APSCHE launches digital portal for accessible, self-paced learning

The Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) has launched ‘Vidya Vahini’, a digital learning portal that aims at providing accessible, flexible and quality-assured online learning opportunities for students and the faculty across higher education institutions in the State.

The platform was virtually launched at the APSCHE’s conference hall on Wednesday, marking the National Education Day and commemorating the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Minister of Education of independent India.

The APSCHE LMS–MOOCs (Learning Management System-Massive Open Online Courses) platform enables learners to undertake courses at their own pace while complementing classroom teaching with high-quality digital content.

Students can register on the platform, browse the available course catalogue, enrol in relevant MOOCs, access learning materials, participate in assessments and track their progress towards successful course completion and certification, said an official release.

The platform will benefit students by providing opportunities for self-paced and interdisciplinary learning, skill enhancement, emerging technology education and continuous academic enrichment beyond the conventional classroom environment.

Faculty members can take part as learners or become Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), course developers, presenters and academic coordinators. For this, one has to register through the SME Faculty pathway.

This approach is expected to help create a pool of faculty experts and digital academic content, enabling institutions to share knowledge and good practices across the State.

Initial courses will be ‘Introduction to Artificial Intelligence’ and ‘Applications of Artificial Intelligence’ and ‘Quantum Technology’. Each is a four-credit, six-quadrant course with 40 modules. Registration is free for learners and content creators.

S. Vijaya Bhaskara Rao, Chairman, APSCHE, appreciated the subject matter experts, principal investigators, Swayam local chapter coordinators and the coordinating team for their help, and acknowledged the support of Andhra University, Acharya Nagarjuna University, private universities and National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration experts.