Student Information System (SIS)

We’ve all heard the term, “AI”, being used in conjunction with higher education before. More so, in the last couple of years. A truly revolutionary feat of computer science, it is all set to become a key component of software over the coming decades. With all the buzz going around, there’s understandably a good deal of confusion – and apprehension – regarding what AI is and what impact it might have on the academic world. Especially, when you have quotes like “a year spent in artificial intelligence is enough to make one believe in God” going around. So, what is AI? AI stands for Artificial Intelligence. It refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines, that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. Picture movies like Ex-Machina, Wall-E and I, Robot. The term may also be applied to any machine that exhibits traits associated with a human mind, such as learning, problem-solving and critical thinking. Imagine the vast possibilities that this brings to the field of Ed-Tech, especially when one of the biggest drawbacks of technology is its inability to think within the affective domain. To get your mind’s juices flowing, here are 4 ways in which AI can influence, inspire and impact higher education: Student Success – From attracting potential students to guiding existing students towards outcome attainment, AI helps drive learner development and success with ease. For instance, college recruiting teams will be able to better focus their efforts by creating algorithms that can predict the applicants most likely to be accepted. Similarly, they will also be able to determine who is most likely to progress, graduate, and become engaged alumni. What’s more, students will be able to assess their professional skills and access personalized content to help fill gaps between their career goals and existing studies. Teacher Empowerment – Whether it’s a savvy Question Bot that answers student questions (or assigns them to a relevant professor), or expert reading software that leverages language detection, text-to-speech, and translation, AI builds an environment that empowers teachers and students to work smarter. Teachers can leverage specialized assessment programs that aid in authoring, proctoring and marking, so as to provide automation, self-based, and a personalized correction. One of AI’s biggest advantages is its ability to ensure exam session integrity on a large scale! Researcher Efficacy – When it comes to building research capabilities, AI is limitless. It equips academicians with a powerful and flexible computing environment to perform studies, without hindrances from the underlying infrastructure. Taking on the role of an excellent AI Assistant, the computer offers cognitive capabilities (like no other) to simplify the research process. One can analyze hundreds of papers, label each one, rank them according to importance, cite authors, leverage big data and graph analysis. Additionally, collaborate with other researchers from across the world. Campus Intelligence – Smart, secure, intuitive, responsive – AI augments university campuses with a repertoire of software and tools to be fully capable. It helps institutions configure, optimize and manage their campus resources by pairing the physical infrastructure with digital technology, to deliver a revolutionary and futuristic campus experience. International students, in particular, benefit greatly from additional support like query management. By utilizing AI to perform time-intensive tasks, the administration may re-focus their time and energy on improving student experiences. The education sector (local and international) is abuzz with AI chatter. Institutions have already begun to develop fully-fledged AI strategies and set aside large budgets for the implantation of the same. University stakeholders are not only aware but in agreement, that AI has the potential to make learning fool-proof. The next 10-15 years will be critical in terms of its application, and we can’t wait to see what’s in store.

Who needs pen and paper when you’ve got Microsoft Word or Apple iWork, for that matter? Come to think of it, a trip to the bookstore seems pretty cumbersome when you’ve got e-books on Kindle. Similarly, the rush at grocery stores can be avoided with the brilliance of e-commerce websites! Retail, travel, theatre, art, finance, insurance – is it possible to live in the 21st century and not depend on technology in some way, shape or form? When it comes to the education sector, technology has evolved from being a mere facilitator to a complete enabler. Which means, going beyond interactive white boards and electronic ID cards to a fully digital campus with a virtual classroom. And this digital revolution has only been further propelled with the urgency created by the Covid-19 pandemic. Given that higher education institutions in India and abroad are moving towards an online learning model and integrating technology into the very core of their academic and administrative processes, it is fair to wonder what will become of human resources. Is the need for human teachers being eliminated? Is Ed-Tech becoming sophisticated enough to teach children the way teachers do? The answer to both questions is No! Technology is only a form of augmentation. Yes, it can help the process of learning, but it most certainly cannot replace the role of a teacher. Why Technology Cannot Replace Teachers No matter how advanced or smart a computer program is, it cannot and will not replace teachers. A software does not come even close to the knowledge and life experiences a teacher brings to the table. And this has nothing to do with facts, figures or analytics. A teacher leads, guides, facilitates, inspires, empowers and mentors a student beyond theory and sciences. A teacher is a role model who sets a good example and drives students towards a brighter future. Here are some concrete pointers that highlight technology’s shortcomings: It cannot provide soft skills coaching It cannot conduct behavioural assessments Adapting teaching methodologies based on student observations is impossible Technology cannot determine motivational stimuli for students It cannot read the emotional state of students, hence is unable to correct human behaviour Technology cannot inspire learning Technology lacks a sense of humour or wit, qualities that foster learning and interaction Technology cannot provide warm and encouraging feedback, thus hampering student empathy and progress How Technology Can Help Teachers For teachers to stay relevant in a rapidly changing environment, they must be able to prepare students for a world that does employ high-class technology like Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Gamification. Moreover, they must be capable of imbibing in them skills such as communication, collaboration, problem-solving, critical thinking, and entrepreneurialism. The ability to navigate these tools and augment them with human thinking, is what is most needed.   Here’s how technology aids teachers in fulfilling their responsibilities with higher efficacy. Helps teachers simplify administrative tasks like taking attendance, setting grades, and creating study plans Fosters effective and meaningful communication between teachers, students and other stakeholders via interactive chat forums Enables teachers to reinforce and amplify their content through multi-media tools Helps teachers better engage their students in learning through simulations and experiments Fosters teacher guidance to students’ academic achievements through digital resources Motivates teachers to utilise differentiated learning techniques So, while technology has completely changed the game, it is not a substitute for what the teacher has to offer. Even the smartest, most intuitive and responsive platforms are not capable of basic human understanding. And that is because they are NOT human. They are machines. And machines need to be paired with human beings, for the best possible results. While the software makes amazing things happen, it is the teacher who puts things into context, perspective. This is why we are confident in assuming that the role of the teacher is safe – for now at least.

