AltUni by InsideIIM, An Alternative Digital Varsity, Raises $500K from Indian Angel Network and Other Angels

Mumbai-based AltUni by InsideIIM, an alternative digital university, has raised $500,000 in funding led by Indian Angel Network along with contributions from many other angel investors, reported Entrepreneur India.

Other angels who participated in this round are — Vishesh C Chandiok, CEO of Grant Thornton Bharat LLP; Ganesh Balakrishnan, Harsh Parikh, Narayan Babu, Supreet Singh, Ashvin George, Prashant Mohanraj, Shreyans Mehta, Amit Monteiro, Raghav Joshi, Mainak Shome, Bhoopesh Jain, Sandeep Bhadresa among others.

Founded in 2020, by Ankit Doshi, AltUni provides short modules of immersive online learning courses. The university does not offer degrees or diplomas but facilitates a connection between learners and industry leaders, and provides opportunities to interview with India’s top companies.

AltUni had earlier raised $0.5 million in angel round, in February last year, from Amit Gupta, Mukesh Maniar, Rahul Gupta, Gautam Gurnani, Rajit Desai, Vandana Serrao, Saloni Doshi, Suhani Doshi and Saurav Tibrewal.

AltUni's mission is to enhance India's human capital. College education is not sufficient to be employable at a time when Artificial intelligence is threatening the existence of many jobs. AltUni helps early career professionals and college students gain skills that will future proof their careers for the next decade.

"AltUni's dedication to addressing the challenges in the higher education sector aligns with our mission to support innovative solutions. We are confident that this investment will help AltUni further its mission and bring about positive change in the education landscape", Padmaja Ruparel, Co-Founder, Indian Angel Network (IAN).

Consumer Affairs Secretary Meets Indian Edtech Consortium (IEC) to Review Progress on Consumer Interest Initiatives

The India EdTech Consortium (IEC) met the Secretary of Consumer Affairs Sh. Rohit Kumar Singh to showcase the positive work done by the self–regulatory body in keeping the interest of learners and consumers at the forefront.

IEC members acknowledge the encouragement of the Secretary and seek to collaborate and create a more conducive and robust ecosystem through a qualitative framework in collaboration with a joint working group.

Taking note of the conversation, the industry members shared the ‘Code of Conduct' which is instrumental in enhancing and promoting seamless and transparent offerings in relation to ethical sales, and marketing communications.

The discussion also spotlighted the effectiveness of the two-tier Grievance Redressal mechanism introduced by the IEC, which has been able to resolve 99%+ of the issues raised on average, since its inception.

The IEC explained the grievance redressal process and the role of the Independent Grievance Review Board (IGRB) – which has been set up to oversee the alignment and adherence to the Code of Conduct which comprises of Dr. Justice B.S. Chauhan - retired Judge of the Supreme Court, Dr. Aruna Sharma – a distinguished bureaucrat and experienced industry veterans like Mr. Anand Sudarshan amongst others.

Skill Lync Partnered with Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ) to Launch an Executive Masters in Medical Technology

The program consists of online courses for fundamentals and specialization on Skill-Lync platform, and 6 months of on-the-job training at AMTZ Campus

Skill Lync, which is at the forefront of bridging the gap between the students and corporate industry requirements, joined hands with Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ) - an enterprise under the Government of Andhra Pradesh to launch the country’s first masters coursework in Medical Technology. The partnership addresses the skill gap in the medical device industry having a massive shortage of design engineers and researchers. The ‘Executive Master in Medical Technology’ program by Skill-Lync will span 12 months including nine fundamental courses and a specialization. Students will also receive on-the-job training by interning with a Medical Device Manufacturing Company on AMTZ campus where they will have access to an experiential learning at world-class scientific facilities of AMTZ.

The coursework is a blended learning program where students will get the chance to learn via both offline and online models. It introduces students to the fundamentals of Medical devices with the option to specialize in multiple areas such as Radiology, Imaging, and optics, Electronics, Implants etc. The students have a chance to interact and learn from scientists and industry experts during the stint at AMTZ.

As part of the program, the students will take a certification exam and get skill-certified by IBSC, approved by NSDA. IBSC aims at strengthening the Biomedical Skill Sector in the country and with this objective, develop job roles supported by the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE). Furthermore, IBSC is the only internationally recognized certification from India validating professional education and experience in the biomedical domain.

On the occasion, Krishna Bandaru - Executive Leadership Team, Skill-Lync said, “Given the recent health crisis, we feel medical technology is a sector where India needs to be self reliant and talent is a key enabler for this sector. Along with Biomedical engineers, Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics and Computer Science engineers are required to build a holistic talent ecosystem for this industry. This course enables graduates from all these disciplines to pursue multiple specializations thus benefiting the medical equipment industry“

Dr. Jitendar Sharma, Managing Director, CEO, Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone AMTZ, said, “As our manufacturing sector grows more and more, there would be a huge demand and there is already an unsaturated need for hiring competent technical and technological human resources. The good thing about medical devices and biomedical engineering is that mechanical, electrical & electronics, computer science, chemical, textile engineers can all specialize to be a biomedical engineer and fill the huge vacuum that our country has.

And there is no substantial Masters Program in India for Medical Technology, that’s where Skill-Lync comes in as our partner. Together, we are launching the country’s first MS program in Medical Technology.”

Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone Limited is an enterprise under the government of Andhra Pradesh dedicated to Medical Devices Manufacturing. It works with an objective to reduce the cost of manufacturing up to 40% to simplify the end-to-end operations and also reduce import dependency, which is presently around 75%. AMTZ envisions putting India on the global map of high-end medical equipment production and making health care products affordable and accessible for the world.

9 Schools from India are Key Part in World’s Biggest Grassroots Online Education Conference

A selection of nine outstanding Indian schools, from kindergarten and primary level to senior secondary, have been selected for a ground-breaking new grassroots education event – World Education Week – to be held online in October.

Each school is to play a starring role in what is billed as the ‘world’s biggest education conference’, a key ingredient in a showcase of 100 schools which will gather online to share expertise and best practices in the inaugural World Education Week, from 5-9th October, in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal on Quality Education (SDG 4).

The hundred schools have been hand-picked for their expertise across a range of educational themes, such as enhancing employability and life-skills; deepening family and community engagement; the use of technology; a focus on wellbeing; and promoting the science of learning and teaching.

Each will share their wisdom to an online audience expected to reach 100,000 worldwide. The ambition driving World Education Week is to accelerate progress to achieve UN SDG 4, a commitment designed to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all.

The Indian schools are:

• The TSWRS Chevella Freedom School in Moinabad, Rangareddy
• The School of Excellence in Khichripur, New Delhi
• Choitram School, in Indore, Madya Pradesh
• Mahatma Vidyalaya in Muthanallur, Bangalore District, Karnataka
• The iTeach RSM English Medium Secondary School in Mundhwa, Pune
• The Government Primary School near Udaipur, Rajasthan
• The Riverside School in Ahmedabad, Gujurat
• Samaritan Mission School (High) in Howrah, Kolkata
• Zilla Parishad Primary School, Kallekhetpada, in the Nandurbar district, Maharashtra

Centred on the theme of ‘Learning Today’, each school will host a virtual event to demonstrate how to bring change, based on their own experiences.

