Subhasish Biswas, Head – Business Excellence,
Wipro BPO
Subhasish Biswas, Head – Business Excellence, Wipro BPO
In an intercation with Elets News Network, Subhasish Biswas, Head – Business Excellence, Wipro BPO, calls for a composite ranking of students on soft skills, extra-curricular achievements and performance during internships and not merely on theoretical knowledge
As an IT major, how do you view the skill-deficit at entry level?
The current skill deficit at the entry level can be attributed to the way our education system is structured. Firstly, it churns out a large number of aspirational youth adept at theory and rules but lacking business perspective as they have not been exposed to a real-world business environment. Secondly, as students are mostly coached on generic curriculum content, they lack domain knowledge that can be used at the workplace. Finally, and most importantly, they need to enhance their soft skills. In today’s concept-driven world, the ability to communicate effectively and make an impact is of paramount importance.
How should the academia- industry-government synchronise their efforts on skilling India?
The mission to skill India needs all these stakeholders to work in unison and re- model the current approach. The inclusion of ‘internship’ as part of the academic curriculum would play a critical role in this remodeling exercise. For example, the academic content in an engineering degree program should be refined to fit into a three-year time frame. Post this, the student should be expected to intern with an organisation for a period of one year. During this internship, the organisation should evaluate the student’s performance and certify accordingly. Awarding the degree qualification should be subject to successful completion of the internship. This effectively marries theoretical knowledge with practical implementation.
The integration of soft skills development programmes in the mainline course curriculum is another critical aspect of the skilling effort. This involves grooming students in skills like communication, articulation, presentation, and negotiation as well as conflict resolution in order to prepare them for the workplace. Organisations with in- house training programs that focus on talent development can play a pivotal role in extending this into the world of academia, supported by the regulatory framework.
Also, the in-house knowledge and expertise within organisation needs to be leveraged to build accredited courses that can be offered to students by universities. Besides, exposing students to the world of business, this ensures a multiplier effect across the board leading to better skilled graduates in India, which increases our global competency. At Wipro, we incentivise learning and skill training through bonuses as well as ‘Learn & Earn’ options in a variety of paid education programmes affiliated to reputed universities. We also have a Talent Transformation force that focuses on empowering employees with knowledge, skills and opportunities to excel.
How do you think educational institutions and students should be ranked based on their skill rather than on theoretical knowledge?
I believe that ranking students on theoretical knowledge is fine for the most part. However, the composite ranking should take into account factors that influence the individual’s success in the long run. These factors include soft skills, extra-curricular achievements, and especially, performance during internships.
What is the impact of Wipro initiatives?
Since its inception in 1985, the flagship learn-while-you-earn WASE programme has provided selected candidates a high value Masters of Science Degree from the reputed Birla Institute of Technology, Pilani. FinPro, a programme developed for preparing youth for the fast-growing BFSI sector was launched last year by the Business Process Services wing of the company and is provided free of cost to aspirants. Within the organisation, the SEED Program supports higher studies for employees through tie-ups with vari- ous educational institutes enabling em- ployees to secure a qualification of their choice. This programme allows under- graduates hired by the organisation to pursue their graduation while continu- ing their employment.
Subramanian receiving the “Leaders of Tomorrow” award from
K V Kamath, Non-Executive Chairman, ICICI Bank
Subramanian receiving the “Leaders of Tomorrow” award from K V Kamath, Non-Executive Chairman, ICICI Bank
Recognition for Innovative Ideas – Growth of a first Generation Entrepreneur
It is a proud moment for N. Subramanian and his TEAM TRS Forms & Services Pvt. Ltd. since they have been selected as “The Leaders of Tomorrow” at national level in ITES vertical by the ETNow. TRS has been selected for this award mainly for their innovative products and solutions.
TRS pioneered the concept of using OMR technology for volume data capturing. Till then OMR was synonymous for Objective type of examination and Market survey. OMR was first introduced in application processing. Then it was used in subjective exams as the first sheet of the answer booklet with barcodes acting as the dummy number. Marks tabulation sheets were designed in OMR format for capturing of marks instead of data entry. All these process were introduced by TRS way back in 1995. TRS is proud to say that such systems are being widely used in India even today. With the introduction of such new technology solutions, TRS was recognised as “The OMR People”.
