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Edu Tech

Developing IT skills for students in India

Written by Sharada Subramaniam on Digilah (Tech Thought Leadership).

Introduction

In recent times, Computational Thinking (CT), Artificial Intelligence, and programming have become central to the debate on exploiting the full potential of ICT for education. Today children are growing up in an environment surrounded by Artificial Intelligence. 

One can easily find AI in almost every field from hospitals to smart homes to banking to self-driving cars. Indeed, these skills are now considered by many as being as fundamental as numeracy and literacy.

So, it is also necessary to dispel the myth that subjects such as Coding, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Programming, Cyber Protection, and other technologies are only for those who want to become engineers or programmers.

When my husband and I decided to start a social impact venture sometime back, we both were clear we wanted to work in the IT education space. It was mainly an urge to make a difference in whatever small way we could to improve the school system.

We noticed the critical gaps that exist between the school curriculum in India, and the actual requirements of the real world. 

Rote learning and exam-targeted evaluation have created fear, anxiety and clone- like behaviour among kids, killing originality, freedom of expression, and creative out of the box thinking.

The high stress levels among school- going children, poor concentration, and the lack of suitable skills were the most concerning problems. 

Another major red flag were reports on the quality and curriculum of technological skills learning, and the inability of even engineering graduates to write computer programmes and codes.

The IT world changes at such a fast pace that no set curriculum can actually keep pace. What is required is a flexible set of subjects that can help impart the right skill sets to the children to enable them to excel, secure high-paying jobs, and create economic wealth.

Need for Professional Skill Based Courses

What can change in the way such skills are imparted at schools? The UNICEF’s Global Framework on Transferable Skills[1] mentions- “Children and adolescents today live in a world of challenges and opportunities, including new technologies, changing labour markets, migration, conflict, environmental and political changes.

To succeed within this current and future environment, all children and adolescents need access to quality education and learning that develops skills, knowledge, attitudes, values, and enables them to become successful life-long learners who can learn, unlearn, and re-learn; find and retain productive work; make wise decisions; and positively engage in their communities.”

India’s New Education Policy 2020 (NEP)[2] also places a lot of emphasis of the development of skill based learning for the child, and includes digital literacy, communication, creativity, and critical thinking as the priorities. 

NEP seeks to equip young people with the knowledge and skills necessary to confidently lead the country into the future by putting a strong emphasis on holistic development, flexible and multidisciplinary education, technological integration, and inclusive practices.

Incorporating coding learning activities in early childhood provides students the opportunity to create, communicate, and solve problems using technology that are considered  important in the development of a globally competitive workforce.

India is aiming to achieve the vision to make India an economic superpower by 2047, the 100th year of India’s independence. This vision encompasses various aspects of development, including economic growth, social progress, environmental sustainability, and good governance. 

None of these is possible without a skilled workforce, adept at incorporating technology into all the above aspects.

How to impart IT Skills to children?

Today’s students will need to be able to speak and understand the language of coding in order for them to have a job. So the teaching has to be oriented to their future capacity to get jobs.

Learning how code is structured can help with problem-solving, critical thinking, creative collaboration, and logical reasoning skills. 

Programming also helps develop creativity because as you create your own programs, you are required to think creatively about how things work together on the screen and what types of interactions your programme requires from users – something that not many other classes require!

It is also essential that children are taught to relate all their coding projects to real life experiences so that the practical utility of programmes are clear.

Coding can be fun with games, websites, blogs, and other projects being created. Chatbots and the use of ChatGPT can also be taught.

It is important to introduce these skills right from the primary school level. Schools in India struggle to hire competent faculty to teach the latest technology to school kids.

Any IT teacher will have to keep updating his or her own knowledge in order to stay relevant in today’s fast- changing world of AI and IT. 

Hence it is both the need of the hour as well as a practical approach to engage competent professionals and industry experts in IT education.

IT education could be imparted in a blended mode where the school remains central to the education system, but the curriculum and pedagogy can be strengthened by engaging professionals to take charge of delivering quality IT Skill education to the children.

Such professionals will have the competency to constantly be on top of the latest developments in technology, new concepts, and the practical applications of technology. 

They will also bring project experience from the real world and encourage children to think beyond the narrow boundaries of their curriculum.

Our venture Gensmart Open Advanced Learning Solutions (GOALS), an EdTech company, was born out of a vision to bring world-class education, wellness, and career-oriented skills to every student. 