Ranveer Singh Launches Online Education App: Eduauraa

• Founded and led by CEO Akanksha Chaturvedi, Eduauraa aims to democratize the online education sector in India.
• Eduauraa has brought on Ranveer Singh as the brand ambassador in a bid to empower over 310 million students in India
• Eduauraa is now available on Android, iOS, ZEE5 and web browsers

 Eduauraa, is a premium digital learning platform created with a vision to utilize world-class technology and make quality education available in every corner of India at an affordable price. Eduauraa's educational content accurately follows the syllabus for each of their 9 boards in both, Hindi and English, not only for video lectures but also Value Added Services (VAS) content like e-books, test papers, MCQ's, mind maps and past papers.

Through a strategic partnership with ZEE5, India's Entertainment Super-app, customers can enjoy all of this, in addition to 1.25 lac hours of bespoke premium entertainment content across genres and languages, starting at just INR 999 per year. This association will redefine education and entertainment with a reach of 75 million households countrywide.

In India, 85% of people earn below 8 lakhs a year, yet private school expenses of a single child have risen from INR 55,000 in 2005 to INR 1,25,000 in 2015. Limited access to good education in India has led to a surge in tuition culture, with tuitions accounting for 15% of the total expenditure on private education and about 11-12% of the average family income is dedicated to tuitions. These factors contribute towards making education a privilege and not a right. However, Eduauraa aims to close this gap by providing the best quality education at affordable rates for students of class 6 to 10 in 4 subjects - Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology.

The Indian youth ranked second last among the 73 countries that participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Eduauraa aspires to change this statistic by giving access to the superior learning tools within their app to every child so they can easily understand and absorb concepts. A team of teachers from India's top 10 schools, Subject Matter Experts, visualizers, animators, editors and directors help create an engaging learning experience so every child now gets a level playing field. 

Ranveer Singh Brand Ambassador & Akanksha Chaturvedi, Founder & CEO of Eduauraa

Ranveer Singh, Brand Ambassador of Eduauraa, commented, "When Akanksha told me about Eduauraa and their vision to democratize education, it resonated with me. Eduauraa will allow every child in this country to create their own destiny and shine. The right education for every child in India will help them shatter glass ceilings and fulfil their aspirations. I am excited to be part of this journey and I wish Eduauraa all the very best in their mission."

Akanksha Chaturvedi, Founder and CEO of Eduauraa commented, "India currently ranks 112th out of 188 countries on the global education index. This is a ranking that speaks volumes about the accessibility of quality education in our country. My aim with Eduauraa is to be instrumental in changing our current global education ranking. With the onset of digitalisation in our country, we saw a sizable shift in pricing of services or products but even after learning modified to E-learning, the pricing element was the key problem. When I started analysing this, one question that I kept asking was if OTT platforms can provide accessible entertainment at INR 999/- a year why can't education do the same? And today with Eduauraa, we have democratised education and E-learning in India. We are also extremely excited to have Ranveer Singh as our brand ambassador. His vibrant personality resonates with our young and passionate brand ethos."

Primary features of Eduauraa:

Customized to syllabus for ICSE + CBSE + 7 state boards - Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu to Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

• Convenient user interface with a built-in navigation system, aided by a voice search feature
• Content design- Video lectures with 2D/3D & alpha animations, images and real-life examples
• Value added services- Mind-maps for diagrammatic representation and revision, MCQ's, e-books, passed papers, objective & subjective test papers
• Eduauraa Proficiency Quotient to analyze a student's progress
• Eduauraa Assistant for easy study scheduling

EPQ for self- evaluation in the app:

Eduauraa uses technology for  evaluation analytics so students are provided with detailed insights into learner's progress during the course:

• Adaptive tests
  • The difficulty of the test is determined by the students' performance such that it will get harder or easier following a correct or incorrect answer respectively.
• Knowledge tests
  • Eduauraa's AI uses answers to assess user knowledge levels on a specific topic, allowing for active and engaging participation

Eduauraa offers 3 levels of subscription packages:

• Base video pack subscription - INR 999/- per year (introductory offer)
  • Includes annual subscription to Eduauraa and Zee5 premium
  • 6000+ hours of video content made by India's top teachers (download enabled)
  • 2D/3D & alpha animations in each video
  • Eduauraa Assistant
• VAS pack subscription- INR 1999/- per year
  • Includes all Value-Added Services materials like- e-books, test papers, mind maps and past papers
  • Eduauraa Proficiency Quotient (EPQ)
  • Eduauraa Assistant
• All inclusive subscription - INR 2499/ - per year (introductory offer)
  • All access to Eduauraa content + Zee5 premium + VAS services

The app also offers a free guest user version, enabling access to limited sample content for an unlimited time span. Eduauraa's immersive learning experience is built so that every student in India has access to the best education at any time.

Download the Eduauraa app here now:

Play Store: bit.ly/34Mkghx 
App Store: apple.co/316KCIN

Website- https://eduauraa.com/ 

79% Students Use Smartphones to Study Online: 'India Lockdown Learning' Report by Vidyasaarathi

• 59% are using WhatsApp and Zoom calls for their classes; while 30% are using their institution’s online platform
• 75% students still prefer physical classrooms over online learning; biggest challenge being poor network connection

Majority of students (79%) use smartphones to study online reveals ‘India Lockdown Learning’ report by Vidyasaarathi. The report goes on to state that only 17% of students attend their online classes using laptops and computers and rest 4% students attend it through mediums like tablets. Vidyasaarathi is one of the largest scholarship management portals in India - promoted by NSDL e-Governance.

Vidyasaarathi’s ‘India Lockdown Learning’ report is basis a nationwide survey conducted by collecting data from over 10,000 students across 400 cities to understand the transformation happening in the educational eco-system.  The survey helps us to take note of how students are adopting e-learning which is becoming the norm and the challenges they face in the transition. The survey is holistic in capturing all the essential data for us to discern the pros and cons of the new normal.

The report that provides unique insights and perspectives on the e-learning scenario in India further finds that WhatsApp and Zoom Calls to be the most preferred medium of 59% students for conducting online classes; followed by 30% of students using their school’s or college’s online platform to attend online classes.  

While online classes are part of the new normal, 75% of the students still prefer physical classrooms over online learning. Poor internet connection was highlighted by 57% of students as their biggest challenge for e-learning. 31% of students finding it difficult to focus and 12% finding it difficult to get doubts clarified while studying online.

Interestingly, over 60% of the students spend around 1-4 hours on e-Learning; followed by 31% spending 4-8 hours and 8% spending 8-12 hours studying online. This shows that despite the challenges, the students’ willingness to learn and the commitment of teachers towards online education.

Moreover, among the total number of students who are utilizing online classes, 62% of them are using it for curricular and 38% for extra-curricular activities. Amongst the extra-curricular activities 39% are taking online courses on art & craft. This indicates a shift from the traditional learning methods.

Majority of the students who took the survey were in the age groups of 12 to 28 years where 62% were males. The respondents are in their undergraduate and postgraduate courses. They come from middle class families, with around 90% students belonging to families with annual incomes below INR 7 lakh

Students are also well aware of the benefits of online classes. Majority of them cited that the biggest advantage of e-learning is the accessibility of the course content any time. Students also highlighted ease of use and convenient doubt clarification to be the other motivators for online education.

