VALUE initiative Inaugurates its 1^st Virtual Labs Nodal Centre at CMS College, Kottayam

Following the immense success of the Amrita's workshop on Virtual Labs launched in January, the VALUE initiative- Amrita's Virtual Labs project, has drawn the interest of colleges across Kerala to become Nodal Centres. These centres become flag-bearing institutes for virtual labs, implementing this innovative e-learning tool as part of their educational curriculum and becoming a part of the feedback mechanism for further improving and refining the virtual laboratories whilst making the Government of India's National Mission to move Education into the digital age extinguishing the digital divide and IT illiteracy throughout India a reality.

The inauguration of the first Virtual Labs Nodal Centre was held on 11th February 2011 at C.M.S College, Kottayam. The event was a wonderful fusion of India's oldest college embracing this new age state-of-the-art educational technology. The inauguration was addressed by the Principal Prof. M. M Korah who welcomed the reality of Virtual Labs in the education of science. The session was followed by a live exhibition of VALUE-Virtual Labs and a hands-on session with the student in their computer labs. Students were seen eagerly logging on to the website and engaging in experiments within minutes. The enthusiasm in the response received from both students and educators at this first inaugural event indicates a promising future for Virtual Labs in mainstream education.