Saturday, March 31, 2018

Good Reads: March 2018


GOOD READS – AN INITIATIVE OF SFIT LIRC
(CURRENT AWARENESS SERVICE)

“Good Reads” is a monthly alert service, initiated by SFIT LIRC for all the students and staff. This service provides a list of most recent articles which would be of interest to all. The objective of this Current Awareness Service is to keep abreast of the recent happenings in the fields of science and technology.
33. Modelling and Simulation of Grid Connected SPV System with Active Power Filtering Features by J. Saroha, G.Pandove and M.Singh
Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Vol. 99 No. 2, February 2018
34. Wavelet transform based filter to remove the notches from signal under harmonic polluted environment by S. Das and V. Ranjan
Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Vol. 99 No. 2, February 2018
35. Meet 25 women entrepreneurs and business professionals who are taking the world of innovation and leadership by storm
India Forbes, Vol. 10, No. 6, March 16, 2018
36. Scientific Roundup 2017
Science Reporter, Vol 55, No. 1, January 2018
37. Smartphones: changing paradigms by Prashant Raghav, Sonam Choudhary and Kirti Bansal
Science Reporter, Vol 55, No. 3, March 2018
38. Localization of Sensors by Base Station in Wireless Sensor Networks by P. Parwekar and S. Rodda
Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research, Vol 77 (2), February 2018
39. Programming of an Industrial Robot using Demonstration and Soft Computing Techniques by P.M. Khandekar, S.S. Chiddarwar and A. Jha
Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research, Vol 77 (3) , March 2018

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Machine Learning can transform education

Machine Learning can transform education

India needs a massification and vocationalization of higher education at a cost that only online learning can do. This needs machine learning

Indian online education is held back by regulatory cholesterol that distinguishes between distance and online education. Photo: Abhijit Bhatlekar/Mint
Indian online education is held back by regulatory cholesterol that distinguishes between distance and online education. Photo: Abhijit Bhatlekar/Mint
Futurist Arthur C. Clarke wrote, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” The magic of software (giving data and rules to get answers) is often confused with the magic of machine learning (giving data and answers to get rules) but it is machine learning not software that is transforming the world of computer chess.
So far, computer chess programs codified the actions of the best human players and inevitably pivoted around the strategy of “material”, wherein the number and value of pieces mattered most. But recently, AlphaZero playing Stockfish counter-intuitively sacrificed a bishop for a pawn. Reports suggest AlphaZero taught itself chess from scratch in just four hours by playing against itself and rejected human rules developed over centuries.
As it started with only the basic rules, researchers suggest that its lack of knowledge of human chess history may have enabled AlphaZero to see the game in a fresh way. We’d like to make the case that machine learning is transforming online education, but Indian online education is held back by regulatory cholesterol.
Before diving into online education, let’s reflect on challenges in education. Knowing must shift to learning because Google knows everything. Metrics need shifting from inputs to outcomes because only money is not working. Differentiation and personalization are not about making things easier for children but making learning accessible by tapping into motivations and abilities. Assessment needs to shift from annual exams to regular feedback. Teachers knowing content is not the same as their ability to create learning.
There is an element of eat your spinach in education, but schools largely work for front-row students. Lifelong learning needs a continuum between prepare, repair and upgrade. Employability is an objective. Timetables are an industrial-era model of one size fits all that blunt choices and learner agency. Most importantly, if you think formal education is everything, then just look at the president of the US.
Many educators agree online learning can transform education, but they don’t know how. Textbook and PowerPoint repackaged e-learning—the digital equivalent of paving the cow path rather than building a highway—mean that, so far, online offerings have not been able to blunt the obvious downsides of physical classrooms (one size fits all, huge costs, uneven teacher quality, etc.) despite obvious advantages (teaching with different speeds to people with different backgrounds and different starting points, class of one, cost, on-the-go, on-demand, crowdsourced, gamified, etc.).
We believe that the massification of machine learning could be the missing ingredient—enabling personalization, flip classrooms, rethinking assessments, enabling non-conventional credentialing, etc. Personalization via intelligent tutor systems that track “mental steps” and modify feedback, exercises, explanations and intervention to promote self-regulation, self-monitoring and self-explanation would revolutionize engagement.
A recursive and real-time meta-analysis of learning outcomes across students, cohorts, schools would considerably improve the efficacy of flip classrooms (where classrooms are used for discussions and students finish the lecture and learning in advance). Natural language, computer vision, and deep learning could answer student questions.
These systems are infrastructure to improve the signalling value of non-conventional or micro-credentialing, which in turn would discover the cognitive, behavioural and affective preferences for each learner. The biggest impact would be in assessment by moving it from an event to a process and reducing its labour intensity; for instance, tools like Sochobots, Lingolens and Gradescope use computer vision and machine learning to grade students’ work (even stuff like essays).
However, Indian online education is held back by regulatory cholesterol that distinguishes between distance and online education. E-commerce would never have happened if financial regulators had insisted on separating the offline and online. UPI/BHIM have gone from 0.1 million transactions in the month before demonetization to 140 million last month; they will reach a billion in a year. Payments for Indian consumers are almost free (marginal cost), while in the US regulations have protected margins for private platforms.
India’s regulatory issues include hubris (the ability of regulators to anticipate all situations), micromanaging (including defining the type of web links on your website) and continuous lobbying because of poor state capacity to effectively regulate, supervise and enforce. It is too late for evolution; we need a revolution under which universities do not require permission to launch any online courses.
Regulators can prescribe broad guidelines with a policy objective of creating biodiversity and innovation in business and operating models that would tackle the difficult trade-off between cost, quality and scale. Like with most treatment of regulatory cholesterol, this revamped regulation would be accompanied by improved supervision and strengthened consumer protection. But drunk-driving is not an argument against cars and regulations that ban or make online education difficult are silly.
Einstein once said that if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid. Physical classrooms—because of the limitations of time and space—often make this error. India needs a massification and vocationalization of higher education at a cost that only online learning can do. This needs machine learning. But before that we need changes to our regulatory cholesterol.

