The General Education Department will introduce QR codes in all textbooks for classes 8 to 12 in the next academic year.
This follows the success of the Diksha programme for grades 9 and 10 in the current academic year. Diksha was launched on recognising the role of good digital content in enhancing teaching and improving learning outcomes.
As part of Diksha, ‘energised’ (QR-code imposed) textbooks were introduced for students of classes 9 and 10. The QR codes were placed at hard spots identified by subject experts. A total of 1,703 QR codes were placed in 108 textbooks across four mediums – Malayalam, English, Tamil, and Kannada.
The QR codes simplified access to digital content, developed by a pool of trained teachers from across the State for topics in the syllabus, providing interactive audio-visual content and illustrations. This made learning more interesting and promoted a culture of self-learning among students.
Since the beginning of the academic year, the QR codes have clocked 85 lakh scans. The usage is particularly high during the examination season. While there were 3.65 lakh scans in a 10-day period during Onam examination, it went up to 5.5 lakh scans during Christmas period.
To cater to students’ demands, additional resources that would help in examination preparation had been added to the last QR code of the class 10 English textbooks, a statement from the State Council of Educational Research and Training said.
The State has been in the forefront of technology-aided learning in classrooms through programmes such as Samagra and Sametham.