His passion for R&D and Technology based solutions paid dividends. TRS came out with a path breaking solution for dummy numbering process in Indian universities and other educational institutions for their subjective examination. Brand named as FireEye process, this has created a complete change in automation of examination process. FireEye process has revolutionised the post exam process. By introducing this process not only the volume is handled with ease and accurate results are brought out faster. This has helped the student community to a larger extent and brings more credibility to the institution and the examination process as a whole. The FireEye scanner has been designed and developed by TRS and registered for patent. This process had instant recognition from few big universities and professional institutes. TRS now hopes to capture more share of the market in the current year and in two years hopes to capture more than 75 per cent of the market.
Another feather in TRS cap is the introduction of eSekure a software product considered the ultimate security for any document and could eliminate possibilities of fake documents in education, financial transactions, recruitments, registration documents and government certificates. TRS has introduced the security system branded as eSekure. This mark can make even an ordinary white paper a secured document. It is 100 per cent tamper proof. Even mobile applications are available for verification and make it easy to verify on the move. TRS has just introduced this in couple of prestigious institutions as a pilot. TRS aims to make it as a standard mark for document authenticity in India. Since this problem is universal, the same can be implemented globally and eSekure made as a global standard for document security.
TRS is on the forefront of on-line activities as well. TRS has successfully implemented online applications for many education and recruitment bodies. Online examination application has been introduced for universities. TRS has the online examination (eKsamin) software for both schools and college level as well as for bigger examinations. This package has a powerful and comprehensive Question bank software (eQbank) attached. This can help in conducting both objective and subjective examinations. This package is also available separately for schools and colleges to maintain a powerful question bank and be used for their unit or internal tests. The game changer for TRS in future is going to be the on screen marker solution named eMarquer. TRS has indigenously developed the software suitable for the Indian conditions and requirements.
No doubt N Subramanian is a successful entrepreneur and an expert in high volume data processing and data capture services.
Through handling responsibilities at a level available only in boarding schools, children become responsible and self-reliant, believes Sumer Singh, Principal, Daly College Indore. In conversation with Elets News Network, he explains how recognition of a child’s success by peers raises his level in all spheres
Is academic excellence a matter of concern to the teachers and management?
In a boarding school, a student has much more opportunity to discover his or her talents and strengths because of the wider range of sports, cultural, intellectual and adventurous activities available. This, combined with a focus on the individual child and recognition of his success in any field by peers, helps build self-confidence which raises his level in all spheres.
Is boarding school the right place for students whose parents have broken homes or facing separation?
Boarding schools are a miniature reproduction of the Indian multiregional, multisocial and multiethnic society. There is place for all.
How far does psychological counselling play a role in integrating the children with boarding schools?
The family needs to be unanimously supportive of the boarding school for the child to settle. The counselling required by, say a grandmother, is important before the child can settle. Once the child settles, then the majority do not need counselling. However, we all need counselling to a lesser or greater degree.
What are the challenges of administering a boarding school?
It is a full-time job with more challenges and more rewards. A majority of children keep in touch long after they leave school.
What are the demands placed by parents on the school?
Parents, especially mothers, are far more involved in the education of their children. Families come from different cultural backgrounds and have varied aspirations and expectations. These differences need to be rejected without compromising on the essential values and principles the school stands for.
On what parameters does one judge a boarding school?
A boarding school has a real opportunity to inculcate values and responsible citizenship. Therefore good behavior is one parameter. Others are a sense of compassion, camaraderie and a sense of humour. Finally, through a system of sharing with and supporting each other, a boarder is better adjusted to changing fortunes and conditions and his friendship will stand every test including that of time.
Do you hunt for global talent like recruiting teachers from other countries?
Only on a short-term basis. For example, we have a special fund to invite overseas coaches, teachers and poets.
What is the unique selling point that attracts parents to your institution?
Our down to earth students and the varied exposure, including global, that we provide.
Is boarding school meant only for rich and pampered brats? Or do you have any policy to reach out to bright students from poor families?
This is a question that pre-supposes we are an expensive school. We are not. Parents spend at least as much, if not more in a day school.
Is rampant indiscipline, drugs, alcohol, etc. in boarding schools a matter of one’s imagination? If not, how does the school address it?
As I have not witnessed this in the seven schools I have worked in, I would suspect it is the imagination of those who are unfamiliar with or even denied a good education.
Chetan Mahajan, President, HCL Learning in an interaction with Elets News Network shares how strong content enhances the use of hardware in the classroom for effective learning in smart classrooms
What are the learning solutions that HCL provide to the education sector?
We provide solutions in two categories. Teaching, which is the first category, is sold to schools to be used in the classrooms. These are teaching aids which enable a teacher to impart quality education. This is typically a digitised curriculum. An entire curriculum of a CBSE or an ICSE or a state board would be digitised and made available to the school teacher for their subject and for their grade level. And the teacher is able to use it in the classroom along with a white board. The second product is a self-study version. Here, the students are able to take the content home and install it on their PC or computer and study it.
