is concerned?
 The demographic dividend can become a demographic drawback unless education and skilling are factored into governmental policy. Gone are the days when governments were expected to deliver on everything. This is a collective responsibility. Furthermore, if India is to emerge as a hub in the services and manufacturing sector, we need to meet international standards. For this, we have to open up to world-class education, so that our students are among the best of the best. Over time our own capabilities will grow. Our School has already demonstrated that it can be done. We are internationally ranked and in the company of Ivy League schools. Once we are clear on what we need to achieve, how we would get there falls into place. At the same time, proper regulations need to be put in place to ensure that fly-by-night operators do not distort the important education space.

 

CREATING TECHNOLOGY to ease Education

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

BenQ is a leader in almost all the categories of projectors and monitors world over. In an interview with Elets News Network (ENN),Rajeev Singh, Managing Director, BenQ India speaks about BenQ’s unique proposition, philosophy, smart education solutions, new products, future plans and more

With several players offering classroom technologies, what is different about BenQ India?
 BenQ is No. 1 DLP Projector brand worldwide. DLP is preferred over LCD projection technology with well-established benefits like outstanding readability, precise colour reproduction and unbeatable digital video performance. DLP technology is also most suited for dusty and high ambient temperature scenario which is typical of most of the Indian classrooms. BenQ understood this first and came out with products which are specifically meant for Indian market. We were the first to bring short-throw projectors, projectors that could turn any surface interactive and extra bright projectors for brighter ambient light conditions.
This has lead us to become No. 1 projector brand in Indian market continuously for the last three years. We had 22.3 per cent market share in 2015, according to Futursource yearly report. BenQ has a dominant market share in private schools, with over 65 per cent of the market share, which means out of every 3 classrooms 2 have BenQ’s projector.
BenQ has total classroom solution which no other competitor has. We have ultra short-throw, short-throw, pen interactive and gesture interactive projectors. We offer large interactive display panels from 65”-85”, a full range of monitors for regular and specialised usage like CAD/CAM etc. We also provide document scanner, touch pen, WiFi solution to make BenQ a comprehensive educational solution provider.
Our high quality products with least failure rate in industry and most extensive service support gives us unique distinguishing capabilities from rest of the players.

What is the unique philosophy of “Because it matters” all about?
 In 2013, we introduced our new “Because it matters” slogan, which reflects our broader business scope and communicates the core idea that drives our organisation today. Adapting to changes in the marketplace, we expanded the scope of our products and services, entering several new segments, including education, healthcare, business products, and integrated solutions. Today, BenQ is involved in the areas of LIFE that matter most to people. We remain committed to applying advances in technology to create products and services that improve the quality of people’s lives. We know that these things matter to people. And because they matter to people, they matter to us.

How your smart display education solutions are beneficial for learners as well as educators?
 We have complete dedicated educational display solutions which cater to this sector. Advanced technologies like ‘shortthrow technology’ allows presenters to stand in front of the projection while teaching or speaking, hence the teacher is not lost in the background and can be expressive while teaching.
We have PointDraw™ and QDraw™— an interactive whiteboard solution that allows any surface/whiteboard to be converted into an interactive surface and to have multiple students to contribute at the same time.
SmartEco™ Technology delivers optimum colour and contrast while reducing energy costs by almost 60 per cent and extending light-source life to up to 10,000 lamp hours. BenQ projection solutions offer interactive learning tools that enhance the learning experience, and are not only simple for teachers to use, but also future-proof, making them easier for schools to maintain over a period of time.
Our solutions offer the ultimate ease of collaboration which has been identified internationally and has also been suggested as a part of the US curriculum for the students of computers and information technology. Teachers and tutors are thrilled to use the technology to reach out to their students and make classroom more collaborative and help their students learn fast and retain more. Our products and technology has been evaluated by various teaching communities and they have found these useful in all types of scenarios.

