There is no doubt that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has led to a surge in online learning. The disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic has prompted many educational institutions to embrace online platforms to help students carry on learning when forced to stay at home. The Ivy League universities in US are already offering free online courses to students who will receive a ‘verified certificate’ upon completion.

It is not just Ivy Leagues that are at the forefront of embracing digital platforms for content delivery. While many institutions in India have incorporated digital platforms to continue teaching-learning activities, one educational institution in Mangaluru has moved beyond zoom classes and syllabus completion to introduce next-level learning to its students and the public to continue their education and self-improvement during the time of the worldwide pandemic.

Among the country’s most prestigious colleges, the 140-year old St Aloysius College (Autonomous) has launched several free online add-on courses to their 6000 plus students and interested members of the public who will receive a digitally generated certificate upon successful completion of the course.

“During these Covid-19 lockdown times, one of the concerns for me was to engage myself and my staff team in creating avenues to be of use to our students and the society,” says Rev. Dr. Praveen Martis, SJ, Principal, St Aloysius College. He goes on to say that several initiatives towards reaching out to the needy have been taken by the college to accompany the students going through uncertain times.

The courses will run from May 3, 2020, to May 25, 2020. More than 40 free online certificate courses including computer science, food science, physics, humanities, business, graphic design, social sciences, biochemistry, chemistry, botany, zoology, mathematics, and personal development have been launched in the past few days.

These certificate courses have been conceived, designed and offered by different departments and members of the staff to the students of the College and other interested members of the public. These courses are designed with a view to enhancing the knowledge base and application of the same for the betterment of society. According to the staff providing these courses, this unique project has caught the imagination of hundreds of students and teachers who have been registering for these courses within days of announcement. Popular courses have over 300 candidates registered even before the scheduled commencement date of May 3, 2020. These online courses are designed meticulously to add value to the curriculum of the institution and augment the competence and skillsets of the students.

“We have ensured that the courses have been designed, structured and implemented on lines of the standard formats of such online courses,” says Dr. Alwyn D’Sa, Controller of Examinations. “The certificates will be issued by the College to students who successfully complete and comply with all the necessary guidelines to be eligible for certification,” he adds.

Education is set for massive transformation as digital platforms usher in a new era in the field of learning especially in the context of the nationwide lockdown declared by the government. The College authorities had been contemplating ways in which the human resources employed in the college could be of use to its students and the general public. With the introduction of free online add on courses, this objective has been successfully fulfilled by the staff of Saint Aloysius College.

The comprehensive list of courses can be found below with registration links.

Certificate Courses planned during the Semester Break – May 2020

These courses are available on Online Platforms: Zoom App, Google Classroom, Google Hangouts, Youtube, Whatspp Group, Group email etc. The college will soon launch an SAC E-learning application on which all these courses will be made available. 

• All courses are of 20-30 hours of duration and are held from 3 May 2020 to 25 May 2020 4
• All courses will be evaluated out of a total of 50 marks, which shall include MCQ quiz/exam, assignments, short project
  e-certificates will be offered to all candidates on successful completion of the course
• If the Registration link is unavailable, course coordinator/dept. maybe contacted over phone or WhatsApp for the registration process