Indian students are new to the e-learning culture. Online classes in this pandemic situation has been a challenge for educators and for students as well. This survey highlights the need for good IT infrastructure so that the challenges of digital learning do not weigh it down.

Vidyasaarathi is among the three education financing portals developed by NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure which assists students in their education financing process– Vidyasaarathi (education scholarships), Vidya Lakshmi (education loans), and Vidya Kaushal (skill development loans).

About Vidyasaarathi:

Vidyasaarathi is a scholarship portal developed by NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Ltd., which bridges the gap between students seeking financial assistance and companies with CSR funds wanting to contribute to the education space. Corporates can choose to create their own schemes and criteria to give scholarships to the deserving students. The schemes are designed in association with Tata Institute of Social Sciences. So far, over 30 corporates have associated with Vidyasaarathi to design and provide scholarship schemes to students, the portal is becoming popular amongst students.

Online Spoken Sanskrit Classes Organized by IIT Roorkee Concludes with a Grand Valedictory Session

• Hon'ble Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has commended the initiative organized by IIT Roorkee
• Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal‘Nishank’, Hon'ble Minister of Human Resource Development was the Chief Guest on the occasion

The course-1 of online Spoken Sanskrit classestitled “SubhashitamSamskritam” organized by the Sanskrit Club of IIT Roorkee in association with Samskrita Bharati, concluded today with a valedictory session. The Chief Guest for the valedictory session was Hon'ble Minister of Human Resource Development Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank'. Prof. Subhash Kak, Oklahoma State University, USA; Member of Indian Prime Minister's Science Technology and Innovations Advisory Council along and Shri Dinesh Kamat, All India Organizing Secretary, Samskrita Bharati were Guests of Honour. 

Hon'ble Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in his appreciation letter commended this initiative of IIT Roorkee and Samskrita Bharati. He said that Sanskrit has been an integral part of our tradition since antiquity and our Sanskrit scriptures have been vehicles of expression of Indian wisdom, philosophy, science, and ethics. He added that such events play an instrumental role in enabling participants to develop a keen interest in the language.

“Sanskrit is one of the oldest languages of the world. There is a need to sensitize the new age generation towards the uniqueness and significance of Sanskrit language. Such initiatives go a long way in sensitizing the young generation towards preserving the Indian culture and knowledge systems” said Hon’ble Minister of HRD Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank'.

 “I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for encouraging us and the esteemed Chief Guest Hon’ble Minister of Human Resource Development Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' for gracing this online event. The 12-day online classes aimed to help participants learn speaking elementary Sanskrit.” said Prof. Ajit K Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee.

The programme was launched on the auspicious day of Guru Purnima by the Sanskrit Club of IIT Roorkee and was open to all with a workable knowledge of an Indian language anywhere in the world. It imparted spoken Sanskrit lessons free of cost via the WebEx platform and YouTube live. Around 3000 people in the age group between 18 years to 40 years from 20 countries attended the classes.

The next 4 courses are scheduled to start from 1st week of August 2020. 

100+ Offline Colleges & Universities in India Go Online with upGrad

NIRF Top 100 amongst universities using upGrad’s tech infrastructure

In a first mover’s advantage, upGrad, India’s edtech leader, had announced access of its proprietary tech platform to all colleges and universities, at the very onset of COVID-19 pandemic, before Lockdown 1.0. Over 100 colleges and universities so far are using upGrad’s platform to replicate their offline classes, online. Institutes include Jamia Hamdard University, Lovely Professional University, who are amongst the MHRD’s NIRF Top 100 universities, with the former being recommended as Institute of Eminence by Government of India.

"Migrating to an online ecosystem is not about placing a webcam in front of the teacher. Quality of education will plummet if sessions, participations & evaluations are not supervised with equal precision like in an offline set up. I would not refer to ‘upGrad Live’ as just a ‘tech platform’, because it’s much more than that. It’s a digital campus we have built for universities and strengthened it for over half a decade with investments in the tune of ₹100 crores. Around 1,00,000 learners are logged in to the platform as we speak, with over 8500 hours of live sessions conducted in the past 3 months, and we are ready to take it to 1 Million learners," Ronnie Screwvala, Co-founder & Executive Chairman, upGrad.

Institutes from North India like CT University (Ludhiana), Rayat Bahra University (Punjab), ABES Engineering College (Ghaziabad) to South India like Hindustan University (Chennai), AMC Group of Institutions (Bengaluru) to Central India like People’s University (Bhopal), to West India like Nagpur University (Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University), Sandip University (Nashik), Sinhgad Group of Institution (Pune) to even institutes from the North East corners of India like Rabindranath Thakur Mahavidyalaya, Netaji Subhash Mahavidyalaya and Bir Bikram Memorial College in Tripura, are availing ‘upGrad Live’. The company also has institutes from NIRF top 100 universities like Lovely Professional University & Jamia Hamdard University, with the latter upGrad has a much deeper partnership for enabling online degree programs as well.

About upGrad:

upGrad is India’s largest online higher education company. Founded in early 2015, upGrad has on-boarded over 30K paid learners and impacted more than half a million individuals globally, within a short span of 5 years.

upGrad provides online programs in the areas of Data Science, Technology, Management and Law to college students, working professionals and enterprises. These programs are designed and delivered in collaboration with top-notch universities like IIT Madras, IIIT Bangalore, MICA, NMIMS Global Access, Jindal Global Law School, Duke CE, Deakin University, Liverpool John Moores University and others.

With an 85% program completion rate, robust tech platform, outcome-based learning approach, industry-relevant curriculum, finest university credentials, strong mentorship, and steadfast placement support, upGrad has established its position as the leader in the Indian education system.

IIIT Bangalore and upGrad's PG Diploma in Data Science is India’s first-ever PG Diploma to be recommended and validated by the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM). The program is India's largest Data Science program with over 10,000 alumni & learner-base, which now provides learners with certification from NASSCOM FutureSkills, thereby making the program aligned to Government approved National Occupational Standards (NOS) to facilitate the upskilling of India’s IT workforce and make them abreast of the new-age skills. Through this first-of-its-kind collaboration, upGrad joins NASSCOM’s mission to make India a hub for innovation and a global hotspot for a skilled talent pool.

upGrad has been awarded the title of ‘Best Tech for Education’ by IAMAI in 2019. upGrad received the ‘Best Education Brands’ award by Economic Times in 2018, Most Innovative Companies in India' by Fast Company in 2017 and has made it to LinkedIn’s ‘Top 25 Startups’ two years in a row in 2018 and 2019.

MICA Launches PG Programs in Media & Entertainment Management and Business Management Online with Ivory Education

MICA is offering Post Graduate Programmes in Media & Entertainment Management, and in Business Management online in association with Ivory Education. The programmes are available across India and globally through world-class e-learning environment. These can be done easily without traveling during the restrictions under COVID-19.

MICA launches two online PG courses in Media Management & Business Management

The participants can attend the classes from their homes, offices or any other place of their convenience. They can also use their mobile devices. The classes are held twice a week with part-time classes and convenient schedule for working professionals. Answer to any queries about the program is available at admission@ivoryeducation.in or via WhatsApp Chat at +91 8860438990.

