Srinagar: To provide novel learning opportunities for students in the time of pandemic, EMRC (Educational Multimedia Research Centre), University of Kashmir (KU) has come up with an interactive multimedia ‘Digital Learning Corner (DLC)’ in view of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown.

Director Educational Multimedia Research Centre (EMRC) Dr Shahid Rasool said in a statement that the DLC contains courses and course material, developed by renowned subject experts from various disciplines, students can avail in the comfort, convenience, and above all, the safety of their homes anywhere, anytime.

Due to the ongoing lockdown, schools, colleges and universities are unable to function and the closure is taking a heavy toll on education system, especially students and scholars.

And DLC is expected to fill the void and provide quality content to students from primary to secondary to undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG)-level students through different media and digital platforms, Dr Shahid said.

He said the EMRC Srinagar too has its share in delivering content to masses not just in the twin UTs of J&K and Ladakh but for learners all over.
Through this Digital Learning Platform, SWAYAM and YouTube, the EMRC has made available all the content developed by institutions like CEC, UGC- Inflibnet, NPTEL, NIOS, IGNOU, NCERT, IIT, Gyan Darshan, AICTE, NITTTR, IIMB free and easily accessible to learners who wish to make the best use of this lockdown while not requiring venturing out, the Director EMRC explained.

He said that such platforms have digital e-contents for 87 UG subjects as per model syllabi of UGC under National Mission on Education through ICT (NME-ICT), 86 MOOCs for PG and 203 MOOCs for UG students.

Dr Shahid said that subjects like Immunology, Economic Botany, Plant Physiology, Algorithms, Psychology for Health & Wellbeing and Effective Decision Making offered by EMRC as MOOCs were also available on the platform.

He informed that on KU TELEVISION YouTube channel, with around 5000 subscribers, lectures on Botany, Laparoscopic Surgery, MOOC lectures on Genetics, lecture-based programmes on few subjects and few discussion-based programmes have also been made available.
Besides, educational documentaries and GoogleDrive Content Links of various MOOCS, Dr Shahid said that they also have content for undergraduate and postgraduate students on Languages, Elementary Education, English Teaching, Special Education for Visually Impaired, Home Science, Environmental Science, Physical Education etc.
The courseware also includes three years BA Education programme and related enrichment programmes, he said.

He said the EMRC DLC provides links to content for classes 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th developed by NCERT and NIOS.

The Director EMRC asked students not worry for low speed internet in J&K as, 32 dedicated, free-to-air DTH Channels of MHRD, that run content 24×7, were available on DD Free Dish and Dish TV besides the Jio app.
He said that all the students needed to do was to ask the cable operators to make the channels available on their networks.
He further said that in times of COVID-19 it shall be mandatory for all cable and DTH operators to carry these educational channels and requests in this regard have been made to the authorities.

The Director EMRC said that the centre on its own 24×7 DTH channel on Life Sciences called SPANDAN, airs content for students of Botany, Zoology, Biomedical Science, Life Science, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, etc.
The programmes are directly based on the UGC curriculum and the programme schedule is available on the DLC as well as the centre website, he said.

“The VC, KU Prof Talat Ahmad is personaly guiding the team at EMRC with full support from Registrar Dr Nisar A Mir. The centre is getting full support from the University Administration in promoting Online education”, said Dr Shahid.

Calling digital and online education the future of learning, Director EMRC emphasised on and the need to encourage students to use available media platforms for their own benefit.
“When education is being delivered at your palms why worry, you just have to tap or click,” he said.
He also requested teachers and scholars to come forward to package knowledge in various digital forms.

Dr Shahid said that in order to promote digital education, EMRC, KU has been using various methods to reach out to people like making use of social media, publishing posters, etc in newspapers.
He also said the KU was making efforts to ensure that no learner remains deprived of education, come what may.
“Education is their right, we try our bit to deliver that education which is not just our collective responsibility as a society but our duty as an educational media centre.”

Reader correspondent