We offer a basket of specially curated courses in several modes- as an online education platform, as offline direct training programmes, and as specific training courses during off- school hours.

The mission is to make every person a worthy citizen by imparting skill-based education to create excellence at work. The creation of content, documentation of case studies, best practices, knowledge-sharing platforms, training, coaching material, mentoring manuals, videos and audio content is our forte.

We regularly use online coaching and assessment tools such as Google Forms, Zoom, our GOALS application, YouTube, Telegram, WhatsApp, and our website. We extensively use social media and creatives such as animation, Chatbot, short videos, and interactive sessions. 

We focus on self-direction, transformation, experience, mentorship, mental orientation, motivation, and readiness to learn for our learners.

[1]https://www.unicef.org/media/64751/file/Global-framework-on-transferable-skills-2019.pdf

[2]https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/NEP_Final_English_0.pdf

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Web 3.0 Tech Edu Tech

BLOCKCHAIN AND WEB3: A NEW ERA FOR LIBRARIES

block chain

Written by Alison Alexander on Digilah (Tech Thought Leadership).

An analysis of how blockchain and Web3 technologies can revolutionize library services and operations.

As a thought leader in enhancing public services through adoption of the evolving technology of Web3 tools, Blockchain, AI, Metaverse, and Crypto.

Libraries at the Forefront of Technological Adoption

Today I thought I would write about a specific local government resource that all politicians, community members feel passionate about – especially when the point is raised about potential closure to save money.

The community resource I am referring to is the Library

Blockchain and Web3: A New Era for Libraries

I believe that the integration of blockchain and Web3 technologies offers a tantalizing glimpse into a future where libraries are more accessible, secure, and democratically managed than ever before.

So a few thoughts on how the new technologies could transform our beloved public libraries.

Decentralized Access to Information – imagine a library system where access to information is not governed by a single authority but distributed across a network, ensuring democratic access to even the rarest texts.

Blockchain can make this a reality, providing equitable access to all, a step forward in democratizing knowledge.

Digital Identity and Privacy – in our data-sensitive world, blockchain can reassure library users that their personal information remains secure and private.

By creating secure digital identities, libraries can offer a wide range of services without compromising user privacy.

Enhanced Cataloguing and Metadata Management – Blockchain’s ability to maintain tamper-proof and up-to-date records can revolutionize how libraries catalogue their resources.

This means more efficient resource management and easier discovery for users, streamlining what has traditionally been a complex process.

Digital Asset Management – the transparent, immutable nature of blockchain is perfect for managing digital assets.

It ensures that digital books and resources are tracked effectively, respecting digital rights, and ensuring fair compensation for creators.

Smart Contracts for Streamlined Operations – from issuing library cards to managing book loans, smart contracts can automate and simplify library operations.

These contracts, embedded with the terms of agreements, can significantly reduce administrative burdens, allowing libraries to focus more on service and less on paperwork.

Conclusion: Embracing Change for Community Empowerment

Community Engagement through Tokenization – Blockchain can also foster a more engaged community. By rewarding contributions like book reviews or workshop hosting with tokens, libraries can encourage active participation, creating a vibrant, collaborative environment.

Preservation of History – for historical and rare documents, blockchain offers an unprecedented preservation tool. By storing detailed information on a blockchain, libraries can maintain a permanent record of these documents, safeguarding our history for future generations.

Global Collaboration – blockchain facilitates unprecedented global collaboration. UK libraries could partner with international institutions, sharing resources and information more efficiently, and greatly expanding the resources available to patrons worldwide.

Education on Cutting-Edge Technologies – finally libraries have always been pillars of learning. Wouldn’t it be great to see them host workshops on blockchain and Web3 technologies, they can continue this legacy, helping to bridge the digital divide and bringing these advanced technologies to the forefront of public education.

I really think the potential of blockchain and Web3 in transforming UK public libraries is immense. 

I don’t think it is just about keeping pace with technological advancements but about reimagining what libraries can be in the 21st century: more inclusive, more accessible, and more integrated into the digital fabric of our society.

This article is not about revolutionize libraries for the sake of innovation, but for the enrichment of our communities and the preservation of our collective knowledge.

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Edu Tech

Technology helps make this scholarship inclusive

scholarship

Written by Vahani on Digilah (Tech Thought Leadership).

In 2014, when Reeva Misra, the Founder and Chairperson of Vahani Scholarship Trust, identified a gap between the transition from high school to college and the increasing number of college dropouts due to financial constraints, she recognized the need to establish a platform.

