ICAI, ICSI and Sastra University are first three educational institutes to collaborate with TCS iON’s ‘digital glassroom’

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ICAI, ICSI and Sastra University are first three educational institutes to collaborate with TCS iON’s ‘digital glassroom’

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  • TCS iON, the strategic arm of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), announced free access to its platform — ‘Digital Glass Room’ to educational universities.
  • The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) and Sastra University in Thanjavur are the early birds who have signed up for the programme.
  • The platform can be accessed by all schools, boards, colleges and universities, irrespective of the size.
  • TCS iON claims to have served over 85% of university entrances and recruitment exams — with over 2 million learners collaborating on the platform.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) and Sastra University in Thanjavur are early birds who signed up for TCS iON’s ‘digital glassrooms’ — a virtual learning platform for all Indian educational institutions.

This was after TCS iON, the strategic arm of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for education, announced free access to its platform.

Digital Glassroom, designed exclusively for schools and colleges, aims to furnish the educators with interactive tools and methods like polls, debates, quiz and surveys to share lessons, videos, worksheets and more real-time.
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“This is focussed on schools and higher education institutions. We have mimicked every activity that happens within a classroom — assignments, hands-on activities and more,” Venguswamy Ramaswamy, global head, TCS iON told Business Insider in an exclusive interview.

All the educational institutions have been asked to shut down and suspend classes till March 31, as a precautionary measure. “These are unprecedented times. With schools and colleges shut down across the country, we want to empower these institutions and help them switch to a virtual mode, so students’ learning journeys can continue uninterrupted on our platform. I do hope large numbers of public and private institutions will take this opportunity to use technology to overcome the disruption,” he added.
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In addition, the platform also provides an embedded live classroom for a better learner experience.

However, it is still in a grey area when it comes to regulations on assessment. “As far as certification and other requirements are concerned, you still need an assessment. Today, we provide an assessment capability where one can do a remote programme to ensure it's a free assessment. But we still have to wait how the regulators are going to look into it and whether they will agree to take this as the final assessment. Will they ask for a physical assessment later — that is yet to unfold,” he said.

Ramaswamy also added that the move can also revolutionize distance learning.

This is in line with the initiatives proposed by the United Nations as well, which proposed solutions for inclusive distance learning programmes. “While temporary school closures as a result of health and other crises are not new unfortunately, the global scale and speed of the current educational disruption is unparalleled and, if prolonged, could threaten the right to education. We are working with countries to assure the continuity of learning for all, especially disadvantaged children and youth who tend to be the hardest hit by school closures,” said Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General.

The platform is made accessible to all schools, boards, colleges and universities, irrespective of the size.
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“Our longer term objective is to encourage self-learning and to enable the Indian education system to transition to a digital era where teaching and learning know no physical boundaries. We believe this is the best way to democratize access to education and skill development, and build the human capital needed for India to become a five trillion dollar economy,” Ramaswamy added.

TCS iON claims to have served over 85% of university entrances and recruitment exams — with over 2 million learners on the platform.

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