Interview with Ramasamy Shanker, General Manager – Technology, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai -

Ramasamy Shanker,General Manager – Technology, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai

Technology adoption in the education sector is on the rise. The deployment of information and communication technology (ICT) across schools and colleges is moving beyond traditional set-ups to a broader system for disseminating information and interacting with students, faculty and staff members. The cloud is emerging as a key technology solution that promises to change the way students learn. IT heads of key educational institutions talk about the emerging ICT trends in the sector, the level of technology adoption and key challenges…

How have the technology requirements of the education sector changed over time?

Compared to the classrooms of 15-20 years back, today’s classrooms function in a significantly different way. The present classroom houses various technologies ranging from flat panel displays to tablets, laptops and smartphones, all connected to a single app. No one uses a solitary desktop computer any more. The current generation is tech-savvy and seems to have become more independent with the use of technology. Although textbooks have a place in every classroom, the reality is that students are now more likely to be found using a tablet or a smartphone for exchanging notes or browsing information on the internet. With the evolution of online education, students are now able to access assignments or even attend interactive sessions with teachers through different software and apps.

What is the telecom and IT blueprint of your organisation? What are the ongoing and future initiatives?

While content and curriculum play a major role in educational institutions, it is also imperative that the institute brings together the complex offerings in a useful package for its students. We are moving towards cloud-based applications to optimise our network infrastructure and technology deployment costs. We are also in the process of recording classroom lectures to move towards the new technology trend of flipped classrooms.

What are your views and plans on the deployment of new technologies such as the cloud, internet of things (IoT) and big data analytics in the education sector?

We have an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution called Great Lakes iON, which uses IT as a service for the education sector. It covers the admissions process as well as the 360 degree student life cycle on campus. Our Digital Campus System has a learning exchange module, which can be used to download course content. This also takes care of our online examination module, wherein the results can be generated instantaneously. The entire campus, from the staff to the students, is using this ERP. All our requirements – biometric attendance, feedback system, timetables, class allotment, publishing of grades – are catered to by the ERP.

What are the challenges faced while managing the existing IT/telecom infrastructure and deploying new technologies?

The biggest challenge we face while adopting a new technology is the updation of IT infrastructure every now and then, as the changes are rapid and dynamic. Further, as IT is a support function, we need to justify the investment and return on investments. Technologies such as the cloud and IoT make the overall IT infrastructure very costly and scaling up to meet the requirements becomes very challenging.

What are the key technology trends that will shape the education sector going forward?

Augmented reality, gamification, personalisation and flipped classrooms are some of the key technology trends. The education industry is one of the biggest gainers of augmented reality in terms of offering adaptive learning environments to users. It helps learners to access environments with action-based functionalities in real life using GPS tracking facilities, giving them a more interactive experience. Meanwhile, experts say that integrating gamification with education can boost learners’ motivation by increasing the recall rate by up to 90 per cent. Further, with the help of big data and insights derived from it, learning will become more personal than ever, addressing the requirements of each individual rather than groups.