This platform aimed to provide equal opportunities to deserving students nationwide, in India, enabling them to pursue their dreams of studying in India’s top universities.

Vahani was conceived with a vision and mission to nurture future change-makers and create leaders.

The inaugural batch of scholars was selected in 2016, initially with offline applications that required physical submission. However, as the number of applicants steadily grew each year, so did the available seats.

To ensure accessibility to students across the country, an online application portal was introduced in 2019. Leveraging the “Digital India” initiative, this change resulted in a tenfold increase in applications from even the most remote areas.

Implementing the right technology not only expanded outreach but also streamlined the application review process, allowing for individual assessment by team members and efficient shortlisting for interview rounds.

The transition to an online system ensured that no applications were overlooked, and students received proper guidance on completing the forms.

In 2020, amidst the global battle against Covid-19, online platforms like Zoom and Google Meet played a crucial role. These digital connections helped maintain a sense of togetherness during the several months of lockdown.

Weekly group calls were held with mentors and scholars, and this time was utilised to enhance scholars’ skills. Interactive webinars and online skill training programs, covering topics such as CV building, IT tools like MS Office, English communication, and virtual internships, were introduced. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, the commitment to scholars’ growth and holistic development remained unwavering.

With scholars studying in prestigious universities across the country, enrolled at Delhi University, IITs, BITs, NID, NIFT, IIST, NLUs to name a few, Vahani ensures that all academic needs are met.

Financial support is managed and approved through the Scholars Online Portal, allowing scholars to request assistance based on their requirements. This portal fosters transparency and maintains comprehensive data for reference.

Notably, Vahani’s network extends beyond scholars to encompass mentors, English tutors, and volunteers from diverse parts of the world.

Technology has played a pivotal role in making the scholarship program accessible to students, creating a robust network of mentors and volunteers, facilitating training and skill development, providing opportunities for interaction with renowned leaders and speakers, managing scholar-related activities.

Most importantly, bringing the organization closer to its vision with transparency and an equal chance to all far and remote in any corner of Digital India.

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Transforming Education through Tangible STEM Projects: The Story of Magicbit

education

Written by Migara Amithodhana on Digilah (Tech Thought Leadership).

Background

In the midst of Industry 4.0, technology has seamlessly integrated into every facet of our lives, reshaping our world at a rapid pace. Buzzwords like AI (Artificial Intelligence), IoT (Internet of Things), Cloud computing, AR (Augmented Reality), and VR (Virtual Reality) dominate conversations. 

The job landscape has undergone a tectonic shift, with roles that were unheard of in the early 2000s now in high demand.

This digital transformation has created an urgent need for “future-ready” skills in the upcoming workforce. Surprisingly, while technology takes center stage, the most sought-after skills for the future are not those associated with these cutting-edge technologies, but rather, skills such as innovation, critical thinking, and creativity. 

Developing technology innovation skills is paramount to preparing the next generation for an ever-evolving industry.

Problem & Solution

In today’s tech-dominated world, there’s a growing concern regarding the adverse impact of technology on children. Parents worldwide worry about issues like mobile phone addiction, excessive computer gaming, and technology dependency.

Numerous studies have illuminated the psychological issues stemming from technology overuse, with children aged 8-18 spending a staggering 6-9 hours a day on screens. This is where STEM education emerges as an innovative solution to enhance children’s innovation and creativity skills.

STEM, an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, and STEAM when incorporating the Arts, is being adopted by educational systems in approximately 96 countries worldwide. STEM education introduces hands-on, experiential learning to teach these subjects effectively.

Combining STEM education with technology innovation is a focal point in many nations to nurture the future-ready skills of the next generation. Areas such as coding, robotics, AI, IoT, and electronics are being actively promoted among children.

Why Magicbit for STEM Innovations?

In 2019, against this backdrop, Magicbit was born. It was founded by Anuruddha Tennakoon, Migara Amithdhana, and Akalanka De Silva, three preprofessional engineers with over a decade of industry experience, who shared a passion for making technology innovation accessible to everyone.

Magicbit’s core mission is to create the next generation of problem solvers and change-makers.

Products and Services

Magicbit’s flagship product is the hexagonal-shaped Magicbit development board, which can be programmed to foster innovation in coding, robotics, IoT, and electronics. The product includes a hardware kit bundled with software and lessons, offering three main versions: Learner, Explorer, and Master.

