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The e-Content Development Centre (e-CDC) of the college is one of the best in the state of Kerala with state-of-the-art shooting, lecture capturing, audio-video mixing, graphics and animation facilities. The video lesson produced from e-CDC is very useful for the personalised learning of slow learners. The renovated e-Content Development Centre was inaugurated by the Minister of Higher Education Govt. of Kerala in academic year 2019-2020
Majlis College earnestly believe and uphold transforming India is through transformation of education. ICT enabled learning systems and its incorporations into the educational system led to a paradigm shift in the fields of pedagogies, teaching and learning methods prior to Covid-10 pandemic. Realizing the importance of digital/online education and thinking to leverage academic contributions of the faculties and to ensure quality education for learning communities, MASC established a well-equipped e-content development center (ECDC) with huge investments which played crucial role in experiencing and easing online education during the Covid-19. The primary objective of this e-CDC is to integrate technology enabled learning system to standardize the quality of teaching and learning as well as partnering nation building process with 24*7 accessibility to the learning community
1.The Context
Following the directives of MHRD, UGC and the University of Calicut to procure knowledge highways and online data bases which provides ubiquitous knowledge dissemination to the learning community, Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) and IQAC embarked on extensive project to establish blended learning studio at the college. The initiative was proposed to enhance knowledge dissemination through utilizing ICT enabled learning system, familiarize the faculties technology based pedagogies and help learning-communities to experience exact practical knowledge. The idea was conceived in 2018 following a proposal was submitted in 2019. The draft got hassle free approval from the College Academic Council and College Governing Body and the Department of Multimedia and Communication supervised the implementation task. Entire education system at the college was updated accordingly. All faculties were given four day training sessions to develop online contents, handle cyber spaces with multiple tools and special training was given to students in production control and editing. Dream project was unveiled when in October, 2019, M. Basheer, then Vice Chancellor of University of Calicut inaugurated the E-CDC and in 2020 and a newly annexed digital studio was dedicated to the nation by Dr. KT Jaleel, then higher education minister of Kerala.
2.The Practice
At e-CDC, online contents and info graphics in every discipline as per the syllabus of UG & PG programs are produced and uploaded into the YouTube channel Majlis e-content. At present, e-CDC has the studio facility to shoot/record three teachers and editing/producing eight videos at a time. Learning community not only at college but at global level can easily access the online contents since the CU has affiliated centers abroad and especially for correspondence programs. E-CDC is a unique practice and the first of that kind under the University of Calicut and throughout Kerala that a college stood in the forefront to empower its academia by embracing technology and integrating with its educational system. In the beginning of every month, the Department of Multimedia & Communication prepares a month long schedule for shooting with representations from all departments. Faculties from respective departments deliver their lectures in a systematic way moving from one module to the other and cover whole syllabus of the courses. This will help the learning community as they could audit and to listen the courses without any hassle. At the e-CDC, both digital studio and the production unit is handled by students under the supervision of departmental faculties and the shooting, editing of audio/videos lessons are assigned as part of participatory/experiential learning. Since the students engaged with the production works, they are the real beneficiaries of the project. Apart from the faculties, the e-CDC provides unique opportunities for the students. High performing students from every department are promoted for peer-teaching. In this practice, students with high potential and from advanced learners prepare lessons and deliver lectures using the digital tools. The step is distinguished not only it promotes the peer teachers but in terms of motivate the slow learners and their class mates. Establishment of e-CDC has advantaged the college in a multiple ways. Since the inception, bridge course designed for newly admitted students was offered online as well as institutional academic activities started to occupy cyber space.
3.Evidence of Success
Provide evidence of success as performance against targets and benchmarks, review results. What do these results indicate? Describe in about 200 words.
e-CDC has been successful initiative for it benefited education system in multiple ways. The establishment provided professional improvement for the faculties as it assisted to standardize their pedagogies, language and interaction methods. For learning community, the online contents were accessible around the clock which helped them especially during the assessment time. Significantly, the e-CDC official YouTube channel, ‘Majlis e-Content’ has produced and uploaded more than 250 videos earning a goodwill and reputation for the college in this regard. College e-CDC has been recognized as a benchmark and a model by a number of affiliated colleges throughout Kerala, as the Department of Multimedia and Communication has been invited and appointed as consultancy agency by a number of colleges. For management and parents, teaching-learning process can be assessed in terms of quality and content through e-content observation. For graduates under the Department of Multimedia, e-CDC facilitates opportunities of employability and participatory/experiential learning. E-content related activities such as shooting, editing, graphics, animation, sound editing, mixing and dubbing all works are carried out as part of experiential learning by MASCOM students. Digital studios and the production unit played instrumental role in leveraging potentials of the students and enhancing their confidence in technology integration. Placement of Multimedia students in a Poland based tech company indicates the success story of e-CDC initiative and its impact upon the learning community. In bridging the gap between advanced and slow learners, e-CDC provide opportunities for both in terms peer-teaching. In Peer-teaching program, advanced learners likewise faculties prepare online contents and deliver lectures using e-CDC facilities which in turn benefit slow learners to catch quickly.
4.Problems Encountered and Resources Required
e-CDC like an establishment requires plenty of efforts and resources varying from huge investments to highly skilled faculties. High establishment and operating expenditure stands as obstacles to the colleges in private and self-financing sector. E-CDC needs highly qualified faculties; their lack in the market and huge packages in term of availability creates problems. Digital divide and technical lag found among the faculties in integrating technology based education system as well as their lack of professionality decelerate production process. Being students the real operators of e-CDC, they need long professional training to handle the system which creates deadlocks during the time. An important challenge which e-CDC encounters is that technological updation. The digital platforms, equipment, tools and software are getting updated, replaced within short span of time globally. Not only the incorporating(replacement/updating) expenses, the lack of related expertise also emerge as hurdles.
5. Notes (Optional)
Majlis College as well as e-CDC are moving to develop a second stage of updated studio and production units utilizing Augmented Reality (AR). Since MHRD, the State Ministry of Education directing educational institutions towards installing augmented reality platforms which recreate enhanced version of physical world using digital visual elements, sound, and other sensory stimuli delivered via technology, the college is preparing to develop a third studio with such technology. It will be very useful for any institution, to embark upon latest technology and assign reputed/public companies in the installation process.