PDPU, MICA, CEPT and other universities go virtual!

GNN | Mar 30, 2020, 2:49 PM IST|

• Universities and colleges are taking help of advanced tools embedded on platforms
• Students do not have the option of missing or bunking online lectures!

Gujarat News Network

Ahmedabad, March 30, 2020: Educational institutions across Gujarat are shifting to online classes as colleges and universities remain closed following the March 24 lockdown.

Universities and colleges are taking help of advanced tools embedded on platforms such as Google classroom, Zoom online classes and Canvas to capture screenshots or gather data on students’ engagements during virtual classrooms.

This means that students do not have the option of missing or bunking online lectures!

Not just lectures, even discussion forums, assignments and evaluation have also gone online.

Take the example of the GSPC and Reliance promoted PDPU or the Ahmedabad based CEPT University. “Virtual is the new normal,” writes Parag Shastri for TNN. “No student is allowed to miss Prof Nigam Dave’s lectures at SLS, PDPU – even when it happens online,” Parag adds. “With advanced tools embedded on platforms such as Zoom online classes, Canvas or Google classroom, we can capture screenshots or gather data on students’ engagements during the virtual classrooms,” says Prof Dave, director of SLS, PDPU.

Chirayu Bhatt, Deputy Provost (Academics) at CEPT University tells Parth, “Several online platforms are utilised to connect faculties and students for studios.” Chirayu adds, “All sessions are being conducted according to scheduled time slots in the regular semester. Students also interact with faculties in real time, completing the online class experience,” he said. “One-on one video conferencing is also taking place to provide feedback on student projects.”

At MICA, the annual curriculum presentation to the second-year students of PGP course was made online where the faculty members presented their proposed elective courses and held a discussion. “Respective instructors have volunteered to design online examinations for their courses and the examinations are in progress.

“Assignments, which are part of planned evaluations, are to be
submitted online,” said a MICA official. Soman Nair, registrar of
DA-IICT, Gandhinagar, said that there are several ongoing research projects where students and faculty members collaborate.

“Our PG curriculum relies heavily on research work. In this lockdown period, the students and faculty members are collaborating online to work on research papers and simulations
where labs are no required. Online meetings are conducted for the same,” he said.

The Covid-19 global pandemic has changed the way several sectors work, perhaps forever, and one of the most obvious fields is education. More and more institutes have switched to online mode during the national lockdown.