Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation Announces the Launch of “Project Ignite”

Mumbai: In a bid to provide support and grants to educational institutes to help them stay relevant and survive in the digitally evolving era, Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation (NSF) has launched “Project Ignite” in association with Disprz – a digital learning solution provider and CENTA – a certifying organization. The project is poised to be instrumental to allow the foundation to transform the institutes to be able to adapt to a blended online and offline format with the help of virtual campus and Learning Management System (LMS) in order to streamline the virtual education system.

Project Ignite has been curated keeping in mind the post COVID scenario where the education system is expected to undergo a 360 degree transformation in the days to follow. With virtual learning systems becoming more relevant in today’s times, NSF joined hands with Disprz in order to harness the power of Al to create a comprehensive, multifaceted training experience. The platform that they are offering is called by the same name – Diprz which allows integration of multiple apps into one single user interface.

There are various video conferencing tools available which are enabling live classroom systems. However, to make the end to end journey a seamless one for faculty and for students in a virtual environment, it is important to have below mentioned features as well:

 

• Mobile First (both android & iOS) + Web

• Seamless learning experience in low bandwidth / fluctuating internet

• Offline content access (encrypted – like YouTube)

• Blended learning experiences: Self Paced, Live A/V & Classroom

• Micro-learning: new-age formats rather than PPT / Documents

• Social collaboration / engagement

• Zoom / Webex: Built for meeting / conferencing not Online Education

• Whiteboard-first experience

• Gamified online delivery

• Access to the recorded session

•Assessment formats: MCQs, Subjective assignment, Match the Column, Fill in the Blanks, etc

• Grading & Certification

• Proctored exams

• Interview preparation

• Live technical support during the live session

• Realtime Dashboard to track – device, browser version & internet speed

• Moderator – chat support for student queries – content / technical

• Detailed reports and analytics dashboard

 

 

 

 

INFRASTRUCTURE

 

 

CONTENT / DELIVERY

LIVE CLASSES

 

 

 

ASSESSMENTS

 

LOGISTIC / ANALYTICS

 

 

 

Simultaneously, NSF has also joined hands with CENTA® where they are offering a course on Online Teaching – Technology Module which is a comprehensive, practice – oriented course delivered over (typically) 3 webinars. It covers three broad aspects – effective online teaching (with an in-depth look on how to make classes interactive and engaging using technology driven delivery methods), lesson planning and classroom communication (with an emphasis on integrating technology into the plan, student assessment and remediation (focusing on the purpose of assessments and what technology tools can best serve the purpose of not only testing students but also helping teachers give students effective feedback, analyze student performance and plan suitable remedial measures).

Speaking about the launch, Dr. Monique Kamat – CEO, Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation said, “At Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation, we believe in following a futuristic approach.  Adaptation to novel methods of learning is the only way forward and we have sensed that quite early. Our strategic association with Diprz comes at a time when teachers and students have to struggle using multiple apps for various activities right from attending the online lectures to submitting assignments and the single interface helps in bringing everyone on one common platform. And the course by CENTA helps teachers deepen their understanding of pedagogical practices in remote learning, choose and practice using technology tools most suited to their context and the learning needs of their students.

The grants that NSF plans to provide will be in the form of initial set up cost for the Learning Management System and for teacher trainings to improve their online training ability. With teacher training i.e. CENTA the entire training costs is borne by the foundation. Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation strongly believes in promoting excellence and innovation by providing financial support to students and mid-career professionals through an array of scholarships and fellowship programmes. The Foundation also supports educational institutes through a range of fellowships and chairs, enabling research, medical and surgical training and the preservation of architectural heritage.