Enlivening education

The academic fraternity across the globe is concerned about making education more interesting and engrossing for students, especially at the school level. As an endeavour towards it, Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, United Kingdom has developed `Scholar'' programme. Distributed by Interactive University, Scholar offers high quality, online resources designed to supplement class-room learning in disciplines like biology, physics, chemistry and mathematics.The Scholar was recently launched in the Capital by Plaxy Arthur, national director, Scholar in India, besides Kolkatta, Chennai and Ahmedabad.
Speaking on the occasion, Arthur remarked, ``Indian students have a natural flair for maths and science subjects but usually the course content for these subjects is so vast and boring, especially in eleventh and twelfth classes, that students often resort to cramming and rote learning rather than understanding the basic concepts. Scholar has an interactive teaching style, questioning approach, uses animation and demonstration to explain a concept and offers online formative assessments, which will make a student learn in the best possible way.'''' And it does not implies additional learning for the students as a significant part of Scholar''s content is similar to the CBSE, ICSE and even state board syllabuses, offered in India.
Demonstrating the programme, Scholar consultant, Brian Dickson identified -- questions provided as a back up to the learning material, instant feedback, important points identified in different topics, end of module assessments and search engine -- as some of the highlights of the programme.
The programme can be used both by the teachers as a teaching aid in the classrooms as well as by the students, interested in learning in a fun-filled manner. One-month free trial of the programme is on offer to the interested schools and students.
www.britishcouncil.org.in/onlinecourses