Each kit differs in hardware features, with the Master kit said to have the most extensive range of activities and additional plug-and-play sensor modules compared to the Explorer kit.

Magicbit’s comprehensive lesson series, accessible via subscription, covers each of these areas with step-by-step guidance.

Unique Value Proposition

Magicbit products stand out with their plug-and-play modules and pre-loaded code, allowing users to see examples even before coding. This eliminates the need for soldering, wires, and breadboards, making innovation more accessible.

The feature-rich hardware provides versatility for various projects. Magicbit supports different coding options, from Scratch for young learners using block programming to Arduino and Python for beginners and seasoned innovators.

The platform even extends to the .NET Nano framework and magicblocks.io, a cloud-based IoT platform developed by the team. This versatility caters to learners of all levels and simplifies the teaching process for educational institutions.

Key Milestones

Magicbit made its debut as a crowdfunding project on Kickstarter, astonishingly getting funded within the first 4 hours and garnering a massive global response.

As of 2023, Magicbit boasts a user community spread across 40 countries worldwide, validating its universal appeal and functionality. 

The platform is also accredited by STEM.org in the USA as a certified STEM education product. In 2022, Magicbit was recognized as the best startup in Sri Lanka, earning a national award.

 

Next Steps

Education is continually evolving in tandem with technology, and Magicbit remains committed to integrating the best technologies into its innovation ecosystem. Plans are underway to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the platform.

The Magicbit team is also developing a Python-based robotics farm that can be remotely accessed from anywhere in the world, marking another stride toward accessibility and convenience.

Founder’s View and the Path Forward

As a founder, I am, driven by the desire to empower the next generation, not just as a social entrepreneur but also as a father of two. 

I believe in passing on the best knowledge to the next generation, addressing the accessibility gap that hampers technology adoption for a significant portion of the world’s population, including 1.3 billion children worldwide.

Given the pressing global issues of climate change, poverty, economic disparities, pollution, and energy crises, innovation is the key to survival while safeguarding the planet.

I believe that empowering future change-makers to find solutions to these real-world problems is crucial. This path, I envision, will lead to more effective solutions to achieve sustainability development goals (SDGs).

Hailing from a developing country like Sri Lanka and creating world-class products has been a challenging journey.

However, I firmly believe that this story can serve as an inspiration to all children and young entrepreneurs, demonstrating that we live in an era of limitless possibilities in our global village.

Innovation is the way forward, and the world needs smart farmers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and more. It’s time for a paradigm shift in the traditional education system, embracing a modern, innovative approach.

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Edu Tech Web 3.0 Tech

Education via Gamification using the Metaverse

web 3.0tech

Written by Rick Woo on Digilah (Tech Thought Leadership)

My name is Rick Woo, born in Hong Kong and graduated from Australia. To me, I did experience the journey from Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and now Web 3.0. What I see is we must embrace technology. Also, I pretty much tend to use the buzzword “gamification”, here is the reason.

I started up LOST in 2013, a real-life escape game that gives gamers an all-rounded experience (www.losthk.com).  

Introduction

LOST will launch a play-to-earn and play-to-learn mechanism, which has been made viable by blockchain economics.  Play-to-earn model enables players to be rewarded by playing LOST games; and the play-to-learn model enhances players to attain knowledge throughout LOST games.  Together with our existing stores and future stores, this revolutionary model will disrupt the market and create a different income stream by the OMO (online merge offline) concept, plus LOST Token and NFT assets, the ultimate GameFi & SocialFi world is born.

Escape in Metaverse

Now, LOST officially announced its entry into the Metaverse, creating the world’s first Metaverse escape room. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Hong Kong, LOST (www.losthk.com) currently has 14 branches around the world, together with its sub-brand LOST Junior, offering players an unique game experience throughout different story themes and self-developed auto-gadgets.  From children to adults, individual to corporate, shopping malls to schools, indoor to outdoor, and now offline to online to create an OMO (online merge offline) Metaverse game experience. 

