Medical students may get tablets to boost e-learning

BENGALURU: The Rajiv Gandh University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) has asked its affiliate colleges to get students' opinion on using tablets for learning as a possible precursor to the university taking up one such programme to distribute tablets. Of the 35 colleges the university approached, 12 have furnished opinion of their students and they all have been positive.

“This is part of our effort to make RGUHS a smart university . Neither the state government nor the university will pay for the tablet,“ Medical Education Minister Dr Sharanprakash Patil told ET, indicating that the costs will be bundled in the monthly internet charges of Rs 600 a willing student has to pay.

A pilot is being conducted in Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Mandya, Davanagere and Dharwad to gather students' opinion on whether this facility will be beneficial in terms of improving accessibility of e-journals and building virtual learning groups. “The university will take a final view based on the colleges' response. If the pilot is found successful, we can extend the plan to other colleges on long-term basis,“ KS Ravindranath, vice chancellor, RGUHS, told ET. “Virtual classrooms are also possible if this plan materialises,“ he added.

According to Bangalore Medical College dean Dr PK Devadass, virtual classes can be more interactive, as students need not take notes and can get clarifications from their teachers directly . “With a tablet, a student can take pictures of specimens and upload them immediately with footnotes, thereby preserving the knowledge,“ he said.