Media and Entertainment industry has been considered as one of the growth drivers of India. The Industry has outperformed many and yet stands tall at 1674 billion INR (EY-FICCI, 2019) market. India is a market where the traditional and transformational media platforms are schedule to coexist in a big way. While, digital has been growing at a stupendous pace, the platforms like television, films, print and radio have been registering sustainable growth.

Considering the growth and scope of the industry, there is an utmost need for trained professionals to become the growth drivers to achieve newer heights. Post Graduate Certificate Programme in Media & Entertainment Management (PGCPMEM) is designed to create the future leaders of the industry.

Prof. Santosh Kumar Patra, Area Leader, Media and Entertainment Management (MEM) and Head, Centre for Media and Entertainment Studies (CMES) will personally be leading the programme at MICA. He has also taken the role of Programme Director.

The business environment has changed quite radically in India in recent years. To be effective and successful, executives need to refresh and enhance their management skills continuously. Such understanding is particularly essential in the complex, globalized environment in which economies operate today. Post Graduate Certificate Programme in Business Management (PGCPBM) is designed at providing this understanding to the participants.

According to recent report by The Economic Times, majority of the business management postgraduate, barring tier-1 institutes like MICA and select IIMs, are not employable. This programme is designed to cater to the needs of the industry and will help students and professionals excel in their career.

Prof. Rasananda Panda, Professor of Economics, Business Management Area and Registrar, MICA is the Program Director for PGCPBM. He is one of the most respected Professors in the field and has been associated with IIM Ahmedabad, Gujarat University, SLIMS, PDPU and other eminent institutions of repute.

MICA is one of the best B-Schools of India. The institute was established in 1991 and over the years emerged as a pioneer in meeting the needs of the industry. Today, it is the alma mater of professionals serving in media management, business management, marketing, marketing research, advertising, and communications-driven businesses.

This one year program intends to set a benchmark for those who aspire to excel in this field. Entire approach of this program is to impart domain expertise. It will follow a step-by-step approach where theoretical concepts will be followed by case studies and practical implementations. Sessions are designed to be interactive and participative.

The courses are commencing from July 2020. Graduates in any field from a recognized university are eligible for this course. Ivory Education will also provide placement assistance to those who successfully complete the program. Prospectus and Application form for the program can be downloaded free of cost at www.ivoryeducation.com.

The benefits of the programmes include:

1. Certificate of Completion awarded by MICA


2. On Campus module at MICA next year during the course of the programme, where participants can interact with faculties face to face & also experience the prestigious campus real time.


3. Gain MICA Alumni status


4. Insights into the modern and emerging trends in the industry


5. Gain deeper understanding of the nuances of the industry with a focus on specific in-demand areas


6. Convenient schedules for working professionals.

Designed with a mix of various case studies, industry examples etc. which enlighten participant's knowledge in the practical corporate scenario.

Lectures imparted by specially selected, eminent, core faculty from MICA.

Guest lectures by Industry Experts.

Specifically designed for working executive

Quality interactions and increased peer group learning.

Virtual classrooms that allow for active interactions with other fellow students and faculty

Immense opportunities for career advancement and networking

Kapil Rampal, Managing Director, Ivory Education Private Limited, said, "MICA is committed towards online courses. They list PGCPMEM and PGCPBM amongst their core courses and have deputed the finest leaders and faculty from MICA to manage and teach in these programmes. We are proud to continue our association in MICA and are looking forward to welcoming you in these programmes."

NSDL e-Governance launches Vidyasaarathi online Career Tests for students

NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Ltd., one of India’s leading education financing facilitators and e-Governance solutions provider, has launched Vidyasaarathi Career Tests to help students across age groups choose the career best suited for their future. 

There are three different career tests which are hosted on NSDL e-Governance’s Vidyasaarathi portal – Aptitude Test, Personality Test, and Interest Test. The online tests are designed in a way to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of the individual and then provide them with insights that will help them make a suitable career choice.  To provide more detailed and reliable insights, the age groups for these tests have been categorized into three groups – ‘6-11 years’, ‘12-17 years’ and ‘18 years & above’. 

NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Ltd.’s MD and CEO, Mr. Gagan Rai said, “We have developed the three tests keeping in mind the needs of our students. The initiative is to help students find their interests and aptitude, match it to their personality type and help them choose a career path of their choice. COVID-19 has extensively impacted the student community and these tests will address a lot of doubts that the students have with respect to their career decisions in these uncertain times.”

Aptitude test measures the aptitude or talent of an individual to identify the job befitting their skillset. This test is popular in the student and counselling community as it helps a student in identifying their objective skills and sets the first filter in the pool of career opportunities. 

Personality test is a popular yet unique assessment as it evaluates the needs and wants of the applicant from the surroundings to map the personality into four temperaments – Artisans, Guardians, Idealists, and Rationals.

Interest test will ask students to rank various activities as per their rate of interest and identify them as realists, thinkers, creators, helpers, persuaders and organizers.

The tests are designed with simplicity for easy comprehension. Each test will cost Rs. 299 to applicants and will help in narrowing down fields by identifying vital traits that an applicant possesses. 

Furthermore, on Vidyasaarathi portal students can also apply for scholarships that will financially support their choice of career. All the required information is available on www.vidyasaarathi.co.in

About NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited:

NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited (NSDL e-Gov) was setup in 1996. It has over the years, used its inherent strengths, project management capabilities & technology expertise to deliver state of the art e-Governance solutions, which has helped Governments to identify and clear bottlenecks, promote transparency, reduce service delivery costs and deliver public services efficiently. A recipient of the Golden Peacock Award for Innovation Management, the company has been recognized for its innovative products and services at various national and international forums. NSDL e-Gov works closely with various Government agencies for designing, managing and implementing e-Governance Projects. NSDL e-Gov has also established service centres network across the country, which serves as access points for the public and are efficiently used to deliver quality services in a user friendly and transparent manner to the citizens.

Vidyasaarathi is a scholarship portal which bridges the gap between students seeking financial assistance and companies with CSR funds wanting to contribute to the education space. Corporates can choose to create their own schemes and criteria to give scholarships to the deserving students. The schemes are designed in association with Tata Institute of Social Sciences. So far, over 30 corporates have associated with Vidyasaarathi to design and provide scholarship schemes to students, the portal is becoming popular amongst students. The portal has successfully provided scholarships to over 6000 students.

Visit www.egov-nsdl.co.in for more information.

BasicFirst Announces its 'Doubt Clearing App' for Students in India

• Students get a 14-day free trial after signing up


• Students can clear doubts for as low as 0.75 Rupees

With an aim to support the students in their academic pursuits amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, BasicFirst Learning OPC Pvt. Ltd. has come up with a new version of the BasicFirst Doubt Clearing App for students where the average response time for all queries is just 32 minutes via in-app chats. Teachers are available from 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM, ensuring students can clear doubts whenever any query arises.

[caption id="attachment_144342" align="alignleft" width="208"] BasicFirst - Doubt Clearing App[/caption]

The Doubt Clearing App is India's first platform to resolve doubts through live sessions with experienced teachers via in-app chatting. BasicFirst caters to students from classes 6th to 12th belonging to all Boards (including CBSE, ICSE, IGCSE and other State Boards such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Bihar) and major competitive examinations - IIT Main, JEE Advance, NEET, AIIMS, NTSE, Olympiads and more.

