2020 was a year of huge changes for the world. One of the most prolific was the shift to online education. Until the pandemic struck, online learning was largely restricted to higher level professionals and was only slowly beginning to make a dent on school students. But since early last year, schools and universities have had to radically alter their core offerings and migrate to an all-online mode. A study by BARC India and Nielsen revealed that there was a 30% increase in time spent on education apps in the first three months of lockdown last year. In addition to the great online migration for education, there was a perceptible increase in the kind of subjects gaining traction.
A Randstad RiseSmart survey revealed that AI and blockchain are the top five skills required to thrive in a post pandemic world. In the past year, the need for upskilling has exponentially grown, spurred by creation of new jobs and demand for specialised skills. Aspirants took to online learning with renewed vigour to future-proof themselves in a competitive, skilled job market. New age technologies like AI, ML and data analytics are among the most sought after skills.
With seasoned professionals eagerly upskilling themselves to continue staying relevant in the job market, where does it leave school and college students? How do they get on the new skills bandwagon in a pandemic era dominated by online learning?
This is what Kartik Sharma and Ashish Aggarwal chose to focus on through their startup Dcode AI. With a focus on low code/no-code tools, Dcode AI imparts skills and knowledge in AI to children and teenagers aged between 6 and 18. Sharma is an AI practitioner and educator who realised that the pace of technology was changing faster than conventional systems could keep up. Initially, along with Aggarwal, Sharma started authoring books on AI which were published by Aggarwal’s family that runs a publishing business. This was a successful programme, as their material was rolled out to nearly 700 schools that were beginning their journey in teaching AI. “As time went by, I noticed that students and teachers were keen to learn the practical aspects of AI. They sought a deeper engagement, DIY models, hands on assignments and practical workshops through which they could truly see and understand the potential of AI,” says Sharma.
This proved to a critical pivot for the duo, paving the way for Dcode AI to be created. Currently, Dcode AI is available as a web or mobile app, teaching five core components – basics of math and statistics, Python, data science, computer vision and NLP. These five components cover the basic to intermediate skills needed in AI, and is aligned to Central Board of Secondary Education’s curriculum. In 2019, CBSE announced that it would introduce AI as an elective for students from Class 9-12, in collaboration with a team from IBM. Dcode AI works with several CBSE schools, and recommends downloading the app or using the web interface for an augmented learning experience. In addition to providing AI learning materials to CBSE schools, Dcode AI is the exclusive content provider in AI for TCS and Dr Kiran Bedi Foundation. The startup is already plugged into over 18 schools in India as exclusive AI content providers. Once schools resume operations across India, the duo are planning to scale their operations even further.
Not only is Dcode AI building its modules using no code/low code tools, but runs courses and engagement on Kubernetes servers within Docker containers, essentially limiting the reliance on large GPUs.
Breaking away from a unilateral model of learning, Dcode AI heavily emphasises on student engagement through activities, assignments and tasks. This allows the users to feel more involved and incentivises them to remain committed to this form of learning. In addition, the team is adding a section on real industry use cases for students to practice on. “We have had a sudden and massive shift to online learning. Not only are children spending their school hours on a laptop, but even extra classes and activities are now online. We wanted to make the model as engaging as possible so the children aren’t fatigued. Our tech teams are working on gamifying the learning experience to make it more interactive,” explains Sharma.
Already, the startup has registered over 70,000 AI learners. Sharma plans to expand the syllabus to include Deep Learning, GPT-3, advanced NLP and generative AI. The idea to make students AI-ready by the time they enter the job market or opt for higher studies. “I compare this to materials testing protocols from ten years ago. Several testing processes were manual, and the same skills were imparted in colleges. When automation took over, manual testers were left struggling to find jobs. Similarly, there is no point in just teaching the basics of coding to children as their skills will be outdated. In an age where even website and app development is DIY, specialised and technical skills will be necessary for children to have an edge in the job market. Personally, I feel its a moral responsibility to future-proof children with the relevant skills needed in the future as well.”
AI is a fairly niche and new subject, despite its boundless popularity in industry. Understandably, school teachers and primary educators require necessary guidance to teach the subject competently to their wards. Dcode AI, through its association with CBSE schools as a content provider, is connected to a community of more than 2,000 school teachers, who provide critical feedback on module preparation and course material. Since Dcode AI’s trainers hail from AI/ data science backgrounds with some industry experience, they are better equipped to aid teachers with skills needed to teach AI in a hands-on and practical manner.
Source: indiaai.gov.in