What is a smart class?
At its core is content. It is a critical piece of a smart class because that’s the true value. We can always have a classroom with a bunch of hardware, with whiteboard, projector, PC, speakers etc but if you don’t have good content then it defeats the purpose. We actually call it a ‘digi-school’. The content involves mapping the entire curriculum that is taught in that particular school. So a teacher can use effective content rather than the traditional model of blackboard or chalk and talk.
Technology movement is fast becoming imperative for schools, has it touched every class and every school in India?
No, absolutely not. If you look at Indian schools, there are three categories.The government schools, which are free, there are relatively low price private schools and there are relatively more expensive public schools. The schools which access this con- tent are largely the more expensive schools and, to some extent, the government schools because the government has been giving contract for these kind of solutions. But the lower end of the private schools is largely untouched due to high cost factor.
Any plans to extend your solutions to these schools?
We are in the process of offering a budget version of our ‘digi-school’ product, which will also enable these schools to get an access to it, because the ironic thing is that these schools are the ones which need such products the most. These are the schools which are not adhering to government pay scale level and they pay the teachers very less salary. So quality of teaching is an issue. The availability of teachers is another factor. So these are the schools which can actually benefit from our product, but unfortunately, they are the ones which can’t afford it.
Will technology substitute teachers in classroom? Not at all. What technology is actually doing is allowing teachers to do lot more than they were able to do earlier. The teacher is indispensible. Schools need to understand the place for technology and should be able to ensure that technology is used as an aid in teaching. But there is no question of any mechanical device substituting a teacher in classroom.
Do you have training programmes for teachers?
HCL is one of the preferred shortlisted vendors of CBSE. We are authorised to do Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) training not only in India, but also overseas and we do it on a large scale. Last year, we trained more than 10,000 teachers across India.
What is the reach of HCL learning?
We are present across India. We operate in countries in Africa, Middle East and South Asia. We are holding talks with few entities in Europe and US as well.
Expansion plans for the next three to five years.
We are focussed on the K-12 sector to segments which are under-served till now. With our digi-school model, we are going to engage with the government of various other countries across the world.
The concept of smart class education has come as a boon for students of the 21st century. In this time and age of smart kids, computers and the Internet, the right use of technology in education is a gift for them. Roselin Kiro of Elets News Network tracks the dynamics of the emerging smart class industry and its growing acceptability in the Indian education system
The days of rote learning and chalk and talk are long gone. One can’t ignore the fact that children today are exposed to gadgets at a very early age and are prone to the latest in technology. Hence, it only makes sense to teach them in the way they want to learn.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has transformed the education sector in every sense, with e-learning emerging as the latest buzz. The use of ICT in schools and colleges has not only become vital to learning, it is also crucial in bridging the gap between students and their access to qual- ity education. It is in recognition of this factor that an increasing number of schools and colleges are now incorporating the latest tools in technology to enhance the quality of education being imparted.
The introduction of the concept of smart classes – or digi- tised classrooms – in several schools across India has revolution- ised the teaching and learning process. By adopting interactive and eye-catching modules, smart classrooms today symbolise breaking the tradition of text book teaching and making a shift to a concept that draws students towards better learning.
Smart class has also simplified the teaching process for teachers who can easily explain and demonstrate many abstract concepts making it more comprehensive for students. So, the use of technological tools in education not only has the potential to make learning more rewarding, it can also empower teachers with technology inside the classroom which helps them teach more effectively, thus enriching the quality of education as a whole. “The conventional blackboard has made way for digital equipments, making the learning process interesting and vibrant. This has partly put an end to mugging up of lessons and jotting notes,” observes Manu Nanda, Marketing Director, Wacom India Pvt Ltd. “The new smart class is a blessing for the institutions as it has created a simple yet a distinctive way of teaching,” he adds.
A sunshine sector in India?
Post 2000, a large number of companies established themselves as technology solution providers in the education sector in India. This was the period when new schools, especially International Baccalaureate schools, were being set up in the country. The primary reasons for this growth can be attributed to the spread of the Internet and opening up of the Indian market to foreign players, further propelled by the IT revolution and boom in the Indian economy.
“The scheme, Information andCommunication Technology in schools,was launched in 2004 to develop ICTskills and promote an ICT-aided learning process“
Stumbling Blocks
Misconception that technology is substituting teachers in classroom.