The BasicFirst Doubt Clearing App offers tailored packages to meet unique needs at a cost-effective monthly subscription. BasicFirst is also offering a 14-days free trial on all packages, post completion of which students can have their doubts cleared for as low as 0.75 Rupees to 3 Rupees depending upon the complexity of the question.

On the release of the app, Randhir Kumar, Founder, CEO & Chief Mentor - BasicFirst Learning OPC Pvt. Ltd. said, "Due to Coronavirus, all educational institutions have shut down and exams have been suspended without a date in sight, the education system is in a limbo, where does this leave the students Our duty is to provide the students with an interactive platform that helps them promote their academic goals efficiently by drastically reducing the time required in resolving doubts. We always put students first. Therefore, we want to ensure an entirely stress-free learning process."

BasicFirst has also introduced a "Refer & Earn" system wherein students can earn referral points by inviting their friends to try the BasicFirst App. These points can be redeemed for various options. Furthermore, there is an option for students to donate these earned points to noble causes through the App itself. BasicFirst will donate the respective amount to NGOs, which can be viewed from the donation activities in the application.

Instagram link of the original series by BasicFirst Learning OPC Pvt. Ltd.:

www.instagram.com/p/B_B-BirHBWF/igshid=lp381kldicio

About BasicFirst Learning OPC Pvt. Ltd.

BasicFirst Learning OPC Pvt. Ltd. is an aptitude-based personalized e-learning initiative that uses Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Science to create a platform for adaptive learning online. Founded in January 2017 by Randhir Kumar with a vision to make quality education available in the remotest locations of India, BasicFirst caters to various academic needs of class 6th to 12th students. BasicFirst employs experienced teachers and professionals from top colleges of India, available 24x7, to design teaching modules assisting students from these classes to ace school, Board and competitive exams, including CBSE, ICSE, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Bihar while offering multiple courses designed for competitive exams such as JEE Main, JEE Advance, NEET, AIIMS, NTSE and Olympiads.

BasicFirst clears students' doubts within 32 minutes or less via chat in the app. It equips students with essential communication skills, aptitude, subject competency and foundational knowledge to excel in academic goals, crack competitive exams and pave their way for a better career. Gradually, BasicFirst plans to spread its affordable services across the farthest regions to make digital academic support universally accessible.

More details: www.basicfirst.com.

Twitter: @basicfirstedu

Instagram: basicfirst_learning

Facebook: @basicfirstlearning

YouTube: bit.ly/345d4ej

Mastercard Provides Free Online STEM Lessons to Children, Teachers and Parents

Mastercard extended access to its signature STEM curriculum, Girls4Tech™, through a suite of new online, creative educational resources. The program has been designed to help parents and teachers engage and inspire kids, ages 8-12. 

Through the newly launched website Girls4Tech Connect, as well as through activities made in collaboration with our education partner Scholastic, teachers and parents can download lessons to help students learn about STEM topics, from the comfort of their homes or anywhere around the world.

These activities are built on global science and math standards – and incorporate Mastercard’s deep expertise in payments technology and innovation – to enable children to discover a range of STEM careers, such as Fraud Detective, Data Scientist and Software Engineer. 

Now in its sixth year, Girls4Tech has engaged more than 800,000 students across the globe through inquiry-based activities and real-world challenges, all with the goal of inspiring more girls to pursue STEM careers and reduce the gender gap in these fields.

“We know that these are challenging times for parents and teachers on many fronts and hope that these learning resources are a fun way to engage and inspire kids about STEM while at home,” says Susan Warner, vice president of Community Engagement at Mastercard, and founder of Girls4Tech. “The easy access to the website enhances what we’ve done in so many workshops. We look forward to building on both efforts when it’s once again safe to gather in person."

Beginning this week, new activities will be posted on a weekly basis at the Girls4Tech website, Facebook page and Twitter handle. Lessons are currently available in English, with additional Spanish and Chinese language content to follow in the coming weeks. 

While all lessons are designed for students to work independently, materials are also available for teachers to guide online sessions. 

Impact Highlights from the First Six Years

• To date, Girls4Tech has reached more than 800,000 girls in 27 countries and on 6 continents. 


• The program has engaged more than 4,400 employee mentors worldwide.


• Mastercard has partnered with Scholastic, Be Better China, Major League Baseball, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), R&A and YCAB in Indonesia to further scale the program and offer STEM skills in unique ways to girls ages 8-16.


• As technology skills evolve, a new curriculum was launched in 2019 to give students deeper exposure to the growing fields of cybersecurity and AI – Girls4Tech Cybersecurity & AI.


• Girls4Tech programs also extend to girls ages 13-16 with Girls4Tech 2.0, as well as a 20-week coding program, Girls4Tech & Code for girls 8-10.

To learn more about Girls4Tech and access the online lessons, please visit Girls4Tech Connect.

About Mastercard, www.mastercard.com

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.

Coronavirus - Internshala Announces Free Access to its Online Training Programs for Healthcare Workers' Children

Internshala has announced free access to Internshala Trainings, its e-learning platform, for the children of healthcare workers. As a thank you gesture for all the people working in the healthcare sector at the forefront of India's fight against COVID-19, the children of all such staff will be provided free access to the online training programs on Internshala Trainings till 15th April when the lockdown period ends. 

Children of the employees working at a government recognised hospital (public or private; doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, cleaning staff, ambulance drivers, receptionists, billing, diagnostic, and people employed in any other department of a hospital) who are studying in a government recognised school or college (public or private) would be eligible to avail this benefit. The students can choose to learn a number of skills including programming, data science, business communication, design, and creative writing on Internshala Trainings through its short duration online training programs. Under this initiative, the facility will be made available to 1000 eligible students first and will gradually be rolled out for all eligible students across India.

Sarvesh Agrawal, the founder and CEO of Internshala, said, “While we are at home, the healthcare workers are out there screening and treating COVID-19 patients, putting in extra hours, and taking risks for our safety and well-being. Through this initiative, we want to express our gratitude by supporting their children in whatever ways we can.” 

“As the students are not able to attend regular classes, through this they can make productive use of their time to learn a new skill or build a project. In fact, based on a UNESCO report, 1.37 billion students all over the world are out of school and colleges right now due to COVID-19 and online learning has to step in to support the students at such a critical time”, he added.

For more details visit: bit.ly/Internshala-Initiative

 About Internshala

Internshala (https://internshala.com) was founded in 2010 and is India’s largest internships and trainings platform with over 8 Mn students as users. With the mission to equip students with relevant skills and practical exposure through internships and online trainings, Internshala aims to be the boarding pass for every student’s dreams.

Zee5 Partners with Eduauraa to Provide World Class Online Education at An Affordable Price

ZEE5, India's largest ConTech brand today, amidst the presence of Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank', Hon'ble Minister of Human Resource Development, Government of India announced an exclusive partnership with Eduauraa, a premier digital learning platform.

After reimagining the content landscape for Indian OTT consumers and entertaining millions of individuals with an array of bespoke content across 100+ originals, movies, news and its brand-new gamification offering all on one single platform, ZEE5 today, via this partnership, has taken a strong step forward in creating purposeful content for its viewers across the Nation.

