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Remote teaching now a virtual reality
Akhila Seetharaman
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Simulating real classrooms in towns and villages "We use technology to take quality education to people wherever they are"
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CHENNAI:
In a remote engineering college in a rural area, students gather for a class. The teacher isn't present, at least not in the flesh, but the teaching is top quality and the students have no complaints.
Next to cloning, virtual classrooms could be the best solution to the shortage of teachers.
Recognising this, Everonn Systems India has plunged into the business in simulating real classrooms and reaching the real-time multi-way audio and visual presence of the professor to locations in towns and villages through a programme called `Zebra Kross'.
"The sole aim of Zebra Kross is to take quality content to villages. We started with engineering, now we are also moving into arts and sciences," says R. Kannan, Director-Finance, Everonn Systems.
With virtual classrooms in 22 engineering colleges in south India and 15 new virtual classrooms in the pipeline, remote learning and teaching is catching on fast.
"We still have last-mile connectivity problems in India, but a virtual classroom takes only two to three hours and no digging." The cost of setting up a virtual classroom? Between two and four lakhs.
Not wanting to stop with institutions, Everonn is now inviting individuals to set up virtual contact centres. "Entrepreneurs with a passion for education may be prepared to invest a few lakhs into setting up a virtual classroom. This could be within a college, or outside of the formal education system."
The initial content is free, the only costs incurred will be the purchase of the satellite receiver and infrastructure. "These technology-enabled retail learning centres can be open to both students and non-students."
At the supply side, Everonn creates educational content at the city studio with instructors from leading educational institutions. The instructor teaches before a camera linked to a server. The feed is uplinked to the satellite and received at the virtual classroom via a VSAT dish, read by an audio and video receiver and projected for students. "Classes are live and interactive," says Mr. Kannan. The programme offers courses to enhance technical skills, career skills, life skills and also provides higher studies training programmes - all through a combination of virtual classroom learning, brick-and-mortar learning and learning management systems.
The company is already involved in distance learning as the south India service partner for Direcway, a management education initiative. But education is the company's primary focus, according to Mr. Kannan.
"We use technology to take quality education to people wherever they are." Everonn started out providing computer education services to schools in the Nilgiris. It later scaled up this activity and currently provides computer training to 900 government schools in India on a build-operate -transfer model. After 4 p.m., the computer facilities are open to the public. Remote teaching at these rural schools is also on the cards. Courses will include English, science, IIT-JEE foundation and aptitudes.
Contact: Chennai 2371 8202/03, 2471 5356.
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Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
|