Teachers do not use ICT effectively
High cost preventing schools to adopt this technology.
Poor internet connectivity, poor infrastructure, low literacy rate in India.
Lack of research and development in the sector.
No parity in prices of e-learning solutions in Indian and global mart.
Some technical fault might arise during a class lecture creating disturbance in the classroom.
There is a need to develop digital content in regional languages
Limited exposure of teachers to technology in rural areas
Poor after-sales service by IT companies
“Schools are realising that digitisation of teaching methods gives an experiential edge to the students,” says Nirav Khambhati, Chief Executive Officer, Tata ClassEdge. The prospects for smart class education seem brighter than ever before. “What the future holds for technology in education is far more than what we can imagine at this point in time,” adds Nirav.
There are several others who also believe that the influx of technology in education is already changing the learning and teaching scenario in India. The acceptance of the system has been remarkable and very encouraging, says Manu Nanda, Managing Director, Wacom India Pvt ltd. “The use of smart classes and modern technology eases the learning process of all students and promotes more participation from both teachers and students alike,” Nanda says explaining the reasons be- hind the success of smart classes.
The smart class concept is gaining popularity majorly in schools fostering individualised and peer learning and schools have started accepting technology intervention as a boon for their students and teachers. As compared to a few years before, one can now see a greater degree of acceptance among schools towards adopting such learning solutions. “The content forms the backbone of the overall solution which enables students to disseminate abstract and abstruse concepts with ease and also compliments teachers in delivering lectures,” says Monica Malhotra Kandhari, Senior Director, MBD Group. “The out- come of smartclass solutions are very positive as the learning experience of the students today has completely changed as compared to last decade,” she adds.
“Government spending on ICT increased by 53.2 per cent to Rs 340 crore in the 2013-14 Union budget, expected to grow five times by 2020“
The challenges
The concept of smart classes is innovative and encouraging. However, technology in education still has a long way to go in India. Today, a majority of schools implementing smart class solutions are from the private sector, which many in India cannot afford. The cost involved with adopting these technologies is high, which is preventing many schools from adopting these methods. So, with smart education comes the problem of high cost of education.
On the other hand, there are debates on how digital education can act as a major trigger to overcome issues like lack of textbooks and blackboards in rural schools. But this too has its own set of challenges. Unlike urban centres, where education is imparted through smart classes, rural areas lag behind.
“Schools need to understand the place for technology and should be able to ensure that technology is used as an aid in teaching. But there is no question of any mechanical device for substituting a teacher in classroom” Chetan Mahajan President, HCL Learning“
The government, on its part, has always appeared to have been interested in the use of ICT in education sector in India. It sees ICT as a great driving force in education that can link the gap between urban and rural education sector and help in tackling issues of access and quality. Both the Centre and state governments have taken some initiatives in building technology-enabled schools in villages. However, it is difficult to run such institutes as the format does not find acceptance in the villages. “Most schools have so far adopted smart classroom solutions in 3 to 5 classrooms and we see a huge potential to extend the solution to other classrooms within the existing schools. Plus there is a huge market potential in government schools, government-aided schools etc. that needs to be ad- dressed,” says Monica Malhotra of MBD.
The government, on its part, has always appeared to have been interested in the use of ICT in education sector in India. It sees ICT as a great driving force in education that can link the gap between urban and rural education sector and help in tackling issues of access and quality. Both the Centre and state governments have taken some initiatives in building technol- ogy-enabled schools in villages. However, it is difficult to run such institutes as the format does not find acceptance in the villages. “Most schools have so far adopted smart classroom solutions in 3 to 5 classrooms and we see a huge potential to extend the solution to other classrooms within the existing schools. Plus there is a huge market potential in government schools, government-aided schools etc. that needs to be ad- dressed,” says Monica Malhotra of MBD.
Looking ahead
ICT in education can enable students to be true natives of the global village. There is a need for every school to use the emerging technology of smart class education for the benefit of both teachers and students. The industry of digitised education is gradually budding with many stakeholders venturing into it and increasing their stake in the market. However, more research and development is required in the sector.
The growth of smart classes could be jet speeding in the years to come, if one trusts the optimism of Nanda from Wacom. If technology is changing the way of life and its for good, then why not go for it!
Nirav Khambhati, Chief Executive Officer, Tata ClassEdge is upbeat about the prospects of digitisation of educational tools. In an interaction with Elets News Network, he says it helps students to learn, retain and perform better
Tell us about Tata ClassEdge
It is an instructional design model – the multiple learning experiences model (M- LExTM)—that assists teachers in preparing effective lesson plans. In addition to topic-specific multimedia and interactive assets, we also provide access to highly engaging group and individual activities such as quizzes, games, labs and projects with a focus on improving learning outcomes. We have differentiated content designed for learners across multiple expertise levels. This ensures equal opportunity for all students to learn according to their abilities and perform in the class. Thus, we aid in creating a more effective teaching-learning environment in the classroom.