The partnership was launched at an event in Delhi, which was graced by the presence of Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank', Hon'ble Minister of Human Resource Development, Government of India, and Mr. Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., Mr. Tarun Katial, CEO, ZEE5 India and Ms. Akanksha Chaturvedi, Founder and CEO, Eduauraa.

Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank', Hon'ble Minister of Human Resource Development, during his keynote said, “My congratulations to ZEE5 and Eduauraa for showing great foresight in bringing education to a streaming platform. I am sure that the digital transformation of education will provide easy access to content and democratize education for masses. It should be our endeavour to see more innovation in the learning ecosystem that will allow each child to discover his strengths and abilities and fulfil his dreams in a digital world!”

India has the world's largest school going population between the age bracket of 6-17 with over 310 million students. Over 55% of Indian students take tuitions, and on an average 11-12% of a parent's income goes on a single child's education. The cost of education has risen from Rs.55,000 to Rs.1,25,000 over the past decade, an increase of over 150%. Despite spending a huge portion of their earnings, parents have no control over the quality of education their children get. Access to e-learning platforms in India remains prohibitively expensive ranging from Rs. 15,000 to Rs.2 lakhs/year.

When 85% of India earns below 8 lakhs a year, how can India afford this?

ZEE5 and Eduauraa join hands to democratize education by giving world class quality education content at an affordable price, empowering over 310 million students.

Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. commented, “Education is the most important pillar of any economy. If the education of this Country can be revolutionized, then every individual can be empowered to improve their standard of living, thus having a trickle up effect and in turn positively impacting the development of our Country. ZEE5's initiative with Eduauraa is our first step towards giving back to our extended family by delivering purposeful content at an affordable price.”

Tarun Katial, CEO, ZEE5 India said, “Our larger vision at ZEE5, is to be able to build a rich repository of purposeful content across genres that makes a ZEE5 subscription an investment for an individual to enjoy content viewing anytime, anywhere. With Eduauraa on board, we want to create purposeful content and address the educational needs of the young students across the Country.  Quality education should be accessible to one and all, irrespective of age, gender, financial capabilities, and their place of stay. In most cities, a significant amount of household income is today spent on private coaching, irrespective of the child's grade. Eduauraa coming on board with ZEE5 will help us strengthen our education content portfolio. With our wide reach across the Country including metros, Tier 2 cities, Tier 3 towns and villages, we hope to provide quality education to children in an engaging way at no extra cost.”

The partnership will transform the traditional learning system and provide students of class 6th to 12th standard across different boards including ICSE, CBSE and seven state boards (Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu), in English and Hindi. Concept based learning as per Board wise syllabus will be delivered through interactive video lectures using innovative and interactive methods that explain each and every topic or concept.

Akanksha Chaturvedi, Founder & CEO, Eduauraa commented, “Having studied at great institutions, I realised that India can be transformed if superior quality education can reach every child. The challenge was that world class education was expensive and only the rich could afford it. We believe technology could be used as an enabler to eliminate all barriers and transform the way education is consumed. In ZEE5 we found a partner with a similar vision. With a philosophy of empowering children and playing catalysts to equal opportunities, Eduauraa was created with a vision to democratize education by using technology, making premiere quality education reach every corner of India at an affordable price.”

ZEE5 has aggressively invested in onboarding best-in-class technology partners who could help deliver a hyper-personalised and a seamless content viewing experience for consumers to watch content on any device, anytime. With Eduauraa coming on board, ZEE5 will continue to invest further in technology to better the overall consumer journey onto the platform by making the app user friendly and intuitive. 

ZEE5 subscribers would be able to conveniently access Eduauraa through an in-app integration. As part of the introductory offering, ZEE5 will offer Eduauraa free for six months for new users who would subscribe to the annual pack and register themselves on or before March 31st, 2020. Eduauraa on ZEE5 would be available in Hindi and English – the only educational app at this price point to make language options available for the viewer.

Some of the segment leading features would include multiple options to learn and excel such as interactive animation videos, e-books, and practice test papers, English learning segment which is valuable for people across all age groups, content to prepare for competitive exams such as civil services, banking and railways, team of IIT's, IIM's and other Professors who are responsible for the quality check of the content, and Eduauraa Proficiency Quotient, Eduauraa Assistant, virtual classroom and mentor service.

About Eduauraa:

Eduauraa provides quality content with a bespoke approach for students of class 6th to 12th. The content is made for all 8 subjects – Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, History, Economics and Civics. It covers 9 different boards, including ICSE, CBSE and seven state boards (Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu). The content is specifically designed according to every board, so that every student can be focused on their schoolwork and the amount of information being taught to them is exactly in line with their syllabus. A team of Teachers, Subject Matter Experts, Visualizers, Animators, Editors and Directors help create an inclusive and an engaging learning experience. The lesson plans consist of video lectures that showcase 2D/3D & alpha animations, images and real-life stories for students to understand the concepts well. There are eBooks that are like revision guides that focus on important definitions, diagrams & learning objectives. Additionally, mind maps are provided that give a diagrammatical representation for the student to summarize and revise the entire chapter. In house teachers prepare specially curated objective & subjective test papers to ensure the student is thoroughly prepared.

Eduauraa's content - videos, eBooks, mind maps and test-papers are crafted in both English and Hindi.

Additionally, Eduauraa hosts features such as:

• Team of teachers from India's top schools who are responsible for the quality-check of the content created, and a team of visualizers who ensure the product is alluring to the eye for students.


• An easy to use UIUX and in app features like never such as - Eduauraa Proficiency Quotient to analyse a student's progress, Eduauraa Assistant for easy study scheduling, virtual classroom so peers can study together.

Website: http://eduauraa.com/

About About ZEE5:

ZEE5 is the digital entertainment destination launched by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), a global Media and Entertainment powerhouse. With content across 12 languages like English, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati & Punjabi, ZEE5 is home to 1 lakh hours of On Demand Content and 80+ live TV channels. The platform brings together the best of Originals, Indian and International Movies and TV Shows, Music, Kids content, Cineplays, Live TV and Health and Lifestyle content all in one single destination. ZEE5 offers ground breaking features like 11 navigational languages, content download option, seamless video playback and Voice Search.

Online Medical Education Firm Medvarsity Ties With Singhania Univ to Enhance Patient Safety Training

Medvarsity Online Ltd., a leader in online medical education, partnered with Singhania University to provide in-depth knowledge and skills needed to improve healthcare quality and patient safety.

The Master's in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety course is intended to upskill students to effectively monitor and improve quality metrics, along with enhancing safety for both the patients and the staff of health centers.

At every level of caregiving, there are chances of inherent safety issues that linger. With numerous medical negligence cases, it has become more apparent that patient safety is not being given the due importance it needs.

The notion of patient safety should, therefore, be the core of any healthcare delivery system. According to JCI, the international patient safety goals emphasize on aspects like effective communication, reduced risk of healthcare-associated infections, improved safety of high-alert medications and others, which ensure optimum patient safety.

"Healthcare quality and patient safety has been a core focus for Medvarsity as a means of expanding our impact in healthcare. Through our students, we're building healthcare systems which are established on the culture of safety and quality. Partnering with Singhania University gives us a unique opportunity of leveraging their reputation & values and combining it with our reach & content expertise to make a difference." said Mr. Gerald Jaideep, CEO, Medvarsity Online Ltd. about the partnership.