The 4E business model

The entire business model is a combination of virtual and reality, via our ESCAPE game, connecting the physical store and the virtual store, which enhance the user experience on ENTERTAINMENT.  For instance, players can continue to challenge the rest of the escape game after they did the online / offline one.  Every time when they cracked the riddles or unlocked the chests may receive a limited NFT, this will be an integration for online / offline customers to have a greater user experience.  Besides, any kind of brands / products can also be promoted through this experiential EVENT, such as sports brands, can issue NFT or Tokens of limited edition sneakers and store them in the treasure box, allowing challengers to win it by unlocking, as a result to to increase the sales and strengthen brand effect.  Furthermore, together with our sub-brand LOST Junior, we will create an experiential EDUCATION, let the child learn while playing, like story-telling, science explanation, strengthen social skill through our escape game, a comprehensive play-based learning experience.

NFT in the escape game

LOST will have different themed rooms in Metaverse, and various virtual props / tools / gadgets will be used to unlock each mission level. These unique props are exactly NFTs, which can upgrade the player’s level for cracking the harder levels; on the other hand, those NFT items will have a potential market value.  Digital assets in Metaverse could be a painting, a key, weapons or equipment. It is also your certificate of passing the escape game level, as you need it to reach the higher level with these items, as a result the value of these NFT items is created.  Moreover, the crypto currency “LOST Token” will be hidden in different places randomly, players can collect them and redeem it at LOST physical stores as tickets. This crypto currency can also be used for purchasing equipments, items to equip your avatar in Metaverse and convert them into digital assets. In the future, players can create their own escape game rooms in Metaverse and build their own revenue stream.

The future of LOST Island

The whole concept of LOST is to create play-to-learn and play-to-earn.  Throughout the escape game experience not only the players will attain the knowledge, but also gaining the NFT / Token.  Moreover, brands’ joint promotion can also be benefited by riding on this OMO (online merge offline) business model, creating brand awareness and increasing market value.  In the future, LOST looks forward to building a virtual world based on Web 3.0 and will be named as LOST Island.  

An Edutainment world with education and entertainment, a gaming ecosystem with infinite possibility.

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Edu Tech

Edumoms

education technonolgy

Written by – Mona Sutrave on Digilah (Tech Thought Leadership)

Technology has been re-shaping and re-organising the economic dynamics of the world. The Internet brought about the revolution at the turn of the century.

Today, Technological advancement in almost all fields is NORMAL. Technology drives daily life. From a simple purchase of vegetables to complex algorithm driven activities. Technology has crept into our lives like we have never realised before.

Consumerism has shifted gears from a sellers’ market to a buyers’ market. While marketplaces created demand for products. Today, demand for a marketplace of convenience has brought the market place virtually to the customer. Making customers’ access products from different regions. Without having to travel the distance.

Education has its fair share in this technological revolution. The information available to the world at a click of a ‘mouse’ has been astounding. Just that one needs to access their relevant information with care.  

Online videos are in millions which speak about various topics. But little do they teach in a way a mother or a teacher would teach.  Content companies show content as they have understood a concept while in their college days.

The real challenge is how a young mind is wired? Does that young mind fire connections like a 25 year old? Does someone doing so make a school teacher obsolete? The Answer is a simple ‘NO’.

The growing years are so important in framing a personality. What one is at 10 is not the same as 14 and 16 and definitely not the same as while one is 25.  This goes on to prove that ‘ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL’. 

Each child is unique and each of their needs are certainly unique.  One needs to step into the mindset of the student and help them nurture their learning skills to adapt to the challenges. That One person, is the Teacher. 

A Teacher is not just educated, they are “QUALIFIED”. They understand every child in their class. They understand their abilities and Capabilities. They do not treat the child as a robot to max marks sheets.  They treat the child as a human being and help them with the abilities to form the very basis of LIFE SKILLS. The choice to PICK n CHOOSE.

DHII came into existence for the very fact that there were so many contents, videos, pdfs of chapters, but the whole personal touch was missing.  Kids are kids, they need to be nurtured, spoken to, cared and loved while teaching, which technology still hasn’t achieved.  It’s just not the topic which the kid is learning, but the whole universe around that particular topic, which only a teacher sitting across can bring it down.  

We at DHII believe in this very concept of teaching.  Help the students realise their true potential and enable them to experience the HIGH POINTS. We are available to the student through-out the duration of the course, in person. We proudly say, we just don’t teach subjects, but we BUILD CONFIDENCE.

We call ourselves, the new era EDU MOMS, simply because the first guru for any human being is a MOM. The affection which MOMs can give, can be compared to none! 

The onslaught of content companies camouflaged as edtechs are widening the gap by denying reasonable opportunities to the lower end of pool.  