How does it improve the academic ecosystem in our schools?
Our instructional framework assists every teacher in preparing unique lesson plans suitable to his or her individual teaching style. The lesson plans include not just interactive multimedia but also other innovative multi-sensory activities that aim to enhance critical thinking, social interaction, communication skills and creativity in students. Also, Tata ClassEdge has differentiated content designed for struggling learners and high achievers. This ensures equal opportunity for all students to learn according to their abilities and perform in the class. Thanks to a large number of modularised teaching points developed for multiple state boards, CBSE and ICSE, the lesson plans can be mapped and sequenced exactly according to each school’s particular text books. This makes the system much easier for the teachers to adopt. Tata ClassEdge is not just about ready-to- use lesson plans and multimedia. It also provides a platform for teachers to con- tribute open resources, create original lesson plans and collaborate with each other. The platform has been designed to develop a collaborative knowledge sharing community of teachers.
How flexible are education institutions across the country in adopting such learning solutions?
Schools are realising that digitisation of teaching methods gives an experiential edge to the students. The chalk and talk method of teaching has been enhanced by the inclusion of digital classrooms that comprise digital boards and cloud technology. Interactive teaching methods draw better participation from students and the learning process becomes more engaging for students. But this is just the beginning. What the future holds for technology in education is far more than what we can all imagine at this point of time.
What is the size of business of smart classes in India and how do you see its growth?
It is not entirely relevant to track the industry in dollar terms. Our focus is on the number of students who can benefit by better learning outcomes. India has about 1.3 million schools and at this point, less than 1 per cent of schools have adopted digitisation effectively.
Can you tell us about the two new products – TestEdge and PlanEdge – that have been launched?
PlanEdge has been designed to reduce the planning and administrative tasks of teachers by automating annual academic planning, time-table creation, grade-book generation, and so on. TestEdge comes with a question bank of more than 65,000 questions and a user interface designed to enable teachers to generate standardised question papers at the click of a few buttons. Both PlanEdge and TestEdge are compliant with CBSE’s continuous and comprehensive evaluation (CCE) parameters.
What are the reasons behind developing these two products? How will these new products help teachers deliver high-quality instruction to students?
Teachers spend a sizeable amount of time on administrative work, which gives them less time for their core activity-teaching. We wanted to give teachers more time to teach. This will allow them to spend more time on student-centric interactions and teaching.
PlanEdge facilitates the school’s and teachers’ work of curriculum planning and assessment for the entire academic year. It also provides a Gradebook that conforms to the CCE requirements of CBSE and allows schools to capture the co-scholastic aspects of students. TestEdge provides a high-quality question bank with varying levels of difficulties and mapped to various levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. All the questions are mapped to the chapters and concepts covered in the textbooks followed by the schools. The teacher can create formative and summative test papers using these questions. We expect that these products will save a lot of time for teachers which can be utilised for class preparation and interactions with students.
Vineet Mahajan,
Head, Display Solutions, Panasonic India
Vineet Mahajan, Head, Display Solutions, Panasonic India
Vineet Mahajan, Head, Display Solutions, Panasonic India talks about their new offering in LED, LFB70 Series, with its advantages in the field of education
What are the salient features of Interactive LED Displays?
Multi Touch Interactivity: The prominent point of LFB Series Interactive Displays are that they are multi-touch and can detect up to six touch points when connected to PC, allowing multiple users to interact with a finger/stylus pen. The built-in whiteboard technology allows users to draw and write over the videos, documents, images without the need to connect to a PC or installing a software. Miracast Compatible: LFB series is designed with the next-generation wireless technology, MiracastTM. It allows seamless highspeed wireless transmission of content, including Full HD video files, from MiracastTM compatible devices to the displays. The series is compatible with Panasonic’s Wireless Projector App for iOS, which permits wireless transmission from iOS devices to the displays and Wireless Manager software, which allows wireless presentation and also supports simultaneous display from multiple devices using multimode i.e. 4-window multi mode or 4-window index mode. The System Flexibility: Features include easy connection to a second display via VGA out. These interactive displays are equipped with DIGITAL LINK which allows transmission of video, audio and control commands all via a single LAN cable of up to 100 m thus making the facilities free from messy wires. Loaded with High Value Features :
a) Toughened non-reflective glass for extra durability and clear visibility, b) Picture in Picture function that of- fers the versatility to display images from multi input sources on the same screen.