Healthcare systems have increasingly started to focus on the quality of care and patient safety to strengthen the effectiveness of treatments and improved patient satisfaction. Therefore, healthcare entities, who directly or indirectly provide care for patients, need to possess distinct skills and knowledge to elevate standards of patient safety.

Effective involvement in patient care, skilled healthcare professionals, data to drive safety improvements and clear policies are some aspects which will ensure significant advancements in the quality and safety of healthcare practices.

Keeping this in mind, Medvarsity has aptly identified the necessity to upskill healthcare professionals on multiple aspects of healthcare quality and patient safety, through their unique program of Master's in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety.

Mr. Amit Yadav, Pro Vice Chancellor, Singhania University expressed his views by saying "At Singhania, we focus on better medical facilities for the community and improved training for clinical and non-clinical practitioners. By joining hands with Medvarsity, we are aiming to achieve excellence in healthcare quality and patient safety through advanced integrated learning for students." about the partnership.

The Master's in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety enables the students to:

• Apply various quality improvement tools, along with processes to measure, analyze and interpret healthcare quality and safety data


• Implement various national and international quality standards in healthcare settings


• Help healthcare organizations adopt a quality-driven and patient-centered culture


• Design, implement, promote, and evaluate the quality and patient safety initiatives in healthcare organizations

The course captures the proactive practices to improve patient safety, with multidisciplinary sessions that equip the students with in-depth knowledge on various aspects of patient safety and healthcare quality. The blended learning program includes 30-day practical training from leading tertiary care hospitals, along with intense online training to help gain a comprehensive coverage of the subject. Anyone with a bachelor's degree in any stream is eligible to take up this course. It is also ideal for healthcare professionals looking to advance to leadership roles in healthcare quality or patient safety.

About Medvarsity Online Ltd.

Medvarsity Online Ltd. is India's first and largest online healthcare training company with over 45,000 medical professionals trained and certified. Our partnerships with leading universities globally enable us to present the best courses and faculty to our students and help them meet their learning goals.

With over 7000 active learners on our platform and course accreditation by leading global partners, Medvarsity is a leader in the medical certification training in the region. It is the leading online medical certification and training company with presence across 10 locations in India and students across India, Middle East, Africa, and South-East Asia.

Our blended training solutions combine the best of traditional e-learning, live virtual classes, clinical bedside learning and mobile learning models to deliver impactful courses to our students. Medvarsity has been rewarded with 'excellence in training and development' in online education in the year 2018.

About Singhania University.

Singhania University has been established by the Govt. of Rajasthan, that has been set up with an objective to maintain high standards of education for overall development and growth of the students.

The University has been established with a commitment to bring higher education to the masses and to provide student-centric & placement oriented education. Our workforce of medical practitioners in the country encompasses professionals from various fields of medical sciences including Paramedical, Nursing, Medicine, Unani, Ayurveda, Homeopathy, etc. We bestow experiential learning with competency-based student assessment, integrating medical education, and clinical training across all 4-years of learning in the campus.

TikTok ties with Vedantu, Vidya Guru, other Indian eLearning Platforms to Encourage Digital Learning

TikTok, the world's leading short video platform, has partnered with key educational technology companies - Vedantu, Vidya Guru, Hello English, CETKing and Testbook in an effort to encourage subject focussed content creation and learning as part of its ongoing knowledge based campaign #EduTok. The aim of the partnership is to give over 200 million TikTok users an opportunity to learn and grow as individuals by partnering with industry leaders to create educational content in various formats and languages.

As part of the partnership, the EdTech companies have joined the platform and are creating content videos on various subjects that can enable personalized learning for TikTok users. Apart from subjects such as Social Sciences, English, Mathematics, Hindi, Biology, Chemistry, the online learning platforms are also creating videos that will share information about Current Affairs, Vocabulary and post-graduate programs such as MBA, under #EduTok.

Sachin Sharma, Director, Sales and Partnerships, TikTok India said, “Digital evolution and the boom in smartphone adoption is redefining the learning patterns of the digital community at large. With these partnerships, we are building an education ecosystem that gives learners the opportunities to thrive in their respective careers and subjects and help solve their challenges with ease, while using a platform that they love. We are very happy to have established education partners joining us in our mission, and we look forward to seeing our audience benefit from the content.”

Anand Prakash, Co-Founder, Vedantu said, “At Vedantu, we aim to bridge the gap and ensure quality education across rural and urban India is available, resulting in equal opportunity. Collaborating with TikTok has supplemented our mission as it allows us to reach the farthest corners in India and share knowledge and information with users from Tier 2 and 3 cities, while making learning fun and engaging. Campaigns such as #EduTok equip us with additional tools to significantly increase the quality of learning experience and provide access to education across the country.”

Sonia Grover Kalra, Director, Vidya Guru Institute said, “Technological innovation in Education has allowed us to scale individualized learning to an effective level. We at Vidya Guru are always looking out for innovative models that allow us to deliver subject knowledge in interesting formats. TikTok empowers us to do so and we are thrilled to be a part of its #EduTok campaign that is inspiring, engaging, and motivating the student community.”

Jinisha Jain, Business Development-Strategic Partnerships Manager, Hello English said, “TikTok with its campaigns has brought forward innovative methods to teach as well as consume educational content. We have seen phenomenal user appetite with individuals coming forward and showing enthusiasm to learn different languages. #EduTok is playing the role of empowering individuals; creators for sharing their knowledge and building an identity while individuals being encouraged to never give up the quest for learning. Partnering with TikTok has enabled us to contribute to the larger purpose of building the knowledge economy of the country.”

#EduTok is an effort to further highlight TikTok’s commitment to propel India’s creative economy and its contribution in the lives of digital natives. The videos created as part of the campaign, which has garnered over 37 billion views, showcases the spirit of TikTok creators and partners who use the platform to bring a change in the society by sharing their knowledge with the larger community.

A Round Up of Top E-Learning Trends 2019

Today, India is struggling with two major challenges of unemployability and skill-gap, and lack of quality education and hands-on learning is not helping with the fact. To cope with the same, the students of India are turning to e-learning (through MOOCs, online trainings and courses). With rising awareness, students find online learning to be one of the best ways to explore their interests, pick up new skills, gain practical experience, and become career-ready.

Why online learning?

In addition to providing high quality education, online learning offers affordable and accessible learning to the students. How? E-learning brings quality learning material from subject matter experts and academicians to the comfort of their homes and provides the learners, a flexibility to learn anytime and anywhere. Additionally, online learning costs only a fraction of what students are expected to pay at offline coaching centres. 



In order to help those students who wish to learn new skills and become job-ready, we have compiled the following e-learning trends, the data for which has been taken from Internshala Trainings.

1. 6x growth in students opting for e-learning: Over the span of 3 years (from 2015 to 2018), the number of students pursuing online learning has increased by six times. The reason behind this the rise in awareness among students regarding their careers and how they could build a resume with relevant skills and experience in order to stand out among their peers and land their dream jobs.
   
   

2. Top 5 in-demand online trainings: With the advent of technology and the rise of startups, a lot of exciting career opportunities are being created in the fields of engineering and management. As a result of this, students are actively learning skills like Web Development, Python Programming, Android App Development, Digital Marketing, and C/C++ Programming.