BenQ has total classroom solution which no other competitor has. We have ultra shortthrow, short-throw, pen interactive and gesture interactive projectors. We offer large interactive display panels from 65”-85”, a full range of monitors for regular and specialised usage like CAD/CAM

According to you, what are the most innovative and adaptive emerging technologies in education space that can transform the teaching/learning experience in the coming years?
 BenQ offers the most comprehensive projection solutions for educational purposes, covering everything from small & medium to large learning environments. In coming quarter, BenQ is launching a range of new interactive projectors – MW883UST/MX882UST & DX- 832UST, which comes with many first in India with regards to features. These projectors are mirror-less Extreme Ultra Short-Throw projectors and are based on DLP technology, which is filter-less by design but also comes with an extra filter, specifically developed for countries like India where dust is a major concern. These projectors come with interactive suite where a camera can be inserted in the projector and setup can be done with auto calibration technique to turn any surface into an ultrafast 16ms response time interactive surface in minutes. These projectors support Windows Gesture Support just like smartphone, to zoom in & out or scroll just with intuitive gestures. For bigger classroom, two projectors can be used side-by-side to create Extra Wide Dual screen without any additional cost or software. It also has complete WiFibased connectivity capability with smart devices for a smart classroom without any extra cost.
BenQ has launched the widest and most advanced range of Interactive Flat Panels, these new large displays range from 65” to 84”. These new displays are essential to safeguard students’ eye all day long with Anti-Glare Display, and Eye Care technology like Low Blue Light and Flicker Free screen. The schools can today have the best viewing quality with 4K Ultra HD resolution which comes with 55 ppi (pixels per inch). A 79” BenQ display with 4K ultra HD resolution gives three times the pixel density over today’s mainstream interactive whiteboards. You can also put together two BenQ interactive flat panels and connect them through a single PC to create a super-sized display that is sure to get every student’s attention. These panels also come with teacher mode for dual screen flexibility and student mode for dual screen collaboration. It also has lot of teacher-friendly features and front bezel design like two multitouch ports, protective cover, multimedia I/O interface, hotkeys, wireless content streaming and 10-point multi-touch interactivity.

Our solutions offer the ultimate ease of collaboration which has been identified internationally and has also been suggested as a part of the US curriculum for the students of computers and information technology

Please share the vision of your company for the next five years?
Are you planning any new products in education space? At BenQ, we believe that design and technology function best when they serve the real needs of people. Our peopledriven design and technology has led to over 300 award-winning products and thousands of innovations.
BenQ is a leader in almost all the categories of projectors and monitors world over and in India. It will be our endeavour to keep the leadership position through technological advancements and products that impacts the real needs to improve the quality of LIFE.
In addition to projectors, we are already a leading brand in professional and gaming monitors. We will continue to strengthen our leadership position in these segments.
We have just launched an industry leading range of Interactive Flat Panels and Digital Signage products and solutions. Going forward, we would strive to achieve market leadership in these segments as well.

International Baccalaureate A GLOBAL LEAGUE IN EDUCATION

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

International Baccalaureate (IB) needs no introduction. In over 4 decades of its existence, IB has gained an enviable reputation for stellar academic standards and preparing students for life. Dr. Siva Kumari the first Indian-Asian to have risen to the rank of Director General of International Baccalaureate (IB), in an elaborate interaction with Sudheer Goutham of Elets News Network (ENN), exhorts as to what makes IB a global league in education

What enumerates the global presence of IB?
Founded in 1968, currently there are over 1 million IB students at 3,800 schools in 147 countries across the world. In India, the first World School to offer an IB education started way back in 1976. Today, there are 120 Indian schools offering one or more of the four IB programmes. The IB school-leaving diploma has been recognized for admission to undergraduate courses in 56 Indian universities. However, the number of IB schools in this country is far less than the many thousand schools offering the Indian CBSE curriculum or the various regional/state boards.