How can a new technology like LED touch display revolutionise the corporate/education sector in India?
Work Smarter: The LFB70 Series of professional Full HD displays incorporate intuitive touch screen technology, fully interactive whiteboard function, and the very latest in wireless connectivity to allow you and your colleagues to work more closely as a team. Work together on Screen: Built-in whiteboard software lets you turn on the display and start work right away – no need to connect a PC. Up to four people can write at a time, and you can save your pages and email them directly to anyone who missed the meeting, Notes can be made on almost anything, from video and photos to PowerPoint and PDF documents, and then saved as an image file – simply brilliant for the office or classroom. Work together on Screen: Built-in whiteboard software lets you turn on the display and start work right away – no need to connect a PC. Up to four people can write at a time, and you can save your pages and email them directly to anyone who missed the meeting, Notes can be made on almost anything, from video and photos to PowerPoint and PDF documents, and then saved as an image file simply brilliant for the office or classroom. Quick-Start Whiteboard: Start working on the built-in whiteboard instantly by just switching on the display. You can draw straight or freehand lines and change line thickness, color and background using the tool palette.To switch input sources, picture settings and volume, swipe the edge of the screen to display the main menu – no remote control necessary. MiracastTM for Instant Wireless Sharing: Transmit documents, full HD video, images, and audio from compatible Android devices and Windows PCs to the big screen with MiracastTM – the latest wireless standard that doesn’t require software or complicated setup.
What is the USP of your product when it concerns generating revenue?
This interactive display is the first organised display with all the features built-in like wireless capability, multiple touch, whiteboard function and MiracastTM compatible. Till now, most of the interactive displays available are through third-party solutions with limited functions.
Where do you see the Indian market vis-a-vis other countries when it comes to deployment of LED touch products?
Indian market is still at a nascent stage but with the education and corporate sector growing, demand for interactive touch displays is increasing at a high pace.
What are the challenges that you face in the education sector when it comes to promoting the products?
The education sector has limitations in terms of budget since they have to deploy at a mass level. The interactive LED displays are costlier as compared to projectors but do away with the limitation of projectors like replacement of lamps etc.
Manu Nanda,
Managing Director, Wacom India Pvt Ltd
Manu Nanda, Managing Director, Wacom India Pvt Ltd
Manu Nanda, Managing Director, Wacom India Pvt Ltd tells Elets News Network how a revolution is slowly brewing in India’s learning landscape – thanks to a Japanese pen tablet
What attracts learners to Smartclass?
It is said that it is easy to remember things that are taught visually rather than turning pages. In today’s time, when education has gone beyond the conventional way of teaching, smart class or the digital way of teaching has come into existence. Smart class symbolises breaking the age-old tradition of text-book teaching and adapting to new technology using all interactive modules like videos and presentations that attract students towards learning and is also eye-catching. Smart class empowers teachers with technology right inside the classroom and helps them teach their curriculum topics more effectively.
But has it touched every class and school in India?
With the changing trends and developments in technology, Wacom, a Japanese pen tablet and pen display manufacturer, has designed a device keeping in mind the necessity of smart class in Indian institutions. The advantage of having a Wacom pen display uniting your classroom is that the teacher can write directly on the tablet having a natural Pen Paper feel with up to 1024 pen pressure levels, keeping constant eye contact with the students. The USP of this tablet is that it works on PowerPoint; this means that no special soft- ware is required to use pen tablet, lectures and notes are Power Point based and can be recorded for future reference. The schools in India are slowly and gradually adapting the new technology of learning and using it to the maximum. The conventional black board has made way for digital equipment, making the learning process more colourful and interesting. This is being elaborately practiced by a majority of education institutions in the country.
How flexible are education institutions across the country in adopting such learning solutions?
Who wants laborious way of learning and teaching? Wacom-powered smart class has given institutions a platform of interactive learning. Wacom’s pen dis- play tablet with high precision and high resolution together makes it possible to detect even small handwritten letters that is easily understood by students. The electronic pen can be equipped not just with coordination detection functions but also with a wide range of other functions such as writing pressure, sensing, inclination, angle detection etc. The Wacom pen can work on any of the Microsoft office applications such as Word, One note, PowerPoint etc. It is the natural pen and paper feel that it gives to the teacher while writing, that makes it largely acceptable in institutions like IIT’s and IIM’s in India and various colleges abroad.