We propose to take our ONLINE Teaching to Tier II and Lower areas, make quality education affordable to the aspiring students to cross the hurdle first.  Break the barriers of the regional languages and enable them to realise their dreams.

Technology is indeed making this possible. We have started this journey of providing customised education to the far and beyond corners of India with an initial investment. We now hope to achieve our mission with right investment opportunities sooner than we imagined!

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The Evolution of Education

Evolution of Education

Written by – Deakin Daney on Digilah (Tech Thought Leadership)

The thirst for knowledge is as ancient as the sea. Every generation of knowledge seekers is hungrier than the last. But is just education enough to quench our growing desire to know more?

Innovation and ideation are two important parameters to assist in our education journey. With the launch of the New Education Policy, the country is now moving into the future with a strong focus on STEM and assisted and alternative teaching methods. What this now brings to the forefront, is how we impact the thoughts, abilities, and actions of our young generation.

How do we excite them, and make them think beyond the pages of their books? 

The answer lies in engagement, team building and working on real life problems which lead to world class solutions which help build a sustainable and enriching environment. 

Hackathons started as a technical competition, aimed at a 24 or 48 hour finale, which involved writing code, creating technical prototypes and , during the finale , proving the product / code actually worked and could be used in real life scenarios.

While those kinds of hackathons do still exist, they focus on a very defined solution. Now, these hackathons have opened up not just for technical students , but also non-technical ones , including management , social media , the arts , and more. These events are no longer aimed at 24 & 48-hour timelines. They extend for a few months and have various engagement activities which make the whole program so very interesting.

As the Head of Innovation for i4C we work in the niche space of Hackathons and Ideathons. With a proprietary idea submission and evaluation platform, we provide school and college students and corporate employees alike the opportunity to participate in multiple events and showcase their strengths and solutions.  

At the heart of a hackathon event is the theme. One could do a specialised event on IoT, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, EV infrastructure etc. They can also do a social event on Sustainability goals, climate change, water conservation, Air Pollution, Waste Management, and many other themes. One could even have an event involving multiple themes to engage a larger target group and audience. 

The strength behind the Theme is the Problem Statement (PS). These statements are carefully curated problems faced currently. Sometimes these PS are given by Industry – Banks, Manufacturing Cos, Aggregators, Cloud Computing etc , all because they want to see a fresh take on how to tackle these problems .

This becomes very interesting for students because here they get a real world problem faced by a large company, and if they are part of the team which solves it, well.. it can lead to an offer of employment for them, or at the very least an internship. It could help them start their career on a good note. 

We have recently conducted a few hackathons for government bodies, private companies and are currently working with a large Blockchain entity now. The thrill that the students get from such a participation, needs to be seen to be believed. We have students from Tier 2 and Tier 3 colleges attempting to solve a real-world problem of a Trillion Dollar Company. This is the Engagement which the Hackathon Platform provides. It helps see things from a very large perspective.

These events also lead to team management and team playing skills. Since these events are all team based with a minimum team size of 4, the students and employees get to work with each other in proximity. This helps them understand the life lesson of team dynamics, kindness, sharing and above all, the desire to win as one.

Feedback from many events conducted by us, has led us to this important conclusion, as students themselves commented on feeling as a family, with immense gratitude for winning being shared by all. 

During an event, the teams which take part, are evaluated by industry experts, who interact with the students and share their thoughts and ideas on what can be done to make the solution to the PS more compelling.

Many of these experts, if not all, are usually Subject Matter Experts (SME) in their chosen field , and hence approached by us . These kind of interactions between young minds and experienced SME, goes over and beyond what is taught in a classroom, and it liberates the young minds to think more clearly and more long term.

It gets even better, once the teams are shortlisted for the finals based on their solutions. These teams are then assigned mentors who help guide them and take their idea, prototype, vision, product, or service into the Finale.

These mentors spend long hours with the team and patiently answer all questions in support of their team winning the Finale. These hours and moments spent with such experienced mentors is usually a defining moment for students. 

During the Finale, all teams compete hard to prove their solutions are worthy, but it is usually the Top 3 who end up victorious. These 12 students across 3 teams, get to share their Intellectual Property with the companies who find their solution effective, they get prize money, they get certificates and trophies, they get internships and job offers, but most importantly , they learn to win on their own , through their efforts and those of team members. This, to me, is probably the defining thought on why we need to have more such idea based events in India.

