Manipal Education launches Education next

Updated on: Friday, May 29, 2009

New Delhi: Manipal Education announced the launch of EduNxt—an enhanced form of learning and collaborating. It will initially commence for Sikkim Manipal University’s Distance Education (SMU - DE) students. Affordability, availability and appropriateness being its three tenets, the solution is aimed at scaling-up educational offerings. The EduNxt package will focus on content, collaboration, communication and computing.

Students can through this form a social community, can take tests online, interact with teachers, refer to audio-visual presentations, participate in virtual classrooms, etc. From a shift in ‘faculty-centric’ to a ‘learner-centric’ environment, it promotes concepts like ‘portable campus’ and ‘carry along mentors,’ where students can have access to over one million online books and journals.

This is not e-learning but personalised learning. Anand Sudarshan, MD & CEO, Manipal Education, said, “We see this innovation providing significant impetus to the higher education enrollment rate, employability and positively influencing the economy of our country.”

EduNxt will be available for all existing students as well as future enrollments in Manipal University, from the month of July. The university has invested Rs 30 crores as of now, and this figure will be augmented to two to three times this number as the offering reaches maturity.

Manipal Education is partnering with Microsoft, BSNL and netbook OEM suppliers in an effort to provide quality affordable education coupled with computer access and connectivity, enabling an enriching personalised learning experience for all its students.

While Ravi Venkatesan, Chairman, Microsoft India, added, “India has the largest education system in the world, but it will never be large enough for us to reach every student in every corner of the country. The answer is not to wait until we have enough teachers, but to increase the impact of the teachers that we do have today. We want to use this technology to amplify its reach, and make PC access pervasively available.”

Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft Corporation, added, “Education is the key to unlocking potential. I believe in the power of technology to transform education. India’s emergence as a global technology center is the direct result of its strong education system. One of our most important commitments is to help deliver high-quality educational materials to those who lack access to teachers and resources.

Educationtimes

Manipal Education launches Education next

More Education news