Has there been any quality assessment on the outcome?
The Wacom pen tablet is beneficial for teachers and students – the teacher can directly annotate on the pen display having a pen-paper feel and at the end of each class, the teacher displays the set of questions on the large screen and the students have to answer them with their personal answering device. The teachers are able to score each student instantly. This brings faster and better understanding of the concepts and constant improvement in the overall academic performance of the student.
What is the size of business of smart classes in India and how do you see its growth?
From the start of smart class in India, about 2 years ago and Wacom being a 30-year-old technology major in pen technology, the acceptance of the system has been remarkable. A majority of the schools have embraced the concept and are implementing it. It has come as a revolution and transformed the classrooms turning boring lectures into fun, creative and interactive ones. The growth of smart class will be jetspeeding in the years to come as it becomes more user-friendly, versatile and resourceful.
Dr Surendra Prasad,
Chairman of the National Board of Accreditation
Dr Surendra Prasad, Chairman of the National Board of Accreditation
India finally became the 17th member of the exclusive Washington Accord – the international accreditation agreement for engineering degrees among prominent nations of the world. Dr Surendra Prasad, Chairman of the National Board of Accreditation in an interview to KS Narayanan of Elets News Network explains the significance of the Washington Accord for Indian engineering graduates and engineering institutions
India became the 17th member of the Washington Accord. What is its significance?
Recognition of degrees from Tier 1 programs, as equivalent to those of WA signatory countries will boost mobility of our engineers internationally. More importantly, it is a shot in the arm for quality assurance efforts in technical education in the country. The signatory status provides NBA with a platform for keeping itself truly aligned with international practices in accreditation systems and practices, as these evolve over time. The International Engineering Alliance, which serves as the Secretariat for the various accords and agreements pertaining to the engineering profession, has a system of continuous review of its constituent bodies (on a 6-yearly basis), which will require NBA to continually improve its systems and bring up an era of high credibility in accreditation. I must add, however, that with or without the Washington Accord, NBA was, and will remain committed to the quality assurance movement for technical education in the country.
Even as it enhances the mobility of many Indian engineering graduates, will India become the destination for engineering education?
This certainly creates the potential for bringing more international students into such accredited programs.
Who do you credit the most for making India a member of WA?
Unlike suggestions in a section of the press, I would like to say that the real credit goes to a large number of invisible volunteers, who have worked hard over the years (especially over the last one year) in the background, in making our systems and processes well aligned to international practices. They represent the true army of soldiers as well as the generals of the new accreditation movement. As the Chairman of the NBA for the last year or so, I had the opportunity to do my bit. The present member secretary, Dr, Anil K. Nassa and I have worked hard to improve the systems over the last few months. NBA organised a very successful WOSA (World Summit on Accreditation) in March 2014, which had international participation from 14 countries. We are happy that together both of us could effectively plead our case in the June 13 meeting of the WA member countries, despite some difficulties. The two mentors appointed by WA also helped in smoothing over many kinks in our systems and processes. The leadership in MHRD was truly supportive in bringing in the required autonomy required for such reforms. All in all, it is the collective work of many, and it is an achievement for the country, and not of a few individuals alone.
India got to become a member seven years after it was made a provisional member in 2007. The International Engineering Alliance, secretariat of the Washington Accord, sent a review team in December 2013 and January 2014 to carry out a comprehensive review and audit of NBA’s accreditation systems and practices. The team submitted its report in March 2014, the ministry said.
Yes, that appears to be an awfully long time. But over the last year or so, we really focused our efforts to ensure that our processes and systems undergo the necessary changes to become acceptable internationally. The WA Review team was not only happy with what they saw in the field, but also with the vigorous efforts being made by us to truly reform our system towards greater credibility. Accreditation with credibility is our true motto.
How far has making NBA an autonomous organisation separating it from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the apex technical education regulator-boosted the permanent membership for India?
This certainly was an important step, which effectively separates the regulatory functions (represented by AICTE) from the largely academic “audit” of a program, carried out by the accrediting body. It has added to the credibility of our efforts. It must be mentioned that NBA has not severed its umbilical cord with AICTE, whose Chairman is an important member of the General Council.
“With or without the Washington Accord, NBA was, and will remain committed to the quality assurance movement for technical education in the country”
WA also places a lot of responsibility on several stakeholders. A massive redesigning of courses will take place with emphasis on outcomes and letting students explore and innovate.
