Balaji Venkataraman
July 31, 2020
As the 21st century progresses, we humans are continuously looking for innovative ways of expediting our evolution. We are looking for ways to not just “improve”, but to “transform” our ways of living.
The Internet brought about a digital transformation — making information easily accessible to one and all. Applying internet and digital technologies to transform education has been a challenging task. While some wonderful solutions have indeed come about, the next big thing that promises to bring a transformation is AR-VR and related technologies. Those that can effectively use these technologies to significantly impact education, will be revered for their innovations.
EscaVel Edtech, in conjunction with Aye Learning Labs, attempts to bring about a digital transformation in Experiential Learning , by leveraging the best AR-VR and 3D technologies available today. The holy grail in this context is to spark the imaginations of young minds in K-10 schools without discriminating rich versus poor, or for that matter any social barriers.
At EscaVel, we are developing insightful interactive simulations to make the learning of science a lot more interesting than what it is today. Our vision is to simplify complex concepts in science by providing the capability to run highly interactive & immersive science experiments. We have built several simulations in a virtual environment (using 3D and Augmented/Virtual Reality technologies), that we believe can be very useful for both Teachers and Students in the K-10 segment.
ScholAR is a product of EscaVel — designed to “Flatten the world” with regards to imparting quality education. ScholAR brings Science experiments to life. With its compelling and immersive visualization techniques,
1) Enable passionate teachers to excel in their attempt to impart the most impactful education.
2) Persuade young minds to explore, experience by doing things themselves; thereby spark the genius within them.
EscaVel strongly believes that teachers are imperative to ensure quality education is imparted. Whether within school walls or outside — teachers can never be replaced. Our aim is to “enable the teachers” so they can be most efficient in the noble job that they do every day. ScholAR enables teachers to explain the most complex concepts in simpler ways due to the power of 3D visualizations.
Similarly — young minds are to be nurtured. We cannot have them “memorize by rote”. We need them to understand concepts and be ready to apply them in the real world. This is a crucial stepping stone to creating innovators in our society. ScholAR helps students understand complex concepts because they get hands-on with real-life scenarios. Engagement levels are high, because ScholAR encourages a two-way communication, and inspires the user to interact with it.
ScholAR is not meant for the privileged few. EscaVel’s vision is to make ScholAR available for the masses. It is designed to be used on popular operating systems — Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and Chromebook. No special devices or headsets are necessary to run the 3D Interactive Simulations in ScholAR.
The current COVID-19 pandemic is an unfortunate situation for mankind. But we must move with courage and continue to find ways to keep progressing. Leaders in our educational institutes are determined to keep the learning process continue with minimal disruptions. Online means of education has become the new normal. Escavel and its business partner Aye Learning Labs, has attempted to support several schools during this difficult situation. We have provided trial licenses to ScholAR for over 25 schools across several states — to support teachers with grappling the challenges of teaching effectively online. We hope to continue to support more institutes in the coming times.
3D Interactive simulations allow high engagement levels, and make the topics interesting, even though it may be very theoretical or abstract. Moreover, when the controls are in your hands, the interest levels soar, and so do the retention levels. Some screenshots from ScholAR are shown below for reference purposes:
Online education is here to stay. The world is getting used to it. Teachers are getting better at using new technologies as time goes by. Students are also getting used to learning with this new mode of education. As a community, we are beginning to understand the benefits of combining offline education with online teaching methods. As Edtech product creators, we consider it a huge responsibility to bring high-quality products in the market to significantly enhance the learning process — regardless of whether the teaching is happening offline or online. EscaVel strongly believes “learning by doing” creates the best impact to the learning process — and has therefore attempted to Supercharge Experiential Learning with ScholAR.