How to make pedagogy interactive and at the same time engaging, has been the billion dollar question that pundits and parents alike have been pondering upon for centuries. For the tech nerds at Linways, the revolutionising first step towards this endeavour began outside the constricted four walls of the conventional classrooms.
For Linways – a Kochi-based startup which is treading the virtual path to change the present mode of education - the long road to success was no walk in the park. But Bastin Thomas and Francis Davy, the CEO and COO respectively of Linways, achieved this seemingly path-breaking feat with the launch of their innovative learning management system for higher education which provides centralised and automated administration. Started in Thrissur in 2009, Linways got incubated at the Startup Village in April 2012 as a private limited firm. According to Bastin Thomas, Linways model is as simple as it gets. In this education model, each subject is treated as a community and the teacher as the moderator. Through the Linways platform, a teacher can upload course material, online quizzes and give assignments and lesson planners. Students will get access to all the needed information anywhere, anytime on any hand-held devices. In Kerala, we have implemented the Linways platform in around 11 engineering colleges and one business school, the first being Sreepathy Institute of Management and Technology, Palakkad.
Linways platform is equally beneficial for students, faculty, parents and the college management. It will make learning convenient for the students as they can access course materials and submit assignments online at the same time they hold GDs and evaluate or rate the faculty. The parents could keep track of the students’ progress and can easily communicate with the teachers.
“We are in talks with more colleges who have evinced interest in our product. SCMS Business School, Kalamassery, has been using our platform. Apart from the office at Startup Village in Kochi, we have a marketing office in Mumbai with a strong market presence. The Institute of Chemical Technology, Matunga, a much-sought after educational institution in India, and a couple of colleges are also using Linways platform in Maharashtra,” he said.
“This year we are certain of implementing our platform in over 30 colleges across Kerala. The product will enhance the quality of education. Our current mode of education has not kept pace with the fast-growing world. Teachers and students are tech-savvy, so must be the educational experience. Linways will further enhance the teacher-student communication and cut the workload of teachers and help them focus more on the quality of education,” said Francis Davy.
“We are planning to upgrade Linways as a platform for hiring also, where all the educational activities of a student such as marks - internal, practical and university level - educational qualifications etc are included. With the approval of the placement officer of a particular college, recruitment firms can make placements according to their needs,” said Bastin. Almost all the details of the Linways platform have been mentioned on their website www.linways.com.
Through Linways, the company is striving to provide a single online point using the power of cloud computing that would help monitor and improve the quality of education. At the same time it is innovative, user-friendly and tailored to meet all customer needs.