New Delhi : Marwadi University, one of the leading private universities based in Gujarat offering BTech, MBA, BCA, BBA, MCA, BA and B.ComLLB amongst other courses, has announced focus on complete digitization of university operations as part of their COVID-19 Contingency Plan. The university is rapidly focusing on digital transformation and infrastructure upgradation in order to deliver all curriculum-related content and student lectures to students in the most seamless possible manner to mitigate any adverse impact due to the rapidly spreading COVID 19 outbreak. As of today, more than 8000 students have already been offered online classes under the initiative. Online classes for existing students are prioritised in order to prevent the lockdown from further impacting their learning requirements and commitments.

As the coronavirus is spreading rapidly across many parts of Asia, Europe, The Middle East, and the United States, the unprecedented situation has forced students to miss attendance in schools and universities. In such testing times, it is important to calibrate the utilization of technology to provide the necessary access to millions of students to continue their study and learning activities.

Marwadi University has so far utilized a host of online tools including Google Meet, Zoom, Facebook Live, Youtube, EDpuzzle, to name a few and also conducting frequent webinars to further strengthen the efficacy of virtual classrooms. The Engineering department of the university has already mapped and standardized delivery of more than 4 hours of Teaching Time Table, with online classes conducted for every batch of students at one-hour intervals. The Law faculty is using the Facebook Live option along with Zoom and Google meet in order to conduct the classes. Additionally, MU has also successfully implemented face recognition software for employee attendance instead of finger-based biometric attendance system in case of emergency visits.

In a matter of weeks, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has completely disrupted the framework of education delivery and it is the responsibility of all stakeholders concerned to develop and share innovative solutions to tackle this threat of unparalleled scale.

Speaking on the recent development, Dr. Y P Kosta, Vice-Chancellor, Marwadi University said, “To produce individuals who are digital-age literacy has become more impertinent than ever. It is our duty to ensure they are digital-ready in whichever stream they operate. This is the core thought process behind Marwadi University’s speedy effort in ensuring a digital transformation, aiding a student’s higher education, especially at a time when they cannot physically attend classes. We are on a mission to produce the most creative, responsible and future-ready talent in India and are swiftly taking the necessary steps to provide students and faculty with the necessary facilities irrespective of the physical constraints. We are as committed as ever to offer world-class, cross-disciplinary higher education in strategic sectors of the economy through well-devised and synchronized delivery structures and systems.”