Silchar : Vice-Chancellor of Assam University Prof. R. M. Pant inaugurated the ICT E-Learning Studio at the Department of Mass Communication on Friday. He congratulated those who were involved in the successful execution of the project, and expressed the hope that this new facility Assam University will be at the forefront of spreading education beyond the classroom and bridge the digital divide and benefit the disadvantaged section of the society and bring them within the ambit of the knowledge economy.

Prof. Pant said the advent of the Internet, the proliferation of low cost mobile technology and the extensive use of multimedia have all changed the paradigms in almost all spheres of life, and the field of education is no different. The pandemic has shown, more than ever, the power of online education, he added.

Prof. Pant urged upon the faculty members of Assam University to take advantage of this facility and produce high quality content for the benefit of millions of students across the country. The Head of the Department of Mass Communication, Prof. Partha Sarkar, also thanked the University authorities for reposing faith in the Department for the successful execution of the project.

Prof. Piyush Pandey, Director, IQAC, expressed the hope that Assam University can now become a nodal centre for the production of MOOC in the region.

The Dean (in-charge) of ANTSCACS, Prof. M. K. Sinha complimented the Department and said that this department has grown from strength to strength to emerge as a premier centre in the field of media education and training in the country.

The Teacher Coordinator of the ICT E-Learning Studio, Dr. Alfarid Hussain spoke on the process of online content production and requested the faculty members of the university to submit Expression of Interest (EOI) to the concerned agencies to create teaching learning material (TLM) for the SWAYAM portal.

Dr. Charvak proposed the vote of thanks. The program was conducted by Dr. Paromita Das. A customised cake was also cut by Sujata Dubey, first semester student of the Department, to celebrate the occasion.