At Camu, stakeholder cooperation is a way of life. Yes. By creating an environment of equal opportunity and trust, we create a happy workplace. One that excites, motivates and inspires everyone to work together and do better. For institutions to excel, we must build a foundation of integrity, trust, respect, passion and collaboration. Aka, stakeholder synergy! In this blog, we go over 4 main stakeholder groups in higher education. Here’s what you (as an institution) should be thinking about. Students – From supporting their unique goals and aspirations to gauging their very specific learning curves, higher education institutions must look to adopt a more student-centric approach to instruction, wherein the responsibility of learning falls upon the student itself. Personalised, engaging, competency-based, cross disciplinary, digitally driven! A one-size-fits-all approach must be substituted for a specialised teaching regime, bearing in mind diverse student profiles – rural student, international student, corporate student. Be it course content, assignment styles, in-class activities, or level of technology integration, it is vital for the learner to remain at the centre of all decision making. And this means knowing where they come from, and where they wish to go. After all, it is not merely about what the teacher covers, but more so, about what the student discovers. Parents -It is a fact; Indian parents have tall expectations when it comes to their children’s academic futures. The level of involvement in selecting a university, programme, and even course, is extremely high. Considering the impactful role that they play in a student’s educational graph, it is imperative for higher education institutions to maintain a free-flowing, two-way communication channel with them. Which means updating them about their child’s progress, informing them about day-to-day campus activities, encouraging them to pay visits to teaching faculty, assuaging any/all fears relating to examinations, and more. We are seeing a gradual shift in parent engagement, making this stakeholder group more important than ever. Teaching Faculty -Guider, mentor, facilitator, counsellor – a teacher is expected to perform many roles within and outside the classroom. Gone are the days when material is read out from a text book, and a series of questions follow. Today, a teacher wields a variety of resources, tools and teaching styles to make the classroom (physical and virtual) more interesting and engaging. But in order for them to play their part successfully, they too, must feel supported and motivated. Ensuring that they get adequate training within the domains of technical and human skills is a pre-requisite for a higher education institution. Equally, involving them in the processes of curriculum design and development is a necessity. Collaboration between faculty and management ensures long-term goals are met. Management – There are many leadership positions and administrative ranks within a higher education institution. Think, Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, Deans/Directors, Chairmen/Head of Departments. Given the mandate of teaching, training and research, many heads need to work together to ensure the smooth functioning of a university. While teaching excellence is the norm, it is also important to understand the impact of policy changes such as new assessment requirements on the balance of the academic model. When actions are taken without input from all of those who may be affected, there are dire consequences. Hence, it will take a collaborative approach between senior management and faculty to find a path that works best for all! How do you make sure everyone is on the same page? By encouraging open communication. By practicing transparency from the top. By inculcating empathy and understanding. By creating a sense of community. By leading by example.

