Log in, to train better

VIRTUAL LEARNING

Thanks to technology, prepping for competitive exams just got easier. Base, a Bangalore-based institute that trains students for competitive exams like IIT_JEE, CET, AIEEE and foundation courses, has launched an online ‘Base@Home’ programme to coach students who cannot access classroom programmes.

Purushottam, programme head of Base@Home says, “This is a new delivery format. There have been students who have missed out on our training due to reasons such as unavailability of a Base centre in the vicinity, time constraints, or other priorities.

To facilitate these students, given that broadband is easily available, Base has started this programme to reach out to those students, especially in smaller towns in Karnataka, who have to travel to cities for  quality training.”

Base@Home programme will follow a system similar to a regular classroom session, with live participation of students and teachers. They will be able to communicate with each other through a two way audio-video facility. The courseware for the programme would be sent by email.

The online courseware is made available through the Base website. Says Purushottam, “The online sessions will be more interactive as printed and online material and video-based recorded pre-class sessions will be posted on the website days before a class hits the floors. This will help a student prepare before going into the class, enabling him/her not only to save time, but also make the class an interactive one. Tests are taken online and a student will have access to feedback on his/her performance through video-based solutions, thus knowing his/her ability and also correcting errors.”

Students can also review a lecture or view pre-recorded versions to clear doubts.
The biggest advantage of Base@Home is that students will have access to the same experienced teachers who have been training students at Base for many years.

They can have the best teachers teaching them in the comfort of their homes. There is a dearth of good teachers in smaller towns. But with internet-based programming, Base@Home can provide the best teachers from anywhere and bring them on board.

Students are provided additional support through e-mails and discussion forums. The forum gives students an opportunity to solve and contribute solutions to problems posted by other students, giving them a wider platform for interaction and also helping build their confidence.

Just as in regular programmes, students have to appear for regular tests and submit assignments. Practice is mandatory for every exercise that is taught. Assignments have to be submitted on time.

If a student fails to complete the assignments on time, he /she will not be allowed to log in to the next session. And only after due submission of assignments can a student log back to the programme. This ensures that a student takes the sessions seriously.

Programme schedules are designed to suit the convenience of students. Parents are also brought into the loop by providing them with regular feedback on attendance and their performances. There is also a provision for students to meet the faculty in person if they so wish.

In case of missed sessions due to power failure or problems with the server, a student can request for a recorded version and thus not miss any session at all.
But for the programme to be a success, internet connection with power back up in homes is a must.

Base@Home has currently started a one-year Excel CET and two-year Pre Uni Plus programme this year with the promise of introducing more programmes by next year to make their dream of “reaching out to a larger number of students”.