The Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) of Karnataka,has completed one year of disseminating satellite-based distance education programme for engineering students in the State powered by ISRO's EDUSAT.
The VTU-EDUSAT network was established by connecting all engineering colleges in the State with an uplink facility and studio in Bangalore, and is now reckoned to be the largest connected technical university in India reaching out to over 1.5 lakh students.
The genesis of the VTU's e-learning concept through EDUSAT could be traced to an acute paucity of skilled staff in most engineering colleges.
The industry perceived a perceptible decline in the quality of engineering graduates being churned out, more so from non-urban centres. Hence, distance learning through EDUSAT was conceived to address the issue.Moreover, the EDUSAT project has sought to wipe out disparities in quality between various educational institutions by addressing itself to key issues of access, interactivity, cost-effectiveness and consistency of information to students.
Major milestones
According to VTU Vice-Chancellor Balaveera Reddy, "the recently concluded Programmer-II amply demonstrated the capability of the EDUSAT network and heralded a new phase in university's ambitious e-Learning project. We learnt a lot in planning, organisation and execution of satellite-based programmes. Having gained in confidence, we are poised to transmit 400 live sessions covering eight full-semester subjects, technology-specific courses, soft skill and CXO Speaks programmes from this September."
To commemorate one year of successful utilisation of EDUSAT, the VTU, in association with the ISRO, will organise a two-day conference in Bangalore on Friday and Saturday. There will be a special address by Dr. Abdul Kalam from the Rasthrapati Bhavan.
The objective of the conference is to create awareness among stakeholders in higher education in the State on VTU's EDUSAT programmes.
More
|