CHENNAI, India, March 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Camu, a leading EdTech solution with an integrated Student Information System and Learning Management Solution from Octoze Technologies, announced today, the induction of two eminent academicians onto its Product Advisory Board. The main purpose of the Advisory Board is to provide market insight and intelligence to support the business planning and alignment of Camu to its strategic goals, and to enhance the engagement with Educational Institutions. Joining Camu’s Product Advisory Board is Dr. Bala V. Balachandran, Professor of Accounting Information and Management at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Illinois, USA. He is also the Founder, Chairman, and Dean Emeritus of Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, and has been an instrumental figure in India’s Management Education landscape. His path-breaking work in the fields of accounting, forecasting, and strategic decision support systems, has earned him numerous scholastic awards. The Government of India conferred on him, the honourable ‘Padmashri’ in 2001. “I am incredibly happy to be on Camu’s Product Advisory Board. I am looking forward to working closely with other experienced and knowledgeable members of the cohort, to develop futuristic learning experiences. Equally, looking forward to elevating the educational landscape to higher trajectories of learning,” says Dr. Bala V Balachandran. Accompanying him is Dr. Arnel Onesimo O. Uy who is currently the Vice-Chancellor for Administration of De La Salle University in Manila. He is a chief assessor in the ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) network. In the Philippines, he serves as the Chair of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Technical Committee on Accountancy since 2014 as well as a part of the CHED regional quality assurance team since 2005. He is also a member of the Philippine Interpretation Committee. Dr. Arnel Onesimo brings to the table innovative and multi-intelligence thinking, drawing from multiple, senior academic positions. “It is a great honour to have been invited to join Camu’s Product Advisory Board. I look forward to sharing my ideas and perspectives on aligning the learning experience of the students and how Camu delivers futuristic and revolutionary, ed-tech solutions.” he quotes Building smarter, more intuitive products is the need of the hour. Given how Camu is responsible for transforming the educational landscape of over 400 Institutions worldwide, the need to keep innovating is paramount. AR Swami, Co Founder and CEO, says, “We are extremely proud and deeply humbled to have Dr. Bala and Dr. Arnel as part of our Advisory board. With these noteworthy leaders on board, we are strongly positioned to help Institutions drive pedagogical transformation backed by operational excellence”.  About Camu The flagship product, Camu, is a cloud solution offered in the SaaS model for both, the web and mobile platforms. Camu offers an Integrated Student Information System (SIS) and Learning Management System (LMS) with a framework that enables Institutions to easily adopt modern learning concepts such as Outcome-Based Education (OBE), Competency-based learning, and the Flexible Choice Based Credit System (CBCS). Camu has a client base of over 400+ Institutions and 1 million students and a presence across 6 Countries. Media Contact:Caroline PetersVP & Head of [email protected]

Camu, Leading EdTech Solution with an integrated Student Information and Learning Management System from Octoze Technologies Private Limited, announced today the relocation of its Head Office from Chennai (India) to Singapore. Camu’s development, support and business development teams of India will continue to operate from its office in Chennai (India). This move is significant for Camu and is a deliberate decision based on the company’s unprecedented traction in the ASEAN Markets, especially in Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Read the Full article Below Read More>> Read More>> Read More>> Read More>> Read More>> Read More>>

National and Global Educational Institutions trust Camu as their education technology partner to deliver an outstanding student learning experience and learning outcomes. Chennai (India) August 10, 2020: Camu, an integrated Student Information System and Learning Management Solution from Octoze Technologies Private Limited announced the closing of their First Quarter on a positive note. The company has signed up with a number of prestigious educational institutions as their education technology partner, thus showing a global acceptance for Camu Software. Technology has helped level the playing field and Camu has proved to be the perfect partner of choice for several institutions and has successfully won many customers against several Global Ed Tech Vendors. Growing momentum in selecting Camu’s Virtual Classrooms & Remote AI-based Proctored Online Examinations. At the onset of the pandemic, to allow the continuity of education, Camu offered their Virtual Classroom free for all educational institutions across the country. This saw a phenomenal response with and 50+ institutions onboarded in the first month of its announcement. Camu promised customers onboarding in less than 48 hours, which further increased the response and adoption. Camu continues to innovate by integrating with Google Data Studio to deliver meaningful insights as reports to the management. These include the number of students attending the online classes, the number of classes conducted, student’s attendance, and much more. With the growing demand to conduct online examinations, Camu also introduced the most advanced proctoring solutions, leveraging automation, and live proctoring using AI to deliver innovation and quality. New Customer Additions in the First Quarter A few key customers added in the first quarter include Advance Tertiary College, Malaysia, UNITAR International University, Malaysia, Kumaraguru College of Technology, KMCH Institute of Health Sciences and Research, Training Ship Rahman, Siva Sivani Group of Institutions and many more, collectively adding 25,000 students on the Camu Platform. Speaking on the results of the First Quarter AR Swaminathan, Co-Founder & CEO said, “We are delighted to see a positive trend towards adoption of Camu to deliver learning outcomes and maximize students’ learning experience. Our innovations around Virtual Classrooms, AI-based Remote Proctored Online Examinations were well received by our customers and institutions across the globe are increasingly placing their trust in us. We are pleased with the growth seen in the first quarter and we are confident that we will continue to see major growth this year. We are committed towards building a strong foundation for our customers to build future success.” About Camu Camu is the flagship product from Octoze Technologies Private Limited. The Company is headquartered in Chennai, India. Octoze Technologies innovates primarily in education technology. Camu is a cloud solution developed using open source technologies for both web and mobile platforms. Camu uniquely offers an Integrated Student Information and Learning Management Solution built to deliver the modern concepts promoted by the Washington Accord and the Seoul Accord. Camu is fundamentally built for the Fully Flexible Choice Based Credit System, Outcome Based Education, and a flexible Assessment model used with more than 1200 programs and 1 million + students across six countries.