In what all ways International Baccalaureate Education empowers its students?
Some people just consider IB education as a gateway to continue their higher studies, and also seek for job opportunities abroad. This is true to a limit as universities abroad want well-accomplished applicants. It’s largely a matter of supply and demand. Like everywhere else in the world, it’s considered a big deal to get into globally reputed schools and universities, in India as well. IB education, which is more towards practical teaching and evolving students into responsible and intelligent global citizens, there is a big enabler.

With a whopping presence in over 147 countries, how does IB system stands differentiated?
 IB schools believe in developing creativity and just not learning by following instructions. IB education system nurtures abilities of students and brings out the strength of confidence. In IB schools, students are developed to be good thinkers, their skills are honed with an international understanding. We do not just focus on the child’s marksheet, but our non-rigid, cross-disciplinary structure, focus on an all-round development which goes beyond mechanical learning to impart strong social and interpersonal skills with academic excellence.

The cost of IB school education remains a concern for many. What do you have to say about it?
 It is certainly a concern, but this is how IB works. We need to maintain the standards of our teaching system. People will have to make the choice where they have to spend money. Interest of parents should be to see that their child is truly educated. Education is more than just completing the 24 sheets of math work in the classroom.
However, it is a matter of time as the way, Indian economy is changing and by what I understand, a lot of money is planned to be spent on education. With Indian parents getting more interested for better education for their children and many MNCs entering the nation, I would imagine that things are changing where economic conditions would not be a barrier for the IB standard education.

Do you have any plans for collaboration with the government in future?
 We do not have anything as such in our plans. However, if government expresses interest we can work on it the way we are working with the Japan government. In Japan, most public schools have IB education system.

shivakumariWith over 150 education programs to offer, at what rate are the schools approaching to get the ‘IB’ tag?
 We continue to grow at a rate of 5 per cent every year. In the process, the schools are thoroughly screened and then given the IB affiliation. It is a 2-3 years process now, unlike earlier, where it took 5 years.

IB has made outstanding contributions in web based programs for education as well. Can you throw more light on it?
I have been working on Information Technology since 1993. At Rice University I started creating online tools, making distance education, through an online medium, a possibility. While serving as the Chairperson of the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) conferences, I created many online assets. I have created a lot of projects including the Advanced Placement Digital Library (DL). Now, at the IB, we are further developing our online education, as we already have a spread across 147 countries.

In IB schools, students are developed to be good thinkers, their skills are honed with an international understanding. We do not just focus on the child’s marksheet, but our non-rigid, cross-disciplinary structure, focus on an all-round development

What are the challenges you see in realizing these IT plans?
Our community is very passionate, and we are hoping to communicate with our community using the information technology as a platform. However, here, the challenge is how to take this passion face to face and take this online community to the next level. We are coming up with the project called ‘Agora’ a Greek word. Through this project we want to collect IB knowledge from across the globe. Once we complete this project, we want to open it to all, so that anyone, from across the globe, can reach out to the IB education system.

Fulfilling the University’s Mission

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

Furthering the quest for Reach, Reputation, Impact and Sustainability, Oxford University Press India appointed Sivaramakrishnan V as its Managing Director in November last year

When a publishing behemoth having its genesis in the sprouting of the modern era, hands over its reign of command to a sports enthusiast, you can only expect extreme optimism and electrifying energy into the entire state of affairs.
This was probably our experience when we entered the cabin of Sivaramakrishnan V, the Managing Director of Oxford University Press, India which was spartan in visual opulence but as it emerged during the course of conversations was replete with profound wisdom, something which has been the signature of brand Oxford.
An impelling speaker having trained his guns in the domain of educational services at Manipal Global, Siva wanted to be down to earth and close to basics in this very fi rst media interaction after taking on the charge as OUP India Chief.
In a 35 minute interaction which spanned almost the entire galaxy of educational narratives, we are hereby presenting some of the key takeaways from the foremost University Press in the world as to how they see the journey further & forward.