3. Reasons why students opt e-learning: The major reasons why students are taking up online trainings are to gain a new skill (40% learners), to improve their prospects of getting an internship or a job in the future (34% learners), and to build academic or hobby projects. Apart from this, students also pursue e-learning to gain certifications to add to their resume or to fulfil their college requirements.


4. Female candidates are also actively pursuing e-learning:In India, especially in tier-2 and 3 cities, often female candidates find it difficult to travel distances to learn new skills in good coaching centres. E-learning has given them an opportunity to gain in-demand skills from the comfort of their homes as a result of which we have found that 44% of the online learners is comprised of female candidates.

4. 60% users prefer learning through desktop/laptops:Even though nowadays, students are more active on their mobiles, they still prefer learning through laptops/desktops as it provides better visibility and a better environment for hands-on learning.

6. Popular months to pursue online courses:It is common for the students to utilise their summer and winter vacations to learn new skills which is why the most popular months among learners are summer months of April, May, and June, and the winter month of December. 

7. Average time spent on e-learning per day: The average spent on online learning is approximately two hours every day. In addition to this, students are mostly active between 5:00-11:00 PM as they either have to attend college during the day or pursue an internship.

Courtesy: Sarvesh Agrawal is the founder and CEO of Internshala, an internships and trainings platform.



 

Shiksha.com Introduces first ever AI based Assistance Platform for Students

India’s one of the leading college admission and career portal Shiksha.com has come up with the first ever AI based assistance platform for students named ‘Shiksha Assistant’. It’s a one stop platform for extracting relevant information available in millions of topics related to careers, colleges, courses and exams on Shiksha’s site. It makes it possible for a student to instantly get an answer to his query without searching for information.

Shiksha assistant like other assistant will answer all higher education related queries of a student. System will interact with the students to give answers to any queries from college details, exam details, career to course details. It tries to provide the exact information which student is trying to find out with the information available on Shiksha. After providing the solution to the query, it will also provide a link to the student to navigate for more information available on the query.

Shiksha Assistant uses multiple Artificial intelligence technologies & techniques to give an answer to students’ queries. Firstly, it tries to understand the intent of students’ queries. Secondly by using NLP (Natural language processing), it tries to understand what all topics it can serve as per the query. Based on that, it tries matching the students’ intent with topics to extract the precise details required from the information available within the topics. Shiksha Assistant tries to build the context of queries and provide relevant results based on previous conversations with the student or the information student is exploring on the portal.

Mr. Vivek Jain, Chief Business Officer, Shiksha.com says, "We proudly announce the introduction of ‘Shiksha Assistant’- the first ever Assistance Platform for Students. It’s an interactive platform that tries to understand the user doubts by enabling a conversation. Now search is made easier and simpler for students on Shiksha. With Shiksha Assistant, students need not have to read every bit of information in finding their desired details nor have to spend time in searching for information within these topics. Beside this, Shiksha Assistant also drives conversation with students by recommending more new relevant information for them to discover based on the popular topics looked out by the similar profile of students.”

Considering aggressive need of information during the engineering and MBA admission season, the Shiksha Assistant tool has been designed to reduce the burden of students in making a right decision while visiting Shiksha portal for Engineering students at https://www.shiksha.com/b-tech/jee-main-exam and for MBA students at https://www.shiksha.com/mba/cat-exam in search of their requirement.

Shiksha Assistant provides data driven reliable information available on Shiksha within seconds to a student. The robust system can handle millions of student queries at any point of time.

Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak Launches Tech Education Platform Woz U

Apple is a name to reckon with in the tech world today. Their products are testimonial of quality, class, style and performance all packed into one sleek design. While we all know its founder Steve Jobs well enough, do you know there was another Steve who worked hard to get the Apple name where it is now. Yes, we’re talking about Steve Wozniak.

While Jobs went on to become the public face and showman of the company, Wozniak presumed the role of being the geek-behind-the-scenes. After building some of the most popular products for the company, the Silicon Valley legend left Apple on February 9, 1985 as a full-time employee to pursue outside interests. The week saw Wozniak launching his latest initiative, an online learning platform called Woz U.

Based out of Arizona, Woz U will initially start as an online learning platform that will focus on both students and companies that will eventually hire those students. Eventually, Wozniak aims to launch physical locations for learning in more than 30 cities globally. It also plans on introducing an accelerator program in 2019 “to identify and develop elite tech talent”.

The platform’s main aim is to provide you a personalized approach to coding and tech education designed to get you through the curriculum faster so that you can get into the workforce quicker, and start changing the world.

Woz U’s curriculum is mainly centred around computer support specialists and software developers, with well structured courses on mobile applications, data science and cyber security coming in the future.

Understanding the difficulty people face when choosing their curriculum, Woz U will offer its users an app which will help them understand which field of tech they’re best suited for, so that they can make their choice accordingly.

Commenting on his new initiative, Wozniak said, “Our goal is to educate and train people in employable digital skills without putting them into years of debt. People often are afraid to choose a technology-based career because they think they can’t do it. I know they can, and I want to show them how. My entire life I have worked to build, develop and create a better world through technology and I have always respected education. Now is the time for Woz U, and we are only getting started.”

In addition to being an education platform, Woz U will also function as a platform for tech firms to recruit, train and retain talent through on-site customized programs and subscription-based curricula. It will also have a special platform for K-12 students, which will be especially made available to school districts, that will be offering STEAM programs to identify talent and encourage such individuals them to pursue a career in tech.

Students have 24/7 access to online programs with live access to instructors and mentors, high-quality video-based curriculum, and comprehensive career services. Their online program also offers flexibility for those currently working full-time, traveling or simply in need of a more adaptive approach to learning.

As of now, there’s no information on pricing for the different platforms and courses.

This development was first reported in Techcrunch.

[Image: Venture Beat]

5 Month Old Edtech Startup Leverage Secures Seed Funding

An online platform for higher education, Leverage has raised an undisclosed amount in seed funding from a bunch of investors, including Arjun Mehta, former CFO at American Express India; Kashyap Deorah, founder, Hypertrack; Sadashiva NT, a former chief financial officer of Babajobs and Anand Sankeshwar, Managing Director, VRL Logistics.

The company plans to utilize freshly infused funds towards its product development and to grow its team size.

The startup was founded in April 2017 by Akshay Chaturvedi who was the alumnus of Indian School of Business along with and Rajiv Ganjoo. Prior venturing into the startup world, Chaturvedi used to work with Babajobs as a senior executive.

Being headquartered in Delhi, the startup that operates in the higher education space runs a career assessment and mentorship programme. Leverage states that it matches students with over 2,500 colleges outside India through its panel of 100-plus experts. If we talk about the technology, the firm uses machine learning to help students build academic profiles, including writing papers and filing for patents for the selection process. Not only this, Leverage offers UnivGateway, a Saas-based tool to universities to help them admit the right students.

Earlier in July 2017, Gamified edtech startup PlayAblo had secured $600k funding led by ABI-Showatech (India) Ltd. In the same month, Thinkerbell Labs, which builds literacy devices for the visually impaired had raised an angel investment of Rs 1.3 Crore from Indian Angel Network and Anand Mahindra.