Lockdown has transformed traditional chalk-talk teaching model to e-learning driven by technology, says Chairman-CIT

The pandemic has forced a lockdown in the entire country which has made all educational institutions and various industries to stop operating. However, certain institutes, such as Chennai Institute of Technology, that seems to have become more active online. With an aim to not let the learning impacted due to this, the institute is taking various initiatives such as regular online seminars and workshops, short term courses and training programmes and facilitating access to the online value-added course on MOOCs and Coursera. CIT Chennai is leaving no stone unturned and is encouraging students to taken as much advantage of the current situation as possible. In a conversation with Shiksha.com, the Chairman of CIT, Chennai P Sriram talks in detail about their transition to digital classrooms. Sriram has over 40 years of rich industry and academic experience.

Read the edited excerpt of the conversation below:

Q: How has today’s scenario of lockdown and global pandemic impacted your education system?

A: The global pandemic has impacted education systems worldwide, resulting in schools, universities and colleges being closed. The pandemic has profoundly affected the education system, which is a decisive factor of the monetary imminent of a nation. The education system has transformed the traditional chalk-talk teaching model to e-learning driven by technology. Chennai Institute of Technology focuses now on the flipped mode of the classroom, wherein the video lectures and notes are shared upfront online to our students. With new technology coming up every day, students should have their antennas up to look for new things, and have a passion for learning. Here in CIT Chennai, we empower an effective capacity-building of young minds by conducting many online technical events through which over 13,000 participants across the world are being benefitted.

Q: What are some of the interesting initiatives Chennai Institute of Technology has taken to make it easy for your students and also contribute to the eradication of this pandemic?

A: Chennai Institute of Technology has made every effort to ensure social distance. The faculties and students were given the freedom to work from home. We focus on happy teaching and learning methodology by actively planning interactive online classes through virtual classrooms as effective as face to face education in classrooms. Our students and faculties enrich their skills by attending various workshops, short term courses & training programmes through ICT mode and transforming their knowledge by pursuing certified courses from MOOC, Coursera, Udemy, etc. CIT faculty and students took this opportunity during lockdown to complete and publish over 200 research papers. Many research papers were also submitted to International Journals or Conferences. We, CITans ensure our safety first during this pandemic and promote a better understanding of public health and empower people around us to be safe during pandemic.

Q: How is Chennai Institute of Technology is planning to conduct exams, evaluate and declare result online?

A: Our institute has adopted Google Classroom as a preferred mode of course delivery. Google Classroom is an excellent platform as a one-stop solution for all course-related activities.  Each faculty is given 15 students from each semester and asked to mentor them. Assignments, quizzes and examinations will be scheduled for a particular day and time. Submission can be done by uploading the scanned answer sheets of the students in Google Classroom.  Faculties evaluate the grades of the students and the summary of scores of all the students in the classroom is available online to students and parents. We also conduct Digital parents meeting through which the performance of the students will be intimated to their parents. Since we are affiliated to Anna University, the University has to decide on the plans and modes of conducting the examinations and other related activities.

Q: How are students responding to new initiatives?

A: Chennai Institute of Technology always keeps the door of learning open even during this pandemic situation by conducting Knowledge 4.0 Webinar Series, Technical Workshops and Seminars, Short term training programmes where eminent speakers from academic institutions and industry experts deliver recent advancements and technologies in engineering domains. Placement training classes are conducted by corporate trainers online to tune our students into professional personalities.  Our students are also involved in industry projects, virtual internships, designing and developing solutions for Covid-19 challenges. Students are guided in research activities by making them to publish their articles in International Journals and Conferences. Hence, Students and parents in our institute support the initiatives taken in order to improve the education standard and are actively participating in all the online activities.

Q: What impact will it have on students’ interpersonal, team management skills?

A: The pandemic has made us experience a new digitisation phase, especially in terms of learning and knowledge sharing. Chennai Institute of Technology encourages our students in organising events such as Digital Funjinia, 5 Days online technical workshop of 14 courses across engineering domains for over 1,300 school students, Dreamathon, an online project contest for school students where over 200 students have registered, Online Technical workshops and seminars on engineering technologies to over 1,000 school students and Digital Takshashila, a grand Intra College Techno Cultural Fest. More than 1,100 CIT Students are being equipped with life skills, leadership skills, soft skills, technical skills, logical skills, analytical skills, mock group discussions, mock interviews, aptitude and personality training by corporate trainers through online. We in CIT Chennai, create a knowledge platform for the students to build their interpersonal and team management skills.

Q: What are the best practices that Chennai Institute of Technology is adopting to ensure seamless online learning?

A: Chennai Institute of Technology has adopted a Cloud-based broadcasting platform for the delivery of online lectures and Webinars. The cloud-based broadcasting platform allows a maximum of 5,000 participants and six presenters. We can even have a virtual round table of experts to pool and share their knowledge & resources. The attendees can have live interaction which keeps the webinar events more brainstorming and live sessions.

Q: How will today’s situation revolutionise online learning in India and abroad?

A: E-Learning platform is one of the ways forward to equip each individual all over the world. Experiential Learning tools, digital content and classrooms, cloud-based learning platforms are used in today’s education scenario. As an initiative to digital learning, we have conducted over 120 Knowledge 4.0 Webinar Series such as Technical webinar series, Research webinar series, Career guidance webinar series, Innovation webinar series and Alumni Webinar Series, Technical Workshops and Seminars, Faculty Development Programme and International Conferences enriching faculties and students community with quality knowledge. We empower the students with self-learning abilities through e-learning platforms like MOOC. In India, education can be revolutionised by supporting experiential learning tools implemented in the form of virtual classrooms, virtual labs and social media platforms. The key challenges for Indian Education are streamlining of assessments, evaluating personalized learning, conducting virtual internships and social media-based learning.