The writers are with TeamLease Services and Schoolguru Eduserve, respectively.

First Published: Sun, Mar 25 2018. 11 38 PM IST

Source: LiveMint dated 26/03/2018

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Swachh Bharat elective course introduced


The students pursuing the course will be given two credits for 15 days (100 hours) summer internship under the CBCS.


To read more more, visit https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/270318/swachh-bharat-elective-course-introduced.html

Source: Deccan Chronicle dated 27/03/2018

Partaking in Clean India may give students bonus credits


Partaking in Clean India may give students bonus credits

Joining the initiative will be a great learning experience for students, says UGC


The University Grants Commission ( UGC) has asked all universities and colleges to consider offering academic credits to students for participating in the government’s much touted Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
The commission in its meeting earlier this month had approved providing two credits like any other ‘Elective’ under Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) to students in higher educational institutions undertaking 15 days (100 hours) summer internships under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan activities.
“In this summer internship, it is expected that students will not only participate in overall cleanliness in villages or slums but would also help in setting up systems for sustaining cleanliness and sanitation efforts under the campaign . These efforts are expected to provide a great learning experience in Indian context to students across the country and would help in improving overall quality of education,” a UGC communication to varsities read.
The commission
has asked varsities and their affiliated colleges to consider implementation of this elective course from the forth- coming summer session and give wide publicity so that vast majority of students opt for this elective course.
“It is informed that UGC guidelines for Swachh Bharat - Swastha Bharat Scheme have enabling provisions for universities and colleges to collaborate and to come out with ways to make the Mission possible,” the UGC letter read.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has extended the date till 4 April for admissions under the 25 per cent quota of the Right to Education (RTE) as the first phase of the lottery happened recently.
The BMC claimed that out of the 3239 candidates, only 602 candidates were admitted in private schools till March 22. Initially, the last date for taking admissions under the RTE was till March 23 (Saturday). However, many parents were upset as schools have been refusing to give admission to their children, citing issues of reimbursement from the Maharashtra government.
After the suffering parents complained incessantly, the BMC education department decided to extend the date of RTE admissions in private schools.
Heena Khan (name changed), a parent said, “The school allotted to us is saying that they never registered for the online admission process and hence cannot give us admission.” Another parent, Aslam Shaikh (name changed), said, “They are shooing us away in such a way like we are beggars. The school principal of an Andheri-based school where my child got admission said that they have not opened an orphanage to offer admissions to our kids.”
Education official from the BMC said, “If schools refuse admission under thequota, then the BMC education department will issue them notices of de-recognizing their schools.”

Source: Daily News and Analysis dated 27/03/2018

Monday, March 26, 2018

Internet offered in local languages can draw 205 mn new users

More and more Indians can come online if internet content is offered in local languages. In a report titled Internet in Indic, 205 million of 892 million non internet users in India have expressed their interest in getting on to the internet, if it is offered in their language.

Why Internet in local languages is a big deal-Infographic-TOI


Why Internet in local languages is a big deal-Infographic-TOI2


FYI I Fourth Industrial Revolution: Is India prepared?

Fourth Industrial Revolution: Is India prepared?

It’s being called I4.0, short for Industry 4.0, or the fourth Industrial Revolution, and it is transforming factories and production fl oors across the world. Although India lags its global peers in I4.0 adoption, the country is taking baby steps to improve productivity through tech and enable the manufacturing sector to achieve the target set by the government of contributing 25% of GDP by 2022…

For more details, visit: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/fourth-industrial-revolution-is-india-prepared/articleshow/63439642.cms


India lags in investment in research compared to other industrialised nations, corporate sector must do more: Pranab Mukherjee



India lags in investment in research compared to other industrialised nations, corporate sector must do more: Pranab Mukherjee

University administrators must keep in mind that quality is of primary importance in the education sector, former President Pranab Mukherjee said.

The former president Pranab Mukherjee was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the Indian chapter of UK-based nation-wide higher education rating system – QS I-GAUGE.
University administrators must keep in mind that quality is of primary importance in the education sector, former President Pranab Mukherjee said, highlighting the issue of brain drain of innovative and creative minds from the country and the need for training and educating the youth of the nation. He further said that the corporate sector should take up the responsibility of nurturing these minds by investing in research. The former president was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the Indian chapter of UK-based nation-wide higher education rating system – QS I-GAUGE on Wednesday.
Mukherjee said that the corporate sector, in particular, must emphasise on research and spending on research. According to the former President, the investment in research in our country is much less compared to any other industrialised nation. He said that until people develop an innovative and creative mind, India cannot be great. And this would not come automatically, but needs to be nurtured for which the responsibility lies with the society itself, former President said.
The former President further said that the youth of the country stand to lose on their valiue in the job market if they are not properly trained and educated. He also warned against the scenario with an abundance of unskilled people in the nation and said that if the sector fails to utilise the huge forces, it will create an explosive situation in the country.
The QS I-GAUGE ratings have been modelled after the QS Stars international rating but adopted to capture the reality of the dynamic Indian higher education sector. The QS I-GAUGE rating will provide a unique 360-degree perspective of Indian institutions for higher learning.
Besides, Pranab Mukherjee, NAAC Chairman Virander Chauhan was also present at the event. They also accorded QS I-GAUGE Diamond, Gold and Silver certificates to many universities. These included Banasthali Vidyapith University, Vellore Institute of Technology, Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Manav Rachna University and MIT College of Engineering among others.
Source: Financial Express dated 23/03/2018

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