On Bi-Lingual Language Programme of Oxford University Press
 If Prime Minister Cameroon cheer-led the advent of the Indian era at Wembley, Siva resonated with him at least in spirit mentioning the global linguistic data whereby the demographics of the Indian languages is just but mind-boggling, at least from an astute business sense. OUP has thereby casted a major focus on its Language Learning Programmes from a bi-lingual handle. It’s bi-lingual dictionaries are doing rounds in the market and have emerged as a distinctive market leader in the space. The biggest perspective change which has come at OUP is the co-existence of ‘Bharat’ alongside India. The functional penetration of English as a global transactional language is being championed through this bi-lingual approach. However, much remains to be seen about their tri-lingual learning experiments, which the OUP experts are underway.

Furthering the Cause of English Language Teaching in the Indian Context: From Eminence to Prominence
 Siva was unequivocal in admitting the fact that English has evolved from only being a language of superiority to that of a lingua franca of the modern world, primarily from an economic standpoint. Being the language of technology & commerce, the modern economic disciplines need a functional proficiency in the language which is being facilitated by OUP’s Adult ELT (English Language Teaching) Programmes. Sector specific content in the form of dictionaries is being compiled to have a functional command over the subject matter, thereby contributing to the major national thrust on programmes like Skill India and Make in India.

Measuring the learning for Delivering the Same Effectively
 Though not the first on the digital bandwagon, OUP is exploiting the power of the digital platforms to devise a unique set of assessment solutions. Still in its beta testing stage, the digital solution christened as Oxford Achiever tend to grade a learner across 36 levels. So gone are the days, when either you know English or you don’t know English. You know some of the English which is certified by none other than the guardians of the language itself who have seen its evolution from the era of papyrus to that of pixels. A learning outcome based pedagogy is doing rounds in the OUP design floors whereby technology is being leveraged smartly to make the continuous gradation possible and thereby design self-paced personalized learning programmes. OUP is on the frontiers of this breakthrough as per Siva.

On Future of Learning Ecosystems
 Always been on the frontiers of human advancements, OUP – waited to watch the unfurling of the digital narrative. Siva was candid enough in asserting that the future is of blended learning with digital coming over as a facilitator. The fascinations around the tech need not take away the focus from the teacher. The age-old premise at Oxford revolves around the teacher, which shall continue even in the much hyped digital era. Access to information can’t be considered as a substitute to the knowledge imparting and gaining process. Oxford is coming out with its apps and a host of other digital learning platforms. They are gung-ho on their strong tradition of market feedback which shape up their products and give them their distinctive edge. The vast author network make them a power to reckon with when it comes to producing learning material of high quality. In a growing trend a lot of state board schools are adopting OUP books for the benefit of young learners, something will make them competitive at the highest levels.

Teacher Training:: The core of it all
 Humility was perhaps in the air on this first floor of YMCA Library Building when Siva said nonchalantly that they have conducted some 1300 teacher training workshop out of their kitty training around 55-60K of the next age trainers. If it would have been any other enterprise, this alone would have become the single most bragging right for others in the fray. OUP intends to further intensify this very aspect of their market penetration and maintaining a superlative lead.
The challenge of getting along the teachers at heart who have passed the half way mark on technology remains high but OUP is happy to work with them. The newer ones on the deck have the skills but the experience in the profession of teaching gained over the years will help them deliver even better. Siva, expressed a stark contrast about the emerging scenario in the teaching space.

Oxford is coming out with its apps and a host of other digital learning platforms. They are gung-ho on their strong tradition of market feedback which shape up their products and give them their distinctive edge. In a growing trend a lot of state board schools are adopting OUP books for the benefit of young learners

The ever changing Publication Landscape at Oxford
The sheer outreach to over 12,000 schools across the country make OUP an enviable force. Their textbooks are upgraded every year through a well set out consultative process. Their newer publishing platforms especially on the digital & mobile are in various stages of testing & review and shall see the light of the day soon. A lot of research & experimentation has gone into designing these newer learning platforms. Veterans have to deliver things in the right way. Sustainability & Impact somehow supersede reach in the Oxford Universe at times.

