KOCHI: The online workshops being conducted by the Mumbai Indian Institute of Technology with the help of the e-learning platform Amrita Virtual Interactive E-learning World (A-VIEW) are receiving tremendous positive response.The IIT has been conducting the workshops to enhance the skill of the teaching faculty and to effectively address the issue of shortage of highly qualified teachers, especially in the rural areas, which is the most pressing problem being faced by the higher education sector, according to a statement issued by the Amrita E-Learning Research Lab based at Vallikkavu, Kollam.The IIT has joined hands with the Amrita University, which has developed A-VIEW after years of research for effective online teaching by providing live classroom experience.The 10-day national teacher training workshop, the latest in the series, concluded on July 8.Mumbai IIT professor Deepak Phatak, the leader of the national workshops, has said, “We have received tremendous response from more than 1,000 teachers, from all over the country, who assembled in 38 remote centres for our workshops. The teachers are amazed that the knowledge of national experts is available at their doorsteps.”While speaking online to 1,300 teachers specialised in electronics, Human Resources Development Ministry secretary Vibha Puri Das said, “We are very proud to note that the nation is starting to receive the benefits from this national initiative. Several other projects of this initiative are progressing fast. The new tablet device will be provided at a very subsidised rate to students and teachers.”Human Resources Development Ministry additional secretary and National Mission on Education-ICT Mission director N K Sinha is the visionary and chief coordinator of the project.The ‘Ask A Question’ programme is the brainchild of IIT Mumbai professor Kannan M Moudgalya. In this pilot programme, the students and the experts get connected online once a week by using A-VIEW. Any college student in the country can ask questions on electronics and these questions will be answered online by the senior faculty from the IIT, Mumbai. Moudgalya said, “The ‘Ask A Question’ will develop into a national programme where any college student in India can get their doubts cleared.”About the A-VIEW, Prof Gaitonde, who imparted lessons in thermodynamics to 800 teachers nationwide, said, “I was able to learn the features of A-VIEW quickly, and operate the entire interaction by myself.”Amrita E-Learning Research Lab director Kamal Bijlani, said, “Our initial efforts with A-VIEW have been to make online teaching simple and easy for a large number of teachers and students. As we go forward, more features will be added. A-VIEW will be available in various regional languages soon.”The IIT Mumbai has trained around 3,850 teachers in four workshops since June 2010 by using regular internet connectivity.The National Mission on Education and the BSNL are jointly providing a Private Network Connection to all colleges and universities in India and installing A-VIEW for online interaction. This national network for education is nearing completion at a rapid pace and it will be the foundation for the free flow of knowledge across the country. This national initiative is being funded by National Mission on Education (NME-ICT) which falls under the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development.
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