As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the society across the globe, with Nigeria inclusive the eMLearner package developed by AD-CONNECT is proving to be a veritable tool in the distance/ online education process as schools remained shut down.
By Tunde Niyi-Akinmade
Even though the designers at Ad-Connect never envisaged a time schools at all levels would be closed down same time during session, their innovative product, the eMLearner is becoming a must have tool for education institutions as educators across board search for means to reach their students during the lockdown.
eMLearner is a complete learning solution, that allow both teachers and students and the school administration to collaborate both inside and outside the classroom.
Adiel Ntuk, the CEO of Ad-Connect, explained that the product’s basic features and the ideal behind its evolution make it more relevant at this trying period.
Ntuk said that the software is built with Blended-Learning Pedagogy and allows full and complete learning, even when schools are not open.
“Its features allow educators to collaborate with learners anytime, anywhere, while giving teachers the opportunities to evaluate and students’ performances while tracking each student’s performance in real time. Also other key participants in the learning environment, such as parents, are given the chance to monitor and participate in the process,” Ntuk said.
He explained that eMLearner with its web and customized Mobile applications, allow the learning process to take place both online and offline while allowing trainer to create lessons (homework, classwork, examinations/tests) with multiple choices questions and do the same with theoretical questions while the trainer can marks and comment electronically.
Another key feature of the eMLearner is that it allows trainers to share files (PDF, PowerPoint, Excel, Words) to learners with email/SMS alerts which learners can read online and offline, as the integrated marketplace, eBook and videos allow learners to read these ebooks offline.
While creating a virtual classroom for one-on-one and more learners with a teacher, the eMLearner a also create the platform for academic results, reports and statistics for virtual classroom and class attendance to help the trainer track students’ activities in daily and class-based basis.
There is a forum that allows class-based collaboration with likes and similar comments for each learner just as the project work feature allows the learners to work on and upload their individual projects to their supervisors and trainers.
Ntuk explained that the newly updated contents are synchronized to mobile application for continuous updates and learning experiences.
The development of the eMLearner application, which was started by the Ad-Connect team in August 2009, has gone through different innovative phases before its present format was arrived at.
Now, Adiel and his company, Ad- Connect Educational Software Services are in the forefront of providing cutting edge technology in form of product/service offerings that are unique blend of software designed to make the learning, teaching, research and school management experiences easier and comfortable.
Its offerings, packaged under the eMLearner platform, are in three major categories, the Learning Management System (LMS), School Management System and the Learning Content Management System with some additional services and products to compliment these broad offerings.
The three are basically an All-In-One Learning Management and School Management Application that provide training organizations with a one-stop solution to all educational needs from start to finish.
The LMS offering is targeted at making advanced learning solutions available to educators to enable them create and publish content to students for more effective teaching and learning experiences, through devices like mobile phones, laptops, desktop and tablets computers.
Its modules or product features include: User Management; Lesson Management; Course Management; File Management; Project Work Management; Alerts, Notifications and Feedback; Collaboration Board; Academic Results; and Attendance Management.
The School Management System, which is an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system enables institutions to undertake Fees Management, Inventory management, Human Resource, Hostel Management and Transport Management easily with customized software that can be easily adapted to each organizational needs.
A particular aspect of the Fees Management module of the ERP software allows fee collections in school’s various access points and several levies and managed all in one place and giving the school and its administration automative fund management ability. All payments are tracked thereby allowing the school has a clean financial transaction records.
The Assets, Liability, and Donations in-built software of the ERP system is a tracker which enables assets and liabilities, income and expenditure and even donations to be effectively tracked, and managed anytime, anywhere so as to give the school financial freedom and ease to be on top of all financial transactions.
Learning Content Management System is a Publisher Management System which is also called the eMLearner Publisher Desk. Its features include Publishers UI, eBook Management , Lesson Management, and Marketplace.
It is a fully integrated portal for any publisher in the world who is interested to showcase his/her eBook to already presence educators and training organization in eMLearner. An interactive lesson goes with each eBook, providing a Learning content Management system to schools.
All these three major offerings are provided to the clients using the eMLearner System, which makes use of a cloud server to transmit access and services to users in their respective locations anywhere in the world.
The eMLearner application can be enjoyed through any of the four Business models on offer by the company. These are:
- Schools subscribe to eMLearner Web, Android Apps and Content from publisher;
- Government buys full eMLearner Server with Web, Android Apps and Content from publisher, Schools in different locations share the same content;
- Individual learner subscribe to eMLearner Web and Android Apps and learn on their own pace; and
- Publisher partner with hardware vendors – market devoices with contents direct to schools and individuals.
With the eMLearning Web system, students need to have devices like tablet PCs, laptops, notebooks or desktop computers and mobile phones.
The company can supply tablets/ PCs at a minimal cost to students while the school pays for training of lecturers and installation of authoring tools in all workstations and students subscribe for eMLearner System per academic year.
The acceptance of AD-Connect products has gone beyond the shores of Africa. In August 2010, a group of PhD fellows from Aalborg University, Denmark worked with the Ad-Connect team to research the usability and user experiences in the area of geographical preparedness, learners and trainers preparedness, devices dependent and Internet penetration. This research was conducted in Central University College and Golden Sunbeam Schools all in Ghana.
Ntuk, who stated that AD-Connect never envisaged a complete lockdown of the school system, when it was designing eMLearner, said clients are fully maximizing the benefits of the system with the present lockdown.
“Since our technology is cloud-based application, we are servicing our clients and prospect at any location and at any time. Our technical/support team is working round-the-clock in their homes to assist teachers, and educators, setup and train Learners and how to carry out their online education at ease,” he said.
“We have a weekly conference training running every day online that allow any trainer to join this online virtual training to adequately understand how to use the system.
“We also have a Frequently Asked Question Site that allows trainers to follow the instructions to solve their individual problems.”
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