Under the CSIR Jigyasa programme, CSIR has partnered with IIT Bombay to develop a virtual lab platform. The primary goal of the Virtual Lab is to expose students to high-quality research and innovative teaching methods. Scientific curiosity will also be stimulated through an online interactive medium as a result. The CSIR Jigyasa program, according to Dr. Jitendra Singh, was a huge success, connecting more than 3,000,000 students and more than 5,000 teachers to the CSIR. There is an MoU signed with Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas to participate in this program, he said.
Key Highlight:
- CSIR has partnered with IIT Bombay to develop a virtual lab platform.
- The primary goal of the Virtual Lab is to expose students to high-quality research and innovative teaching methods.
- The CSIR Jigyasa program was a huge success, connecting more than 3,000,000 students and more than 5,000 teachers to the CSIR.
- The Virtual Lab’s target audience is students in grades VI to XII (11 to 18 years old) who want to learn about science through various activities.
- It includes simulated experiments, educational content, videos, chat forums, animations, gaming, quizzes and the sharing of facilities (via webinars, for example).
- Although it will begin with the content in English, it is planned to be available in Hindi and other regional languages as well.
Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, today inaugurated India’s first virtual science lab for children under the CSIR Jigyasa programme.
It’s a new beginning, says Dr. Jitendra Singh of the National Education Policy (NEP), eliminating the concept of streams and allowing students to choose any subject they want. He adds that the Virtual Lab is in line with this policy, which will enable students to choose any topic they want and eliminates the concept of streams. Kendriya Vidyalaya, Navoday Vidyalayas, and Government Schools will benefit significantly from the new facility, according to him, and it will aid in catching students while they are still young.
The Minister revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the “Jigyasa” program and emphasized developing Virtual Labs at a CSIR Society meeting last year. For this reason, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay has collaborated with the CSIR to develop an online virtual laboratory platform for school students as part of the CSIR Jigyasa program. Virtual Lab’s target audience is students in grades VI to XII (11 to 18 years old) who want to learn about science through various activities, experienced researchers and faculty members in the fields of science, mathematics, biology and information technology.
For Dr. Jitendra Singh, one of the main goals of the Virtual Lab is to expose school students to high-quality research and innovative pedagogy through an online interactive medium that includes simulated experiments, educational content, videos, chat forums, animations, gaming, quizzes and the sharing of facilities (via webinars, for example). Although it will begin with the content in English, it is planned to be available in Hindi and other regional languages as well, he said. As a result, the Minister explained that the CSIR Virtual Lab will allow curiosity-driven research, promote higher-order thinking skills, encourage entrepreneurship, and foster a love of science.
According to Dr. Jitendra Singh, the Virtual Lab will allow students to tour CSIR laboratories and expose them to research infrastructure that would otherwise be inaccessible due to safety regulations. When the platform launches, scientists and students alike will have the option of exchanging ideas or resolving questions. For this virtual science lab, scientists and other stakeholders from CSIR Jigyasa will present experiments and materials that students can carry out in a fun and educational environment.
The “Jigyasa,” according to Dr. Jitendra Singh, was a huge success when it was first launched in 2017, connecting nearly 3,000,000 students and more than 5,000 teachers with CSIR and providing them with direct benefits through visits to CSIR labs. It was also mentioned that an MoU was signed with Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and Atal Tinkering Labs of NITI AAYOG to participate in this program. There were online interactions and webinars for school students on various topics during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Minister said, with more than 2 lakh cumulative views.
There are several stakeholders and beneficiaries in the program, including MHRD, CSIR scientists, Ph.D. research students, school and junior college students, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, NavodayaVidyalayaSamithi, State Government Schools, and independent outreach faculties and institutions that have successfully engaged in outreach activities for school and junior college students.
The virtual lab’s most important features include: Teachers and students can use the open-source platform to access content in regional languages; scientists/researchers can provide support; project-based support; fun-based gaming; need-based videos and animation; simulation experiments, and promote scientific temperament; student-expert forums; and student-to-student discussions are all available for students and experts. Confidence and motivation can be built through simplified content and access to technical assistance.