Having our young generation think out of the box, solve Big Corporate problem statements, work as a team, and enjoy the success of winning, at a young age, on a big platform all adds up to our country’s growth and economic success.

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Edu Tech

AI for Inclusive Education Personalized Learning systems

Written by Dr. Sandeep Bansal on Digilah (Tech Thought Leadership)

Everyone knows that different individuals possess different capabilities, comprehension abilities, problem-solving skills, and hence the learning needs vary across the students of a class with their varying interests, abilities, performance, pre-requisite knowledge, etc.

In order to address such needs, the adaptive/Personalized learning/teaching systems are being worked upon with the involvement of technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning etc. These systems provide different learning paths with different paces to different learners based on their needs & performance but they use the same study material for all the learners; though it may be delivered to them at a different pace depending on their needs and performance; while the learners need study material as per their need, capabilities for the same topic. This gives a rise to the need of not only developing different study materials varying with variations in different parameters but developing the machine learning models also which would take care of not only the learning needs being dealt with by today’s system but other needs being discussed further here.  

Countries like India have lots of diversities with respect to language, culture, regions, etc. Such learning systems can play a key role to bring inclusivity in education as we note:  

  • Learners with physical disabilities (Divyang Jan): In India, around 1% of school-going children are children with physical disabilities and need transformation of e-content.
  • Learners with learning disabilities: In India around 5% of the school going children are affected with learning disabilities (dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia etc.. Each type of disorder may coexist with another). In such cases also the study material needs transformation.
  • Learners with different socio-cultural identities, socio economic & geographical identities with the needs of study material in different languages, dialect & culture.

The fundamental principles of  NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY (2020) of Indian Government include –

  • recognizing, identifying, and fostering the unique capabilities of each student
  • focus on regular formative assessment for learning
  • extensive use of technology in teaching and learning, removing language barriers,
  • increasing access for Divyang students, and educational planning and management

Therefore the role of AI based adaptive system delivering the right content at the right time to the learners in personalized manner has a very important role to play. The machine learning models need training data also for their adaption to the different learner’s need with regard to their learning attributes (like some emerging system) & varying needs of different content for the same topic (not common & to be evolved). How it all would work may be understood with a simple architecture of the whole system. The basic building blocks including the content would be as follows:

  1. Artificial Intelligence-based Decision System: This would be the core of the whole system to interface with the front-end i.e. learner’s interface, with the learner’s repository where the learner’s attributes would be stored and with the content repository where the content of different languages, formats, and levels to choose from for the learners would be stored.
  • Learner Interface: It provides the test material to the learners and based on performance captures different attributes of the learners e.g. learning disabilities, problem-solving skills, comprehension abilities, misconceptions, gaps in prerequisite knowledge which are then sent to the “Learner’s Repository” module. The whole process is controlled by the core AI-based Decision system. The interface may be equipped with conversational AI (powered by Natural Language Processing, Speech recognition to interpret the intent of the user and providing smooth interaction with the system) in his/her language.
  1. Content Repository: Different type of content e.g. Content for physical disabilities, Content for learning disabilities (the content of different levels of explanation with a provision of need-based detailing of basics & prerequisites involved in the concept to enable the learner to drill down), The content to address the needs of study material in different languages, dialect & culture etc.
  • Learner’s module: The attributes of the learners captured by the AI system through the learner’s interface would be stored in this repository consisting of attributes of different learners with their respective learning attributes and learning paths to be followed by them.

Learning Path (sub module of learner’s module): To decide on the appropriate learning path for the learner, the system first evaluates the learners with respect to different attributes, different learning issues etc.. For example a learner first needs to understand the concepts of Motion to understand “Simple Harmonic Motion”, then waves, then Light’s concepts, then concepts of reflection & refraction and so on. During assessment of the learner, if it is found by the AI system that the learner is lacking somewhere, the system would advise the learner to go back to the basics.

Content Selection by the Decision system: The content selection logic of the system would take care of the content selection at all stages from the content repository based on different attributes & need of the learners. Based on various factors of the learner’s as summarised below, the AI based system would choose the appropriate content for the learner.

For the proposed system the availability of content for training the models & e-content for the learners in different formats is a bigger challenge. The initiatives of the Government of India e.g. Natural Language Technology Missions (targeting content in Indian languages), guidelines, policies for e-content development (including those for children with special needs) by Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment would play a key role to make such content available. As an outcome a lot of content is expected to be made available in different languages & formats which may be used for such solutions.