Epilogue
Siva, as he likes to be called, enunciated elaborately on the learner-centric strategy – around which he sees his focus getting along at OUP. We wish him all the best at this new stint whereby he has the potential to make a profound impact on India’s learning landscape, something which remains one of OUP’s key objectives.

Paytm eduPAYMENTS Bringing in Convenience & Credibility

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

From a mobile recharge and utility bill payment platform to a full grown marketplace for consumers on their mobiles, Paytm has come across a full cycle. In an exclusive interaction Saloni Malhotra, Associate Vice President, Paytm shares with Elets News Network (ENN), as to how the brand is unleashing a paradigm shift in eduPAYMENTS which transcends from usability, strives to create accessibility, convenience, and credibility in the education sector

eduPAYMENTS is INR 6.5 Lakh Crore opportunity in India. To what extent Paytm is serving the same?
Several institutions still accept cash/ drafts and cheques as modes of payments, whereas parents and students now wish to switch to more convenient digital modes of payment. Paytm has multiple products that allow institutions to make this switch. Our Payment gateway has a tie-up with over 46 banks and allows parents to pay using Credit Card, Debit Card, Net Banking or Paytm Wallet, our flagship product. These instruments can be integrated on the institution’s website and mobile app.
For institutes and schools that do not wish to invest significantly in their IT, Paytm brings a simple and effective Fee Collection Widget on paytm.com, that enables a school to allow parents/ students to pay within minutes. Institutions can sign-up and extend a mobile payment facility within 48-72 hours from the time they sign up with Paytm.
Using all of the above products and features, Paytm intends to create Cashless Campuses across the country where payments are the most convenient aspect both for the institute and for the payer (student or parent).

What are some of the key reasons for which institutes are opting for services like Paytm?
Paytm offers multiple options wherein students can pay for admission forms, regular tuition fee and also at the canteens, tuck shops and for other miscellaneous expenses on campus.
Key reasons why institutes are opting for Paytm:

  • Organising the Fee Management – Institutes often face challenges with lost cheques, cheques without name or enrolment ID of students etc. Moreover, school owners realise the value of early fee collection and the benefits to the cash flows. The easier they make it for parents, the faster they will collect the funds.
  • Reminder Service – Given the short cycle of collection, typically 10 days at the beginning of the quarter, an automated set-up that pushes a new fee structure saves significant time and make the school more efficient.
  • EMI Facility – Paytm has tied up with several banks and can offer EMI services across banking instruments.
  • No recurring cost – Paytm enables all these options in a cost effective manner, where the institutions only have to pay, if the students choose to use Paytm.

How is the Paytm eduPAYMENTS network growing?
 Over 200 institutions are listed actively on Paytm and many more are getting added each month. From premium institutions like IIT Madras and IIT Mandi, to private colleges like Lovely Professional University, Sharda University, Galgotias, Paytm is a popular choice on several campuses across the country.
Schools such as Delhi Public School, CMR’s Ekya Schools, Primus Public School are some that are leading the change in the school segment.
Even pre-schools such as Maple Bear and Sanfort are extending convenience as parent’s become busier.

How Paytm is different from the conventional Payment Gateways?
The solution which Paytm offers is more than a Payment Gateway, which is only one of the products in our offerings. Payment Gateways are implemented on the institutions website, whereas in addition to the Payment Gateway, Paytm offers solutions that help institutions become truly cashless. Our Offline to Online (O2O) enables small vendors across the campus accept digital payment. Our Payment Widget on Paytm.com allows institutions to go live within 48 hours to enable a mobile payment.

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