Virtual classroom to teach Gujarat undergrads

The Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education (OCHE) has initiated a project that aims to link up all universities to create a ‘virtual classroom’ where students of any university can attend lectures delivered by eminent professors in Gandhinagar. This project will be implemented by the Bhaskaracharya Institute of Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG).

“Teaching and learning in traditional classrooms are now evolving in the presence of technological innovation. This initiative reaches out to undergraduate students from across Gujarat, in the streams of science, commerce and arts,” said Rebecca Sudan, coordinator for the communications subject under the project.

The OCHE is responsible for the execution of policy initiatives, regulation and funding of the higher education system in the state, in a network of universities, affiliated colleges and research institutions. The first leg, which it is implementing in association with BISAG, will include interactive lectures for four hours every week, by acclaimed teachers and professors in different subjects from across Gujarat.

Students attending this ‘virtual class’ can call with their doubts and queries. “The OCHE has not only formed a system to ensure the use of technology to back its concern, but has also granted an amount to all colleges for the purchase of DTH and televisions for the project,” said Jayanta Ravi, education commissioner for Gujarat.

The initial phone-in system will later be updated to the form of a virtual classroom with two-way audio facility and one-way video facility. The main objective of the project is to provide students from educationally backward areas with opportunities to learn well.
“The concept is very constructive and I am glad to put it into practise. Students from across the state will be able to reap its benefits. It is thoroughly enjoyable and very informative,” said Shloka Bhagat, a third-year BCom student who is part of the project’s implementation.

Every college in Gujarat has been asked to buy a set-top box, television, DTH and LCD projectors, and a dish in order to view the live telecast of the lectures from BISAG. The Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) will provide the finances for this.

“We will be educating the students of Gujarat in mass, which is very necessary at this time. The students will be able to overcome their difficulties with course material. Such course design strategies will ensure that they are more actively engaged in the learning process,” said Harbhadrasinh Sarvaiya, coordinator for commercial correspondence under the project.

He suggested that the principals of all state colleges should reschedule their time-tables in coordination with the live lectures.