Accreditation is more than a certification of quality for the accredited pro- gram. A good process of accreditation enables the program administrators and the faculty to have a deep look at the program objectives, and measure the effectiveness of program delivery through an assessment of the program outcomes in relation to these objectives. This is the essence of the relatively new paradigm of outcome?based accreditation. Its effective implementation will take a significant effort on the part of the institutions as well as the program evaluators. These tasks require a non ? trivial understanding of the accreditation process, both on the part of the faculty as well as the evaluator. Creating a pool of competent volunteers through appropriate training and orientation, who understand this process well, is the essence of effective and credible accreditation. In India, of course, there is the additional factor of maintaining the “integrity” of the process, which requires that the people associated with it have the high- est ethical standards.
NBA has shortlisted 220-odd engineering colleges as Tier-I institutes whose undergraduate engineering programs are in tune with what is required under the Accord. Will they have to apply afresh? What is the roadmap for others in the Tier II category?
Let me clarify on these matters. Because of the size, complexity and diversity of engineering institutions in India, it be- came necessary for us to look at these institutions through different lenses, with a view to empower them all to improve according to their potential. NBA decided that the accreditation effort be organised at two levels, which, for want of better terms, were called Tier 1 and Tier 2.
Tier 1 programs are those, which are offered at institutions enjoying full autonomy and thus, having the capacity to undertake continuous improvements of their curriculum, teaching and learning processes and infrastructure attributes, which empower them to benefit more directly from the feedback from the accreditation process. Others, which are affiliated with a university, and do not have complete flexibility in modifying their curriculum or conducting their own examinations, are considered for the so-called Tier-2 accreditation. Clearly, institutions, which perform well, have the potential to become autonomous, and move to a Tier- 1 status.
The WA equivalence accrual, after becoming a signatory in June this year, is for the accredited Tier 1 programs, which are housed in roughly 300 institutions in the country. For the nearly 3500 other colleges, the accreditation of programs is considered at the Tier 2 level.
Those pursuing STEM always look down upon subjects relating to Humanities. Washington Accord lays emphasis on teaching social sciences along with engineering.
All good engineering institutions have a significant component of Humanities and Social Sciences in their curriculum. These are important to enable the students to learn life?skills, and to be able to appreciate issues of importance to society, and to bring about transformative changes through engineering sciences and technology. Issues of ethical practices, leadership and teamwork are common traits required for all segments of society, and especially the engineers. NBA graduate attributes lay due emphasis to meeting these objectives well in an accreditation framework. These efforts should bear fruit over time.
Now that India has signed WA, what about India signing the Sydney Accord for Engineering Technologists and the Dublin Accord for Engineering Technicians?
Our focus so far was on Washington Accord. We have started to study the relevance and usefulness of the other accords now, and will be able to take a position after some work.
Will India have to sign the Seoul Accord to create similar equivalence of programs for IT engineers? What is the progress on that?
We are also presently studying the Seoul Accord, and will take a suitable view soon.
Monica Malhotra Kandhari, Senior Director, MBD Group
Monica Malhotra Kandhari, Senior Director, MBD Group
Set to launch a mobile learning platform from the next academic year, Alchemie intends to reach out to more than 200 million users globally in the next three to five years. Excerpts from an interaction with Monica Malhotra Kandhari, Senior Director, MBD Group
What is the concept of Smartclass?
Smart Class is a technology-enabled classroom which provides effective tools and content for making the teaching and learning process more effective and efficient. Alchemie provides the solution with the name of ECADEMY. Content (simulations, animations- 2D & 3D, labs, assessments, graphics, web-links) plays a vital role in the complete solution along with technology.
Are schools already accepting e-learning solutions?
Compared to three years ago when we entered this segment, we see more and more schools accepting technology intervention for better learning solutions.
So what is the outcome of such an intervention?
The outcome is very positive as the learning experience of the students today has completely changed as compared to last decade.
What are different state governments’ initiatives in encouraging and providing Smartclass facilities to schools across India?
There are various initiatives taken by the government to introduce computer labs and smart classes in government schools. They are promoting devices among the students and we can foresee more devices and upgradation of classroom infrastructure across the country in near future.
“Thanks to Smartclass, the learning experience of the students today has completely changed as compared to last decade“
How do you see the business of smart classes in India?
Most schools have so far adopted smart classroom solutions in 3 to 5 classrooms and we see a huge potential to extend the solution to other classrooms within the existing schools. Besides, there is a huge market potential in government schools, government-aided schools etc. that needs to be addressed.
Is your company also embarking from e-learning to m-learning?
With a base of our book publishing companies, we intend to reach out to more than 200 million users worldwide in the next 3 to 5 years with our e-learning and m-learning solutions.
